Free North Dakota DMV CDL — General Knowledge Practice Test 2026
The North Dakota CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has ~50 questions, and you need ~40 correct (80%) to pass. Practice free with questions written from the official North Dakota 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 North Dakota written test
The North Dakota CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has ~50 questions; you need ~40 correct (80%) to pass.
Based on the official North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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.
North Dakota CDL — General Knowledge test — frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the North Dakota CDL — General Knowledge test?
The North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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 North Dakota driver handbook, practice by topic to target weak areas, and finish with full-length tests until you consistently pass.
Other North Dakota practice tests
Take the CDL — General Knowledge test in another state
Every North Dakota question is written from the official North Dakota 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
North Dakota CDL — General Knowledge questions with answers
20 sample questions from the North Dakota 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 of these is NOT one of the four basic types of retarders named in the manual?
Correct answer: Pneumatic
The manual lists exhaust, engine, hydraulic, and electric retarders. The driver can switch any of them on or off.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.3.4, Retarders
2. What does the manual say happens when you drive faster than the traffic around you?
Correct answer: You must keep passing other vehicles, which raises the chance of a crash and is more tiring
A driver outrunning traffic gains little time and takes on extra risk and fatigue. Moving with the flow is the safer, easier choice.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.6.5, Speed and Traffic Flow
3. Before switching on a school bus's flashing red lights, what must a North Dakota operator observe?
Correct answer: That traffic approaching from both directions has room to stop safely short of the bus
The red lights are to be turned on only once the operator sees that drivers coming from ahead and behind are able to stop in time. Using them carelessly defeats their purpose.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — North Dakota Information, Load Requirements for School Buses
4. A North Dakota CDL holder's DUI convictions all came in a personal, noncommercial vehicle. How do the state's CDL rules treat a first conviction compared with a second?
Correct answer: One year of CMV disqualification for the first, life for a second or later one
Even in a noncommercial vehicle, a first conviction for driving under the influence, or for refusing to be tested, disqualifies a commercial license or permit holder for one year. A second or subsequent conviction disqualifies the holder for life.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — North Dakota Information, CDL Rules
5. Why might a driver entering the road pull out right in front of your commercial vehicle?
Correct answer: To avoid being stuck behind you
Drivers in a hurry may see your truck as an obstacle to getting somewhere on time. Some cut in ahead of you, forcing you to brake, so watch for them.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.8.3, Drivers Who Are Hazards
6. In an emergency turn to avoid a crash, why shouldn't you steer any more than it takes to clear what is in your way?
Correct answer: The sharper the turn, the greater the chance of a skid or rollover
Extra steering input adds risk without adding safety. Turn only as far as the obstacle requires, and be ready to countersteer.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.17.1, Steering to Avoid a Crash
7. For the road test's stop/start maneuver, how must your vehicle be positioned once it has stopped?
Correct answer: Parallel to the curb or shoulder and safely out of the traffic flow
After a smooth full stop, the vehicle should sit alongside the curb or shoulder, clear of traffic, without blocking driveways, hydrants, intersections, or signs.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 13.1.6, Stop/Start
8. The road test tells you not to coast unsafely as you slow for a turn. When does coasting become unsafe?
Correct answer: When the vehicle is out of gear for more than its own length
Unsafe coasting means having the clutch depressed or the gearshift in neutral over a distance greater than one vehicle length.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 13.1.1, Turns
9. Under North Dakota's farm exemption, a 15-year-old Class D license holder may drive a farm truck hauling agricultural products within 150 miles of the farm. What weight limit applies to the truck?
Correct answer: No more than 50,000 pounds gross weight
The farm exemption lets a Class D holder who is 15 drive a farm truck near the driver's own farm when carrying agricultural products or farm supplies, provided the truck's gross weight is 50,000 pounds or less.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — North Dakota Information, Farm Exemption
10. A North Dakota CDL holder is 20 years old. Where may this driver operate a commercial vehicle?
Correct answer: Only within North Dakota, because crossing state lines requires being at least 21
The manual sets 21 as the minimum age for taking a commercial vehicle across state lines, and notes that operators under 21 cannot run under the federal interstate rules outside North Dakota.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — North Dakota Information, Legal Age
11. Before a long downgrade, the manual says never to exceed a posted speed limit or 'Maximum Safe Speed' sign. Which other signs does it tell you to look for and heed?
Correct answer: Warning signs showing how long and how steep the grade is
Along with obeying any posted limit, you should watch for warning signs that give the grade's length and steepness, since both affect the speed you can safely hold.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.16.1, Select a "Safe" Speed
12. When is a vehicle not required to carry spare electrical fuses?
Correct answer: When it is equipped with circuit breakers
Spare fuses are part of the required emergency equipment unless the vehicle uses circuit breakers instead.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.1.3, What to Look For
13. You doubt that your vehicle will fit under an object ahead. What does the manual say to do?
Correct answer: Go slowly, and if you still are not sure, take another route
Posted heights can be wrong after repaving or packed snow, so approach slowly and choose a different route unless you are certain the vehicle will clear.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.7.4, Space Overhead
14. While you are driving in very hot weather, the coolant temperature gauge climbs above the highest safe temperature. What should you do?
Correct answer: Stop as soon as you safely can and look for the cause
A gauge reading above the safe range may signal a problem that could end in engine failure or even a fire, so pull over when it is safe and find out what is wrong.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.14.1, Vehicle Checks
15. The manual warns that a drowsy driver is likely to have 'micro sleeps.' What are they?
Correct answer: Short naps of roughly four to five seconds
A micro sleep is over in a few seconds, but at 55 mph the vehicle covers more than 100 yards in that time, plenty of distance for a crash.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.23.2, While You Are Driving
16. In winter, which vehicles does the manual single out as hazards because their drivers cannot see well?
Correct answer: Those whose windows are covered with frost, ice, or snow
A driver looking through frosted or snow-covered glass has blocked vision and may not see you at all.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.8.3, Drivers Who Are Hazards
17. Which of these is NOT one of the three basic steps the manual gives for any crash scene?
Correct answer: Decide who was at fault
When you are in a crash and not seriously hurt, the basic steps are to protect the area, notify authorities, and care for the injured. Assigning blame is not among them.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.20, Crash Procedures
18. In the modernized straight line backing exercise, how far must you back through the alley?
Correct answer: Until your front bumper is past the final pair of cones at the alley's far end
After pulling forward and stopping on the examiner's hand signal, you reverse in a straight line until the whole vehicle, front included, has passed the last cones.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 12.2M, Exercise 2 – Straight Line Backing
19. You are approaching a roadside work zone, and the lane next to it is the only one you can safely use. How does the manual say to proceed?
Correct answer: Slow down and go ahead with caution, keeping a safe distance from the people at the roadside
Move-over laws call for changing into a lane that is not next to the emergency vehicle or work zone. When that lane change cannot be made safely, you reduce speed and pass carefully while leaving room for roadside personnel.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — Section 2.8.1, Importance of Seeing Hazards
20. How far may a load stick out past the fender lines of your vehicle in North Dakota?
Correct answer: Not at all on the left, and no more than 12 inches on the right
A load may not reach past the left fender lines at all, and on the right it may extend no more than a foot past them.
Source: North Dakota Commercial Driver License Manual — North Dakota Information, Width