Minnesota law bans all drivers from:

Texting or going online while driving

Using any hands-free calling system

Mounting a GPS low on the windshield

Listening to the radio while driving

Traffic is backed up just past a railroad crossing. When should you start across the tracks?

Only when there is room to get fully past the tracks

Right away, since no train is in sight now

Whenever the crossing lights are not flashing

When the car ahead of you has started to cross

Where should you stop your vehicle at a red light when there is a stop line?

Where you can see cross traffic

A center lane has a solid yellow line and a broken yellow line on each side, plus two-way turn arrows. Who may use it?

Drivers from either direction about to turn left

Drivers who need to pass a slow vehicle ahead

Drivers waiting to merge into the right lane

Only buses and cars carrying two or more people

Free Minnesota DVS Practice Permit Test - Practice Test 1 2026

25 questions80% to passExplanations includedFree

—Real test questions

80%Pass score

This Practice Test 1 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.

Question 1 of 25

A yellow sign showing a person walking indicates:

Tip: Press 1-4 to select, Enter to submit, F to flag

Inside this test

What's on the Minnesota Practice Test 1

The DVS does not publish how many questions are on the real Minnesota knowledge test, and to pass you need 80% correct. Practice Test 1 is a 25-question set drawn from 53 questions, scored against a practice target of 80%.

Topics in this test's question pool

Road signs 21
Traffic laws 15
Safe driving 6
Speed limits 3
Parking 3
Right of way 3
Alcohol & drugs 1
Emergencies 1

53 questions in the pool, 11 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. How much is the extra fine for speeding in a Minnesota work zone, on top of the regular speeding ticket?
- A. $100
- B. $200
- C. $300 (correct)
- D. $500
Why: Speeding in a Minnesota work zone adds a $300 fine to the normal speeding ticket. Obey any reduced work zone limit, or the regular limit if none is posted.
Source: official Minnesota driver handbook, p.54 (PDF p.57), Highway work zones
2. Minnesota law bans all drivers from:
- A. Texting or going online while driving (correct)
- B. Using any hands-free calling system
- C. Mounting a GPS low on the windshield
- D. Listening to the radio while driving
Why: Minnesota prohibits all drivers from writing, reading, or sending texts or accessing the internet while the vehicle is in motion or in traffic. Voice-activated or hands-free use is an exception.
Source: official Minnesota driver handbook, PDF p.82, 'Illegal driver behaviors in Minnesota'
3. What must you do when you see or hear an emergency vehicle with lights and/or siren on?
- A. Stop immediately where you are
- B. Pull to the right edge and stop (correct)
- C. Pull to the left lane and slow down
- D. Slow down but stay in your lane
Why: When an emergency vehicle approaches with lights or siren, you must immediately pull to the right edge of the road and stop. Remain stopped until the vehicle has passed.
Source: official Minnesota driver handbook
4. A freeway lane is marked with a white diamond symbol and HOV signs. Who may drive in it?
- A. Any driver who wants to pass slow traffic
- B. Only trucks and other large commercial vehicles
- C. Only police and emergency vehicles on a call
- D. Vehicles carrying the posted number of people (correct)
Why: The diamond marks a high-occupancy vehicle (carpool) lane. The signs show how many people must be in the vehicle and when the rule applies.
Source: official Minnesota driver handbook
5. How do most state handbooks tell you to measure a safe following distance?
- A. Count car lengths - one car length is enough at any speed
- B. Count the seconds between it and you passing a fixed point (correct)
- C. Stay close enough to read the license plate of the car ahead
- D. Follow at a distance in feet equal to your speed in mph
Why: Handbooks teach a time-based gap: pick a fixed object and count the seconds after the vehicle ahead passes it. The minimum differs by state (2, 3 or 4 seconds), with most recommending 3 to 4 seconds in good conditions; add time in rain, at night or behind large vehicles. Check your state handbook for its exact number.
Source: official Minnesota driver handbook
6. A driver ahead holds their left arm straight out of the window like this. What does it mean?
- A. They will turn left (correct)
- B. They will turn right
- C. They will slow down or stop
- D. You may pass them now
Why: Drivers use hand signals when their turn signals or brake lights do not work. The left arm held straight out means a left turn.
Source: official Minnesota driver handbook

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

Official MN DVS Website ↗

More Minnesota Tests

Study Tip

Don't just aim to pass this Minnesota Practice Test 1 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.