What's on the test
The questions come from the Alabama Driver Manual. They cover these areas; each links to free practice questions on it:
- Signs, signals & markingsSign shapes and colors, warning and guide signs, lane lines and signals.
- Traffic lawsSpeed limits, stopping, school buses, right of way, passing, Move Over.
- Turns, parking & sharing the roadTurns, bicycles, motorcycles, trucks' No-Zones, parking rules and child seats.
- Weather, freeways & emergenciesNight, rain and ice, skids, blowouts, freeways and your car's equipment.
- Alcohol, phones & crashesBAC limits, DUI, texting, following distance, crashes and railroad crossings.
- Permits & licensesThe learner license, GDL limits, renewals, points and losing your license.
A study plan in five steps
Read the Alabama Driver Manual
Everything on the test is in it. Read it chapter by chapter, slowly, and come back to the parts you find hard:
- Your License to Drive
- You May Lose Your License
- The Driving Task: Turns and Sharing the Road
- The Driving Task: Parking, Safety Belts and Child Restraints
- The Driver: Attitude, Phones, Alcohol and Drugs
- The Driver: Following Distance, Crashes and Railroad Crossings
- Traffic Signs
- Pavement Markings, Traffic Signals and Roundabouts
- Traffic Laws: Speed, Stopping, School Buses and Right of Way
- Traffic Laws: Passing, Pedestrians, Lanes, Insurance and Move Over
- Adjust to Driving Conditions
- Driving the Freeways
- Your Vehicle
- Graduated Driver License Summary
Practice one topic at a time
After each chapter, practice that topic. You see the right answer and why straight away, with the handbook page to reread.
Learn the road signs
Signs are quick points once you know them by shape and color. Study the signs one at a time, then test yourself on 20.
Fix your weak spots
Your practice results are saved on your device. Practice my weak spots builds a round from the topics you miss most.
Take the full practice exam
The full exam works like the real one: 30 questions, 24 to pass, no answers until the end. Keep going until you pass comfortably several times in a row, then review every question you missed.
Before test day
Learner license at 15
At 15 you can take the knowledge test for a learner license (Class D with a "Y" restriction) and drive with a licensed adult aged 21 or older, or a driving instructor, beside you. (Alabama Driver Manual, p. 9)
Six months before the road test
Drivers under 18 hold the learner license for six months (or until they turn 18) before taking the road test; a 16-year-old brings a parent or guardian. (Alabama Driver Manual, p. 10–11)
50 hours of practice
Before the restricted license, a parent, grandparent, guardian or driving instructor signs that you drove at least 50 hours, unless you finished an approved driver education course. (ALEA: Graduated Driver License)
Two-second rule
Alabama teaches a two-second following distance, stretched to four or five seconds when the road or weather is poor. (Alabama Driver Manual, p. 36)
Stop 20 feet from a school bus
Traffic from both directions stops at least 20 feet from a school or church bus with red lights flashing, except across a divided highway of four or more lanes. (Alabama Driver Manual, p. 61–62)
0.02 under 21
Drivers under 21 break the DUI law with a blood alcohol level of 0.02% or more; for adults the limit is 0.08%. (Alabama Driver Manual, p. 33)
More answers: Alabama permit test FAQ. Applying for the first time? How to get your Alabama permit.
This guide is a free study aid, not the official test. Rules and fees can change: always check the current Alabama Driver Manual and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), Driver License Division before your test.Page numbers are the ones printed on the handbook pages; tap one to open the official PDF at that page. A PDF viewer counts the cover too, so its page numbers run 2 higher.