Ohio BMV Permit Practice Test 20

  • Questions40
  • Correct to pass30
  • Passing score75%
  • Minimum age15 years 6 months

40 questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why; you need 30 correct answers to pass.

  1. 1. Why should you make sure your turn signal has stopped flashing after a lane change?

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    Answer A: A signal left flashing tells other drivers that you intend to move again

    Other drivers act on your signals, so one that is left on gives them false information about what you are about to do.

  2. 2. Two roads come together at a shallow angle under a MERGE sign, with no yield line on either one. What is expected of you?

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    Answer D: Adjust your speed and position so you blend smoothly into the other traffic

    A merge means neither road ends at a stop; drivers adjust speed and position so that the two streams fit together without stopping.

  3. 3. How does eating a large meal before drinking affect impairment?

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    Answer D: It slows absorption but the alcohol still reaches the blood and impairs you

    Food delays how quickly alcohol enters the bloodstream, which can make the peak arrive later, but all of the alcohol is eventually absorbed.

  4. 4. A vehicle is sitting in your blind spot and you need to change into that lane. What should you do?

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    Answer B: Adjust your speed to open a clear gap, then check again and move over

    Changing your speed either drops the other vehicle behind you or lets it move ahead, which turns the blind spot back into open space.

  5. 5. What does black ice usually look like from the driver seat?

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    Answer C: A patch of pavement that simply looks wet or slightly glossy

    Black ice is clear, so you see the dark road through it and read it as a wet patch. In freezing weather, treat any wet looking patch as ice.

  6. 6. You find yourself in a lane that must turn, you wanted to go straight, and you cannot change lanes safely. What should you do?

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    Answer D: Make the required turn and find another route

    Going straight from a mandatory turn lane surprises everyone around you, while a wrong turn costs only a few extra minutes.

  7. 7. In Ohio, how many BMV points are assessed for a speeding conviction when the speed exceeds the posted limit by 30 miles per hour or more?

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    Answer C: 4 points

    Ohio assesses 4 points whenever a speeding conviction involves exceeding the posted limit by 30 mph or more, regardless of the zone's own limit.

  8. 8. The electric windows will not work as your vehicle sinks in water. What is the best option?

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    Answer C: Break a side window with a hard, pointed object and climb out through it

    Side windows are tempered glass and can be broken, while the laminated windshield cannot, and water pressure holds the doors shut.

  9. 9. You have just been involved in a crash on a city street. Which sequence of first steps is correct?

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    Answer A: Stop where you are, check everyone for injuries, and then make the scene safe

    You are required to stop, and the first priority at the scene is people, followed by preventing a second collision.

  10. 10. A driver ahead of you extends the left arm straight out horizontally through the window. What is being signaled?

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    Answer C: A left turn

    The left arm held straight out is the standard hand signal for a left turn.

  11. 11. A strong wind is blowing across an open stretch of road. Besides the gusts, what else should you watch for?

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    Answer A: Branches, dust and loose objects blown into your path

    High wind strips branches, litter and dust onto the roadway and can push other vehicles out of their lane, so scan much further ahead than usual.

  12. 12. Traffic is heavy and a truck is stopped in the lane on your right. How do you keep an out?

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    Answer B: Keep space open ahead of you and avoid being boxed in on both sides at once

    Being hemmed in on both sides with no gap ahead removes every option, so keep at least one direction open.

  13. 13. You are in the middle of an intersection when you hear a siren and see an emergency vehicle approaching. What should you do?

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    Answer A: Keep going, clear the intersection, then pull to the right and stop

    Stopping inside an intersection blocks the emergency vehicle. Clear the intersection first, then pull over to the right and stop.

  14. 14. What most often starts a rear wheel skid?

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    Answer A: Too much speed, braking or acceleration for the grip available

    A skid begins when what you ask of the tires exceeds what the surface can give, which is usually a matter of speed and of how abruptly you use the controls.

  15. 15. May you park across the entrance to a fire station?

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    Answer D: No, an emergency exit must never be blocked

    Emergency vehicles must be able to leave the moment a call comes in, so their entrances and exits are kept clear at all hours.

  16. 16. You have begun to move into the next lane when the gap you were aiming for closes. What is the safest action?

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    Answer C: Return to your own lane, cancel the signal and wait for a better gap

    An unfinished lane change leaves you in a space that no longer exists, and the lane you came from is still yours.

  17. 17. You have to leave a trailer parked on a slope. What extra step protects it?

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    Answer D: Chock the trailer wheels as well as setting the brake

    Chocks physically block the wheels, which is the only thing that still holds if a brake or a coupling lets go.

  18. 18. A pedestrian signal changes to a flashing upraised hand. What does that indication mean?

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    Answer C: Do not start crossing, but finish a crossing already begun

    The flashing upraised hand is the pedestrian change interval: nobody may start to cross, but a pedestrian already in the crosswalk may continue to the far side or to a median.

  19. 19. On a narrow two-lane road a line of vehicles has built up behind you. What is the safe and courteous action?

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    Answer D: Pull into a turnout or a safe wide spot and let them go by

    A slow vehicle holding up a queue invites risky passing; using a turnout clears the road without anyone having to take a chance.

  20. 20. How is the yield sign shaped and colored?

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    Answer C: A downward-pointing triangle with a wide red border and a red legend on white

    The yield sign is a downward-pointing equilateral triangle with a wide red border and the legend in red on a white background, an outline used for no other message.

  21. 21. You are ready to pull out of a parallel parking space into the traffic lane. What should you do?

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    Answer C: Signal, check the mirror and blind spot, and wait for a gap

    A driver leaving a parking space must yield to traffic already in the lane, so signal, look for the gap and only then move out.

  22. 22. How much more energy must your brakes absorb if you double your speed?

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    Answer D: About four times as much, since energy rises with the square of speed

    Kinetic energy grows with the square of speed, so twice the speed means about four times the energy and a far longer braking distance.

  23. 23. You are approaching a marked school crossing and children have started to cross the roadway. What is required?

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    Answer A: Stop and let the children finish crossing the roadway

    Drivers give way to people in a marked crossing, stopping if that is what it takes, and children in particular may change direction without warning.

  24. 24. You park on level ground in a lot. Where should the front wheels be pointing?

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    Answer C: Straight ahead, so the car would not veer if it moved

    On the level the wheels go straight so that the car stays in its own space, and so that a shunt from behind does not send it across a lane.

  25. 25. The car ahead of you slows down for no reason that you can see. Should you pull out and pass?

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    Answer B: No, find out why it is slowing before you commit to the other lane

    A driver usually slows for something, such as a turn, a hazard or a pedestrian, and that something is often exactly where your pass would take you.

  26. 26. You have a green arrow to turn left. What still applies?

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    Answer D: You must yield to any pedestrian or vehicle still inside the intersection

    A green arrow protects your turn from conflicting traffic, but you must still let anyone already in the intersection get clear before you move.

  27. 27. A white regulatory sign shows the silhouette of a truck inside a red circle with a diagonal slash. What does it mean?

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    Answer A: Trucks are not allowed to use that road

    The circle and slash over a symbol always means the movement or vehicle shown is prohibited, so trucks must keep off that roadway.

  28. 28. A small plate under a stop sign reads CROSS TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP. What is it telling you?

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    Answer D: Traffic on the cross street is not required to stop at all

    The plate warns that the other road is uncontrolled, so you must wait for a gap instead of expecting anyone to take turns with you.

  29. 29. A separate right-turn lane leads onto the cross street and carries a yield sign. What does it require?

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    Answer D: Slowing and giving way to traffic and people, stopping if needed

    A yield requires you to slow, give way to traffic in the lane you are joining and to pedestrians, and stop only if that is what safety demands.

  30. 30. You enter a corner faster than the turn can be taken. What is the most likely result?

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    Answer A: The vehicle runs wide and may cross into another lane

    Excess speed uses up the available grip, so the vehicle follows a wider arc than intended and drifts out of its lane.

  31. 31. A delivery truck is parked in your lane and you must use the oncoming lane to get around it. Who has the right of way?

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    Answer D: The oncoming traffic, because their lane is clear

    The driver whose own lane is obstructed waits, because using the other lane is a favor from oncoming traffic, not a right.

  32. 32. Why is heavy braking a poor idea while two wheels are still on a soft shoulder?

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    Answer B: The two sides have different grip, so the vehicle can pull sharply

    With one pair of wheels on pavement and the other on loose material, hard braking slows one side more than the other and swings the vehicle around.

  33. 33. A wide crosswalk you are turning across has a refuge island in the middle. What should you assume about people standing on it?

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    Answer D: They may step off the island into your path at any moment

    An island is a pause in a crossing, not the end of one, so treat anyone on it as a pedestrian who is still crossing.

  34. 34. A tow truck with flashing amber lights is loading a car on the shoulder ahead. How should you treat it?

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    Answer B: Give it the same room as an emergency vehicle

    Tow operators, utility crews and highway workers face the same danger from passing traffic, so move over or slow down for their flashing amber lights too.

  35. 35. You are backing straight down a driveway while looking over your right shoulder. Where should your left hand be?

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    Answer C: At the top of the steering wheel, holding it with a firm grip

    With one hand at the top of the wheel you can hold a straight course and make small corrections while your body is turned to look behind.

  36. 36. You have fitted small convex blind spot mirrors to the door mirrors. What is true of them?

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    Answer A: They help a good deal, but you should still look over your shoulder as well

    Add-on mirrors reduce but do not remove the blind spot, and they make vehicles look smaller and further away.

  37. 37. Why is the road often most slippery during the first few minutes of rain after a long dry spell?

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    Answer C: Oil and dust on the surface mix with the water into a slick film

    Oil drippings and road dust build up on dry pavement, and the first light rain lifts them into a slippery film before heavier rain washes it away.

  38. 38. A school crossing guard has returned to the curb but two children are still walking across the road. When may you go?

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    Answer C: Only after the children have reached the far sidewalk

    The guard leaving the road does not end your duty; you stay stopped until every child is clear of the roadway.

  39. 39. You are stopped at a red light waiting to turn right where the turn is allowed. Besides traffic from the left, what must you check?

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    Answer D: Both crosswalks, and anyone approaching along your right side

    A right turn on red crosses the crosswalk in front of you and enters the one on the cross street, and cyclists often approach along your right.

  40. 40. A driver's blood alcohol concentration is below the legal limit, but the driver is visibly impaired. Can the driver be arrested?

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    Answer C: Yes, driving while impaired by alcohol is an offense at any concentration

    The per se figure, 0.08 percent in most states and 0.05 percent in Utah, is the level at which impairment is presumed. Impairment shown by driving behavior and field tests is enough on its own, because alcohol affects skills well before that number.