Ohio motorcycle permit test numbers to know
Distances, speeds, limits, fines and deadlines are the questions people miss most, because they have to be memorized. Here are 23 Ohio numbers, grouped and cited, with a free quiz and flashcards to lock them in.
Numbers quiz
12 questions a round from the 14 number questions in our Ohio bank. Questions you miss come back more often in later rounds.
Free and unlimited. Your answers count toward your readiness and mistake review.
Numbers flashcards
14 cards: the question on the front, the number and its source on the back. Swipe right if you knew it.
Each deck starts with 20 free cards. Swipe right if you knew it, left to see it again.
See 3 of the cards
Alcohol & drugs
At what blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is a 19-year-old rider in Ohio considered to be operating while impaired (OVI)?
.02% or more
In Ohio you are OVI at .02% BAC or more if you are under 21, and at .08% or more if you are 21 or older.
Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 11
Fines, points & penalties
In Ohio, what is the maximum fine for a first offense of riding a motorcycle without a valid permit, license or endorsement?
$1,000 and/or community service
Riding without a valid motorcycle TIPIC, license or endorsement is an unclassified misdemeanor on the first offense, with a fine of up to $1,000 and/or community service.
Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 20
Distances & following gaps
What is the minimum following distance at low speeds in ideal conditions?
Three seconds
Three seconds is the minimum following distance at low speeds in ideal conditions.
Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 7
Every Ohio motorcycle number, by topic
Official Ohio laws come first in each group, then the numbers from our handbook questions. Tap a source to read the exact words it comes from.
Alcohol & drugs
4 numbers
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| one year | Drunk driving (DUI)Administrative license suspension imposed at arrest: class C (one year) for a first refusal | codes.ohio.govQuoteThe person has a concentration of eight-hundredths of one gram or more but less than seventeen-hundredths of one gram by weight of alcohol per two hundred ten liters of the person's breath. |
| .02% | At what blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is a 19-year-old rider in Ohio considered to be operating while impaired (OVI)?Answer: .02% or more | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 11QuoteUnder Ohio law you are operating a vehicle while under the influence (OVI) if your BAC is .02% or more if you are under 21 years of age |
| One year | An Ohio rider with no prior offenses refuses a chemical test after an OVI arrest. What administrative license suspension follows?Answer: One year | Ohio Driver Manual - Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws, section 6QuoteFirst Refusal – One year license suspension |
| .08% | According to the manual, staying awake for more than 20 hours can impair you about as much as which BAC?Answer: .08% | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 16Quotestaying awake for more than 20 hours can impair your driving skills as much as having a .08 blood alcohol concentration |
Fines, points & penalties
2 numbers
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | In Ohio, what is the maximum fine for a first offense of riding a motorcycle without a valid permit, license or endorsement?Answer: $1,000 and/or community service | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 20QuoteFirst Offense (Unclassified Misdemeanor) Maximum $1,000 fine and/or community service |
| $25,000, $50,000 | What are Ohio's minimum liability insurance limits for a motorcycle?Answer: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash for injuries, $25,000 property damage | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 20Quote$25,000 bodily injury per person. $50,000 injury two or more people; and $25,000 property damage. |
Distances & following gaps
3 numbers
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Three seconds | What is the minimum following distance at low speeds in ideal conditions?Answer: Three seconds | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 7QuoteThree seconds is the minimum following distance at low speeds when conditions are ideal. |
| Four seconds | You are riding at highway speed in heavy traffic at night. What following distance should you keep?Answer: Four seconds or more | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 7Quotedemands a minimum of four or more seconds of following distance |
| 20 seconds | How far ahead does the manual tell you to scan your path of travel?Answer: As far as you can see, about 20 seconds ahead | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 7QuoteLook ahead as far as you can to scan a 20-second path of travel. |
Ages, permits & the test
12 numbers
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | Questions on the test | motorcycle.ohio.govQuoteThe knowledge test is 40 multiple-choice questions. To pass, you must answer at least 75% correctly. ... If you fail the knowledge test, you must wait at least 24 hours before retesting. There is no limit on how many times the knowledge test can be taken in person. Online knowledge testing is limited to two attempts in a six-month period. |
| 75% | Passing score | motorcycle.ohio.govQuoteThe knowledge test is 40 multiple-choice questions. To pass, you must answer at least 75% correctly. ... If you fail the knowledge test, you must wait at least 24 hours before retesting. There is no limit on how many times the knowledge test can be taken in person. Online knowledge testing is limited to two attempts in a six-month period. |
| $25.5 | Fee | bmv.ohio.govQuoteMotorcycle or Moped* $25.50 |
| 15 years, 6 months | Motorcycle permit15 years 6 months | bmv.ohio.govQuoteTo obtain a Motorcycle or Motor Scooter TIPIC, you must be at least age 15 years, six months and pass a motorcycle or motor scooter knowledge test. |
| One year | Motorcycle permitOne year | codes.ohio.govQuoteA temporary instruction permit to drive a motor vehicle other than a commercial motor vehicle shall be valid for a period of one year. |
| under 18 | Motorcycle permitRequired for applicants under 18 before the endorsement or motorcycle-only license (Motorcycle Ohio Basic Riding Skills or MSF Basic RiderCourse) | codes.ohio.govQuoteEach person under eighteen years of age applying for a motorcycle operator's endorsement or a restricted license enabling the applicant to operate a motorcycle shall present satisfactory evidence of having completed the courses of instruction in the motorcycle safety and education program |
| 60 days | Motorcycle permitA basic course completed within the preceding 60 days waives the BMV skills test | codes.ohio.govQuoteattesting to the applicant's successful completion within the preceding sixty days of a course of basic instruction provided by the motorcycle safety and education program |
| 75% | How many questions are on Ohio's motorcycle knowledge test, and what score do you need to pass?Answer: 40 questions, at least 75% correct | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 3QuoteThe knowledge test is 40 multiple-choice questions. To pass, you must answer at least 75% correctly. |
| One year | How long is an Ohio motorcycle temporary instruction permit (TIPIC) valid?Answer: One year from the date of purchase | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 3QuoteThe TIPIC is valid for one year from the date of purchase. If it expires, you must start over. |
| Two days | You fail part of the Ohio BMV motorcycle skills test. How long must you wait to retest?Answer: Two days | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 3QuoteIf any part of the skills test is failed, you must wait two days to retest. |
| 60 days | After you pass the motorcycle skills test, how long do you have to buy your license or endorsement at a deputy registrar?Answer: Within 60 days, or before your TIPIC expires if that is sooner | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 3Quoteyou may go to a deputy registrar agency to purchase a motorcycle or motor scooter license or endorsement within 60 days or before your TIPIC expires, whichever comes first. |
| at least 45 | Trolley tracks run parallel to your path, and you need to cross them. What angle should you use?Answer: Swing away and cross at an angle of at least 45 degrees | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 10Quoteswing away from the tracks or seams to adjust your approach to at least 45 degrees. |
Seat belts, lights & equipment
1 number
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| under 18 | HelmetsHelmet required for operators and passengers under 18 | codes.ohio.govQuoteno person who is under the age of eighteen years, or who holds a motorcycle operator's endorsement or license bearing a "novice" designation that is currently in effect as provided in section 4507.13 of the Revised Code, shall operate a motorcycle on a highway |
Other numbers
1 number
| Number | What it’s about | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 70% | How much of a motorcycle's total stopping power does the front brake provide?Answer: At least 70% | Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), chapter 6QuoteThe front brake provides at least 70% of the motorcycle’s total stopping power. Always use both brakes, even for routine stops. |
Memory tips
How to study them (our advice, not official rules):
- Learn the number with its unit and its place. “15 feet from a hydrant” sticks; “15” on its own gets mixed up with 15 mph.
- Say the answer before you look. Recalling the number yourself is harder than spotting it among four options, and it is what makes it stick.
- Come back to the ones you miss. The quiz above brings missed questions back more often. Short rounds over several days beat one long session.
Questions about the numbers
What numbers do I need to know for the Ohio motorcycle permit test?
Mostly distances (how close you may park to a hydrant or crosswalk, when to signal, when to dim your high beams), speed limits, blood-alcohol limits, and the ages, hours and deadlines for your permit and license. This page lists 23 of them for Ohio, each with its source.
Why focus on numbers?
A California DMV study of its own knowledge test found that many of the hardest questions “are numerical and have correct answers that must be learned by rote memorization.” Numbers are easy to mix up under pressure, so they are worth drilling on their own.
Where do these numbers come from?
Each one is quoted from the Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual (Motorcycle Ohio), Ohio statutes or BMV pages. Our build checks that every number on this page appears word for word in the quote it cites.
Is the numbers drill free?
Yes. The table and the numbers quiz are free and unlimited, and so are the first 20 flashcards.