What's on the test
The questions come from the Washington Driver Guide. They cover these areas; each links to free practice questions on it:
- Signs, signals & intersectionsTraffic lights, ramp meters, sign colors, right-of-way, turns and roundabouts.
- Markings, zones & parkingLane lines, HOV and bike lanes, school and work zones, parking and loads.
- Sharing the roadPedestrians, school buses, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, emergencies.
- Risks & emergenciesSpeed, space, merging, night and winter driving, skids, breakdowns, crashes.
- Impairment & attitudeAlcohol, cannabis, medicines, fatigue, road rage and distracted driving.
- Licenses & your vehiclePermits, intermediate license, DUI law, insurance, seat belts, steering.
A study plan in five steps
Read the Washington Driver Guide
Everything on the test is in it. Read it chapter by chapter, slowly, and come back to the parts you find hard:
- Licenses
- Vehicles
- Drivers
- Roads: sharing the road
- Roads: traffic laws, signals, signs and intersections
- Roads: markings, zones, parking and transporting
- Risks
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: 40 questions, 32 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
Permit at 15
Enrolled in driver training, you can apply for an instruction permit at 15; otherwise you can take the knowledge exam at 15½. A permit lasts one year. (Washington Driver Guide, p. 25 (section 1.8))
Teen license steps
Under 18 you need 6 months on the permit, an approved driver training course, both exams, and 50 hours of supervised practice (10 at night). (Washington Driver Guide, p. 26 (section 1.8))
Intermediate license limits
For the first 6 months, no passengers under 20 except family; then up to 3. No driving 1–5 a.m. without a licensed driver 25 or older, and no phone use at all. (Washington Driver Guide, p. 28–29 (section 1.8))
Hold nothing while driving
No driver may hold a phone or other electronic device while driving; permit and intermediate holders can't use one even hands-free. (Washington Driver Guide, p. 85 (section 3.4))
Move over, slow down
Next to a roadside response vehicle with flashing lights, move over a lane or slow to at least 10 mph under the limit, never over 50 mph. (Washington Driver Guide, p. 143 (sections 4.17–4.18))
3 feet for bicycles
Pass a bicyclist with at least 3 feet between them and the widest part of your vehicle, moving over a full lane where there are two lanes your way. (Washington Driver Guide, p. 103 (section 4.6))
More answers: Washington permit test FAQ. Applying for the first time? How to get your Washington permit.
This guide is a free study aid, not the official test. Rules and fees can change: always check the current Washington Driver Guide and the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) before your test.This handbook doesn't print page numbers, so page numbers here are the PDF's own (as a PDF viewer shows them); tap one to open the official PDF at that page. Section numbers are the guide's own headings, the same in its text-only version on the state's website.