Free Massachusetts DMV Car / Permit Practice Test 2026
The Massachusetts Car / Permit knowledge test has 25 questions, and you need 18 correct (72%) to pass. Practice free with questions written from the official Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts written test
The Massachusetts Car / Permit knowledge test has 25 questions; you need 18 correct (72%) to pass, within 25 minutes.
Based on the official Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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.
Massachusetts Car / Permit test — frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Massachusetts Car / Permit test?
The Massachusetts Car / Permit knowledge test has 25 questions, and you need 18 correct (72%) to pass. Our practice tests mirror that format.
How many questions can I miss on the Massachusetts Car / Permit test?
You can miss up to 7 of the 25 questions and still pass — you need 18 correct, which is 72%.
How long do I have to take the Massachusetts Car / Permit test?
The Massachusetts Car / Permit knowledge test has a 25-minute time limit. Our timed exam simulation uses the same limit so you can practice your pacing.
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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts driver handbook, practice by topic to target weak areas, and finish with full-length tests until you consistently pass.
Other Massachusetts practice tests
Take the Car / Permit test in another state
Every Massachusetts question is written from the official Massachusetts 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
Massachusetts Car / Permit questions with answers
20 sample questions from the Massachusetts Car / Permit 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. A white diamond symbol painted in a lane indicates what?
Correct answer: A special-use lane such as HOV or bus only
A white diamond marks a special-use lane, such as a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) or bus-only lane.
2. At an intersection, how does a funeral procession generally proceed?
Correct answer: It has the right-of-way, except toward emergency vehicles
A funeral procession has the right-of-way at intersections, except that it must yield to emergency vehicles using lights or sirens or when directed by police.
3. What does Massachusetts law allow regarding window tinting on a passenger vehicle?
Correct answer: Darken the side and rear glass by no more than 35 percent
You may darken the side and rear glass by up to 35 percent, but tinting the windshield itself is against the law.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual — Passenger Vehicle Safety
4. For a driver under 21, transporting alcohol without a parent or guardian present can lead to what?
Correct answer: A license suspension
Anyone under 21 is barred from carrying or moving alcohol without a parent or guardian along; doing so can trigger a suspension and fines.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual — Buying, Possessing, or Transporting Alcohol
5. What happens to the speeding fine if you speed in a posted work zone?
Correct answer: It is doubled
Getting caught speeding within a marked work zone doubles the speeding fine.
6. What does a blue sign showing a fork and knife mean?
Correct answer: Restaurants or food services are available nearby.
Restaurants or food services are available nearby. (This is the "Food" sign.)
7. If your vehicle starts to skid, which way should you steer?
Correct answer: In the same direction the rear is sliding
Turn the steering wheel the same way the rear of the car is sliding. If the rear slides left, steer left; if it slides right, steer right.
8. If a vehicle WITHOUT anti-lock brakes loses braking, what should you try first?
Correct answer: Pump the brake pedal rapidly to build pressure
For a vehicle without anti-lock brakes, pump the brake pedal rapidly several times to build up fluid pressure before using other methods.
9. When a trolley is stopped to let passengers on or off, how close may you drive to the passenger step?
Correct answer: No closer than 8 feet from the step
State law bars you from coming within eight feet of a trolley's passenger step while riders board or step off.
10. To qualify for a full Class D license, what is the minimum vision requirement?
Correct answer: At least 20/40 in your better eye
Corrected sight of 20/40 or better in the stronger eye is required, plus a 120-degree horizontal field across both eyes.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual — Vision Screening Requirements
11. What fine applies for parking in a marked bus stop?
Correct answer: $100
Parking in a posted bus stop carries a $100 penalty.
12. A flashing yellow left-turn arrow means you may turn under what condition?
Correct answer: After yielding, when there is a safe gap in oncoming traffic
A flashing yellow arrow lets you turn after yielding, once there is a safe gap in oncoming traffic and no pedestrians are in your path.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual — Flashing Yellow Arrow
13. Roundabouts are designed so that vehicles travel through them at about what speed?
Correct answer: 25 mph or less
Roundabouts are smaller than rotaries, so their design keeps vehicle speeds down to about 25 mph or less.
14. On a green light, when may you enter an intersection?
Correct answer: When there is room to get all the way through
Enter only when there is room to clear the intersection completely. Stopping in the middle blocks other traffic and is illegal.
15. A driver 21 or older is legally over the limit at what blood alcohol content (BAC)?
Correct answer: 0.08
A driver 21 or older is operating above the legal limit at a BAC of 0.08 or higher.
16. Why is it important to keep space around your vehicle?
Correct answer: So you have room to react and avoid hazards
A space cushion gives you room to react and, if needed, to change lanes suddenly to avoid a crash.
17. What does an orange sign with an arrow reading 'DETOUR' mean?
Correct answer: Follow the detour route around a closed or restricted road.
Follow the detour route around a closed or restricted road. (This is the "Detour" sign.)
18. You must lower your high beams when following another vehicle within what distance?
Correct answer: 200 feet
When you are within 200 feet behind another vehicle, switch to low beams so your lights do not glare in the driver's mirrors.
Source: Massachusetts Driver's Manual — High Beam Headlights
19. If your vehicle breaks down on a highway, what is the safest thing to do?
Correct answer: Move as far from the travel lane as possible and stay inside
Get the vehicle as far away from the moving lane as possible and remain inside. Standing beside the lane or in the breakdown lane has killed many people.
20. In Massachusetts, how may a bicyclist use a travel lane on most roads?
Correct answer: They may use the full travel lane on most roads
A bicyclist may use the full travel lane on most public ways, even where a bike lane exists, and must follow the same basic traffic laws as drivers.