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Indiana · Permit test

The Indiana road signs test

Signs are one of the two parts of the BMV knowledge exam, and they're scored on their own: you need 80% or higher on the sign questions, apart from the traffic rules part. The Indiana road signs test comes from Chapter 6 of the Indiana Driver's Manual. In the BMV's practice exam, four of the six sign questions ask what a shape means, so learn shapes and colors before anything else.

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

What do the colors mean on the Indiana road signs test?

The manual names seven colors, and each one tells you what kind of message you're reading:

  • Red: a rule you must act on right away, like Wrong Way or Stop.
  • Yellow: road conditions and hazards ahead. Fluorescent yellow-green: schools, pedestrians, bicycles, playgrounds and school bus routes.
  • White: rules you must obey, like speed limits and No Turn on Red, and route markers.
  • Orange: temporary conditions such as road work.
  • Green: directions, exits and distances.
  • Blue: services like gas, food and rest areas.
  • Brown: parks and recreation or cultural sites.

Shapes, the way Indiana's manual explains them

Learn the circle and the pennant well. In Indiana's manual, round signs mean railroad crossings and pennants mean no passing, and the BMV's practice exam asks about both.

  • Red octagon with white border and the word STOP in whiteEight sides: stop, and yield the right-of-way as the intersection requires
  • Downward-pointing red triangle with white center and the word YIELD in redTriangle: slow down and be ready to stop for drivers or pedestrians
  • Round yellow sign with a black X and two letters RCircle: a railroad crossing is ahead
  • Yellow pennant pointing right reading NO PASSING ZONEPennant: no passing, posted on the left side of a two-way road
  • Fluorescent yellow-green pentagon with two children walkingFive sides: a school area where children may cross
  • Yellow diamond with a car and two S-shaped skid marksDiamond: a warning of road conditions or hazards ahead
  • White sign reading NO TURN ON REDRectangle: a rule, information or, with a warning sign, an advisory speed
  • Yellow square plaque reading 35 MPHAdvisory speed: a rectangle often posted with a diamond warning sign, for a curve's safe speed

Warning signs

Warning signs prepare you for road conditions and hazards ahead. Indiana's list in Chapter 6 also has buggy, golf cart, farm machinery and cattle warnings.

  • Yellow diamond with a red octagon and a black arrow pointing up toward itStop ahead
  • Yellow curve warning diamond above a yellow plaque reading 35 MPHCurve ahead with an advisory speed
  • Yellow diamond with two lines; the right line angles in as the right lane endsLane ends
  • Yellow diamond with a straight road and a second lane joining from the right and continuing alongsideAdded lane
  • Yellow diamond showing a road splitting around a black median aheadDivided highway begins
  • Yellow diamond with two black arrows, left pointing down and right pointing upTwo-way traffic
  • Yellow diamond with a black T symbolT intersection
  • Yellow diamond reading NARROW BRIDGENarrow bridge: be ready to stop for other vehicles
  • Yellow diamond reading LOW CLEARANCE 12 feet 6 inchesLow clearance
  • Yellow diamond with a black leaping deerDeer
  • Yellow diamond with a black bicycleBicycle
  • Yellow diamond with a black traffic signal showing red, yellow and green lightsTraffic signal ahead

Regulatory signs

These set the rules for speeds, turns, lanes and parking. White signs give rules you must obey, and red ones need action right away.

  • 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
  • Black rectangle with a white arrow pointing right containing ONE WAYOne way
  • Black U-turn arrow inside a red circle with a red slashNo U-turn
  • Black left-turn arrow inside a red circle with a red slashNo left turn
  • White sign reading DO NOT PASSDo not pass, posted on the right side of the road
  • White sign with a black island symbol and an arrow passing to its rightKeep right
  • White sign reading SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHTSlower traffic keep right
  • White sign reading LEFT LANE MUST TURN LEFTLeft lane must turn left
  • White sign reading LEFT TURN YIELD ON above a green circleLeft turn yield on green
  • White sign reading DO NOT BLOCK INTERSECTIONDo not block intersection
  • White sign reading RESERVED PARKING in green above a blue square with the white wheelchair symbolReserved parking for people with disabilities

Work zone, school and railroad signs

Work zone speed limits are always at least 10 mph below the road's normal limit. A crossbuck with a stop sign means a full stop, and flashing lights or a lowered gate mean you wait until the warning ends.

  • Orange diamond with a black flagger symbol holding a flagFlagger ahead
  • Orange diamond reading ROAD WORK 1000 FTRoad work ahead
  • Orange diamond reading DETOUR AHEAD beside an orange DETOUR arrow signDetour
  • Yellow diamond with a black school busSchool bus stop ahead
  • School pentagon with two children walking, above a fluorescent yellow-green plaque with a diagonal arrow pointing down and to the leftSchool crossing
  • White X-shaped crossbuck reading RAILROAD CROSSINGCrossbuck: on its own, treat it as a yield sign, and stop for a train
  • Blue rectangle: REPORT EMERGENCY OR PROBLEM TO 1-800 number, CROSSING numberEmergency notification sign: the number to call about a blocked crossing
  • Fluorescent orange triangle with a red reflective borderSlow-moving vehicle: can't go faster than 25 mph

Signals and lights

You may turn left on red only from a one-way street onto another one-way street, after a full stop. It's the first traffic question in the BMV's practice exam.

  • Traffic signal with the red light lit and flash marks around itFlashing red: the same as a stop sign
  • Traffic signal with the yellow light lit and flash marks around itFlashing yellow: slow down and go through with caution
  • Four-section left-turn signal with the flashing yellow arrow litFlashing yellow arrow: turn only after yielding to pedestrians and oncoming traffic
  • Three-section traffic signal with the middle yellow light litSteady yellow: your right-of-way is ending
  • Three-section traffic signal with the top red light litSteady red: stop and wait for green and a clear intersection
  • Pedestrian signal showing a white walking personWalk signal: pedestrians may cross, so turning drivers yield to them
Sources: Indiana Driver's Manual, Chapter 6 · Indiana Driver's Manual, Chapter 7 · Indiana BMV and 1 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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