Mississippi Permit Test Cheat Sheet (2026)
The Mississippi rules and numbers to know for the DPS knowledge test, on one page. Every line was checked against the official Mississippi driver's handbook. It is a study sheet: you cannot use notes during the real test.
The Mississippi test at a glance
- Questions on the test
- Not published by the DPS
- To pass
- 80% correct
- Time limit
- We found no published time limit for the Mississippi knowledge test.
- Minimum permit age
- 15 years old
- Hold the permit for
- 12 months (under 17); applicants 17+ can get permit and license the same day
- Alcohol limit under 21
- 0.02% BAC
Mississippi rules and numbers
From the official Mississippi handbook (Revised December 2024 (file named 1.15.2); PDF page numbers in brackets.
Road signs
- Slow-moving vehicle triangle: vehicle travels 25 mph or less. [p.34]
Rules of the road
- Mississippi under 18, first 6 months: unsupervised Sun-Thu 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. [source]
- Mississippi under 18, first 6 months: unsupervised Fri-Sat until 11:30 p.m. [source]
- Mississippi under 18: outside allowed hours, a licensed parent or 21+ must sit beside. [source]
- Mississippi under 18: hour limits don't apply going directly to or from work or school. [source]
- Mississippi: no parking within 10 feet of a fire hydrant. [p.60]
- Fire station driveway: no parking within 20 feet (75 feet if posted). [p.60]
- Railroad crossing: no parking within 15 feet of the nearest rail. [p.60]
- No parking within 30 feet of the approach to a traffic control device. [p.60]
- Parked beside a highway: be visible from 200 feet in both directions. [p.60]
- Parallel parking: tires within 12 inches of the curb. [p.61]
- Mississippi school zone: 15 mph maximum for any vehicle. [p.41]
- Mississippi interstates: 70 mph, day and night. [p.70]
- Natchez Trace Parkway: 50 mph maximum unless lower is posted. [p.90]
- Two-way stop, same arrival: straight-through driver goes before a turning driver. [p.56]
- Low beams within 500 feet of an oncoming car or a car you follow. [p.63]
- Railroad crossing stop: between 10 and 50 feet from the outer rail. [p.36]
- Yielding to funeral processions: courtesy, not required by Mississippi law. [p.59]
- Stopped school bus: stop at least 10 feet away. [p.58]
- Divided 4+ lane highway: opposite-direction drivers need not stop for a school bus. [p.58]
- No passing within 100 feet of bridges, rail crossings, crosswalks, or intersections. [p.47]
- Passing a bicycle: leave at least 3 feet. [p.73]
- Under 4: car seat; 4 to under 7 and under 4'9" or 65 lb: booster seat. [p.64]
- Mississippi learner's permit: minimum age 15. [p.13]
Safe driving & emergencies
- Mississippi: texting while driving is prohibited for all drivers. [p.23]
- Following distance: 1 car length per 10 mph (7 car lengths at 70 mph). [p.70]
- Foot brake must stop the car within 30 feet from 20 mph. [p.19]
- Rearview mirror: recommended, not required by Mississippi law. [p.19]
- Squatted vehicle law: front fender 4+ inches higher than rear is illegal. [p.20]
- Window tint: all windows must let through 28% or more of light. [p.75]
- Stuck on tracks: get out, run at 45 degrees toward the train's direction, call 911. [p.36]
- Work zones: slow down, be ready to stop suddenly, do not tailgate. [p.33]
- Report a crash with injury, death, or damage over $500. [p.66]
- Highway emergency: dial *HP (*47) to reach the Mississippi Highway Patrol. [p.66]
Alcohol & drugs
- Under 21: under the influence at 0.02% BAC or more. [p.78]
Rules learners miss most
The rules behind the most-missed questions on our practice tests. Some details, such as parking distances, can differ by state - your handbook has the final word.
- At 60 mph a car travels about 88 feet per second.
- Measure following distance in seconds, counted from a fixed roadside object.
- Most states: no parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection.
- A yellow curb signals a stopping or parking limit - check signs and local rules.
- Uncontrolled T-intersection: the terminating road yields to the through road.
- Uphill with a curb: turn wheels away from the curb; downhill: toward it.
- KEEP RIGHT: pass to the right of the island, median or obstruction.
- Point of no return: past it you cannot stop safely on yellow, so proceed.
- Zipper merge: use both lanes up to the merge point, then alternate.
- In heavy rain use low beams, slow down and increase following distance.
- Parallel park close to and parallel with the curb, within your state's limit.
- Yellow pennant on the left side of the road: a no-passing zone begins.
- Car with skid marks: the road is slippery when wet.
- Diamond-shaped signs are warning signs.
- 4-way stop tie: the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
- ABS keeps wheels from locking in hard braking so you can still steer.
- A round yellow sign warns of a railroad crossing ahead.
- Merging onto a highway: yield to traffic already on the highway.
- An upward-pointing pentagon marks a school zone or school crossing.
- Steady yellow: the light is about to turn red - stop if you can do so safely.
- Basic speed law: never drive faster than is safe for conditions, even under the limit.
- Use high beams on open roads; dim them for oncoming or followed vehicles.
- Arrows pointing up and down warn of two-way traffic ahead.
- Orange diamond signs warn of construction and work zones.
- Adult (21+) BAC limit is 0.08% in most states.
- Implied consent: by driving you agree to chemical tests if arrested for DUI.
Now test yourself
Reading rules is a start; answering questions is what makes them stick.