Free Maine DMV Car / Permit Practice Test 2026
The Maine Car / Permit knowledge test has 30 questions, and you need 24 correct (80%) to pass. Practice free with questions written from the official Maine driver handbook — every one has a clear explanation, and you can retake as often as you like with no sign-up.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · August 12, 2026
What's on the Maine written test
The Maine Car / Permit knowledge test has 30 questions; you need 24 correct (80%) to pass.
Based on the official Maine exam format — always confirm current details with your state DMV.
Practice by topic
Focus on one area at a time — each topic has its own set of Maine practice questions.
Learn the shapes, colors, and meanings of regulatory, warning, and guide signs — from stop and yield to construction and school-zone signs.
Speed limits, turning and signaling rules, headlight and seat-belt requirements, and the everyday laws every driver must follow.
How to read traffic signals, lane lines, and pavement markings — including yellow and white lines, arrows, and flashing lights.
Who goes first at intersections, four-way stops, roundabouts, and crosswalks, and how to yield to pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
Following distance, scanning, blind spots, using your lights, and the habits that prevent crashes and keep you in control.
Driving safely around motorcycles, bicycles, large trucks, pedestrians, and school buses — and knowing who has the right of way.
Blood alcohol limits, zero-tolerance and implied-consent laws, and how alcohol and drugs — legal or not — affect your driving.
Legal and illegal parking, colored curbs, distances from hydrants and crossings, and how to park safely on hills.
Choosing a safe speed, keeping a space cushion, adjusting for weather and traffic, and understanding stopping distance.
What to do when things go wrong — brake failure, tire blowouts, skids, and stalling on railroad tracks.
The point system, license suspension, provisional-license rules, insurance requirements, and other licensing basics.
How to pass the first time
- Read the official Maine driver handbook at least once before test day.
- Practice by topic to find your weak spots, then fix them.
- Take full-length practice tests until you pass comfortably every time.
- Read every explanation — understanding beats memorizing.
Maine Car / Permit test — frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Maine Car / Permit test?
The Maine Car / Permit knowledge test has 30 questions, and you need 24 correct (80%) to pass. Our practice tests mirror that format.
How many questions can I miss on the Maine Car / Permit test?
You can miss up to 6 of the 30 questions and still pass — you need 24 correct, which is 80%.
Can I retake the practice test?
Yes — practice as often as you like, completely free. The questions and answer choices are shuffled each time.
Can I take the Maine practice test in Spanish?
Yes. Every question here is available in English and Spanish — switch languages anytime. Many states also offer the real knowledge test in languages other than English; confirm what Maine offers with your DMV.
Can I practice on my phone?
Yes. The practice tests work in any mobile or desktop browser — no app or sign-up needed — so you can study anywhere.
Are these the real DMV test questions?
No. Our questions are original, written from the current official Maine driver handbook to match the real test's topics and style. We are not affiliated with any DMV or government agency.
What's the best way to study?
Read the Maine driver handbook, practice by topic to target weak areas, and finish with full-length tests until you consistently pass.
Other Maine practice tests
Take the Car / Permit test in another state
Every Maine question is written from the official Maine driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free
Maine Car / Permit questions with answers
20 sample questions from the Maine Car / Permit question bank — each with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the section of the official handbook it comes from.
Show all 20 questions with answers
1. What suspension may follow a conviction for street racing, running a roadblock or fleeing from an officer?
Correct answer: Up to 90 days
Those convictions can cost a driver the privilege to operate for as long as 90 days.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 1, Loss of Driving Privileges
2. Under what conditions may you turn right while the light is red in Maine?
Correct answer: After stopping, if no sign prohibits it and you yield to people and vehicles
A right turn on red is allowed once you have come to a stop, provided no sign forbids it, and the turning driver has to give way to pedestrians and to all other traffic.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 6, Traffic Signals
3. Two cars arrive together at an intersection, each facing the other, and one driver has a turn signal flashing. Who goes first?
Correct answer: The driver continuing straight ahead
In that situation the manual gives the right-of-way to the driver continuing straight rather than the one who intends to turn.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 6, Yielding Right-Of-Way
4. How should you use anti-lock brakes in an emergency stop?
Correct answer: Press hard and keep the pressure applied
With ABS you press the pedal down hard and keep the pressure on; the system only works while pressure is held, and a vibrating pedal or clicking sound is normal.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 9, Braking
5. How far behind a large vehicle can its rear blind spot extend?
Correct answer: Up to 200 feet
The manual describes rear no-zones stretching as much as 200 feet behind a large truck or bus, where the driver cannot see you and you cannot see the road ahead.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 10, Large Vehicles
6. Maine's open container law is violated in which situation?
Correct answer: A passenger holds an open alcoholic container in the passenger area
The offense occurs when the driver or a passenger in the passenger area drinks alcohol or has an open alcoholic container; a vehicle without a trunk is excepted if the open container sits behind the last upright seat.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 3, Keeping Fit to Drive (Alcohol & Drugs)
7. Which steps does the manual list for making sure a parked car cannot move?
Correct answer: Set the parking brake, shift to park or a gear, shut off the engine and remove the key
Set the parking brake and put the transmission in park, or into first or reverse gear on a manual car, then shut off the engine and take the key with you.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 7, Parking
8. Which description fits the regulatory signs described in the Maine manual?
Correct answer: White signs bearing black, red or green legends that state what the law requires
Regulatory signs are square, rectangular or specially shaped, their background is white while the legend appears in black, red or green, and they cover matters such as lane use, turning, speed and parking.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 6, Regulatory Signs
9. During which hours does Maine law require headlights to be on?
Correct answer: From sunset until sunrise
State law requires headlights any time between sunset and sunrise.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 8, Communicating
10. About how far does a car traveling 50 mph on dry pavement need just to brake, assuming good brakes?
Correct answer: About 158 feet
The manual puts braking distance at roughly 158 feet at that speed, and notes that adding perception and reaction time nearly doubles the total.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 8, Stopping Distance
11. Where should your hands rest on the steering wheel?
Correct answer: At 9 and 3, or at 8 and 4
Picture the wheel as a clock face and place your hands at 9 and 3 or at 8 and 4; those positions give the best control and reduce the risk of injury if the air bag deploys.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 5, Steering
12. Who may supervise a Maine learner's permit holder behind the wheel?
Correct answer: A driver at least 20 years old who has been licensed for two years
The accompanying driver must be at least 20 years old, must have held a valid license for two years, must be licensed for the class of vehicle being driven, and must sit in the seat next to the permit holder.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 1, Acquiring a Maine Driver's License
13. Several traffic signals hang over a wide intersection. Which one applies to you?
Correct answer: The one hanging directly over the lane you occupy
When more than one signal is displayed, the manual tells drivers to follow the one positioned directly above their own lane.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 6, Traffic Signals
14. You are ready to pull away from the curb where you parked. What does Maine require?
Correct answer: Wait for the traffic that is moving to pass before you pull out
Before leaving a parked position you must let all moving traffic go by.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 6, Yielding Right-Of-Way
15. Your car is stuck in a snowstorm and you must wait for help. What does the manual tell you to do?
Correct answer: Stay with the car, crack a window and keep the exhaust pipe clear
Stay with the vehicle, since most deaths happen when people wander off and freeze, mark the car with a red flag, crack a window for fresh air, keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow, and do not let anyone fall asleep.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 11, Hazardous Driving Conditions
16. On which side of a large truck is the biggest blind spot?
Correct answer: The right side
A truck's largest hidden area lies along the right side, beginning behind the cab and running the full length of the vehicle.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 10, Large Vehicles
17. How does a 12-ounce can of beer compare with a shot of hard liquor in alcohol content?
Correct answer: They contain about the same amount of alcohol
The manual treats a 12-ounce beer, a one-ounce shot of 100 proof liquor, a four-ounce glass of table wine and a ten-ounce wine cooler as containing roughly the same amount of alcohol.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 3, Keeping Fit to Drive (Alcohol & Drugs)
18. How much room should you leave between your parked car and the vehicles in front of and behind it?
Correct answer: At least two feet
The manual asks for a gap of no less than two feet in front and behind when you park along a road.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 7, Parking
19. How can you recognize the signs Maine posts around highway work areas?
Correct answer: Orange diamonds or rectangles carrying black letters or symbols
Work zone signs use an orange background with black wording or symbols, and they may be shaped either as diamonds or as rectangles.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 6, Work Zone Signs
20. You are on a multi-lane highway with a solid barrier separating your side from a school bus that has stopped with red lights flashing. Must you stop?
Correct answer: No, a solid barrier separating the two roadways removes that duty
Where a solid divider separates your roadway from the bus, the manual says a stop is not required.
Source: Maine Driver's License Manual — Section 7, Rules for School Buses