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Illinois · Written exam

Road signs for the Illinois permit test

Shape and color tell you what a sign means before you can read it. The handbook says the written exam asks you to identify roadway signs, so the Illinois permit test signs below follow its chapter 9: shapes first, then colors, then the signs themselves.

  • 7Basic sign shapes in the handbook
  • 9Sign colors, each with a meaning
  • Chapter 9Where the handbook teaches signs
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Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How many signs are on the Illinois permit test?

The Rules of the Road gives no number, 15 or any other. It says you’ll be asked to identify roadway signs on the written exam, by shape, color or symbol, and to identify signals and pavement markings. So study all of chapters 9 and 10.

Sign shapes

Each basic shape has a purpose. Squares and rectangles, the seventh shape, are used for regulatory or guide signs:

  • Red octagon with white border and the word STOP in whiteEight sides: stop
  • Downward-pointing red triangle with white center and the word YIELD in redThree-sided, red and white: yield
  • Round yellow sign with a black X and two letters RRound: railroad crossing ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a car and two S-shaped skid marksDiamond: warning
  • Fluorescent yellow-green pentagon with two children walkingFive sides: school zone or crossing
  • Yellow pennant pointing right reading NO PASSING ZONEThree-sided and yellow: no passing zone

Sign colors

The handbook asks you to memorize what each color means:

  • Red: regulatory signs you must obey, such as stop, yield, do not enter and wrong way
  • Black and white: some regulatory signs, and route markers
  • Yellow: warning of road conditions and dangers ahead
  • Yellow-green: warning of pedestrian and bicycle crossings, playgrounds, school bus stops and school zones
  • Orange: warning in construction and maintenance zones
  • Green: guide signs for where you are, which way to go and how far
  • Blue: guide signs for services along the road
  • Brown: parks and recreation
  • Pink: unplanned traffic incidents, such as crashes and natural disasters

Regulatory signs

Regulatory signs tell you what to do, and you must obey them.

  • Small red plaque reading ALL WAY in whiteAll-way: every approach has a stop sign
  • Red circle with a white horizontal bar on a white square, reading DO NOT ENTERDo not enter
  • Red rectangle with white border reading WRONG WAYWrong way: you’re going against traffic
  • Black rectangle with a white arrow pointing right containing ONE WAYOne way: go only in the arrow’s direction
  • Black U-turn arrow inside a red circle with a red slashNo U-turn
  • White sign reading NO TURN ON REDNo turn on red
  • White sign reading CENTER LANE above two opposing left-turn arrows and the word ONLYTwo-way left turn lane
  • White sign with a black island symbol and an arrow passing to its rightKeep right: pass on the side the arrow shows
  • White sign reading SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHTSlower traffic keep right
  • White sign reading DO NOT PASSDo not pass
  • White sign reading PASS WITH CAREPass with care: the no-passing zone ends
  • White horizontal sign reading ROAD CLOSEDRoad closed

Warning signs

Warning signs are usually diamonds and tell you about conditions ahead. When you see one, slow down and take care.

  • Yellow diamond with a red octagon and a black arrow pointing up toward itStop ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a red-bordered yield triangle and a black arrow pointing up toward itYield ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a black traffic signal showing red, yellow and green lightsSignal ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a black plus-shaped crossroad symbolCrossroad
  • Yellow diamond with a black T symbol“T” intersection
  • Yellow diamond with a black Y symbol“Y” intersection
  • Yellow diamond with a black arrow curving to the rightRoad curves right
  • Yellow diamond with a black snaking arrowWinding road
  • Yellow diamond with a truck on a downhill slopeDowngrade: slow before the hill
  • Yellow diamond reading NARROW BRIDGENarrow bridge
  • Yellow diamond reading ROAD NARROWSRoad narrows
  • Yellow diamond with an upward arrow for the main road and a second road merging into it from the rightMerging lanes
  • Yellow diamond showing a road splitting around a black median aheadDivided highway begins
  • Yellow diamond with a short black median at the bottom and two opposing arrows, left pointing down and right pointing up, bending around itDivided highway ends
  • Yellow diamond with two black arrows, left pointing down and right pointing upTwo-way roadway ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a black walking personPedestrian crosswalk

Work zone and special signs

Orange signs mark construction and maintenance zones, where workers may be close to your lane. Slow to the posted work zone limit and keep your distance from barriers.

  • Orange diamond with a black worker digging with a shovelWorkers ahead
  • Orange diamond reading ROAD WORK 1000 FTRoad work ahead
  • Orange diamond with a black flagger symbol holding a flagFlagger ahead: stop if signaled
  • Fluorescent orange triangle with a red reflective borderSlow-moving vehicle: slow down, pass only when safe and legal
  • White sign reading RESERVED PARKING in green above a blue square with the white wheelchair symbolParking for persons with disabilities
  • White X-shaped crossbuck reading RAILROAD CROSSINGRailroad crossbuck: yield to trains

Check yourself

Chapter 9 ends with study questions on signs, and chapter 10 with questions on signals and markings. Five of the practice test’s questions show a sign or a road marking too.

Take the practice test →See the study questions →
Sources: Illinois Secretary of State. Checked November 2026.

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

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