The California Permit Test Questions People Miss Most

Many of the hardest California permit test questions in our practice data are about where to put your car for a left turn, passing near a hill, headlight distances, the 55 mph limit, skids, letting traffic pass, bicyclists, and parking on a hill with no curb. Below are 10 of them, with the right answer, the wrong answer picked most often, and the rule from the official California Driver's Handbook.

The numbers come from answers on GetMyPermit's California practice tests. Skipped questions aren't counted. Together, these 10 questions drew 6,328 answers. We only kept questions whose answer the handbook clearly backs up, so a few questions with high miss rates were left out.

Each stat shows the share of answers that were wrong, and how often the most popular wrong option was picked out of all answers to that question. Several questions are tied at 51%, so treat the order as rough.

The hardest California permit test questions

Where to position your car for a left turn

• Question: When preparing to make a left turn from a two-way street, where should you position your vehicle?
• Right answer: B. Near the centerline.
• Missed on: 66% of 593 answers.
• Most-picked wrong answer: C, "To the left of the centerline," picked in 50% of answers.

The handbook's Left Turns steps start with: "Drive close to the center divider or into the left turn lane." Being close to the center is the goal, not crossing it.

The handbook also says not to turn the steering wheel too soon and enter the lane of oncoming vehicles. Keep your wheels pointed straight ahead until it is safe to start your turn. If your wheels are pointed left and a vehicle hits you from behind, you could be pushed into oncoming traffic.

Passing as you approach a hill

• Question: What should you do as you approach a hill?
• Right answer: B. Do not pass.
• Missed on: 63% of 614 answers.
• Most-picked wrong answer: C, "Maintain a steady speed," picked in 48% of answers.

The handbook's Passing section says: do not pass "if you are approaching a hill or curve and cannot see if other traffic is approaching. This is very dangerous on one and two lane roads."

It also says that to safely pass, the hill or curve should be at least one-third of a mile ahead.

When you must turn on your headlights

• Question: When must you turn on your headlights?
• Right answer: B. When it is too dark to see from 1,000 feet away.
• Missed on: 62% of 798 answers.
• Most-picked wrong answer: C, "When it is too dark to see from 500 feet away," picked in 41% of answers.

Under Using Your Headlights, the handbook lists "When it is too dark to see from 1,000 feet away" as one of the times to use your headlights. Others on the list include beginning 30 minutes after sunset, until 30 minutes before sunrise, and when you need your windshield wipers because of fog, rain, or snow.

The 500-foot number is real, but it belongs to a different rule: when to dim your high beams. That one is a few questions down.

The speed limit on a two-lane undivided highway

• Question: Unless otherwise posted, what is the maximum speed limit on a two-lane undivided highway in California?
• Right answer: A. 55 mph on a two-lane undivided highway.
• Missed on: 60% of 747 answers.
• Most-picked wrong answer: C, "65 mph on all city streets," picked in 44% of answers.

In Manage Your Speed, the handbook says: "Unless otherwise posted, the ideal maximum speed limit on most California highways is 65 mph. It is 55 mph on a two-lane undivided highway and for vehicles towing trailers."

So 65 mph is the handbook's number for most highways, not for city streets. The same section also states California's Basic Speed Law: you may never drive faster than is safe for the current road conditions.

Steering when the back of your car skids

• Question: What should you do if the rear end of your car starts skidding to the left while driving?
• Right answer: B. Steer left with the skid.
• Missed on: 54% of 641 answers.
• Most-picked wrong answer: C, "Press the brakes firmly," picked in 30% of answers.

The handbook's Skids section gives these steps if you start to skid on a slippery surface: slowly remove your foot from the accelerator, do not use the brakes, turn the steering wheel in the direction of the skid, and try to get a wheel on dry pavement.

The handbook has separate steps for a locked wheel skid, which is usually caused by braking too hard when you are going too fast. Those steps depend on whether your vehicle has antilock brakes (ABS), and what kind.

When to dim your high beams

• Question: How far away must an oncoming vehicle be before you dim your high-beam headlights to low beams?
• Right answer: C. Within 500 feet of a vehicle coming toward you.
• Missed on: 51% of 604 answers.
• Most-picked wrong answer: B, "Within 300 feet of a vehicle coming toward you," picked in 28% of answers.

The handbook says: "Dim your high-beam headlights to low beams within 500 feet of a vehicle coming toward you or within 300 feet of a vehicle you are following."

That's why 300 feet is a tempting wrong answer. It's the number for a vehicle ahead of you going the same way, not one coming toward you.

Letting cars pass on a two-lane road

• Question: When should you pull over to let other drivers pass while driving a slow-moving vehicle on a winding two-lane highway?
• Right answer: C. 5 or more vehicles.
• Missed on: 51% of 503 answers.
• Most-picked wrong answer: A, "3 or more vehicles," picked in 39% of answers.

Under Turnout Areas or Lanes, the handbook says: "You must use a turnout area or lane to let other vehicles pass when you are driving slowly on a two-lane road, where passing is unsafe, and there are five or more vehicles following you."

Passing a bicyclist in your lane

• Question: What should you do if you want to pass a bicyclist riding on the right edge of your lane?
• Right answer: B. "must not squeeze past the bicyclist."
• Missed on: 51% of 424 answers.
• Most-picked wrong answer: C, "may not pass the bicyclist for any reason," picked in 47% of answers.

Under Passing a Bicyclist, the handbook says: "When you cannot change lanes to pass a bicyclist, allow at least three feet between your vehicle and the bicyclist. If you cannot give three feet of space, do not pass the cyclist until three feet of clearance can be given."

So you can pass a bicyclist. You just have to wait until you can give them at least three feet. That's why "for any reason" is wrong.

When another car is passing you

• Question: What should you do if another vehicle is passing you in a no passing zone?
• Right answer: B. Keep your lane position and speed.
• Missed on: 51% of 414 answers.
• Most-picked wrong answer: C, "Slow down so the other driver must return to your lane," picked in 45% of answers.

The handbook's Being Passed rule is short: "If a vehicle is passing you or signals that they plan on passing, allow the vehicle to pass. Maintain your lane position and your speed." Slowing down to force the other driver back is not part of it.

Parking uphill when there is no curb

• Question: When parking uphill on a two-way street with no curb, in which direction should you turn your front wheels?
• Right answer: B. Turn to the right away from the street.
• Missed on: 48% of 990 answers.
• Most-picked wrong answer: A, "Turn to the left toward the street," picked in 26% of answers.

The handbook's Parking on a Hill section says: "Headed either uphill or downhill when there is no curb: Turn the wheels to the right so the vehicle will roll away from the center of the road if the brakes fail."

The mix-up comes from the uphill rule when there is a curb. Then you turn your front wheels away from the curb (left, toward the center of the road) and let the vehicle roll back a few inches so the wheel gently touches the curb. No curb means turn right, uphill or downhill. Either way, set the parking brake and leave the vehicle in park, or in gear for a manual transmission.

How to study the topics these questions come from

Most of these misses come from numbers that sit close together or rules that change with one detail. A few ways to study them:

• Group the distance numbers. 1,000 feet is for turning on headlights when it's dark. 500 feet is for dimming high beams for a vehicle coming toward you. 300 feet is for dimming them for a vehicle you are following.
• Learn the full rule, not just the number. The turnout rule needs three things together: you are driving slowly on a two-lane road, passing is unsafe, and five or more vehicles are following you.
• Watch for the one detail that flips the answer. Curb or no curb on a hill. A car coming toward you or one you're following. A skid on a slippery surface or a locked wheel skid.
• Read the sections named above in the handbook. Left Turns, Passing, Being Passed, Using Your Headlights, Turnout Areas or Lanes, Passing a Bicyclist, Parking on a Hill, Skids, and Manage Your Speed.

You can't use the handbook or a cell phone during the knowledge test, so you need these rules memorized. The handbook says you get three attempts to pass before you must reapply, and minors must wait seven days to retake a failed knowledge test, not counting the day of the failure.

When you've read the sections, test yourself with a California permit practice test and reread the rule behind any question you miss.

Sources

• California Driver's Handbook, California DMV