New Mexico permit test cheat sheet

New Mexico-specific rules from our question bank, condensed to one line each with the handbook page. Read it the night before; don’t use it instead of practicing.

Study sheet for before your test. Notes aren’t allowed in the DMV test room. See the study sheets to print.

Test format
Not published
Passing score
70%
Permit and test fees
$10 total
Minimum age for a permit
15 years
Supervised driving
50 hours (10 at night)
Hold your permit
6 months minimum

Permits & licensing

  • In New Mexico you can get an instructional permit at 15, as long as you are enrolled in an approved driver education course. p. 4
  • New Mexico ties the permit to a driver education course approved by the Traffic Safety Bureau, and that course must include DWI education and practice driving. p. 4
  • Your supervising driver must be at least 21, hold a license, and have been licensed for at least three years in New Mexico or another state. source
  • You must hold your instructional permit for at least six months. p. 4
  • New Mexico requires at least 50 hours of practice driving, and at least 10 of those hours must be at night. p. 4
  • The minimum age for a provisional license is 15 years and 6 months, and only if you have held your permit for 6 months. p. 4
  • You must have no traffic violation convictions in the 90 days before applying for a provisional license. p. 5
  • Each traffic violation committed while you drive on a permit adds 30 days to the six-month waiting period before you can get a provisional license. source
  • A provisional licensee may not drive between midnight and 5:00 a.m. unless a licensed driver 21 or older is in the car or one of the listed exceptions applies. p. 4
  • Driving to and from work during curfew hours is allowed when the provisional licensee carries a signed statement from the employer. p. 5
  • Unless a licensed driver 21 or older is along, a provisional licensee may carry no more than one passenger under 21 who is not immediate family. p. 4
  • You must hold the provisional license for the 12 months right before you apply for an unrestricted license. p. 5
  • To move from a provisional to an unrestricted license, you must have held the provisional license for 12 months, have no traffic convictions in the last 90 days and none pending, and have no alcohol or drug offense from the provisional period, whether decided or still pending. p. 5
  • New Mexico issues new and renewal instruction permits for a four-year period, unless a medical report or turning 21 calls for a shorter one. source
  • All Class D and M written test scores must be 70% or better to pass. source
  • You may retake the knowledge test as soon as you like, even the same day, but you may not take it more than twice in one week. source
  • You must have at least 20/40 vision in at least one eye, with or without glasses or contacts. p. 31

Parking & stopping

  • Do not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant. p. 16
  • New Mexico's manual says not to park within 25 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection. p. 16
  • Do not park within 30 feet of a traffic signal, stop sign or yield sign. p. 16
  • Do not park within 50 feet of a railroad crossing. p. 16
  • You may not park more than 18 inches from the curb. p. 16
  • Do not park within 20 feet of a fire station driveway on the same side of the street, or within 75 feet of it on the other side. p. 16
  • A red curb marks a fire zone where no parking or standing is allowed. p. 17
  • A white curb means only short stops are allowed, such as picking up or dropping off. p. 17