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Nova Scotia · Learner’s test

Nova Scotia road signs for the learner’s test

Nova Scotia road signs get a whole part of the Knowledge Test to themselves, the Road Sign Recognition Test. The Nova Scotia Driver’s Handbook sorts traffic signs into regulatory, warning and guidance signs, plus orange work zone signs. Shape and colour tell you which kind you’re looking at before you can read a word.

  • 20Questions in the Road Sign Recognition Test
  • 8Sides on a stop sign, the only 8-sided sign
  • 30Minutes for the signs part
Open the handbook’s signs chapter

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Is there a separate road signs test in Nova Scotia?

Yes. The Road Sign Recognition Test is one of the two parts of the Knowledge Test, and it’s scored on its own. If you pass the rules part but not the signs part, you retake only the signs part.

The signs part asks you to recognize highway road signs and know what they mean. The handbook’s chapter 3 has more signs than fit here, including guide signs and the railway crossbuck.

Regulatory signs: rules you must follow

Regulatory signs tell you the law, and you obey them unless a peace officer directs you otherwise. Most are white squares or rectangles with black or red letters. A green circle means something is allowed, and a red circle with a slash means it isn’t.

  • Red octagon with a white border and the word STOP in white.Stop: come to a complete stop at the stop line or crosswalk, and go when the way is clear
  • Downward-pointing triangle with a wide red border and white centre, no text.Yield: slow down and give the right of way, stopping if you need to
  • Five-sided fluorescent yellow-green sign with a black border and two black schoolchildren walking.School zone: with children present, 30 km/h where the approach limit is 50 km/h, or 50 km/h where it’s higher
  • White square with a black border holding a red circle crossed by a white horizontal bar.Do not enter
  • Vertical white sign: a right-turn arrow in a red circle and slash above a traffic-signal symbol with the red light lit.No right turn on red signal: wait for the green light
  • White square with a black left-turn arrow inside a red circle with a red slash.No left turn permitted
  • White square with a black U-shaped arrow inside a red circle with a red slash.No U-turn: don’t turn to go the opposite way
  • White square with a black border showing a black stop-sign octagon inside a red circle with a red slash.No stopping
  • White square: two black cars side by side inside a red circle with a red slash.Do not pass
  • White vertical sign with a black island shape on the left and a black arrow curving around it to the right.Keep to the right of the traffic island or obstruction

Warning signs: what’s on the road ahead

Most warning signs are yellow diamonds with black letters or symbols. Each one warns you about a change in the road ahead. At a merge sign, drivers in both lanes share the job of merging smoothly, so be ready to yield.

  • Yellow diamond with a black traffic-signal housing showing red, yellow and green lights.Traffic signal lights ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a black arrow pointing up above a red stop-sign octagon.Stop sign ahead
  • Yellow diamond: a black vertical road with a second road joining it diagonally from the right.Merge: get ready to merge with other vehicles
  • Yellow diamond with two black lines: the left one straight, the right one bending in to show the right lane ending.Right lane ends
  • Yellow diamond with two black lines that bend inward, showing the pavement getting narrower.Road narrows ahead
  • Yellow diamond with two black brackets curving in toward each other, like the rails of a narrow bridge.Narrow structure ahead, such as a bridge, culvert or underpass
  • Yellow diamond with a black arrow curving gently to the right.Right curve ahead: a posted speed sign gives the safe speed for this turn
  • Yellow diamond with a black arrow going up then turning sharply right at a right angle.Sharp turn or bend in the road ahead
  • Yellow vertical rectangle with a large black chevron pointing right.Chevrons: posted in groups to guide you around a sharp curve
  • Yellow diamond: a black vertical road with a side road joining from the right at an offset, partly hidden.Hidden intersection ahead: drivers on the side road can’t see you well, so be ready to slow down
  • Yellow diamond: road edge lines on the left and a black fire truck entering from the right.Fire truck entrance ahead
  • Yellow diamond: black road surface with a raised hump and an arrow above it.Bump or rough road ahead
  • Yellow diamond: a black median shape at the bottom, an up arrow on the right and a down arrow on the left above it.Divided highway ends: two-way traffic ahead
  • Yellow diamond: a bridge deck with one span tilted up over wavy water lines.Bridge opening ahead: the bridge can open to let boats through
  • Yellow diamond: a vertical black road crossed by a horizontal railway track with short ties.Railway crossing ahead: the symbol shows the angle of the tracks
  • Yellow diamond with a black car and two wavy skid marks behind it.Slippery when wet

Signal lights

The handbook teaches signal lights in Rules of the Road, and they’re worth learning with the signs. Unless a sign says no turn on red, you may turn right on a red after you stop and check it’s safe. A left turn on red is allowed only from a one-way street onto another one-way street.

  • Traffic-signal head with the bottom green light lit.Green: go when it’s safe, yielding to pedestrians and to vehicles already in the intersection
  • Traffic-signal head with the middle yellow light lit.Yellow: stop before the intersection if you can do it safely
  • Yellow traffic-signal head with the top red light lit.Red: stop at the marked line or the near side of the crosswalk
  • Traffic-signal head with the red light lit and short rays showing it is flashing.Flashing red: same as a stop sign
  • Traffic-signal head with the yellow light lit and rays showing it is flashing.Flashing yellow: same as a warning sign, so slow down and go with caution
  • Traffic-signal head with the green light lit and rays showing it is flashing.Flashing green: you may turn left, go straight or turn right

Lane, hazard and work zone signs

Lane arrows tell you which way you must go from that lane at the intersection. Hazard markers show which side to pass on. Work zones are marked with orange signs, and traffic control persons use STOP/SLOW paddles.

  • Black square sign with a white arrow going straight with a branch to the left.Straight through or left turn only lane
  • Black square sign with a white arrow going straight with a branch to the right.Through or right turn only lane
  • Black square with two white curved arrows turning left, one from each direction.Two-way left turn lane: only for vehicles turning left
  • Tall narrow yellow board with black diagonal stripes sloping down to the right.Hazard warning: the lines slope to the right, so drive to the right of the sign
  • Tall narrow yellow board with black diagonal stripes sloping down to the left.Hazard warning: the lines slope to the left, so drive to the left of the sign
  • Two hand-held signs on poles: a red STOP octagon and a yellow-and-black SLOW octagon.Traffic control persons use STOP/SLOW paddles to direct traffic through a work zone. Follow their directions
  • Fluorescent orange triangle with a dark red reflective border.Slow-moving vehicle: it can’t keep up a speed over 40 km/h, so slow down

The handbook ends chapter 3 with a short quiz that asks you to match six sign shapes to their meanings. It’s a quick way to check yourself.

What’s in the handbook →Compare study options →
Sources: Government of Nova Scotia and 3 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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