Louisiana Road Signs Cheat Sheet.

The numbers to remember

• 40 questions on the knowledge test, computer-based, drawn straight from the driver's manual.
• Need 80% correct to pass — that's 32 of 40, so you can only afford 8 misses.
• Learner's permit: minimum age 15.
• Intermediate license: minimum age 16, and the permit must be held at least 180 days first.
• Full, unrestricted license: minimum age 17.
• 50 hours of supervised driving required before licensing, including at least 15 hours of nighttime driving.
• Driver-ed program minimums: 30 hours classroom instruction, 8 hours behind the wheel.
• Vision standard checked before licensing: 20/40.

Sign shapes at a glance

• Octagon, red = stop. Nothing else uses this shape.
• Downward-pointing triangle = yield.
• Round, yellow = railroad crossing ahead.
• Diamond, yellow = general warning — curves, crossings, merges, animals.
• Pentagon = school zone or school crossing.
• Rectangle, white = regulatory — speed limits, turn rules, parking.
• Rectangle, green = guide sign — distances, exits, destinations.
• Orange = temporary construction/work zone.
• Blue = motorist services (gas, food, hospital).

Right-of-way in one breath

First vehicle to arrive at an uncontrolled intersection or four-way stop goes first; on a tie, the driver on the right goes first. Left-turning traffic yields to oncoming through-traffic and to pedestrians, even with a green light. Pedestrians in a crosswalk — marked or unmarked — outrank every turning or crossing vehicle. Merging traffic yields to traffic already established in the lane it's entering. Emergency vehicles running lights and siren always get priority: pull right and stop until they pass.

Top traps

• Picking "proceed" instead of "yield" when right-of-way looks ambiguous — yielding is almost always the safer test answer.
• Forgetting that posted speed limits are a ceiling for ideal conditions, not a target to hit in rain, fog, or heavy traffic.
• Confusing sign-shape categories — locking in octagon-always-means-stop and diamond-always-means-warning clears most sign-ID misses instantly.
• Underestimating fatigue and phone distraction as impairment-equivalent hazards on scenario-style questions.
• Skipping review of missed practice questions — recognizing *why* an answer is correct under test conditions matters far more the night before than re-reading the whole manual cover to cover.