CA DMV Written Test Trick Questions (2025)

CA DMV Written Test Trick Questions (2025). Nearly one out of every two Californians flunks the knowledge test on the first try. A DMV study shared by driver-ed platform Zutobi indicates that the first-time failure rate is over 44%. Ask anyone who’s walked out with that red “Fail” slip and you’ll hear the same complaint: “Those questions were tricky!”

Below you’ll find a plain-English guide to the CA DMV written test trick questions that trip people up—plus a study plan to make sure they don’t trip you.

CA DMV Written Test Trick Questions

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CA DMV Written Test
Total Trick Questions: 36 Questions
Passing Percentage:  83%
Time Limit: 60 Minutes

1 / 36

1) You may drive a motor vehicle in a bike lane:

2 / 36

2) Which child would require a child passenger restraint system?

3 / 36

3) If you have trouble seeing other vehicles because of dust or smoke blowing across the roadway, you should drive more slowly and turn on your:

4 / 36

4)

This road sign means:

5 / 36

5) You must notify the DMV within five days if you:

6 / 36

6) You see a flashing yellow traffic signal at an upcoming intersection. The flashing yellow light means:

7 / 36

7) Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit in a residential area is:

8 / 36

8)

This road sign means:

9 / 36

9) Vehicles stopped behind a school bus with its red lights flashing must remain stopped until:

10 / 36

10) You should allow an extra cushion of space:

11 / 36

11) While driving, you should look 10 to 15 seconds ahead of you:

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12) If you drive more slowly than the flow of traffic, you will most likely:

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13) U-turns in residential districts are legal:

14 / 36

14)

This yellow sign means:

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15)

This sign means:

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16) If you must park your vehicle in an area not usually used for parking:

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17) You may not park your vehicle:

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18) When driving on a multilane street with two-way traffic:

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19) You may cross a double yellow line to pass another vehicle if the yellow line next to:

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20)

This sign means:

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21) To see vehicles in your blind spots, you should check:

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22) When a school bus is stopped on the road ahead to load or unload children, you must:

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23) When you tailgate other drivers (drive closely to their rear bumper):

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24) If you are convicted of driving with an excessive blood alcohol concentration (BAC), you may be sentenced to serve:

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25) Water on the road can cause a vehicle to hydroplane. Your car may hydroplane at spends as low as:

26 / 36

26) This sign means:


27 / 36

27) Which of these statements is true about drinking alcohol and driving?

28 / 36

28) If you encounter an aggressive driver, you should:

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29) Should you always drive more slowly than other traffic?

30 / 36

30) You are driving in the far right lane of a four-lane freeway and notice thick broken white line on the left side of your lane. You are driving in:

31 / 36

31) Which of these vehicles must always stop before crossing railroad tracks?

32 / 36

32) Give the right-of-way to any pedestrians who is:

33 / 36

33)

This sign means

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34) If your cell phone rings while you are driving and you do not have a hands-free device, you should:

35 / 36

35)

This sign means:

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36) California’s “basic speed law” says you must:

Your score is

0%

California DMV Practice Tests & Hard Sets
CA DMV Test 1 CA DMV Test 2 CA DMV Test 3 CA DMV Hard 1
CA DMV Test 4 CA DMV Test 5 CA DMV Test 6 CA DMV Hard 2
CA DMV Test 7 CA DMV Test 8 CA DMV Test 9 CA DMV Hard 3
CA DMV Test 10 CA DMV Test 11 CA Road‑Sign Test CA DMV Hard 4

Five Categories With the Sneakiest Questions

1. Numbers & Distances

Expect feet, inches and seconds:

  • Dim high-beams for oncoming traffic at 500 ft
  • Stop 15 – 50 ft from a railroad track when lights flash
  • Parallel-park within 18 in of the curb
  • Most failures come from swapping one of those numbers for another that sounds right.

2. Speed-Limit Exceptions

Everyone knows “25 mph in a residential zone,” but the test loves exceptions:

  • 15 mph in an alley or blind intersection
  • 10 mph past a stopped streetcar at a safety zone
  • 55 mph max for any vehicle towing on a two-lane undivided highway

Memorize these special limits; they appear in far more questions than you’d guess.

3. Right-of-Way Curveballs

Four-way stop? Easy. But what about:

  • A T-intersection with no signs (driver on the terminating road must yield)
  • A steep, single-lane mountain road (vehicle facing downhill backs up)

Flashing yellow arrow vs. flashing yellow round light (yield vs. caution)

4. Teen & Cell-Phone Rules

Under-18 drivers face restrictions that adults often forget: no passengers under 20 (unless accompanied by a 25-year-old licensed driver), no phone use except in true emergencies, and a curfew of 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. Questions blend those rules into multiple-choice traps.

5. Alcohol, BAC & Penalties

The legal limit is 0.08 %—but 0.01 % for anyone under 21 and 0.04 % for commercial drivers. Throw in test “gotchas” like open-container storage (only in the trunk) and administrative license-suspension lengths, and it’s easy to mis-click.

How Many Questions? How Many Can You Miss?

  • 46 questions for first-time under-18 applicants, 36 for adults.
  • Passing score is 83 %—that’s 38 right answers (or 30 on the shorter test).
  • Three attempts per application, with a 7-day wait after each failure