roadwise.Open study app

California · DMV study resources

California permit test prep.

Build your knowledge of California driving rules with 66 short lessons, 65 road-sign illustrations, and 706 study questions based on the course’s driver handbook edition.

Start learning See the practice test
A winding country road with a red car and road signs
Study questions
706
Driving lessons
66
Signs & illustrations
65
Course units
12

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Practice

California practice test

See the 46-question simulation, the 38-correct passing threshold, sample questions, and source notes.

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Recognition

California road signs

Browse 65 signs and illustrations, with their meanings and the action to take.

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Reference

California driver handbook

Find the chapter list, source PDF, and companion lessons for the handbook in this course.

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A clear route through the handbook

The 66 lessons below follow 12 course units. Open a lesson to read its rules, examples, and source page references, or use the study app for its checkpoint quiz.

Unit 1 · 6 lessons

Getting Your License

Permits, provisional rules, and testing

  1. License classes, REAL ID & ID cards
  2. Getting your instruction permit
  3. Your license as a minor: provisional rules
  4. The vision & knowledge tests
  5. Drive test day: what to bring & vehicle check
  6. Renewing, replacing & changing your license

Unit 2 · 5 lessons

Vehicle Control Basics

Fitness to drive, steering, signals, and lights

  1. Are you fit to drive?
  2. Steering methods
  3. Signaling
  4. Horn & headlights
  5. Emergency flashers & breakdowns

Unit 3 · 5 lessons

Lane Markings & Lane Types

Reading lines on the road and using special lanes

  1. Yellow lane lines
  2. White lines, lane-end markings & yield lines
  3. Choosing & changing lanes
  4. Passing, HOV, center turn lanes & turnouts
  5. Bicycle lanes & bike markings

Unit 4 · 8 lessons

Turns, Merging & Parking

Turns, U-turns, highways, passing, and parking

  1. Right turns
  2. Left turns
  3. U-turns
  4. Which lane to turn from & into; braking
  5. Merging onto & exiting highways
  6. Crossing traffic & passing
  7. Parallel parking, backing & hill parking
  8. Colored curbs & where you can't park

Unit 5 · 7 lessons

Signals, Signs & Right-of-Way

Lights, signs, who goes first, and pedestrians

  1. Traffic signals
  2. Pedestrian signals, STOP & YIELD signs
  3. Regulatory & warning sign gallery
  4. Sign shapes, colors & wrong-way signs
  5. Right-of-way at intersections
  6. Roundabouts
  7. Pedestrians, crosswalks & mountain roads

Unit 6 · 6 lessons

Sharing the Road

Trucks, transit, motorcycles, emergency vehicles, and bicycles

  1. Large vehicles, trucks & towing
  2. Buses, streetcars & light rail
  3. Motorcycles & emergency vehicles
  4. Slow-moving vehicles, NEVs & animals
  5. Bicyclists: rights, duties & night equipment
  6. Sharing lanes with & passing bicyclists

Unit 7 · 7 lessons

Special Zones, Laws & Enforcement

Work and school zones, rail crossings, traffic stops, and points

  1. Work zones & move over
  2. School zones & school buses
  3. Blind intersections, alleys & railroad crossings
  4. Other roadway laws, evading & reckless driving
  5. Law enforcement stops & your rights
  6. Points on your driver's record
  7. Suspension, revocation, minors & hearings

Unit 8 · 8 lessons

Safe Driving Fundamentals

Awareness, weather, skids, and emergencies

  1. Scanning & following distance
  2. Blind spots, your sides & behind you
  3. Night driving & sun glare
  4. Skids & braking emergencies
  5. Slippery roads, rain & snow
  6. Hydroplaning, floods, wind, fog & traffic breaks
  7. Blowouts, running off the road & stalled on tracks
  8. Disabled on the freeway & Freeway Service Patrol

Unit 9 · 4 lessons

Vehicle Safety & Distraction

Belts, car seats, speed, phones, and carbon monoxide

  1. Seat belts
  2. Child seats, air bags & unattended children
  3. Managing your speed
  4. Distracted driving, phones & carbon monoxide

Unit 10 · 4 lessons

Alcohol, Drugs & DUI

BAC limits, testing, and DUI penalties

  1. DUI laws, medications & open containers
  2. BAC limits & the BAC chart
  3. DUI arrests & convictions
  4. Drivers under 21 & alcohol

Unit 11 · 4 lessons

Insurance, Collisions & Registration

Coverage minimums, crashes, reports, and registration

  1. Insurance requirements
  2. Collision causes & what to do at the scene
  3. Reporting a collision
  4. Vehicle registration

Unit 12 · 2 lessons

Driver Fitness & Seniors

Reexamination, restrictions, and aging drivers

  1. Reexamination & license restrictions
  2. Seniors: warning signs, renewal & programs

Know which test you are studying for

California DMV Knowledge Test (Class C)

This Roadwise course uses a 46-question practice test with 38 correct answers needed to pass. The format can depend on your age, license class, or application type.

Uses the under-18 DL 5T format (46 questions, 38 correct), since most first-time applicants are provisional. Adults take 36 questions and need 30. The website's '80%' is a rounded public summary; a literal 80% (37/46) has no official support. Since Oct 1, 2024 most renewals need no knowledge test. Verified 2026-10-25.

See format details and sample questions