What must you do when you see this sign?

Stop fully, then go when it is safe

Stop, then go ahead of cross traffic

Stop only if cross traffic is coming

Slow down and go if no one is coming

What is the difference between a black-on-white speed sign and a yellow speed sign below a warning sign?

White is the legal limit; yellow is advisory

Yellow is the legal limit; white is advisory

White is for trucks; yellow is for cars

They mean the same - both are legal limits

Free New Mexico MVD Test Simulator 2026

25 questions70% to passExplanations includedFree

—Real test questions

70%Pass score

This DMV Test Simulator is modeled on the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) written knowledge exam, whose length the agency does not publish; to pass you need 70% correct. It is a mock test: 25 questions (the MVD does not publish the real test length) scored to the 70% pass mark. Answers are marked only when you submit the whole test, then you review every question with its explanation. Every question includes an explanation, so you learn the rule behind each answer - not just whether you got it right.

Mock test

New Mexico MVD mock test

Answer all 25 questions first. Nothing is marked until you submit the whole test, so the score shows how ready you are, and then you review every answer with its explanation.

25 questions (our test length; the official count is not published)
To pass: 70% correct
Skip, go back and change answers until you submit
Unanswered questions count as wrong

Time: We found no published time limit for the New Mexico knowledge test.

Inside this test

What's on the New Mexico DMV Test Simulator

You need at least 70% correct. The MVD does not publish the number of questions on the test, so the number you can miss depends on the test you get - on our 25-question simulator that is 7. The simulator draws a fresh set from all 171 New Mexico permit questions each time, so no two attempts are the same.

Topics in this test's question pool

Road signs 68
Traffic laws 38
Safe driving 26
Right of way 12
Alcohol & drugs 8
Emergencies 7
Parking 6
Vehicle equipment 5
Speed limits 1

171 questions in the pool, 8 of them written specifically for New Mexico. 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. In New Mexico, reading, viewing, or manually typing a text message on a handheld mobile device while driving is:
- A. Illegal, except to call for emergency help (correct)
- B. Legal for all drivers at any time
- C. Legal only while driving on highways
- D. Legal for drivers 18 and older only
Why: New Mexico law (NMSA 66-7-374) prohibits reading or viewing a text message or manually typing on a handheld mobile communication device while driving, except to summon emergency help (licensed amateur radio operators are also exempt). Hands-free and voice-operated devices are excluded, and some cities have stricter cell phone rules.
Source: NMSA 1978 § 66-7-374 (SB 171, 2016)
2. In New Mexico, a driver of a commercial vehicle is over the alcohol limit at a BAC of:
- A. 0.04 (correct)
- B. 0.08
- C. 0.02
- D. 0.10
Why: New Mexico sets the commercial-vehicle alcohol limit at 0.04 - half the 0.08 limit for ordinary drivers.
Source: NMSA 1978 § 66-8-102(C)(2), current-law text as printed in 2022 HB 54
3. What does this pentagon-shaped sign indicate?
- A. A hospital zone ahead
- B. A school zone or crossing (correct)
- C. A park or picnic area
- D. A no-passing zone begins ahead
Why: This five-sided (pentagon) yellow-green sign marks a school zone or school crossing. Slow to the posted school-zone speed and watch carefully for children.
Source: Federal MUTCD 11th ed. (Dec 2023) 2A.05, Table 2A-1 Use of Sign Shapes
4. You are behind a school bus on a four-lane highway with a raised median. The bus stops with red lights flashing and its stop arm out. What must you do?
- A. Pass slowly in the left lane
- B. Stop - traffic behind the bus must stop (correct)
- C. Keep going because the road is divided
- D. Stop only if you see children outside
Why: A divided highway may excuse traffic on the opposite side, but never drivers going the same way as the bus. Stay stopped until the red lights stop flashing and the stop arm is pulled in.
Source: official New Mexico driver handbook
5. What does a sign in the shape of an octagon always mean?
- A. Yield
- B. Stop (correct)
- C. Do not enter
- D. Wrong way
Why: An octagon (8-sided shape) is used exclusively for STOP signs. The unique shape lets drivers identify it even when snow-covered or viewed from behind.
Source: Federal MUTCD 11th ed. (Dec 2023) 2A.05, Table 2A-1 Use of Sign Shapes; 2B.04
6. This yellow diamond sign with a curved arrow warns of:
- A. A U-turn area ahead
- B. A curve in the road ahead (correct)
- C. A side road ahead
- D. Traffic merging from the right
Why: A yellow diamond warning sign with a curved arrow warns of a curve ahead. Reduce speed before the curve; an advisory speed may be posted below the sign.
Source: Federal MUTCD 11th ed. (Dec 2023) 2C.07 Paragraph 02

More New Mexico facts, the full requirements table and the printable PDF are on the New Mexico permit practice test page.

New Mexico MVD Test Info

Questions on real test: Not published by the MVD
Passing score: 70%
Correct needed: 70% correct
Minimum age: 15 years old
Testing agency: Motor Vehicle Division

Official NM MVD Website ↗

More New Mexico Tests

Study Tip

Don't just aim to pass this New Mexico DMV Test Simulator once - keep taking it until you score 70% 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 MVD exam.