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NCDOT · Division of Motor Vehicles

North Carolina permit test signs get their own test

North Carolina adds a test many states skip: besides the written knowledge test and the vision screening, you take a separate traffic signs test, where you identify signs by color and shape and explain what they mean. Before any of it, you need a driver ed certificate. This page lays out the three GDL levels, with a practice test from the NC handbook.

Last reviewed October 30, 2026 · NC Driver's Handbook (current edition) and NCDMV tests page updated 9/11/2026

Three levels, and what each one unlocks

Level One

Limited Learner Permit

Ages 15–17

  • Months 1–6: drive 5 a.m.–9 p.m. only, with your supervisor. After that, any time with a supervisor.
  • Only you and the supervisor in the front seat.
  • Hold it 9 months and log 60 hours (10 at night).
  • No moving, seat belt or phone convictions in the 6 months before you move up.

Level Two

Limited Provisional

Ages 16–17

  • Unsupervised 5 a.m.–9 p.m., plus trips to and from work or volunteer fire, rescue or EMS duty.
  • Unsupervised: one non-household passenger under 21, plus one more student if you're driving directly to or from school.
  • Hold it 6 months.

Level Three

Full Provisional

  • No time or passenger limits. Under 18, still no phone use.
  • Upgrade online, and upgrade to Class C online at 18.

Before the permit test

Bring your driver ed certificate (at least 30 classroom hours and 6 behind the wheel), plus identity, SSN, residency and liability insurance documents. Non-citizens also bring legal presence documents. Then you take three tests at an NCDMV office:

  1. Vision. If you need corrective lenses and drive without them, the penalty is the same as driving without a license.
  2. Written knowledge: traffic laws and safe driving.
  3. Traffic signs: identify each sign by color and shape, and explain it.

Tests come in several languages, and oral tests are available on request. If you fail, the NCDMV tests page says you can retest in seven calendar days.

Not published: the question count or pass score for either test, the permit fee, the language list, and the appointment policy. The handbook does list a duplicate license at $16.75.

Your supervisor

A parent, grandparent or guardian, or a responsible person your parent approves, who has held a valid license at least five years. That's longer than most states require.

Who stops for a school bus?

It depends on the road. From Chapter 4 of the handbook:

Road typeWho stops
Two lanesEveryone, both directions
Two lanes + center turn laneEveryone, both directions
Four lanes, no medianEveryone, both directions
Divided highway, 4+ lanes with a medianOnly traffic following the bus
4+ lanes with a center turning laneOnly traffic following the bus

North Carolina DMV practice test

25 questions from the handbook, scored against an 80% target. That's our benchmark, not NCDMV's.

Free quiz · no sign-up

North Carolina DMV permit practice test

Questions
25
To pass
80%
About
17 min

Instant feedback and an explanation after every answer.

Preview the 25 free questions

  1. What is the minimum age for a Level One learner permit?

    • 14
    • 15
    • 15½
    • 16

  2. How many driver ed classroom hours must you finish before the permit test?

    • 24
    • 30
    • 36
    • 40

  3. How many behind-the-wheel hours are in driver ed?

    • 4
    • 6
    • 8
    • 10

  4. Which tests do you take for a learner permit?

    • Written only
    • Written, sign and vision
    • A road test only
    • Vision only

  5. During the first six months of Level One, when may you drive?

    • Any time
    • 5 a.m.–9 p.m.
    • 6 a.m.–10 p.m.
    • Daylight only

  6. How long must you hold the permit before Level Two?

    • 6 months
    • 9 months
    • 12 months
    • 18 months

  7. What is the minimum in the driving log?

    • 40 hours
    • 50 hours
    • 60 hours
    • 70 hours

  8. How many night hours must the log include?

    • 5
    • 10
    • 12
    • 15

  9. How long must the supervising driver have been licensed?

    • 1 year
    • 3 years
    • 5 years
    • 10 years

  10. Who may sit in the front seat with a Level One driver?

    • Anyone
    • Only the supervising driver
    • A sibling
    • A friend 18+

  11. When may a Level Two driver drive unsupervised?

    • 5 a.m.–9 p.m.
    • 6 a.m.–11 p.m.
    • 5 a.m.–midnight
    • Any time

  12. When driving unsupervised, how many non-household passengers under 21 may a Level Two driver carry (not counting the school exception)?

    • 0
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3

  13. How long must you hold Level Two before Level Three?

    • 3 months
    • 6 months
    • 9 months
    • 12 months

  14. When may a 17-year-old with a Full Provisional license use a cell phone?

    • Hands-free, any time
    • Only in the listed emergencies
    • At stoplights
    • Any time

  15. How long must you wait to retake a failed knowledge test?

    • Until the next day
    • 3 days
    • 7 calendar days
    • 30 days

  16. What is the default speed limit in cities and towns?

    • 25 mph
    • 30 mph
    • 35 mph
    • 45 mph

  17. What is the default outside cities and towns?

    • 45 mph
    • 55 mph
    • 60 mph
    • 65 mph

  18. What is North Carolina's interstate maximum?

    • 65 mph
    • 70 mph
    • 75 mph
    • 80 mph

  19. What is a school bus's maximum speed?

    • 35 mph
    • 45 mph
    • 55 mph
    • 60 mph

  20. A school bus stops on a four-lane road with no median. Who stops?

    • Only traffic behind it
    • All traffic in both directions
    • No one
    • Only oncoming traffic

  21. A school bus stops on a divided highway (4+ lanes with a median). Who stops?

    • Both directions
    • Only traffic following the bus
    • No one
    • Everyone slows to 20 mph

  22. Move Over applies to emergency and service vehicles parked within how far of the roadway?

    • 6 feet
    • 12 feet
    • 20 feet
    • 50 feet

  23. Refusing a chemical test means immediate revocation of at least:

    • 10 days
    • 30 days
    • 6 months
    • 1 year

  24. Which 1983 law created North Carolina's single offense of Driving While Impaired?

    • Joshua's Law
    • The Safe Roads Act
    • Kelsey's Law
    • The Move Over Act

  25. Driving without required corrective lenses carries the same penalty as:

    • A warning
    • Driving without a license
    • A $10 fine
    • 1 point

Other North Carolina rules

  • Default speeds: 35 mph in cities and towns, 55 outside them, and 70 on interstates. School buses max out at 45, and school activity buses at 55.
  • Move Over: for emergency or service vehicles parked within 12 feet of the road with lights on. On multilane roads, leave the nearest lane. On roads with one lane each way, slow to a safe speed.
  • Emergency vehicles approaching with lights or siren: pull to the right edge and stop.
  • DWI: the 1983 Safe Roads Act created one offense, Driving While Impaired, with .08 as the per se limit. Refusing a chemical test means at least 30 days' immediate revocation plus at least 12 months from DMV. No drinking while driving, and no open containers in the passenger area.
  • Points: running a stop sign is 3 points, and speeding over 55 mph is 3.

We didn't cleanly confirm the under-21 BAC rule or the handbook's edition year, so we don't give a figure.

Neighbors

Virginia · Tennessee · Georgia · South Carolina

North Carolina DMV permit test FAQ

What tests do I take for a North Carolina learner permit?

A written knowledge test on traffic laws and safe driving, a separate traffic signs test (you identify signs by color and shape and explain them), and a vision test.

Do I need driver's ed before the NC permit test?

Yes. You present a certificate for approved driver education, at least 30 classroom hours and 6 behind the wheel, before you test.

How many questions are on the NC permit test?

NCDMV's test page and the handbook don't give a question count or pass score, and we couldn't confirm them.

How long do I wait if I fail the NC knowledge test?

Seven calendar days, according to the NCDMV tests page.

Who can supervise a North Carolina learner?

A parent, grandparent or guardian, or a responsible person your parent approves, who has held a valid license at least five years.

Can I take the test in another language?

NCDMV says tests are offered in different languages and oral tests are available on request. It doesn't list the languages.

Keep studying

Sources: NC Driver's Handbook (PDF); NCDMV driver license tests. Not affiliated with NCDOT or NCDMV.