You approach a red, eight-sided sign at an intersection. What must you do?

Stop completely, check for pedestrians and cross traffic, and go only when the intersection is clear

Slow down and continue if no cars are visible

Stop only if a pedestrian is waiting to cross

Yield only to traffic coming from your left

A five-sided (pentagon-shaped) sign ahead tells you that you are:

Approaching a railroad crossing

A traffic light at an intersection is completely dark because of a power failure. How should you treat the intersection?

As if the light were green for you

As a yield sign for your direction only

The center of a two-way road is marked with a double solid yellow line. Who may cross it to pass?

No one; passing is not allowed in either direction

Only drivers traveling north or east

Any driver, if no NO PASSING sign is posted

Only drivers passing a slow truck

How many questions are on the Pennsylvania non-commercial knowledge test, and how many must you answer correctly?

18 questions; 15 correct to pass

20 questions; 16 correct to pass

25 questions; 20 correct to pass

18 questions; 12 correct to pass

Before a driver under 18 can take the road test, the learner must complete how much supervised skill-building?

At least 65 hours, including at least 10 hours at night and 5 hours in bad weather

At least 50 hours, including 10 hours at night

At least 40 hours, with no night requirement

At least 65 hours, all of them in daylight

A school bus is stopped with its red lights flashing and stop arm out. You are behind it on the same road. How close may you stop?

You may pass slowly if no children are visible

You approach an emergency response area on a multi-lane highway. Under Pennsylvania's Move Over law you must:

Move into a lane that is not next to the area, or if you cannot, slow to at least 20 mph below the posted limit

Stop completely until the responders wave you through

Keep your lane and speed but turn on your hazard lights

Slow down by 5 mph and sound your horn

Two cars reach a four-way stop at the same time from different streets. Which driver must yield?

The driver on the left yields to the driver on the right

The driver on the right yields to the driver on the left

The driver going faster goes first

What is the earliest you can apply for a Pennsylvania non-commercial learner's permit?

Six months before your 16th birthday

On dry pavement, what following distance does the Pennsylvania manual recommend?

One car length for every 20 mph

An oncoming driver does not dim their high beams. What should you do?

Look toward the right side of the road until the vehicle passes

Turn on your own high beams to warn them

Stare at the headlights to judge their distance

Stop in your lane until the car passes

Your vehicle starts to skid on an icy road and the rear slides to the left. What should you do?

Stay off the brakes and steer to the left, in the direction the rear is skidding

Steer right, away from the skid

When are roads often most slippery during a rainstorm?

In the first 10 to 15 minutes, when oil rises to the surface

After it has rained for several hours

Only when the temperature is below freezing

Which of these will lower your blood alcohol concentration?

Eating a large meal after drinking

You are following a large truck and cannot see its side mirrors. What does this mean?

The truck driver cannot see you

You are at a safe following distance

The truck driver can see you in the rear camera

You must drive in fog. Which headlights should you use?

Low beams (and fog lights if you have them)

A tire blows out while you are driving. What should you do first?

Hold the steering wheel tightly and stay off the brake while easing off the gas

Steer sharply onto the shoulder

Shift into neutral and turn off the engine

PA Permit Practice Test 2026 (Free, Explained)

Pennsylvania Permit Test format

Pennsylvania Permit Test	Official rule
Number of questions	18 multiple-choice questions source
Passing score	15 correct answers (out of 18) source
Topics	Traffic signs, Pennsylvania driving laws and safe driving practices source
Where you take it	At a PennDOT Driver License Center. A remote pilot launched in November 2025 lets students at two Tioga County high schools (Williamson and Cowanesque Valley) take it at school; PennDOT does not list a general at-home online test. source
Languages and formats	Written and audio versions, on request, in Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Burmese, Cambodian, Dari, English, Farsi, French, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Mandinka, Nepali, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese source
Minimum age	16; you cannot apply for a learner's permit before your 16th birthday source
Physical exam (form DL-180)	Your health care provider completes the back of the DL-180 no earlier than six months before your 16th birthday; the application is valid for one year from the exam date source
Parent consent	Under 18: parent, guardian, person in loco parentis or spouse 18 or older signs the DL-180TD (notarized if they cannot come with you) source
Fee	$45.50 for the initial permit and 4-year license ($33.50 for the 2-year license at age 65+), fee chart dated July 2025 source
Permit validity	One year from the issue date source
Supervised practice (under 18)	At least 65 hours, including 10 hours at night and 5 hours in bad weather, certified on form DL-180C source
Holding period (under 18)	Six months from the permit issue date before the road test source
Knowledge test retake	The following business day; only one attempt per day at any location source
Road test retake	Under 18: wait 7 days after a failure; 3 attempts per learner's permit source
Official handbook	Pennsylvania Driver's Manual, PUB 95 (4-21), free online, in PDF, audio and 30+ languages. It was last revised in April 2021, so later changes such as the 2025 hands-free law are only on PennDOT's web pages source

Checked on the official sources on September 30, 2026. Rules change: always confirm on the official site before test day.

What the Pennsylvania permit test is

To drive in Pennsylvania you first need a learner's permit, and to get one you must pass PennDOT's knowledge test. It checks what you know about traffic signs, Pennsylvania driving laws and safe driving practices. Everything on it is covered in the free Pennsylvania Driver's Manual (PUB 95), the official study guide.

Format and passing score


Questions	18 multiple-choice
To pass	15 correct answers
Topics	Signs, Pennsylvania laws, safe driving practices
Where	A PennDOT Driver License Center
Retake	The following business day

With 18 questions and a pass mark of 15, you can miss no more than three. PennDOT does not publish a time limit or how many questions come from each topic.

The test is available in written and audio form, on request, in 30 languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Hindi, Nepali, Russian, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. Deaf and hard-of-hearing applicants can ask for a sign language interpreter; the manual asks you to contact PennDOT at least two weeks before your test date.

Can I take it online? PennDOT does not list an at-home knowledge test. In November 2025 it started a remote testing pilot that lets students at two Tioga County high schools test at school. Everyone else tests at a Driver License Center.

Step by step: getting your learner's permit

Check your age. You cannot apply before your 16th birthday.
Fill in the application. Complete the Non-Commercial Learner's Permit Application (DL-180).
Get the physical exam. Your health care provider completes the back of the DL-180 no earlier than six months before your 16th birthday. The application is valid for one year from the exam date. If the examiner cannot tell whether you meet the medical standards, your permit may be delayed.
Parent consent if you are under 18. A parent, guardian, person in loco parentis or spouse aged 18 or older signs the Parent or Guardian Consent Form (DL-180TD). If that person cannot come with you, the form must be signed in front of a notary. Applicants over 18 bring two proofs of residency instead, such as a utility bill, W-2 or lease.
Go to a Driver License Center with the DL-180 (do not mail it), the DL-180TD if you are under 18, original proof of date of birth and identity (no photocopies), your Social Security card and the fee. A standard U.S. passport and a passport card are both accepted as identity documents.
Take the vision and knowledge tests. If your eye doctor or health care provider did not test your vision, it is tested at the center, so bring your glasses or contacts.
Get your permit. When you pass, the examiner gives you a learner's permit valid for one year.

Fees

PennDOT's fee chart (July 2025) lists $45.50 for the initial permit and 4-year license, or $33.50 with a 2-year license if you are 65 or older. Accepted forms of payment are listed on the back of the DL-180. You can also choose to add a $3 donation to the Organ Donation Awareness Trust Fund or a donation to the Veterans' Trust Fund.

If you fail

You can retake the knowledge test the following business day, but only once on any day, at any location. The examiner gives your DL-180 and DL-180TD back, so keep them safe and bring them again.

After the permit: rules for drivers under 18

Supervision: you may drive only with a licensed driver who is at least 21, or a licensed parent, guardian or spouse aged 18 or older, sitting in the front seat.
Passengers: no more passengers than there are seat belts.
Practice: at least 65 hours of supervised driving, including 10 at night and 5 in bad weather, certified on form DL-180C.
Holding period: you must wait six months from the permit issue date before the road test. PennDOT lets young drivers book the road test up to six months ahead, as long as the date is not before the eligibility date on the permit.
Road test retakes: if you fail, you wait seven days, and you get three attempts per permit.

Once you pass the road test you receive a junior driver's license. According to the manual, junior drivers may not drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. without a parent or guardian (with exceptions for work and volunteer service). For the first six months they may carry no more than one non-family passenger under 18 without a parent in the car, then three. Six points, or a conviction for driving 26 mph or more over the limit, brings a 90-day suspension. The junior license becomes a regular license at 18, or earlier after one year with no at-fault crash and no conviction, an approved driver training course and a parent's or guardian's consent.

What to study

The test follows the manual's chapters, so read these closely:

Chapter 1 (permits and junior licenses): the age, hours, passenger and curfew rules above.
Chapter 2 (signals, signs and pavement markings): sign shapes and colors (the octagon is STOP, the pentagon is a school zone, the pennant marks a no-passing zone), flashing yellow arrows, lane-use signals and centerline markings.
Chapter 3 (learning to drive): the 4-second following distance, the 15 mph school zone limit, stopping at least 10 feet from a school bus with red lights flashing, the Move Over law, work zones, parking distances and emergencies.
Chapter 4 (driving record): the point system, DUI limits (.08 at 21 and over, .02 under 21) and the Implied Consent law.
Chapter 5 (laws): seat belts, child restraints, the 4-foot rule for passing bicycles.

The manual was last revised in April 2021, so check PennDOT's web pages for anything newer. For example, Pennsylvania's hands-free law (Paul Miller's Law) has banned handheld phone use while driving since June 5, 2025. That includes being stopped at a light, and since June 5, 2026 it carries a $50 fine.

How to prepare

Read the manual once from start to finish, then go back over the numbers: distances, ages, hours, BAC limits and suspension lengths are easy to mix up. PennDOT also offers a free sample knowledge test. Our practice tests use original questions written from the manual, 18 at a time, with the same 15-correct pass mark. Each answer has an explanation and a reference to the manual section, so you can look up anything you get wrong.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the Pennsylvania permit test and what score do I need?

The knowledge test has 18 multiple-choice questions, and you must answer 15 correctly to pass. Source

What happens if I fail the knowledge test?

You may retake it the following business day. You can take it only once on any day, whatever the location, and the examiner gives your DL-180 and DL-180TD back to you, so keep them and bring them next time. Source

What do I need to bring to the Driver License Center?

Your completed DL-180 (with the health care provider section filled in), the DL-180TD consent form if you are under 18, original proof of date of birth and identity, your Social Security card, and the fee. Photocopies are not accepted. Source

Can I take the test in another language or have it read to me?

Yes. PennDOT offers the knowledge test in written and audio format on request at all Driver License Centers, in Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian, Burmese, Cambodian, Dari, English, Farsi, French, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Mandinka, Nepali, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese. Source

Can I take the Pennsylvania permit test online from home?

PennDOT does not list an at-home online knowledge test. In November 2025 it launched a remote-testing pilot that lets students at Williamson and Cowanesque Valley high schools in Tioga County take the test at school; everyone else tests at a Driver License Center. Source

When can a teen take the road test?

Drivers under 18 must hold the permit for six months and have a signed certificate for 65 hours of practice, including 10 at night and 5 in bad weather. The road test can be scheduled up to six months in advance, but not before the eligibility date on the permit. Source

What limits apply to a junior driver's license?

No driving from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. without a parent or guardian (with work and volunteer exceptions), no more passengers than seat belts, and no more than one non-family passenger under 18 without a parent for the first six months (three after that, if you have no at-fault crash or conviction). Source

Sources

Pennsylvania Driver's Manual, PUB 95 (4-21), English — PennDOT Bureau of Driver Licensing (checked September 30, 2026)
Online Driver's Manual, Chapter 1: Testing — PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services (checked September 30, 2026)
Get a Learner's Permit — Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (checked September 30, 2026)
Online Driver's Manual, Chapter 1: Applying for a Learner's Permit — PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services (checked September 30, 2026)
Driver Licensing Fee Chart Fact Sheet (July 2025) — PennDOT (checked September 30, 2026)
Distracted Driving Fact Sheet (Paul Miller's Law) — PennDOT (checked September 30, 2026)
Remote Learner's Permit Knowledge Testing Pilot — PennDOT (checked September 30, 2026)

PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation are not affiliated with and do not endorse passmock. Our practice questions are original and written from the official Pennsylvania Driver's Manual. Our questions are original practice questions written from the official test description and study materials; they are not questions from the real test.

Pennsylvania permit practice test

Free Pennsylvania Permit Test practice test (20 questions)