What's on the motorcycle permit test, and how it differs from the car test
Reviewed by Chad HenryAfter 25 years of teaching driver education
The motorcycle permit test is a separate knowledge test about riding, not driving. In most states its questions come from the Motorcycle Operator Manual published by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF), which states hand out as their motorcycle handbook. Expect questions on gear, braking, lane position, the SEE riding strategy, road hazards, passengers and alcohol. The car permit test is built from your state's driver handbook instead: signs, signals, right-of-way and traffic law. How the motorcycle test is given, and whether a rider course can replace it, depends on the state.
Where the questions come from
Most states do not write their own motorcycle manual. They adopt the MSF manual and add a few pages of state law. Its preface says the MSF "has helped more than half the states in the nation adopt the Motorcycle Operator Manual" for licensing. The original was developed under contract to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
This article uses the Kansas edition (rev. 2020). Your state's copy may look different, but the riding content is the same MSF material. The manual says plainly that knowledge-test questions are based on its information, practices and ideas, and that a motorcycle license requires both a knowledge test and an on-cycle skill test, given in traffic or on an off-street course.
Topics the manual covers
The contents page is the best study checklist. Every section below can produce questions.
| Section | What you need to know |
|---|---|
| Preparing to ride | Helmet, eye and face protection, clothing, checking the motorcycle, finding the controls |
| Basic vehicle control | Body position, shifting gears, braking, turning |
| Keeping your distance | Lane positions, following distance, being followed, passing, lane sharing, merging cars |
| SEE | Search, Evaluate, Execute, plus intersections, blind intersections and parked cars |
| Increasing conspicuity | Bright clothing, headlight, signals, brake light, mirrors, head checks, horn, night riding |
| Crash avoidance | Quick stops, swerving, cornering |
| Dangerous surfaces | Uneven and slippery surfaces, railroad tracks, pavement seams |
| Mechanical problems | Tire failure, stuck throttle, wobble, chain problems, engine seizure |
| Cargo and passengers | Instructing passengers, carrying loads |
| Group riding | Staggered and single-file formation |
| Being in shape to ride | Alcohol, blood alcohol concentration, fatigue |
How it differs from the car test
| Car permit test | Motorcycle knowledge test | |
|---|---|---|
| Source material | Your state's driver handbook | MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual plus state law pages |
| Main focus | Signs, signals, right-of-way, traffic law | Rider technique, protective gear, two-wheel hazards |
| Practical test | Behind-the-wheel drive | On-cycle skill test |
| Course instead of the test | Not usually | Several states waive it after an approved rider course |
The driver handbooks themselves draw the line. California's says its tests are based on that handbook and that motorcycles need a different license class. Washington's requires an endorsement and points to a separate motorcycle operator manual. Pennsylvania's refers riders to PUB 147, New Jersey prints its motorcycle manual as Chapter 10, and Ohio's digest sends riders to the Motorcycle Operator Manual. The car handbook is not where the motorcycle questions live.
Gear rules the manual teaches
Helmets. The manual says head and neck injuries occur in one of every five motorcycle crashes and account for most serious and fatal rider injuries. A helmet should meet U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and state standards, fit snugly all the way around, and have no cracks, loose padding or frayed straps. Helmeted riders are three times more likely to survive a head injury.
Eye and face protection. A shatter-resistant face shield protects your whole face; goggles protect only your eyes. A windshield, eyeglasses or sunglasses are not substitutes. Protection should be scratch-free, resist penetration, give a clear view to both sides, fasten securely, let air through to limit fogging, and leave room for glasses. Do not wear tinted protection at night.
Clothing. Jacket and pants should cover arms and legs; leather protects most. Boots should cover the ankles, and gloves should be leather or similar.
State law sits on top of this. The Kansas edition prints its statute: riders and passengers under 18 must wear a helmet, and every operator needs shatterproof eye protection unless the motorcycle has a windscreen at least 10 inches high. Florida's driver handbook says riders must wear a helmet unless they are 21 or older and carry at least $10,000 in medical insurance benefits. Check your own state's rule.
SEE: search, evaluate, execute
SEE is the manual's three-step riding strategy, and it is heavily tested.
- Search ahead, to the sides and behind for hazards before they develop: oncoming traffic that may turn left across you, traffic from left and right, traffic behind, and bad road conditions, especially near intersections and school or construction zones.
- Evaluate how hazards could combine. Fixed features such as potholes and guardrails will not move but shape your plan; traffic control devices tell you what is coming; vehicles can move into your path.
- Execute your decision: communicate with lights or horn, adjust speed, and adjust position or direction. With two or more hazards, adjust speed so they separate and handle them one at a time. In high-risk areas, cover the clutch and both brakes to cut reaction time.
Intersections get their own section because the manual says more than half of motorcycle-car crashes are caused by drivers entering the rider's right-of-way. Never treat eye contact as proof a driver will yield.
Riding facts that show up as questions
- Use both brakes every time you slow or stop. The front brake provides at least three-quarters of total stopping power. Squeeze it; never grab.
- Keep a two-second following distance at minimum. Open it to three seconds or more on slippery pavement, when you cannot see through the vehicle ahead, or in heavy traffic.
- Each lane offers three paths. With vehicles on both sides, the center path is usually best. The oily center strip is usually no more than two feet wide and gives adequate traction unless wet.
- Keep the headlight on at all times. A motorcycle with its light on in daytime is twice as likely to be noticed. Use low beam at night and in fog.
- More than half of crashes involve motorcycles the rider has operated for less than six months.
- Alcohol: 40 to 45 percent of riders killed in crashes had been drinking.
The Kansas edition ends with five sample questions: when to flash the brake light (when slowing suddenly), how much stopping power the front brake supplies (about three-quarters), and how to swerve (press the grip on the side you want to go), among others.
How states give the test
Administration varies, and car handbooks describe only part of it.
- Texas lists a Class M knowledge exam, with 70 percent to pass, waived for applicants who complete a state-approved motorcycle operator training course and show proof. The course is required before applying for a Class M license, and riders under 18 must still pass the motorcycle driving exam. See Texas.
- Florida requires an approved safety course before an endorsement or Motorcycle Only license. Riders under 18 must first hold a learner's license for 12 months with no moving-violation convictions. The endorsement costs $7. See Florida.
- Ohio issues a motorcycle license or endorsement after a skills test at a Driver Exam Station or the Motorcycle Ohio Basic Rider Course, which is required under 18. See Ohio.
- New Jersey lets licensed drivers earn knowledge and road-test waivers through the Motorcycle Safety Education Program Basic Rider Course; GDL drivers may not qualify, and anyone under 18 must take the course. See New Jersey.
- Pennsylvania issues a Class M license from age 16. Testing on a motor-driven cycle adds an "8" restriction that bars motorcycles; testing on a three-wheeler adds a "9" restriction that bars two-wheelers. See Pennsylvania.
- Washington and California say only that a separate endorsement or license class is needed. See Washington and California.
None of these driver handbooks publishes the number of questions or pass mark for the motorcycle knowledge test. Those details live in each state's motorcycle manual or on the licensing agency's website.
How to prepare
Read your state's motorcycle manual cover to cover, then test yourself. Our motorcycle section explains the licensing path, and the motorcycle practice test covers the MSF topics above. The motorcycle test assumes you already know the rules of the road, so review road signs too.