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New York · Permit test

New York permit test signs

Four of the 20 questions on the written test are road signs, and you must get at least 2 of them right whatever your total. DMV's Road Signs You Must Know chart lists the 16 signs for the New York permit test, shown here as pictures with what each one means. Learn the color and shape of each group first, then the words.

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

Regulatory signs: the rules you must obey

The manual says regulation signs are normally white rectangles with black letters or symbols, while STOP is red with white letters and YIELD is red and white. A red circle with a slash over a symbol means that action isn't allowed.

At a STOP sign, stop before the stop line. With no line, stop before the crosswalk. With neither, stop at the point nearest the intersection where you can see cross traffic.

  • Red octagon with white border and the word STOP in whiteStop: come to a complete stop
  • Downward-pointing red triangle with white center and the word YIELD in redYield: slow down and give the right-of-way
  • Red circle with a white horizontal bar on a white square, reading DO NOT ENTERDo not enter
  • Black left-turn arrow inside a red circle with a red slashNo left turn
  • Black U-turn arrow inside a red circle with a red slashNo U-turn
  • White sign with a black island symbol and an arrow passing to its rightKeep right of the divider

Warning, school and service signs

Warning signs are normally yellow diamonds with black letters or symbols. Service signs, like the hospital sign, are blue with white letters and symbols. Destination signs are green, and work area signs are orange.

  • Yellow diamond with two lines; the right line angles in as the right lane endsRight lane ends: stay to the left
  • Yellow diamond with an upward arrow for the main road and a second road merging into it from the rightMerging traffic from the right
  • Round yellow sign with a black X and two letters RRailroad crossing ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a black traffic signal showing red, yellow and green lightsTraffic signal ahead
  • School pentagon with two children walking, above a fluorescent yellow-green plaque with a diagonal arrow pointing down and to the leftSchool crossing: children may cross ahead
  • Yellow diamond with a car and two S-shaped skid marksSlippery when wet
  • 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 traffic
  • Yellow diamond with a truck on a downhill slopeHill: downgrade ahead
  • Blue H hospital sign with a blue arrow plaque pointing rightHospital to the right

How do the signs count on the New York permit test?

Four of the 20 questions are signs. You need 14 right overall and at least 2 of those 4, so a test with 3 wrong sign answers is a fail even at 17 out of 20.

DMV's free Road Signs quiz has 16 questions, one for each sign on the chart, with the sign shown as a picture. The quiz itself notes that the questions at the DMV may be different, so know what each shape and color means, not just these 16.

NYS DMV: Road Signs You Must Know ↗NYS DMV: Road Signs quiz ↗Try 20 practice questions, 4 of them signs →How the permit test is scored →
Sources: NYS DMV · NYS DMV Driver's Manual, Chapter 4 · NYS DMV Driver's Manual, Chapter 1 and 1 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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