Texas Permit Test Cheat Sheet (2026)
The Texas rules and numbers to know for the DPS knowledge test, on one page. Every line was checked against the official Texas driver's handbook. It is a study sheet: you cannot use notes during the real test.
The Texas test at a glance
- Questions on the test
- Not published by the DPS
- To pass
- 70% correct
- Time limit
- We found no published time limit for the Texas knowledge test.
- Minimum permit age
- 15 years old
- Hold the permit for
- 6 months (unless you turn 18 first) before applying for the provisional license
- Alcohol limit under 21
- Zero tolerance (any measurable amount)
Texas rules and numbers
From the official Texas handbook (Revised January 2026); PDF page numbers in brackets.
Road signs
- Texas: white (with black) signs indicate regulation. [p.32]
Rules of the road
- Texas: 70 mph default on numbered highways outside urban districts. [p.52]
- Texas: headlights 30 min after sunset to 30 min before sunrise, or under 1,000 ft view. [p.53]
- Texas: the urban district speed limit is 30 mph unless posted. [p.52]
- Texas: funeral processions need not leave gaps for other vehicles to enter. [source]
- Texas: handheld phone use is banned in active school zones; hands-free is allowed. [source]
- Texas Move Over: police, fire, EMS, tow, TxDOT, utility - move over or slow 20 below. [p.52]
- Texas: no parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection. [p.48]
- Texas: refusing a DWI breath or blood test brings a 180-day suspension (first). [p.64]
- Texas: where 'Left Lane for Passing Only' is posted, slower traffic stays out of it. [source]
- Railroad crossing: stop 15 to 50 feet from the nearest rail. [p.27]
- Do not follow within 500 feet of a fire truck answering an alarm. [p.28]
- Slow Down or Move Over: if you cannot change lanes, slow to 20 mph under the limit. [p.52]
- Stopped school bus: wait until it moves, the driver waves you on, or the lights go off. [p.29]
- Passing: be back in your lane before oncoming traffic is within 200 feet. [p.45]
- No driving on the left within 100 feet of a bridge, tunnel, intersection, or rail crossing. [p.44]
- Frontage road drivers yield to cars entering or leaving the highway. [p.27]
- Two-lane road meeting a divided or 3+ lane road: yield to traffic on the bigger road. [p.26]
- No parking within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing. [p.48]
- Fire station: no parking within 20 ft of the driveway, or 75 ft across the street. [p.48]
- Roundabout: do not stop in the circle for emergency vehicles - exit, then pull over. [p.56]
- Work zone with workers present: fines double. [p.43]
- Texas alley speed limit: 15 mph. [p.52]
- Learner supervisor: licensed, age 21 or older, with 1 year of driving experience. [p.7]
- Provisional license: no driving midnight to 5 a.m. (work, school, medical exceptions). [p.9]
- Under 18: no cell phone use while driving, even hands-free, except in emergencies. [p.54]
Safe driving & emergencies
- Texas: the minimum age for a Class C license is 16. [p.9]
- Texas: never drive into high water - turn around, don't drown. [p.56]
- Texas: the driver and all passengers must wear safety belts, at any age. [p.21]
- Stalled on tracks with a train coming: get out, run toward the train and off to the side. [p.28]
- Low beams: within 300 ft when following, within 500 ft of oncoming traffic. [p.53]
- Following a motorcycle: allow at least 4 to 6 seconds. [p.59]
- 12 inches of water can float many cars; 2 feet of rushing water carries most away. [p.56]
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.