What's on the test
The questions come from the New York State Driver's Manual. They cover these areas; each links to free practice questions on it:
- Signs, signals & markingsSign shapes and colors, traffic signals, pavement markings and traffic officers.
- Rules of the roadRight-of-way, turns, passing and parallel parking.
- Sharing the roadPedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, trucks and more.
- Conditions, crashes & ADASRail crossings, expressways, night, weather, deer, emergencies and crashes.
- Defensive driving, alcohol & drugsDistractions, speed, space, seat belts, work zones and impaired driving.
- Licenses, points & vehiclesLicense types, junior rules, points, tickets, registration and inspection.
A study plan in five steps
Read the New York State Driver's Manual
Everything on the test is in it. Read it chapter by chapter, slowly, and come back to the parts you find hard:
- Driver Licenses
- How to Keep Your License
- Owning a Vehicle
- Traffic Control
- Intersections and Turns
- How to Pass
- Parallel Parking
- Defensive Driving
- Alcohol and Other Drugs
- Special Driving Conditions
- Sharing the Road
- If You Are in a Traffic Crash
- Advanced Driver Assistant Systems (ADAS)
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: 20 questions, 14 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
What's on the test
20 multiple-choice questions on rules of the road, safe driving, road signs and alcohol and drug laws. You need 14 right, including at least 2 of the 4 road sign questions. (New York State Driver's Manual, p. 10)
When you can start
You can get a junior learner permit at 16 after passing the vision and written tests. (New York State Driver's Manual, p. 6)
Who supervises you
A licensed driver at least 21, with a license for the vehicle you're driving, seated in the front seat. In New York City and on Long Island there are extra rules on who that can be. (New York State Driver's Manual, p. 11)
Practice and the road test
Hold your junior permit at least six months, log at least 50 hours of practice (15 after sunset), and complete a 5-hour pre-licensing course before the road test. (New York State Driver's Manual, p. 14)
Junior driver limits
Junior permit and license holders can't carry more than one passenger under 21 who isn't immediate family, and their driving hours and supervision depend on the region. (New York State Driver's Manual, p. 15)
Moving to New York
New residents must turn in their out-of-state license and get a New York license within 30 days. (New York State Driver's Manual, p. 6)
More answers: New York permit test FAQ. Applying for the first time? How to get your New York permit.
This guide is a free study aid, not the official test. Rules and fees can change: always check the current New York State Driver's Manual and the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) before your test.Page numbers are the ones printed on the handbook pages; tap one to open the official PDF at that page.