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

The numbers to remember

• Written knowledge test fee: $5.00; road test fee: $5.00; non-commercial permit/license: $15.00; duplicate license/permit: $8.00.
• Minimum permit age: 14. Minimum full license age: 16. Restricted license possible at 15. Farm permit possible at 15.
• Permit hold time: 12 months for 14-15 year olds, 6 months for 16-17 year olds.
• Supervised practice driving required under 16: 50 hours.
• Road test waiver requires 30 hours classroom + 6 hours behind-the-wheel training.
• Residency requirement: 90 consecutive days. Renewal window: up to 10 months early. Retest required if license expired more than one year.
• Test at a Driver License office or online at nd.knowtodrive.com by appointment. No phones, bags, or electronics allowed in the testing area. Fail it, and you cannot retest the same day.

Sign shapes at a glance

• Octagon = Stop, always.
• Downward triangle = Yield.
• Diamond = general warning ahead.
• Pentagon = school zone/crossing.
• Round = railroad crossing advance warning.
• Pennant = no-passing zone begins.
• Rectangle = regulatory rule or guide info.

Color cues: red = stop/prohibited, yellow = caution, orange = work zone, green = guide/direction, blue = services, brown = recreation, fluorescent yellow-green = school/pedestrian.

Right-of-way in one breath

Right-of-way is always yielded, never taken. First to stop or arrive goes first; on a tie, yield to the driver on your right. Yield to oncoming traffic on left turns, to pedestrians in any crosswalk, to circulating traffic in a roundabout, and to any emergency vehicle running lights and siren. Stop for a school bus's flashing red lights and extended stop arm from either direction on an undivided road.

Top traps

• Posted speed limits are a ceiling for ideal conditions, not a target — slow further for rain, snow, ice, fog, or gravel.
• The first minutes of rain are the slickest, since oil and dust haven't washed off yet.
• Use low beams in fog; high beams reflect back and worsen glare.
• Feeling fine after drinking is not the same as being unimpaired — reaction time and judgment can be affected before you notice.
• You cannot retest the same day after a failure, and nothing but your ID goes into the testing area with you — no phone, no notes, no cheat sheet at the counter.