Alabama Car / Permit Practice Test
The Alabama Car / Permit knowledge test has ~30 questions, and you need ~24 correct (80%) to pass. Practice free with questions written from the official Alabama driver handbook — every one has a clear explanation, and you can retake as often as you like with no sign-up.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · July 7, 2026
What's on the Alabama written test
The Alabama Car / Permit knowledge test has ~30 questions; you need ~24 correct (80%) to pass.
Based on the official Alabama exam format — always confirm current details with your state DMV.
Practice by topic
Focus on one area at a time — each topic has its own set of Alabama practice questions.
Learn the shapes, colors, and meanings of regulatory, warning, and guide signs — from stop and yield to construction and school-zone signs.
Speed limits, turning and signaling rules, headlight and seat-belt requirements, and the everyday laws every driver must follow.
How to read traffic signals, lane lines, and pavement markings — including yellow and white lines, arrows, and flashing lights.
Who goes first at intersections, four-way stops, roundabouts, and crosswalks, and how to yield to pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
Following distance, scanning, blind spots, using your lights, and the habits that prevent crashes and keep you in control.
Driving safely around motorcycles, bicycles, large trucks, pedestrians, and school buses — and knowing who has the right of way.
Blood alcohol limits, zero-tolerance and implied-consent laws, and how alcohol and drugs — legal or not — affect your driving.
Legal and illegal parking, colored curbs, distances from hydrants and crossings, and how to park safely on hills.
Choosing a safe speed, keeping a space cushion, adjusting for weather and traffic, and understanding stopping distance.
What to do when things go wrong — brake failure, tire blowouts, skids, and stalling on railroad tracks.
The point system, license suspension, provisional-license rules, insurance requirements, and other licensing basics.
How to pass the first time
- Read the official Alabama driver handbook at least once before test day.
- Practice by topic to find your weak spots, then fix them.
- Take full-length practice tests until you pass comfortably every time.
- Read every explanation — understanding beats memorizing.
Alabama Car / Permit test — frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Alabama Car / Permit test?
The Alabama Car / Permit knowledge test has ~30 questions, and you need ~24 correct (80%) to pass. Our practice tests mirror that format.
How many questions can I miss on the Alabama Car / Permit test?
You can miss up to ~6 of the ~30 questions and still pass — you need ~24 correct, which is 80%.
Can I retake the practice test?
Yes — practice as often as you like, completely free. The questions and answer choices are shuffled each time.
Can I take the Alabama practice test in Spanish?
Yes. Every question here is available in English and Spanish — switch languages anytime. Many states also offer the real knowledge test in languages other than English; confirm what Alabama offers with your DMV.
Can I practice on my phone?
Yes. The practice tests work in any mobile or desktop browser — no app or sign-up needed — so you can study anywhere.
Are these the real DMV test questions?
No. Our questions are original, written from the current official Alabama driver handbook to match the real test's topics and style. We are not affiliated with any DMV or government agency.
What's the best way to study?
Read the Alabama driver handbook, practice by topic to target weak areas, and finish with full-length tests until you consistently pass.
Other Alabama practice tests
Take the Car / Permit test in another state
Every Alabama question is written from the official Alabama driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free
Alabama Car / Permit questions with answers
20 sample questions from the Alabama Car / Permit question bank — each with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the section of the official handbook it comes from.
1. A downward-pointing three-sided sign facing you at an intersection tells you to do what?
Correct answer: Slow down and give the right of way to crossing traffic and pedestrians
The triangular sign means slow down and let pedestrians and cross traffic go first; stop if needed to give way.
2. Unless a different limit is posted, what is Alabama's statutory speed limit in an urban district?
Correct answer: 30 mph
The statutory limit for an urban district is 30 mph when no other posted limit applies.
3. School bus and daycare drivers are considered legally impaired at a blood alcohol concentration of:
Correct answer: 0.02 percent
The manual sets a 0.02 percent limit for school bus and daycare drivers.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 4, Driving While Under the Influence
4. A driver who enters an intersection on a green arrow must still:
Correct answer: Yield to traffic lawfully already in the intersection
Even with a green arrow, you must yield to other traffic already lawfully using the intersection.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 6, Right of Way and Yielding
5. Under the Alabama point system, illegally passing a stopped school bus is assessed:
Correct answer: 5 points
Passing a stopped school bus carries a 5-point assessment.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 2, The Alabama Point System
6. You can tell you are in a truck or bus driver's blind spot when:
Correct answer: You cannot see the driver's face in the side mirror
If you cannot see the driver's face in the vehicle's side mirror, the driver cannot see you either.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 3, Sharing the Road with Large Vehicles
7. On snow or ice, the distance needed to stop your car compared with dry pavement can be:
Correct answer: Three to twelve times greater
It can take three to twelve times as much distance to stop on snow or ice as on dry pavement.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 7, Slippery Roads Are Hazardous
8. A steady circular red traffic light directs you to:
Correct answer: Stop and remain stopped until the signal turns green
At a steady red, you must stop and stay stopped until the light turns green (turns after stopping are allowed only where permitted).
9. When you begin to feel drowsy behind the wheel, you should:
Correct answer: Stop and rest instead of pushing on
Stop driving when drowsy; pull off at a rest stop and take a break rather than fight sleepiness.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 4, Highway Hypnosis and Fatigue
10. When you park facing downhill next to a curb, you should turn your front wheels:
Correct answer: Toward the curb
Facing downhill with a curb, turn the wheels toward the curb so the car will not roll into traffic.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 3, Parking on a Hill
11. If a car is coming straight at you in your lane, you should:
Correct answer: Steer to the right, slow down, and honk
Pull to the right, slow down, and sound your horn; do not swerve left because the other driver may correct back into your path.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 7, Driving Emergencies
12. What does an orange background on a diamond-shaped sign indicate?
Correct answer: A road construction or maintenance area is ahead
Warning signs used in work areas are black on orange, telling you a construction or maintenance zone is ahead.
13. You may NOT cross the center line to pass another vehicle when:
Correct answer: A curve or hill blocks a clear view for 500 feet ahead
Passing over the center line is prohibited on curves or hills where you cannot see a clear passing distance of at least 500 feet.
14. A driver operating a commercial vehicle is considered legally impaired at a blood alcohol level of:
Correct answer: 0.04 percent
Commercial vehicle operators are unlawful to drive at a BAC of 0.04 percent or more.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 4, Driving While Under the Influence
15. While making a turn at an intersection, who has the right of way over your vehicle?
Correct answer: Pedestrians crossing where you are turning
The manual states that pedestrians have the right of way over the motor vehicle when you are turning.
16. A person may obtain a restricted learner license in Alabama at the age of:
Correct answer: 15
A 15-year-old may get a restricted learner license (Class D with a Y restriction) after passing the required exam.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 1, The Learner License
17. When a truck ahead of you has its right turn signal on, you should not pass on the right because:
Correct answer: The truck may swing wide and trap you against the curb
Trucks swing wide left to make right turns; passing on the right can trap you in the squeeze play where the driver cannot see you.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 3, Sharing the Road with Large Vehicles
18. If your car begins to hydroplane, the best action is to:
Correct answer: Take your foot off the gas and let it slow down
Ease off the accelerator and let the car slow down; braking hard can make the skid worse.
19. If a solid yellow line runs on your side of the center stripe, you:
Correct answer: May not pass on that stretch of road
A solid yellow line on your side of the center means passing is not allowed for you.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 5, Pavement Markings
20. To make a left turn from a four-lane divided highway, you should turn from:
Correct answer: The lane closest to the center line
For a left turn, move to the lane nearest the center line or divider and turn from that inside lane.
Source: Alabama Driver Manual — Chapter 3, Turning from Four-Lane Highways