Free Alaska DMV CDL — General Knowledge Practice Test 2026
The Alaska CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has ~50 questions, and you need ~40 correct (80%) to pass. Practice free with questions written from the official Alaska 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 · August 12, 2026
What's on the Alaska written test
The Alaska CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has ~50 questions; you need ~40 correct (80%) to pass.
Based on the official Alaska 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 Alaska 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 Alaska 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.
Alaska CDL — General Knowledge test — frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Alaska CDL — General Knowledge test?
The Alaska CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has ~50 questions, and you need ~40 correct (80%) to pass. Our practice tests mirror that format.
How many questions can I miss on the Alaska CDL — General Knowledge test?
You can miss up to ~10 of the ~50 questions and still pass — you need ~40 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 Alaska 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 Alaska 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 Alaska 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 Alaska driver handbook, practice by topic to target weak areas, and finish with full-length tests until you consistently pass.
Other Alaska practice tests
Take the CDL — General Knowledge test in another state
Every Alaska question is written from the official Alaska 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
Alaska CDL — General Knowledge questions with answers
20 sample questions from the Alaska CDL — General Knowledge question bank — each with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the section of the official handbook it comes from.
Show all 20 questions with answers
1. Which Alaska endorsement requires a road skills test in addition to a knowledge test?
Correct answer: P – Passenger
Alaska's endorsement list shows knowledge plus road skills for the passenger (P) and school bus (S) endorsements. Tanker, doubles/triples, and hazardous materials list a knowledge test, with a background check added for hazmat.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 1, Commercial Driver License Classes, Endorsements and Restrictions
2. A tire has just failed and your vehicle is still rolling fast. When does the manual accept braking right away?
Correct answer: Only if you are about to run into something
Braking with a failed tire can cost you control, so you stay off the pedal until the vehicle slows. The single exception is when a collision is imminent.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.17.4, Tire Failure
3. The manual says you must adjust your speed to driving conditions. Which list of conditions does it give?
Correct answer: Traction, curves, visibility, traffic, and hills
The speed section names traction, curves, visibility, traffic, and hills as the conditions that should set your speed.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.6, Controlling Speed
4. When another driver is behaving aggressively toward you, what does the manual say about eye contact?
Correct answer: Avoid it
The guidance for dealing with an aggressive driver includes avoiding eye contact and ignoring gestures instead of reacting to them.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.10.3, What You Should Do When Confronted by an Aggressive Driver
5. Which work situation appears on the manual's 'Are You At Risk?' fatigue checklist?
Correct answer: Holding more than one job when your main job involves shift work
The checklist asks whether you work more than one job while your main job involves shift work, along with items such as short sleep and long drives without proper breaks.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.11.2, Driver Factors
6. At a passive railroad crossing, which three tasks fall to you as the driver?
Correct answer: Recognize the crossing, search for any train, and decide whether there is enough clear space to cross
A passive crossing has no traffic control device, so the whole job is yours: notice the crossing, look for a train, and judge whether there is room to get across safely.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.15.1, Types of Crossings
7. As you drive slowly through a work zone, how does the manual suggest warning the drivers behind you?
Correct answer: Turn on the four-way flashers or tap the brake lights
Near work zones you drive slowly and carefully and warn following drivers with the four-way flashers or the brake lights.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.8.2, Hazardous Roads
8. What kind of backing does the alley dock exercise call for?
Correct answer: Sight-side backing
The manual describes the alley dock as sight-side backing into an alley after you drive past it and line up parallel to the outer boundary.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 12.2.6, Alley Dock
9. What does the after-trip inspection report do for a motor carrier?
Correct answer: It helps the carrier know when the vehicle needs repairs
The after-trip report lists any problems you found, which lets the carrier know when the vehicle needs repair work.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.1.2, Types of Vehicle Inspection
10. Under 2 AAC 90.420(a), which of these is required to obtain an Alaska CDL?
Correct answer: Your social security number
Alaska requires your social security number for a CDL. Applicants never before licensed in Alaska must also bring other birth and identity documents.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 1, Testing and Issuance Requirements
11. Why can it be hard to pick out traffic signals and hazards at night, even on a lighted street?
Correct answer: Storefronts, signs, and other lights behind them make them hard to pick out
Even with street lighting the scene can be confusing, because signals and hazards sit in front of signs, shop windows, and other lights. The manual's advice is to slow down wherever the lighting is poor or confusing.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.11.3, Roadway Factors
12. Which of these appears on Alaska's list of major disqualifying offenses rather than its list of serious ones?
Correct answer: Driving while your license is revoked, suspended, cancelled, or disqualified
Driving on a revoked, suspended, cancelled, or disqualified license is a major offense. Tailgating, erratic lane changes, and speeding 15 or more over the limit are on the serious list.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Alaska Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act
13. At a crash scene, when is it acceptable to move a severely injured person?
Correct answer: Only when fire or passing traffic makes it necessary
The manual says to leave a badly hurt person where they are unless a danger such as fire or passing traffic forces the move.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.20.3, Care for the Injured
14. According to the cargo section, overloading can have bad effects on which three things?
Correct answer: Steering, braking, and speed control
Overloading hurts steering, braking, and speed control. Overloaded trucks crawl on upgrades, may gain too much speed going down, and take longer to stop.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 3.2.2, Legal Weight Limits
15. Another driver cuts in front of you rudely. To avoid becoming an aggressive driver yourself, what attitude does the manual recommend?
Correct answer: Give the driver the benefit of the doubt; their reason has nothing to do with you
The manual suggests imagining why the other person is driving that way and remembering that, whatever the reason is, it is not about you.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.10.2, Don't Be an Aggressive Driver
16. On the manual's table of BAC effects, what is listed at a BAC of .50?
Correct answer: Breathing stops and many die
The last row of the table, .50, is where breathing stops and many people die. The mild effects in the other choices belong to much lower levels.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.22.2, Other Drugs (Effects Of Increasing Blood Alcohol Content)
17. When you merge into traffic, what should you use your mirrors to confirm?
Correct answer: That the opening in traffic is big enough for your vehicle to get in safely
Merges are one of the special situations that call for extra mirror checks. The mirrors tell you whether the gap in traffic will let you enter safely.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.4.2, Seeing to the Sides and Rear
18. In daytime rain or at dusk you turn on your headlights to be seen. Why does the manual say to use low beams?
Correct answer: High beams can annoy other drivers by day just as they do after dark
The advice is headlights on low beam, because high beams are bothersome to others during the day too, not only at night.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.5.2, Communicating Your Presence
19. In the 'Parallel Park (Driver Side)' exercise, where is the parking space?
Correct answer: On your left
The driver-side version uses a parking space on your left. The conventional version uses a space on your right.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 12.2.4, Parallel Park (Driver Side)
20. The only way to set up a driver-side back is to drive around the block first. What does the manual say?
Correct answer: Do it — the added safety is worth it
You cannot see as well when backing toward the right, which makes it very dangerous. The manual says to use driver-side backing even when it takes a trip around the block.
Source: Alaska Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.2.4, Backing Safely