Maryland Road Signs Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

The Numbers to Remember

• Test length: 25 questions for the Class C, Class M, and Moped Permit knowledge test.
• Passing score: 88% or higher — on a 25-question test, that's very little margin for careless misses, so don't leave easy sign-shape points on the table.
• Traffic sign shapes and meanings are named directly as a tested category, covering both shape recognition and what each sign means — expect several questions on signs specifically, not just one or two.

Sign Shapes at a Glance

• Octagon — Stop. The only sign with this shape, by design, so it's recognizable from any angle.
• Downward triangle — Yield. Give the right-of-way, don't necessarily stop.
• Yellow diamond — General warning ahead (curve, crossing, merge, uneven road).
• Pentagon — School zone or school crossing.
• Circle — Railroad crossing.
• Rectangle — Regulatory info (speed limits, one-way, parking rules).
• Colors: red = stop/prohibited, yellow = caution, orange = work zone, green = guidance/direction, blue = services (hospitals, rest areas), fluorescent yellow-green = pedestrian/school/bike warnings.

Right-of-Way in One Breath

• Uncontrolled intersection: first vehicle to arrive goes first; if it's a tie, the vehicle on the right goes first.
• Four-way stop: first vehicle stopped is first to go, same right-side tiebreaker.
• Pedestrians in a crosswalk: they go first, whether the crosswalk is marked or unmarked.
• Emergency vehicles with lights/siren active: pull to the right, stop, and let them pass before continuing.
• Merging traffic yields to the lane already occupied — the driver already in the lane has the right-of-way.

Speed and Conditions

• The posted limit is the legal ceiling — it is not automatically the safe speed in every condition.
• Rain, fog, snow: slow down below the posted limit; traction and visibility both drop.
• School and work zones: reduced limits that are often time-restricted or only active when workers or children are present.
• Increase following distance in poor visibility or on wet roads — a normal gap isn't enough stopping room.

Impaired Driving, Fast Version

• Alcohol, drugs, and some prescription or over-the-counter medications slow reaction time and impair judgment before a driver necessarily feels impaired.
• Fatigue counts as its own impairment category on the test — treat drowsy driving like you would alcohol impairment.
• Distraction, especially phone use, is tested as its own hazard category separate from substances.
• Correct answer when impaired, medicated, or exhausted: don't drive — arrange another way home rather than trying to compensate by driving slower.

Top Traps

• Confusing yield (triangle, give right-of-way but keep moving if clear) with a full stop (octagon, stop completely every time).
• Assuming the posted limit is always the safe speed — weather and active zones can lower the safe speed well below it.
• Forgetting that pedestrians and whoever stopped or arrived first often outrank the driver who feels most in a hurry.
• Missing that 88% on a 25-question test leaves very little margin for wrong answers — don't guess randomly on sign shapes; they're the highest-payoff category on the whole test.