Free North Carolina Permit Practice Test 3 (2026)
Real questions from the official North Carolina driver handbook, each with a plain-English explanation. Free, unlimited retakes, no signup.
Smart Review drills only the questions you get wrong. Full-length mock exams in the real format. Progress saved on every device — and the same account unlocks the mobile app.
Get Smart Review & Mock ExamsWhat this test covers
This draw of 20 questions breaks down like this:
- Traffic Signs & Signals — 5
- Sharing the Road — 4
- Emergencies & Crashes — 3
- Traffic Lanes, Passing & Turning — 3
- Speed Limits & Speed Management — 2
- Alcohol, Drugs & the Law — 1
- Right-of-Way & Intersections — 1
- Safe Driving — 1
Heaviest on Traffic Signs & Signals (5 of 20) — that is the section to revise first if you miss several here.
Every question here applies nationwide.
Each test on this site draws a different set, so Test 1, 2 and 3 never repeat a question.
Questions on this test
1. If the accelerator sticks and the car keeps speeding up, you should:
- Open the door
- Pump the gas
- Shift to neutral, brake, and steer off the road
- Turn off the key at speed
Show answer
Answer: Shift to neutral, brake, and steer off the road
Shift to neutral to cut power to the wheels, brake, and steer off the road.
2. You come up behind a vehicle displaying an orange triangle emblem. You should:
- Tailgate it
- Pass immediately on any side
- Slow down — it is a slow-moving vehicle traveling under 25 MPH
- Honk to make it speed up
Show answer
Answer: Slow down — it is a slow-moving vehicle traveling under 25 MPH
The orange triangle marks a slow-moving vehicle (under 25 MPH). Slow down and pass only when safe.
3. What does this sign mean?
- Right lane closed
- Road ends
- No right turn
- Sharp curve to the right ahead
Show answer
Answer: Sharp curve to the right ahead
A curved-arrow warning sign means the road curves to the right ahead — slow down.
4. You should slow down before, not during, a curve because:
- Braking hard in a curve can cause a skid
- It looks better
- It saves gas
- The limit requires it
Show answer
Answer: Braking hard in a curve can cause a skid
Brake before the curve; braking or accelerating hard mid-curve can break traction.
5. A large truck needs to turn left. Compared to a car it needs:
- More room, and may swing wide
- No special room
- To back up first
- Less room
Show answer
Answer: More room, and may swing wide
Trucks need extra room for turns and may swing wide; give them space.
6. Inside a roundabout, vehicles already circulating have:
- To yield to you
- To stop
- The right-of-way
- No rights
Show answer
Answer: The right-of-way
Yield to vehicles already in the roundabout before you enter.
7. When another driver is trying to pass you, you should:
- Speed up
- Brake hard
- Maintain speed or slow slightly and stay right
- Move left
Show answer
Answer: Maintain speed or slow slightly and stay right
Help them pass: keep right and don't speed up.
8. Passing several vehicles at once on a two-lane road is:
- Dangerous and discouraged — pass one at a time when clear
- A good way to save time
- Always legal
- Required
Show answer
Answer: Dangerous and discouraged — pass one at a time when clear
Pass only one vehicle at a time and only when you can see far enough ahead.
9. What does this sign warn of?
- A pedestrian or school crossing
- A bus stop
- A hospital
- A playground only
Show answer
Answer: A pedestrian or school crossing
This bright yellow-green sign marks a pedestrian or school crossing — be ready to yield to people crossing.
10. A bicyclist may legally use the full traffic lane when:
- The lane is too narrow to share safely
- Only on sidewalks
- Only at night
- Never
Show answer
Answer: The lane is too narrow to share safely
When a lane is too narrow to share, a cyclist may take the full lane for safety.
11. When turning at an intersection, watch especially for:
- Trucks only
- Only cars
- Pedestrians crossing the road you're turning onto
- Nothing
Show answer
Answer: Pedestrians crossing the road you're turning onto
Pedestrians may be crossing the street you turn into — yield to them.
12. In rain, fog, or heavy traffic, you should:
- Maintain the posted speed
- Reduce your speed
- Speed up to clear it
- Use high beams in fog
Show answer
Answer: Reduce your speed
Slow down when conditions reduce traction or visibility.
13. Alcohol impairs your ability to:
- Hear only
- Only walk
- Judge distance and speed, react, and make decisions
- Nothing important
Show answer
Answer: Judge distance and speed, react, and make decisions
Alcohol harms judgment, reaction, vision, and decision-making — all vital to driving.
14. The three main types of driving distraction are:
- Fast, slow, medium
- Loud, bright, cold
- Left, right, center
- Visual, manual, and cognitive (eyes, hands, mind)
Show answer
Answer: Visual, manual, and cognitive (eyes, hands, mind)
Distraction takes your eyes (visual), hands (manual), or mind (cognitive) off driving — texting does all three.
15. This sign shape warns of:
- A hospital
- A school zone or school crossing
- A railroad crossing
- A dead end
Show answer
Answer: A school zone or school crossing
The pentagon shape marks a school zone or school crossing ahead.
16. If your brakes feel spongy or go to the floor, you should first:
- Accelerate
- Steer off a cliff
- Turn off the key
- Pump the pedal to try to build pressure
Show answer
Answer: Pump the pedal to try to build pressure
Pump the pedal to try to restore pressure, then use the parking brake and downshift.
17. A center lane marked with a solid yellow line and a dashed yellow line on each side is used for:
- Parking
- Making left turns only (from either direction)
- Through driving
- Passing slower traffic
Show answer
Answer: Making left turns only (from either direction)
This is a two-way left-turn lane — used only to make left turns from either direction, never for through travel or passing.
18. If you break down at night, you should:
- Sleep in the road
- Turn on hazards and, if safe, set out warning devices
- Stand in the roadway
- Leave the lights off to save battery
Show answer
Answer: Turn on hazards and, if safe, set out warning devices
Use hazard lights and warning devices, and stay clear of traffic.
19. What does this orange sign mean?
- Road work ahead — slow down
- School zone
- Recreation area
- Detour ended
Show answer
Answer: Road work ahead — slow down
An orange road-work-ahead sign means a work zone is coming; reduce speed and watch for workers.
20. A diamond-shaped sign with a truck on a downhill grade warns of:
- A truck stop
- A steep hill where trucks may move slowly
- A weigh station
- A no-truck zone
Show answer
Answer: A steep hill where trucks may move slowly
It warns of a steep downgrade; watch for slow-moving trucks.