Free North Dakota DOT Practice Permit Test - Practice Test 1 2026
This Practice Test 1 is modeled on the Department of Transportation (DOT) written knowledge exam, whose length the agency does not publish; to pass you need a pass mark the DOT does not publish (our practice tests use 80%). These 25 questions rotate through traffic laws, road signs, and right-of-way - the core topics the DOT tests most heavily. Every question includes an explanation, so you learn the rule behind each answer - not just whether you got it right.
How do most state handbooks tell you to measure a safe following distance?
What's on the North Dakota Practice Test 1
The DOT does not publish how many questions are on the real North Dakota knowledge test. 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 20
- Traffic laws 14
- Safe driving 7
- Speed limits 3
- Parking 3
- Right of way 3
- Alcohol & drugs 2
- Emergencies 1
53 questions in the pool, 11 of them written specifically for North Dakota. 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 North Dakota, text messaging while driving is:
- A. Prohibited for all, with a $100 fine (correct)
- B. Legal for drivers 18 and older
- C. Allowed while stopped at a red light
- D. Banned only for drivers under 18
Why: North Dakota prohibits text messaging while driving for all drivers, carrying a $100 fine.
Source: N.D.C.C. 39-08-23 (texting ban); N.D.C.C. 39-06.1-06 (fee of $100)
2. In North Dakota, if you refuse a chemical test for alcohol or a roadside breath test, your license will be revoked for:
- A. 30 days to six months
- B. 180 days to three years (correct)
- C. One year to five years
- D. 91 days to one year
Why: Under implied consent, refusing an alcohol concentration test or a roadside preliminary breath test leads to revocation for 180 days to three years. A test can also help you if you are not over the limit.
Source: official North Dakota driver handbook, p.36 (PDF p.40), Implied Consent
3. 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.
4. What does a red traffic light mean?
- A. Stop, then go straight if the way is clear
- B. Stop completely before the intersection (correct)
- C. Slow down and yield to cross traffic
- D. Prepare to stop - the light will change soon
Why: A red light means you must stop completely before the stop line, crosswalk, or before entering the intersection. You must remain stopped until the light turns green.
5. What does a green light on a traffic signal that is shaped like an arrow mean?
- A. A protected move in the arrow's direction (correct)
- B. Go that way, but yield to oncoming traffic
- C. The turn is allowed only after stopping
- D. The signal is about to turn red
Why: A green arrow gives a protected movement: you may go in the direction of the arrow while conflicting traffic is stopped by a red signal. You must still yield to pedestrians lawfully in the crosswalk and to vehicles still lawfully in the intersection.
Source: Federal MUTCD 11th ed. (Dec 2023) 4A.03 Paragraph 01 A.2
6. How much of a traffic lane is a motorcycle entitled to?
- A. Half a lane, so a car may share it
- B. Only the right third of the lane
- C. A full lane, the same as a car (correct)
- D. Whatever space other traffic leaves
Why: A motorcycle has the right to use a full lane. Never drive alongside a motorcycle in the same lane, even if the rider is far to one side.
More North Dakota facts, the full requirements table and the printable PDF are on the North Dakota permit practice test page.
North Dakota DOT Test Info
- Questions on real test
- Not published by the DOT
- Passing score
- Not published
- Correct needed
- a pass mark the DOT does not publish (our practice tests use 80%)
- Minimum age
- 14 years old
- Testing agency
- Department of Transportation
More North Dakota Tests
Study Tip
Don't just aim to pass this North Dakota 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 DOT exam.