New York Road Signs & Permit Knowledge Test
At a glance
- Questions
- 20
- Passing score
- 14 of 20 correct, and at least 2 of the 4…
- Governing body
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
The New York permit knowledge test covers road signs, traffic signals, right-of-way and the alcohol rules that apply to drivers under 21. New York State residents 16 and older can apply for a learner permit.
Much of the material is national — sign shapes and line colours come from a uniform standard. The handful of places where New York has made a different choice from the states around it are worth identifying before you study anything else.
Overview
Four New York rules reverse what a driver might have learned elsewhere. Right turn on red is permitted statewide after a full stop but prohibited in New York City unless a sign allows it. Drivers must stop for a stopped school bus from either direction even on a divided highway, on all roadways in the state. The under-21 alcohol band runs from .02 to .07 rather than starting at zero or at the adult .08. And a school bus carrying pupils may not turn right on any red light, anywhere.
Each of those is a place where the correct answer learned in a neighbouring state becomes the wrong answer here.
Cost and registration
Permit and licence fees are set by the New York DMV and vary with the length of the licence term and the county. A licence history and other document requests carry their own fees.
The costs worth planning around are the ones attached to getting it wrong. A first conviction for illegally passing a stopped school bus carries a fine of $250 to $400, five points on the driving record, and up to 30 days in jail. A first zero tolerance finding for an under-21 driver means a six-month suspension plus $225 in fees — a $100 suspension termination fee and a $125 civil penalty — before relicensing.
Exam format
The test is multiple choice and covers signs, signals, markings, right-of-way, safe driving practice and the alcohol and drug rules. Sign recognition is generally the fastest section to secure, because shape and colour are designed to be legible before any text resolves — no two messages share a shape.
The state-specific material is where preparation pays. U-turn restrictions, the 100-foot signalling requirement, work zone limits as low as 25 mph and the zero tolerance penalties are all New York figures rather than national ones.
How the New York Road Signs practice bank covers the outline
53 practice questions across 5 outline areas.
Counts are the live question bank, grouped by the outline area each question was written to.
Verified facts about the New York Road Signs test
28 statements, each bound to the official document it was taken from. The source link beside every line opens that document.
Requirements and rules
- Yield to pedestrians in marked or unmarked crosswalks
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Entering from a driveway, alley or private road: stop and yield to roadway traffic and pedestrians
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Pull to the right edge and stop, even if the emergency vehicle is in the opposite lane
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- A left turn on red is allowed only from a one-way road into another one-way road, after a full stop and yielding
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Do not enter an intersection you cannot clear
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Directions from a traffic officer take precedence over signs, signals and pavement markings
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Turn from and into the right lane; no wide sweeping turns
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Right turn on red is permitted statewide after a full stop, but prohibited in New York City unless a sign permits it
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- New York requires drivers to stop for a stopped school bus with flashing red lights from either direction, including on a divided highway
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- A school bus carrying pupils may not turn right on any red light
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- The stopping rule applies on all roadways in New York State, including in front of schools and in school parking lots
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Stop before the stop line, or the crosswalk if there is no line
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- A driver approaching a traffic circle or rotary yields to drivers already in the circle
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- At an intersection with no signs or signals, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- A U-turn is made from the left portion of the lane nearest the centreline, never from the right lane
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- U-turns are prohibited near hilltops and blind curves, in New York City business districts, in school zones, and on all limited access expressways
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- No U-turns in a school zone
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Yield to traffic already in the intersection
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- A first zero tolerance finding suspends the licence for six months, with a $100 suspension termination fee and a $125 civil penalty
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- A second zero tolerance violation revokes the licence for at least one year or until the driver turns 21, whichever is longer
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
What is tested
- One broken line: pass or change lanes when safe
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Diamond symbol marks lanes reserved for buses and HOV
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Double solid lines: no passing, no lane change
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Go in the direction of the arrow, yielding to traffic in the intersection
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Do not go in the arrow direction until the red arrow is off
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Steady red X: do not drive in this lane
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- White rectangles with black letters or symbols
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
- Steady yellow X: move out of this lane
- New York State Department of Motor Vehicles
Frequently asked questions
Can you turn right on red in New York?
Statewide, yes — after a complete stop and after yielding to traffic and pedestrians. In New York City, no, unless a sign specifically permits it. The default inverts at the city line, so inside the five boroughs the absence of a sign means the turn is prohibited rather than allowed. A school bus carrying pupils may not turn right on any red light anywhere in the state.
Do you have to stop for a school bus on a divided highway in New York?
Yes. This is where New York departs from most states, which release oncoming traffic when a physical median separates the roadways. New York recognises no such exception: traffic approaching from either direction must stop, on all roadways in the state, including directly in front of a school and inside school parking lots.
What happens if you pass a stopped school bus in New York?
A first conviction carries a fine of $250 to $400, five points on the driving record, and up to 30 days in jail. The five points are the part worth remembering, because points accumulate toward a suspension threshold in a way a one-off fine does not.
What is the alcohol limit for a driver under 21 in New York?
New York's zero tolerance law covers a measurable band from .02 to .07 — below the adult limit of 0.08 and above absolute zero. A 19-year-old at .04 is therefore in violation even though that reading is half the adult limit and happens to match the commercial threshold exactly.
What are the penalties for a zero tolerance violation in New York?
A first finding suspends the licence for six months and requires two payments before relicensing — a $100 suspension termination fee and a $125 civil penalty, $225 in total. A second violation revokes the licence for at least one year or until the driver turns 21, whichever is longer, which for a 17-year-old is by far the longer of the two.
How old do you have to be to get a learner permit in New York?
New York State residents 16 and older can apply. That is the age for the permit itself, which is separate from the age at which restrictions on the resulting licence lift. Neighbouring states set the permit age differently, so a figure carried over from another state is a common source of error.
Sources
- 1.School Bus Safety — NY DMV — New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (accessed Jul 31, 2026)
- 2.Penalties for Alcohol or Drug-Related Violations — NY DMV — New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (accessed Jul 31, 2026)
- 3.New York State Driver's Manual — Chapter 4: Traffic Control — New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (accessed Jul 31, 2026)
- 4.Get a Driver License — NY DMV — New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (accessed Jul 31, 2026)
Official sources
The official documents our facts about this exam are taken from.
- New York State Driver's Manual — Chapter 4: Traffic ControlNew York State Department of Motor Vehiclesdmv.ny.gov
- New York State Driver's Manual — Chapter 5: Intersections and TurnsNew York State Department of Motor Vehiclesdmv.ny.gov
- School Bus Safety — NY DMVNew York State Department of Motor Vehiclesdmv.ny.gov
- Penalties for Alcohol or Drug-Related Violations — NY DMVNew York State Department of Motor Vehiclesdmv.ny.gov
- Get a Driver License — NY DMVNew York State Department of Motor Vehiclesdmv.ny.gov
Last verified against New York State Department of Motor Vehicles's official sources:
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