Wisconsin DMV Practice Test

Wisconsin study guide

Key facts from the official Wisconsin DMV handbook, organized the way the test asks about them. Each one links to its source section.

Road signs, signals & markings

• The stop sign has eight sides and is red with white letters. You must come to a complete stop and wait until your path is clear.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — B. Regulatory
• The Yield sign is a downward-pointing red and white triangle. It means you must yield the right-of-way to other vehicles.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — B. Regulatory
• The No Passing Zone sign is a yellow pennant with black lettering. You may not pass any vehicle in the no passing zone.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — B. Regulatory
• The Slow Moving Vehicle sign is triangle-shaped with reflective orange markings; the vehicle could travel at 25 mph or less.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — B. Regulatory
• Warning signs are yellow with black lettering or symbols. Most are diamond shaped and warn of a special situation or hazard ahead.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — A. Warning
• Construction signs are orange with black lettering. Traffic fines double in these areas, and you can only use your cellphone to report an emergency.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — C. Construction
• Destination signs are square or rectangular, green or brown with white lettering, and show directions and distance to places. Brown signs point to recreational or scenic places.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — D. Destination
• Service signs are blue with white letters or symbols and show how to get to services nearby, such as camping or a hospital.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — E. Service
• The Railroad Crossing Warning sign is round with a yellow background and an X symbol with black lettering.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — H. Railroad Crossing
• Do Not Enter means you cannot enter. It is used on exit ramps going the wrong direction or one-way streets.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — B. Regulatory
• School Crossing / School Zone signs may be fluorescent green or yellow and show pedestrians with an arrow. Yield to crossing pedestrians.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — A. Warning
• Keep Right means a traffic island or obstacle divides the road ahead.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — B. Regulatory
• The Report Problem or Emergency sign is blue with white lettering, posted at every highway-railroad crossing, and shows a phone number to report unsafe conditions.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — H. Railroad Crossing
• Train gates lower when a train is coming. Do not drive around the gate or under a raising or lowering gate.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — H. Railroad Crossing
• A steady yellow means the light is about to change to red; stop before entering the intersection. If you are already in the intersection when it turns yellow, do not stop — continue through.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 5: Signals, Pavement Markings and Lane Controls — A. Traffic Signals
• You may turn left on red if you are turning from a one-way onto a one-way street. Stop first, yield to all traffic, then proceed.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 5: Signals, Pavement Markings and Lane Controls — A. Traffic Signals
• A solid white line between lanes means you cannot cross, except for a hazard or if you are turning within the next block.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 5: Signals, Pavement Markings and Lane Controls — B. Types of Line Markings
• Flashing Yellow Arrow: yield first before turning and proceed with caution.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 5: Signals, Pavement Markings and Lane Controls — A. Traffic Signals
• The 2-Way Traffic sign appears when you are leaving a one-way roadway and entering a roadway with opposing traffic.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — A. Warning
• Reduced Speed Ahead means that you should slow down — for example, the road ahead may be slippery.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — B. Regulatory
• Mile markers (reference markers) are tall, thin rectangular blue or green signs with the direction, route and mile number. They help locate you and improve emergency response times.Signs, Signals & Markings · Section 4: Signs — F. Mile Marker

Traffic laws & licensing

• The knowledge test includes 50 questions and you need to answer 40 (80%) correctly. It takes about 45 minutes.Permits & Licensing · Section 1: Driving Test Requirements — C. Knowledge Test
• There are 15 questions on the Highway Signs Test and you need to answer 12 (80%) correctly.Permits & Licensing · Section 1: Driving Test Requirements — B. Highway Signs Test
• Applicants need visual acuity of at least 20/40 in one eye (corrected or uncorrected) and a 70-degree field of vision from the center of each eye.Permits & Licensing · Section 1: Driving Test Requirements — A. Vision Screening
• If under 18, you must be at least 15, pass the knowledge test, signs test and vision screening, and be enrolled in driver education including behind-the-wheel.Permits & Licensing · Section 2: Progression of Licenses — B. Instruction Permit
• With a valid instruction permit you must practice at least 40 hours in daylight and 10 hours in darkness — 50 total — verified by your sponsor.Permits & Licensing · Section 2: Progression of Licenses — C. Probationary License
• During hours of darkness, a permit holder must be accompanied by a qualified instructor or a licensed person 25 or older with at least two years of licensed driving experience in the seat beside them.Permits & Licensing · Section 2: Progression of Licenses — B. Instruction Permit
• GDL passenger and hour restrictions are required for the first nine months, unless you turn 18 before then. Violations can extend them six months.Permits & Licensing · Section 2: Progression of Licenses — C. Probationary License
• Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit in residential areas is 25 miles per hour.Speed Limits & Work Zones · Section 3: The Basics — B. Understanding Vehicle Speed
• The normal speed limit in a school zone when children are present is 15 miles per hour.Speed Limits & Work Zones · Section 3: The Basics — B. Understanding Vehicle Speed
• The maximum speed limit in outlying parts of cities and villages with no posted speed limit is 35 mph.Speed Limits & Work Zones · Section 3: The Basics — B. Understanding Vehicle Speed
• Yield to pedestrians using a guide dog or carrying a white cane, even if they are not in the intersection. Stop at least ten feet away until the person is off the roadway.Right-of-Way · Section 3: The Basics — A. Right-Of-Way
• Yield to the driver who arrives first at a four-way stop. If drivers arrive at the same time, the driver on the right goes first.Right-of-Way · Section 3: The Basics — A. Right-Of-Way
• Parked uphill with a curb, turn your wheels all the way to the left. Uphill without a curb, turn them right. Downhill, turn them right. Set your parking brake.Parking · Section 3: The Basics — J. Parking
• If you are parked downhill, move your wheels all the way to the right and set your emergency brake.Parking · Section 3: The Basics — J. Parking
• Parking is not allowed where there are yellow markings on the curb or in areas in front of fire hydrants. Also check for No Parking signs.Parking · Section 3: The Basics — J. Parking
• You will not be able to drive if you get 12 or more demerit points within any 12-month period.Permits & Licensing · Section 11: Your Driving Privilege — A. Point System
• Traffic moves counterclockwise. Slow down, yield to pedestrians and bicycles, and yield to traffic on your left already in the roundabout. If it's empty, you do not need to wait.Right-of-Way · Section 6: Driving Situations — A. Roundabouts
• If you are already in the roundabout, safely exit at the next right, then pull over. Avoid stopping in the roundabout.Right-of-Way · Section 6: Driving Situations — A. Roundabouts

Safe driving

• Instruction permit and probationary license holders can only use a cell phone to report an emergency.Safe Driving Habits · Section 9: Dangerous Driving Behaviors — B. Distracted Driving
• Use the Four Second Following Distance Rule. Add a second for every adverse condition such as heavier traffic, rain, snow or ice.Safe Driving Habits · Section 3: The Basics — B. Understanding Vehicle Speed
• You must use low beams when you cannot see a vehicle or person 500 feet (about one block) away, and from a half hour past sunset to a half hour before sunrise.Seat Belts, Lights & Equipment · Section 3: The Basics — K. Communication
• If you are turning at an intersection, start signaling about three seconds (about 100 feet) before the turn.Safe Driving Habits · Section 3: The Basics — K. Communication
• When a school bus is stopped with its red lights flashing, stop at least 20 feet from it, whether it is on your side of the road or the opposite side.Sharing the Road · Section 10: Sharing the Road — C. School Buses
• If you are on a divided highway and not on the side of the school bus, you do not need to stop. A divided highway has a barrier between opposing lanes.Sharing the Road · Section 10: Sharing the Road — C. School Buses
• Give bicyclists at least three feet of room when you pass, and wait for oncoming traffic to clear before passing.Sharing the Road · Section 10: Sharing the Road — E. Bicycles
• Give snowplows at least 200 feet of room when their lights are flashing red, amber or green.Sharing the Road · Section 7: Driving Conditions — C. Winter
• No-Zones are areas where large vehicles cannot see you — about 200 feet behind and 20 feet in front of large trucks.Sharing the Road · Section 10: Sharing the Road — F. No-Zones
• The legal alcohol concentration allowed for drivers under 21 is 0.00% — you cannot have any alcohol in your system while driving.Alcohol & Drugs · Section 9: Dangerous Driving Behaviors — A. Alcohol, Drugs and Driving
• Under the Implied Consent Law, if you refuse, the officer must arrest you and you will lose your driving privileges for at least one year.Alcohol & Drugs · Section 9: Dangerous Driving Behaviors — A. Alcohol, Drugs and Driving (Implied Consent)
• Report a crash to police if there is injury or death, property damage of $1,000 or more, government property damage of $200 or more, a vehicle can't be moved, or a driver appears impaired.Crashes & Emergencies · Section 8: Handling Emergencies — B. Crashes
• If you hydroplane, ease your foot off the gas, keep the wheel straight, and do not try to stop or turn until your tires are gripping the road again.Crashes & Emergencies · Section 7: Driving Conditions — B. Severe Weather
• If your brakes fail: pump the brake pedal several times, pull the parking brake (release it if you skid), and look for a safe place to slow to a stop.Crashes & Emergencies · Section 8: Handling Emergencies — C. Roadside Emergencies
• Generally, children must be in a child safety seat until age four and in a booster seat until age eight.Seat Belts, Lights & Equipment · Section 12: Other Important Information — D. Seat Belts
• To have better control, you need to see 10 to 15 seconds ahead. If you cannot, slow down.Safe Driving Habits · Section 3: The Basics — E. Sight Distance Rule
• Check your rearview mirror every 6 to 8 seconds to see if someone is following too closely.Safe Driving Habits · Section 3: The Basics — F. Space Between Vehicles
• Deer are most active in the sunset to sunrise hours. Scan for the reflection of your headlights in their eyes and watch for more than one deer.Safe Driving Habits · Section 6: Driving Situations — E. Watch for Deer

Common mistakes

• Using the two-second rule. Wisconsin teaches a four-second following distance, plus a second for each adverse condition.Section 3: The Basics — B. Understanding Vehicle Speed
• Stopping in the intersection on a yellow. If you are already in it when the light turns yellow, keep going.Section 5 — A. Traffic Signals
• Mixing up hill parking: uphill with a curb is wheels LEFT; uphill without a curb and downhill are wheels RIGHT.Section 3: The Basics — J. Parking
• Forgetting the school-zone limit is 15 mph when children are present, not 25.Section 3: The Basics — B. Understanding Vehicle Speed

Test types

Wisconsin permit test FAQ