Tennessee · Permit test
It’s the knowledge test you pass, along with a vision screening, to get a learner permit from the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. The Tennessee permit test is multiple choice, and its questions come from the state’s Comprehensive Driver License Manual.
Key facts
How it works
Topics
These are the chapters of sections B and C, which the knowledge test is based on.
Chapter B-1 covers the checks before you move off, steering, backing and stopping, carbon monoxide and the phone laws.
Chapter B-2 sets out who must buckle up, the car seat and booster seat rules for children and how air bags work with them.
Chapter B-3 teaches signs by shape and color, then traffic and pedestrian signals and the lines on the road.
Chapter B-4 covers headlights, speed, braking and following distance, the stops the law requires, right-of-way, turns, passing and parking.
Chapter B-5 explains entering, driving on and leaving the interstate, congestion, the Move Over law and breakdowns.
Chapter B-6 covers seeing and being seen at night, glare, rain, fog, flooding and winter roads.
Chapter B-7 explains blood alcohol, how alcohol and drugs affect driving, implied consent, the penalties for driving under the influence (DUI) and the laws for drivers under 21.
Chapter B-8 covers points, losing your license, financial responsibility and what to do after a crash.
Chapter C-3 covers pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, trucks and buses, school buses, work zones and trains.
Road signs
Chapter B-3 of the manual teaches signs by shape and color, so you know a sign even when dirt or snow covers its words. These are some of the signs and signals it shows.
Stop: stop before the crosswalk or stop line
Yield: stop and wait if traffic is coming
Do not enter
Wrong way
Railroad crossing ahead: slow down, be ready to stop
Railroad crossbuck: the tracks are here
Crossroad ahead
School zone
Flagger ahead
Slow-moving vehicle
Flashing red: a full stop, as at a stop sign
Flashing yellow arrow: turn after yieldingFree practice test
Here are 20 questions written from the Tennessee Comprehensive Driver License Manual, across the four areas it lists for the test. The online version of the real test needs 80% to pass, so aim for 16 of 20. Four questions show a sign or a signal, and each answer comes with a short reason. The tutor can explain it another way, or say why each other choice is wrong.
20 practice questions in the style of the permit test.
Test day
Study options
The Comprehensive Driver License Manual is free to download, and the Department adds practice tests in its e-Services. The where-to-learn page has a study plan for the four areas.
| Option | Price | Free to use | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official sources | |||
Comprehensive Driver License ManualOfficial · PDFThe Department’s study book for the knowledge and road tests, in three sections. | Free to download | The whole manual, with sample questions in section B | |
Driver Services practice testsOfficial · e-ServicesListed in e-Services as “Take a Driver Services Practice Test,” under Schedule a Test. The manual names the chapters behind each topic. | No fee listed | Practice tests on signs, rules, alcohol and driving guidelines | |
Online knowledge testOfficial · at home, ages 15 to 17Taken at home through the Tennessee Proctor ID app. It counts as your real attempt, so study before you start. | No fee listed | The real test, proctored by a parent or guardian | |
Graduated license formsOfficial · formsThe teen page lists the forms a driver under 18 needs, along with the manual. | No fee listed | The 50-hour certificate, the minor affidavit and the school attendance form | |
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FAQ
The Department gives the numbers for the online version: 30 questions in 60 minutes, with 80% needed to pass. Its pages don’t say how many questions the test at a Driver Services Center has.
Yes, if you’re 15 to 17. A parent or legal guardian proctors it at home, and you then visit a center for the vision screening and your documents. The online test page has the steps and the rules.
No, walk-ins are welcome. The appointments page explains when booking a knowledge test helps and how to do it.
The manual says no test can be repeated the same day, so you come back another day. Bring all your original documents again, and expect to pay the $2 application fee each time you fail.
You get a learner permit, Class PD. Under 18, it’s the first of four steps to a full license, and the learner permit page sets out its rules.
You see this sign ahead on a country road. What does it tell you to do?
Slow down and be ready to stop This round sign means you’re coming to a railroad grade crossing. The manual says to slow down and be ready to stop, because it’s up to you to stop if a train is coming.
You reach this sign as cars approach on the cross road. What must you do?
Stop and wait until they pass This sign means you must stop and wait when other vehicles are approaching from the right or left on the other road. If you’re sure no one is coming, you may slow down and go on with care instead of stopping.
You want to turn left and see this signal. What does it let you do?
Turn after yielding to oncoming traffic A flashing yellow arrow lets you turn left after yielding to all oncoming traffic and to any bicyclists and pedestrians in the crosswalk. You must wait for a safe gap before you turn.
You’re stopped at this signal and no sign forbids turning. When may you turn right?
After a full stop, if the way is clear At a steady red light, you stop behind the crosswalk or stop line. Unless a sign says otherwise, you may then turn right once no pedestrians or cross traffic are present.
A traffic light at an intersection isn’t working at all. How does Tennessee law say to treat it?
As an all-way stop Tennessee law says an intersection with a signal that isn’t working is treated as an all-way stop. Stop as you would if there were stop signs in every direction, and don’t go until it’s safe.
A train is coming as you reach a railroad crossing. Where do you stop?
Between 15 and 50 feet from the tracks When a train is approaching, you must stop between 15 and 50 feet from the tracks. Never stop on the tracks, and wait until the train has passed and it’s safe to cross.
On a four-lane road with a center turn lane, a school bus coming toward you stops with its red lights flashing. What must you do?
Stop until the bus moves on The manual says a turn lane in the middle of a four-lane highway is not a barrier but a fifth lane, so drivers in both directions must stop for a stopped school bus. You stay stopped until the stop arm is pulled back and the bus moves.
When does Tennessee law require your headlights at night?
30 minutes after sunset to 30 before sunrise Your headlights must be on from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise. They must also be on whenever daylight isn’t good enough to see 200 feet ahead, and when rain or snow keeps your wipers going.
You and another car stop at an all-way stop at the same time. The other car is on your right. Who goes first?
The other car, on your right At an all-way stop, the first car to reach the intersection goes first. If more than one arrives at the same time, you yield the right-of-way to the vehicle on your right.
Your car has anti-lock brakes and you must stop fast. What should you do with the brake pedal?
Press it firmly and keep it down With anti-lock brakes, apply firm, steady pressure and keep your foot on the pedal until the car stops, steering around hazards as you go. Pumping the pedal or lifting your foot disengages the anti-lock system.
On a four-lane interstate, a highway patrol car is stopped on the right shoulder with its lights on. What does the Move Over law ask you to do when it’s safe?
Change to a lane not next to it Tennessee law says you yield the lane closest to an emergency, maintenance or recovery vehicle stopped on the shoulder. When it’s safe, change to a lane that isn’t next to it, so with a vehicle on the right shoulder, you merge left.
A 6-year-old who is 4 feet tall rides in your car. What does Tennessee law require?
A booster seat with a belt Children 4 through 8 years old who are shorter than 4 feet 9 inches must ride in a belt-positioning booster seat and wear a seat belt. Booster seats go in the back seat if the vehicle has one.
Under Tennessee’s hands-free law, when may you hold your phone to change your GPS route?
Once you’ve pulled over and stopped The hands-free law makes it illegal to hold a phone with any part of your body while driving, and you may not touch it to use GPS. To change the route, find a safe place such as a parking lot, come to a full stop and then use the phone.
Your car starts to hydroplane on a wet road. What should you do?
Ease off the gas and slow gently When your tires ride up on water, you lose the grip you need to steer and brake. The manual says to slow down gradually by letting up on the gas, and not to slam on the brakes.
You’re driving behind a large truck. If you can’t see the driver in the truck’s side mirror, what does that tell you?
The driver can’t see you either Large trucks have blind spots, called No-Zones, at the front, back and sides. The manual says that if you can’t see the truck driver in the truck’s mirror, the truck driver can’t see you.
After a few drinks, what does the manual say will lower your blood alcohol?
Time passing, and nothing else The liver can only oxidize about one drink per hour, and the manual says coffee, exercise, a cold shower or anything else can’t increase that rate. Only time can sober a person who has been drinking.
You’re 18 and you’re stopped while driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .02. What can you be convicted of?
Underage driving while impaired A driver who is at least 16 but not yet 21 and is found driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .02 is convicted of underage driving while impaired. The penalty is a year without a license and a $250 fine, sometimes with public service work.
You’re arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) and refuse the test the officer asks for. What does the manual say is the likely result?
A 12-month license suspension By driving in Tennessee, you have consented to be tested for alcohol or drugs if an officer has reasonable grounds. If you’re arrested and refuse, the manual says it will likely mean the court suspends your driving privileges for 12 months.
You’re 15 and caught with alcohol, and you’ve never had a license. What can happen to your driving privilege?
Suspended a year or to age 17, if longer If you’re 13 to 17 and found to have possessed, consumed or sold alcohol or drugs, your driving privilege is suspended for one year or until age 17, whichever is longer. That applies even if you’ve never been licensed.
What does the manual say happens when you mix alcohol with a tranquilizer or sedative?
The effects multiply, not add up When alcohol is combined with another depressant, like tranquilizers or sedatives, the manual says the results are not just added together, they are multiplied. Even some over-the-counter medicines can affect your driving.
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.