Washington DMV Permit Practice Test

The Washington DOL knowledge test is the gateway between you and a learner's permit. The Washington Driver Guide is the DOL's official handbook, so study from it. At 80% required to pass, there's no room to guess your way through.

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  Under-18 exam40 questions. Pass at 32 correct (80%). Same format as the adult test.
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  Adult first-time exam40 questions. Pass at 32 correct (80%). No separate adult version — Washington uses one standard.
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  Application fee$35 permit fee. Apply at a DOL office and bring all required documents.
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  Bring with youProof of identity and your Social Security number (or a signed declaration that you don't have one).
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  Under 18? Driver ed is mandatory.You must complete a state-approved driver training course to get a driver license before age 18. If you skip it, you have to wait until you turn 18.
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  Where to focus your studySpend most of your study time on traffic laws and safety situations, then review road signs.

The Washington handbook covers traffic laws, safety situations, and road signs. Know the rules for right-of-way, following distance, and BAC limits.

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  Road signsSign shapes, colors, and meanings. A flashing red light means stop and yield — same as a stop sign. A pennant shape means no passing zone. A pentagon means school zone.
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  Right-of-way at uncontrolled intersectionsIf two vehicles arrive together, the vehicle on the right goes first. Turning left on a green light? Oncoming traffic has priority, so yield to it first.
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  Signal distance — 100 feetIn Washington, a turn requires a signal that starts at least 100 feet ahead, and you must also signal before any lane change. On a freeway, it helps to signal even earlier so other drivers have time to react.
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  Following distanceLeave a distance of at least twice the length of your vehicle between you and the vehicle ahead, and more at night or in work zones. When merging, enter traffic with enough space that nobody has to swerve, slow, or stop.
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  Railroad crossingsStop when red lights flash, a gate lowers, a stop sign is posted, or a flagger signals. Never drive around a lowered gate — it is illegal. With multiple tracks, wait until you can see clearly down all tracks.
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  BAC limit (21+) — 0.08%At or above 0.08% BAC, you are legally drunk and subject to arrest in Washington.
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  Under-21 BAC limit — 0.02%Drivers under 21 can be arrested for driving with a BAC at or above 0.02% — not just at 0.08%. Know both numbers.
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  Chemical test refusalWashington's implied consent law means refusing a breath test costs you your license for at least one year — regardless of whether you were actually impaired.
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  Speed limits25 mph in cities and towns unless posted otherwise. Posted limits show the maximum under ideal conditions — rain, snow, or fog means you must slow below the posted limit.
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  Impairment starts before the legal limitEven the smallest amount of alcohol reduces concentration, perception, judgment, and memory. The legal limit is not a safety threshold.

These rules are easy to mix up. If you only have time to drill a few topics, drill these.

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  Right-of-way with multiple vehiclesEveryone knows 'yield to the right.' The trap is a left turn across oncoming traffic — you yield even on a green light. When traffic signals fail, treat every intersection as a four-way stop.
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  School bus rules — divided road exceptionOn a two-lane road, traffic in both directions must stop when a bus's red lights are flashing. If the road has three or more marked lanes or a median divider, drivers on the opposite side from the bus do NOT have to stop.
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  Hill parking — downhillTurn your front wheels toward the road edge (right curb or shoulder). If the brake fails, the car rolls away from traffic.
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  Hill parking — uphill with a curbTurn your front wheels away from the curb (to the left). The curb stops the car if it rolls back.
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  Impairment vs. the legal limit0.08% is the arrest threshold, not the safety line. Any amount of alcohol can impair driving, so don't treat the legal limit as a safe level.
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  Read every optionRead every option before locking in an answer, whatever the topic — school bus rules, railroad crossings, or no-pass zones. The first answer that looks right isn't always the best one.
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  Bicycle passing — minimum 3 feetWhen passing a bicyclist, leave at least 3 feet between the cyclist and the widest part of your vehicle. Slow down first — don't honk and squeeze past.

Reading the handbook once is often not enough. Try three loops: read once, drill once, listen once. That's it.

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  Loop 1 — read the handbook (or this guide)Download the Washington Driver Guide free from dol.wa.gov. Read once, don't memorize. This guide pulls the key points into bullets.
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  Loop 2 — drill the practice examsTake the free 40-Q exam below cold. Anything under 32/40 — focus on the categories you missed and retake.
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  Loop 3 — listen along on YouTubePlay the Washington Cheat Sheet video the day or two before your test. Hearing the material out loud is a good change from re-reading.
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  Sleep beats crammingMemory consolidates overnight. A full sleep the night before is worth more than two extra hours of late-night reading.
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  Study signs visuallyNever read sign descriptions in text only. Look at the actual shape and color — on the road you see the sign, not a description.
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  Read every option before pickingPlausible wrong answers are common, so read every option before you choose. The first option can look right until you've read the rest.

Passing the knowledge test gets you a learner's permit — not a license. Washington's DOL uses a graduated licensing system with tiered passenger rules and a firm curfew.

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  Permit supervisionA licensed driver with at least 5 years of driving experience must ride beside you whenever you drive on a permit. The practice hours you log must be supervised by a licensed driver at least 21 years old who has held a license for 3 years.
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  Minimum permit holdHold your permit for at least 6 months before you can get your first driver license.
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  Supervised practice hoursAt least 40 hours of daylight driving plus 10 hours of night driving with a licensed supervisor — 50 hours total.
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  Night curfew (intermediate license)No driving between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. unless a licensed driver who is 25 or older is in the vehicle.
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  Passenger restriction — first 6 monthsNo passengers under age 20 in the vehicle, except immediate family members.
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  Passenger restriction — next 6 monthsA maximum of 3 passengers under age 20 who are not immediate family members.
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  When restrictions liftGDL restrictions expire after 1 year of safe driving OR when you turn 18 — whichever comes FIRST. You don't have to wait until you're 18 if you've already held a safe record for 12 months.