North Carolina Permit Practice Test 2
25 questions written from the North Carolina Driver Handbook, with an explanation and page citation for every answer.
For a driver 21 or older in a regular car, what blood alcohol concentration (BAC) by itself proves driving while impaired in North Carolina?
Keyboard: press 1–4 or A–D to answer, Enter for the next question, S to save, R to read aloud, P to pause reading, L to listen and answer.
About this test
These questions were written from the North Carolina Driver Handbook (Revised May 2025). 12 of the 20 North Carolina questions in this test cover rules that are specific to North Carolina or differ between states. Every answer comes with an explanation and a link to the exact page it comes from, so you can check it yourself.
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Sample questions from this test
For a driver 21 or older in a regular car, what blood alcohol concentration (BAC) by itself proves driving while impaired in North Carolina?
- A 0.10 percent or more
- B 0.08 percent or more
- C 0.04 percent or more
- D 0.05 percent or more
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B. 0.08 percent or more
North Carolina can prove DWI either by showing your faculties are appreciably impaired or by a BAC of 0.08 or more. Commercial drivers face a lower 0.04 limit, and you can be impaired below 0.08.
North Carolina law requires headlights from sunset to sunrise and also whenever visibility is:
- A 200 feet or less
- B 400 feet or less
- C 500 feet or less
- D 1,000 feet or less
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B. 400 feet or less
Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise and whenever visibility is 400 feet or less, meaning you cannot see more than 400 feet ahead. Lights help others see you as much as they help you see.
The light turns steady yellow as you approach an intersection. What should you do?
- A Speed up to clear the intersection before red
- B Keep going at the same speed in all cases
- C Stop, unless you are too close to stop safely
- D Stop even if it means braking in the intersection
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C. Stop, unless you are too close to stop safely
A steady yellow means the light is about to turn red. Stop unless you are too close to stop safely, and then drive through with caution. Never speed up to beat the red.
View diagram
What following distance rule does the North Carolina handbook teach?
- A The two-second rule
- B One car length per 10 mph
- C The four-second rule
- D The one-second rule
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A. The two-second rule
Pick a fixed point; when the car ahead passes it, you should take at least two seconds to reach it. The handbook says to allow at least twice the normal following distance on slippery pavement, and never to crowd a motorcycle or moped.
How should you pass a motorcycle on a multi-lane road?
- A Pass within its lane if you leave 2 feet
- B Share its lane if the rider stays to one side
- C Pass on the shoulder to give it more room
- D Change lanes and pass as you would a car
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D. Change lanes and pass as you would a car
A motorcycle is entitled to the full width of its lane. To pass, change lanes and pass the same way you would a larger vehicle. Give extra room, since your windstream can unsettle a rider.