California permit practice tests 2026

How to pass in 5 steps

1. Learn the signs. Shapes and colors first, then the road sign tests. Or swipe through the California permit test flashcards.
2. Work through the practice tests. Every answer links to the handbook page it comes from.
3. Drill your weak topics. Practice one topic or take a weak-spot test.
4. Fix every mistake. Review my mistakes until each one sticks on 3 separate days.
5. Pass the simulator, then book your test. The exam simulator follows California’s real format: California does not publish a question count; we use 30 questions at its 80% pass mark. Pass it two or three times on different days.

Drill one topic

California study tools

• California flashcardsFull-screen cards you flip and swipe. The road-signs deck is free, and so are the first cards of every California deck.
• California numbers to knowThe distances, speeds, BAC limits, fines and deadlines people miss most, each with its source, plus a free numbers quiz and flashcards.
• After the permit: the California road testWhat’s on the driving test, how it’s scored, the 18 automatic failures and what to bring, each quoted from official sources.
• Supervised driving logCalifornia requires 50 supervised hours, 10 at night. Track them as you go.
• California cheat sheet and study sheetsThe California rules worth knowing, and a road-signs chart and road-test checklist to print.Read the cheat sheet Study sheets to print

California rules that catch people out

These come from the questions learners find hardest. Each links to the handbook page it comes from.

• Each provisional-license exception requires a specific signed note. For work, the note must be signed by your employer and confirm your employment. Officers can then quickly verify why a teen is driving during restricted times.

  California Driver's Handbook (DL 600), page 10

• Traffic violator school keeps a one-point citation from being reported to your insurance company, but it stays on your DMV record. You can use this option only once in any 18-month period, so it is not a way to wipe out repeated tickets.

  California Driver's Handbook (DL 600), page 60

• Three at-fault collisions or convictions (or a combination) lead to a six-month suspension and one year of probation. More incidents during probation bring another suspension, and turning 18 does not erase it.

  California Driver's Handbook (DL 600), page 61

• After a DUI arrest, the officer may give you a 30-day temporary license, and DMV's Administrative Per Se law requires a suspension. You may request a DMV hearing, but only within 10 days of the arrest, so act fast.

  California Driver's Handbook (DL 600), page 80

• For drivers under 21, a PAS result of 0.05% or more lets the officer require a breath or blood test, and a later result at that level can lead to a DUI arrest. Any measurable alcohol (0.01%) is already illegal for under-21 drivers.

  California Driver's Handbook (DL 600), page 81

• All DUI convictions stay on your driver record for 10 years. Any other DUI during that time can bring tougher penalties from the court or DMV.

  California Driver's Handbook (DL 600), page 80

• You may not drive with a video monitor visible to the driver unless it only shows vehicle information, a navigation system, a media player or the radio. Moving pictures pull your eyes off the road.

  California Driver's Handbook (DL 600), page 58

• An alley is a road no wider than 25 feet used to reach the back or side of buildings, and its speed limit is 15 mph. Alleys are narrow, with people and cars appearing from doorways and garages.

  California Driver's Handbook (DL 600), page 57

Questions about the California permit test

Didn’t pass? What to do next in California