Free Minnesota DVS Practice Permit Test - Practice Test 4 2026
This Practice Test 4 is modeled on the Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) written knowledge exam, whose length the agency does not publish; to pass you need 80% correct. These 25 questions rotate through traffic laws, road signs, and right-of-way - the core topics the DVS tests most heavily. Every question includes an explanation, so you learn the rule behind each answer - not just whether you got it right.
If your headlights go out at night while driving, you should:
What's on the Minnesota Practice Test 4
The DVS does not publish how many questions are on the real Minnesota knowledge test, and to pass you need 80% correct. Practice Test 4 is a 25-question set drawn from 49 questions, scored against a practice target of 80%.
Topics in this test's question pool
- Road signs 15
- Safe driving 11
- Traffic laws 9
- Right of way 5
- Emergencies 3
- Parking 2
- Vehicle equipment 2
- Speed limits 1
- Alcohol & drugs 1
49 questions in the pool, 8 of them written specifically for Minnesota. Each attempt shows 25 in a new order.
Sample questions from this test, with answers
Want to test yourself first? Take the test above before reading these. Every answer below is checked against the source shown.
1. You are on a divided highway and a school bus with flashing red lights is stopped on the other side of the median. You must:
- A. Keep going; no stop is required (correct)
- B. Stop at least 20 feet away
- C. Stop until the lights go off
- D. Slow to 20 mph and pass
Why: On a divided roadway, Minnesota does not require you to stop for a school bus that is on the opposite side of the divider. Without a divider, you must stop whether you face the front or back of the bus.
Source: official Minnesota driver handbook, p.42 (PDF p.45), Passing a school bus
2. In Minnesota, when you are following another vehicle, your headlights must be on low beam if you are within:
- A. 200 feet (correct)
- B. 100 feet
- C. 500 feet
- D. 1,000 feet
Why: Use low beams when you follow another vehicle at 200 feet or less. The 1,000-foot rule applies to oncoming vehicles, not to vehicles you are following.
Source: official Minnesota driver handbook, p.73 (PDF p.76), Headlights
3. What color background is used for most warning signs?
- A. Red
- B. White
- C. Yellow (correct)
- D. Purple
Why: Most warning signs have a yellow background with black symbols or letters. Yellow signals caution - slow down and watch for the hazard described.
4. A yellow diamond sign showing a 'T' shape indicates:
- A. A side road enters from one side
- B. Your road ends at a T ahead (correct)
- C. A four-way crossroad ahead
- D. A truck route begins here
Why: A 'T' symbol warns that the road you are on ends ahead at a T-intersection. Be prepared to stop or yield and turn left or right.
5. Total stopping distance is made up of:
- A. Reaction distance and braking distance only
- B. Perception, reaction, and braking distance (correct)
- C. Perception distance and braking distance
- D. Braking distance plus one car length
Why: Total stopping distance = perception distance (seeing the hazard) + reaction distance (moving your foot to the brake) + braking distance (the vehicle physically stopping). All three increase with speed, which is why higher speeds are far more dangerous.
6. Which of these will sober up a person who has been drinking?
- A. Drinking strong coffee
- B. Eating a big meal
- C. Taking a cold shower
- D. Only time (correct)
Why: Only time removes alcohol from the body. Coffee, food and a cold shower do not lower blood alcohol, so the person is still impaired.
More Minnesota facts, the full requirements table and the printable PDF are on the Minnesota permit practice test page.
Minnesota DVS Test Info
- Questions on real test
- Not published by the DVS
- Passing score
- 80%
- Correct needed
- 80% correct
- Minimum age
- 15 years old
- Testing agency
- Driver and Vehicle Services
More Minnesota Tests
Study Tip
Don't just aim to pass this Minnesota Practice Test 4 once - keep taking it until you score 80% or higher two or three times in a row. Read the explanation after every question, even the ones you get right, to lock in the rule before your DVS exam.