Colorado DMV Permit Practice Test 1
This is the set to take first if you have not opened the handbook yet. All twenty-five questions are drawn across the eight topic areas in the same proportions the Colorado written test uses, so a score here is a fair estimate of where you stand right now. The questions are deliberately mixed rather than grouped: a sign question can follow a right-of-way question, which is exactly how the real exam feels when you are twenty minutes in and tired. Unlike the official Driving Knowledge Test, you get an explanation after every single answer instead of a pass or fail at the end, and you can leave and come back without losing your place. Treat a first score below eighty percent as information, not as a verdict: read the explanations, then take set two within a day or two while the reasoning is still fresh in your head.
What is in this set
- Questions
- 25
- same length as the real exam
- Difficulty
- 10 easy · 13 medium · 2 hard
- Topics
- Road signs 5 · Safe driving 4 · Right-of-way 4 · Speed limits 3 · Alcohol and drugs 3 · Vehicle equipment 2 · Emergencies 2 · Licence rules 2
Take this set as a quiz
One question at a time, immediate feedback, and a review page that sends you to the rule you missed. Your answers are saved in this browser only, so you can close the tab and come back.
Study mode — all 25 questions, answers shown
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Question 1 · Safe driving · easy
You are driving at night and meet an oncoming car with its high beams lit. What should you do?
- A Switch to low beams and look toward the right edge of your lane
- B Flash your lights repeatedly until they dim theirs
- C Leave your own high beams on so you can still see the road edge
- D Pull onto the shoulder and stop until they have passed
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Two sets of high beams do not cancel out — they blind both drivers at once, and whoever recovers slower is steering two tons of car they cannot see the...
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Question 2 · Road signs · easy
A red octagonal sign with white letters is posted ahead of you. What does it require?
- A Stop only when another vehicle or a pedestrian is present
- B Come to a full stop at the stop line, then proceed only when the way is clear
- C Do not enter, because the road ahead is closed to you
- D Slow down and yield to traffic already in the intersection
Show the answer and why
B is correct. The octagon is reserved for one message only: stop.
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Question 3 · Vehicle equipment · easy
Before moving into the lane to your left on a multi-lane road, what is the most reliable way to confirm the lane is clear?
- A Check the inside rear-view mirror only
- B Rely on the vehicle's blind-spot warning light if it has one
- C Signal for three seconds and then move over
- D Glance over your left shoulder to check the blind spot after using the mirrors
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Mirrors leave a wedge of road beside and slightly behind the car that no lens can reach, and that wedge is large enough to swallow a motorcycle or a sma...
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Question 4 · Emergencies · medium
Your right-side wheels drift off the pavement onto a gravel shoulder while you are travelling at highway speed. What is the correct first response?
- A Brake firmly and steer back onto the pavement immediately
- B Accelerate briefly to pull the car away from the edge of the road
- C Ease off the accelerator, hold the wheel steady, and steer back once the car has slowed
- D Steer sharply to the left to get back onto the pavement at once
Show the answer and why
C is correct. The instinct to yank the wheel back is the single most dangerous reaction to a shoulder drop.
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Question 5 · Licence rules · easy
A Colorado law enforcement officer stops you for a traffic violation and asks for your documents. Along with your driver license and vehicle registration, what else must you be able to show?
- A The vehicle's original title document
- B A current emissions inspection receipt
- C Your social security card
- D Proof of financial responsibility, such as a current insurance card
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Colorado expects a driver to produce three things during a lawful stop: a valid driver license, current vehicle registration, and evidence of financial...
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Question 6 · Right-of-way · medium
A pedestrian has stepped into a marked crosswalk at an intersection with no traffic signal. What are you required to do?
- A Sound the horn once and pass behind the pedestrian
- B Slow to 10 mph and proceed carefully around the pedestrian
- C Stop and remain stopped until the pedestrian has cleared your lane and the lane beside it
- D Continue if the pedestrian has not yet reached the centre of the road
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Once a pedestrian has entered a marked crosswalk, the driver must yield, and yielding means stopping rather than squeezing past.
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Question 7 · Road signs · easy
Two solid yellow lines are painted down the centre of a two-lane road. What do they mean?
- A Passing is not allowed from your side of the road only
- B The lane ahead ends and traffic must merge
- C A bicycle lane begins at this point
- D Passing is not allowed from either direction
Show the answer and why
D is correct. Centre line markings are read like this.
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Question 8 · Speed limits · easy
You are driving through a school zone during arrival time with children walking nearby. What does the law require of you?
- A Keep the normal limit because no child is actually crossing yet
- B Slow to the posted school zone limit and obey any crossing guard
- C Sound the horn so children move out of the way
- D Stop completely until the area has cleared
Show the answer and why
B is correct. School zones carry a reduced posted limit that applies when children are present or during the hours printed on the sign, and the governing idea is that...
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Question 9 · Safe driving · easy
A sharp curve ahead carries an advisory speed plaque below the warning sign. When should you slow to that speed?
- A Only if another vehicle is coming the other way
- B In the middle of the curve, once you can judge how sharp it is
- C Before you enter the curve
- D As you exit, to steady the car
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Braking shifts weight onto the front tyres and eats grip that the steering needs, which is exactly the trade you cannot afford once the car is already t...
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Question 10 · Alcohol and drugs · medium
Which statement best describes driving after taking medication that makes you drowsy?
- A It is always acceptable because the medicine was prescribed to you
- B Only illegal drugs can count as impairment
- C It can still be impaired driving, because the law looks at your driving, not at whether the drug was legal
- D Drowsiness is manageable if you keep the windows down and the radio up
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Impairment law asks whether your driving is affected, not whether the substance involved was lawful.
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Question 11 · Road signs · hard
Driving along a two-lane highway you pass a narrow wordless triangular sign mounted on the left-hand side and pointing to the right. What does it mark?
- A A hiker crossing ahead
- B The beginning of a no-passing zone — from here you may not overtake
- C A side road joining from the left
- D A lane ends ahead and you must merge right
Show the answer and why
B is correct. The pennant-shaped no-passing zone marker is one of the few signs whose meaning is carried entirely by shape and placement, with no text at all.
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Question 12 · Right-of-way · medium
You are waiting in the middle of an intersection to turn left when the light turns yellow. Oncoming cars are still moving through at speed. What should you do?
- A Back up into the lane you came from
- B Turn right instead so you are out of the way
- C Complete the turn at once, because hesitation is what makes it dangerous
- D Hold your position with the wheels straight, then turn once oncoming traffic has cleared
Show the answer and why
D is correct. A driver who entered the intersection on a green light already owns that space.
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Question 13 · Licence rules · medium
You hold an instruction permit and are practising driving. What must be true of the person supervising you?
- A A licensed driver aged 21 or over must ride in the seat beside you
- B Any licensed passenger anywhere in the vehicle is sufficient
- C A parent must be somewhere in the car
- D Another permit holder may supervise you
Show the answer and why
A is correct. The condition is about supervision rather than mere presence, which is why the supervising driver has to be beside you and meet an age and licence thres...
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Question 14 · Alcohol and drugs · medium
For a Colorado driver aged 21 or over, which blood alcohol concentration is the legal limit for driving?
- A 0.08%
- B 0.04%
- C 0.05%
- D 0.02%
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Colorado treats 0.08% as the per se limit for drivers aged 21 and over: at or above that concentration the driver is impaired as a matter of law, and th...
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Question 15 · Road signs · medium
A diamond-shaped sign with a yellow background is used for what purpose?
- A To regulate traffic, such as by requiring a stop
- B To show destinations, directions and distances
- C To warn of hazards or conditions ahead on the road
- D To mark construction work zones only
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Shape and colour carry meaning before the words do, and the yellow diamond is the standard warning shape across American roads.
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Question 16 · Right-of-way · medium
You are approaching a single-lane roundabout and another car is already travelling around it. Who has the right of way?
- A The car already in the circle — you wait for a gap before entering
- B You do, because entering traffic always goes first at a roundabout
- C Whoever reaches the entry line first
- D Whoever is signalling to leave at the next exit
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Traffic already circulating in a roundabout keeps moving, and anyone entering must yield to it before crossing the painted line.
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Question 17 · Road signs · medium
The red lights at a railway crossing begin flashing and the gates start lowering as you approach. You cannot see a train. What should you do?
- A Stop short of the gate and wait until the signals stop and the arms rise
- B Accelerate to clear the tracks before the gate finishes lowering
- C Cross the tracks slowly if you cannot hear a train coming
- D Stop on the tracks and look both ways before proceeding
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Active crossing signals are conclusive, and their verdict replaces your own judgement about whether the track looks empty.
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Question 18 · Right-of-way · easy
You arrive at an uncontrolled four-way intersection at the same moment as a driver on your right. Neither street has a stop sign. Who must yield?
- A The driver on your right must yield, because the left side always has priority
- B You must yield to the driver on your right
- C Whichever driver is operating the larger vehicle
- D Whichever driver signals a turn first
Show the answer and why
B is correct. At an uncontrolled intersection where two vehicles arrive at essentially the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
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Question 19 · Emergencies · hard
You press the brake pedal on a long downhill grade and it sinks to the floor with no resistance. What is the first thing you should do?
- A Switch off the ignition and coast to a stop
- B Pull the parking brake fully on at once
- C Steer into the guardrail to scrub off speed
- D Pump the pedal hard, then shift down through the gears and apply the parking brake gradually
Show the answer and why
D is correct. A pedal that sinks to the floor usually means either fluid loss or brake fade from sustained braking on a long descent, and the opening move covers both...
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Question 20 · Speed limits · medium
You enter a work zone where workers are standing beside the travel lane and the lanes have been narrowed. How should you drive?
- A Move into the closed lane to put distance between you and the workers
- B Sound the horn before passing anyone working near the road
- C Reduce speed, open up following distance, and follow the flaggers' directions
- D Hold highway speed so you clear the zone as quickly as possible
Show the answer and why
C is correct. Work zones stack three hazards that rarely appear together elsewhere: lanes narrowed to below normal width, people on foot within arm's reach of moving...
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Question 21 · Safe driving · medium
On dry level pavement at 55 mph, approximately how much distance does a passenger car need to stop completely?
- A About 200 feet
- B About 300 feet
- C About 100 feet
- D About 600 feet
Show the answer and why
B is correct. Total stopping distance has two parts, and only one of them is braking.
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Question 22 · Safe driving · medium
You have just passed a large truck on the highway and want to move back into the right lane. When is it safe to do so?
- A As soon as the truck's cab appears level with your rear bumper
- B Immediately, before the truck has a chance to speed up
- C When the truck driver flashes his headlights at you
- D When you can see both of the truck's headlights in your rear-view mirror
Show the answer and why
D is correct. A tractor-trailer has four blind zones, and the one beside the cab is big enough to swallow a passenger car whole.
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Question 23 · Vehicle equipment · easy
When are you required to have your vehicle's headlights switched on?
- A From sunset to sunrise, and whenever visibility drops below a safe distance ahead
- B Whenever your dashboard illumination comes on
- C Only on unlit rural roads after dark
- D Only when it is dark enough that you cannot see other vehicles clearly
Show the answer and why
A is correct. Headlights do two jobs that are worth separating: they let you see, and they let everyone else see you.
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Question 24 · Alcohol and drugs · easy
What does Colorado's express consent law mean for a driver who is lawfully arrested for impaired driving?
- A The driver may refuse any test without consequence
- B By driving on Colorado roads the driver has already consented to a chemical test of breath or blood, and refusing carries licence consequences
- C The driver may choose which test to take, but only after a court hearing
- D The driver must give written consent at the scene before any test may be given
Show the answer and why
B is correct. Express consent is a condition attached to the privilege of driving rather than a decision made at the roadside.
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Question 25 · Speed limits · medium
Why must you drive well below the posted limit when the road surface is wet or icy?
- A Because posted limits stop applying in poor weather
- B Because headlights are more effective at lower speeds
- C Because other drivers will expect everyone to slow down
- D Because reduced grip lengthens stopping distance and ordinary inputs can break traction
Show the answer and why
D is correct. A posted limit is calculated for ideal conditions and states the maximum permitted rather than the speed that is actually safe today.
Where to go next
- Run this set again Same twenty-five questions, so you can measure what you actually learned.
- Set 2 Set two leans harder on road signs and pavement markings than any other set on this site.
- Set 3 Right-of-way is where confident drivers lose marks, because most of what people believe about it is habit rather than rule.