Tennessee Permit Test Cheat Sheet (2026)
The Tennessee rules and numbers to know for the TDOSHS knowledge test, on one page. Every line was checked against the official Tennessee driver's handbook. It is a study sheet: you cannot use notes during the real test.
The Tennessee test at a glance
- Questions on the test
- 30
- To pass
- 24 of 30 correct (80%)
- Time limit
- The TDOSHS's online knowledge test allows 60 minutes.
- Minimum permit age
- 15 years old
- Hold the permit for
- 180 days before moving to the Intermediate Restricted License (minimum age 16)
- Alcohol limit under 21
- 0.02% BAC
Tennessee rules and numbers
From the official Tennessee handbook (Current as of July 1, 2022); PDF page numbers in brackets.
Rules of the road
- Tennessee: the interstate maximum speed limit is 70 mph. [p.61]
- Tennessee Intermediate Restricted: only one passenger, with limited exceptions. [p.33]
- Tennessee Intermediate Restricted: no driving 11 p.m.-6 a.m. without a parent or 21+. [p.33]
- Tennessee: signal at least 50 feet before a turn or lane change. [p.70]
- Train coming: stop between 15 and 50 feet from the tracks. [p.64]
- Tennessee: no parking within 50 feet of a railroad crossing. [p.79]
- Tennessee: no parking within 30 feet of a stop sign or traffic signal. [p.79]
- Fire station driveway: 20 feet on the same side, 75 feet across the street. [p.79]
- Parallel parking: no more than 18 inches from the curb. [p.80]
- Slow driver with 5+ vehicles behind: pull off when safe. [p.60]
- Tennessee state and federal highways: 55 mph unless posted. [p.61]
- Tennessee interstates: minimum 45 mph in the right lane. [p.61]
- Speeding in an active work zone: $250 to $500 fine. [p.61]
- Speeding in a school zone counts as reckless driving in Tennessee. [p.61]
- School bus on road with center turn lane: both directions stop. [p.65]
- Blind pedestrian crossing: stop at least 10 feet away; no horn. [p.67]
- Passing a bicycle: leave at least 3 feet. [p.77]
- No U-turn without 500 feet of view in each direction. [p.73]
- Center left-turn lane: no travel farther than 300 feet. [p.74]
- Tennessee yellow lights: at least 3 seconds before red. [p.55]
- Signal not working: treat the intersection as an all-way stop. [p.55]
- Move Over Law also covers ordinary cars stopped with flashers on. [p.86]
- Do not go on green until the emergency vehicle has passed. [p.68]
- School zone with flashers on: no hand-held phone use while moving. [p.44]
- Under 18: 6 points in 12 months brings a proposed suspension. [p.100]
Safe driving & emergencies
- Tennessee: drivers may not hold a phone with any part of their body. [p.6]
- Dim high beams within 500 feet of oncoming or followed vehicles. [p.59]
- Headlights: 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. [p.59]
- Tennessee work zones: merge as soon as possible; late mergers can be ticketed. [p.126]
- Stalled on tracks: get out and run toward the train at a 45-degree angle. [p.128]
- Most cars can be swept away in 18-24 inches of moving water. [p.90]
Alcohol & drugs
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.
- Most states: no parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant (a few use 10 feet).
- 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.