Maryland Permit Test Sample Questions
Real, Maryland-specific sample questions from our practice question bank, with the correct answer, a full explanation, and a source reference for each. See our national sample questions for topics that apply to every state, or take the full Maryland permit practice test to test yourself instead of just reading the answers.
Licensing Provisional Rules
1. What is the passing score on Maryland's knowledge exam?
Maryland requires 22 of 25 questions correct — 88% — the highest knowledge-test passing score of any state in the country.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
2. Does Maryland offer an online or at-home option for the learner's permit knowledge test?
Maryland has no online or at-home testing option; the knowledge exam must be taken in person at an MVA office.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
3. How many steps make up Maryland's Rookie Driver graduated licensing program?
Maryland's Rookie Driver program has three steps: a learner's permit, a provisional license, and finally a full license.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
4. What is the minimum age to apply for a Maryland learner's permit?
Maryland allows a teen to apply for a learner's permit starting at 15 years and 9 months old.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
5. What is the minimum age for a Maryland provisional license?
A Maryland applicant must be at least 16 years and 6 months old to move up to a provisional license.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
6. What driver-education requirement must a Maryland teen complete before a provisional license?
Maryland requires a certified driver-education course with 30 hours of classroom instruction and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training before a provisional license.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
7. How many hours of supervised driving does Maryland require, and how many at night?
Maryland requires at least 60 hours of supervised practice driving, including at least 10 hours at night.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
8. What driving-record requirement must a Maryland learner's permit holder meet just before qualifying for a provisional license?
A Maryland learner's permit holder can't have been convicted of, or granted probation before judgment for, a moving violation within the 9 months before applying for a provisional license.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
9. What passenger restriction applies during a Maryland provisional driver's first 151 days?
For the first 151 days, a Maryland provisional driver under 18 can't carry passengers under 18 who aren't immediate family, unless a qualified supervising driver is also in the vehicle.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
10. What is Maryland's nighttime curfew for a provisional driver under 18?
A Maryland provisional driver under 18 can't drive between midnight and 5 a.m. unless accompanied by a qualifying supervising driver, or the trip is for work, school, an organized volunteer program, or an athletic event.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
11. How long must a Maryland provisional driver keep a clean record before qualifying for a full license?
A Maryland provisional license holder must maintain a clean driving record for 18 months before becoming eligible for a full license.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
12. How does a qualifying Maryland provisional driver receive their full license at 18?
Once a Maryland provisional driver meets all requirements, the MVA automatically upgrades the license to full status — no additional office visit is required.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
More Questions
13. Can a Maryland learner's permit or provisional license holder under 18 use a hands-free device while driving?
A Maryland learner's permit or provisional license holder under 18 may not use a wireless communication device at all while driving, even hands-free, except to contact 911.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
14. What BAC threshold triggers Maryland's zero-tolerance law for a driver under 21?
Maryland's zero-tolerance law flags a BAC of 0.02% or higher for a driver under 21 — one-quarter of the standard 0.08% adult DUI limit.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
15. What makes Maryland's zero-tolerance suspension for a BAC of 0.02%-0.07% unusually strict?
Unlike some states' zero-tolerance penalties, Maryland's suspension for a BAC of 0.02%-0.07% offers no interlock-restricted license option — it's a hard stop on driving privileges for its full duration.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
16. What following distance should a Maryland driver keep in good conditions?
A 3-second following gap in good conditions gives a Maryland driver enough time to react if the vehicle ahead brakes suddenly.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
17. What does a double solid yellow line mean for passing in Maryland?
A double solid yellow line prohibits passing for vehicles traveling in either direction.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
18. Does a Maryland crosswalk need to be painted to be legally recognized?
Every intersection is a legal crosswalk in Maryland, marked or not, and pedestrians there have the right-of-way.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
19. What should a Maryland driver do at a railroad crossing with no gates or lights?
Even without gates or warning lights, a driver should slow down, look both directions, and listen for an approaching train before crossing.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
20. Without signs or signals, who has the right-of-way at a Maryland intersection?
At an uncontrolled intersection, a Maryland driver yields to the vehicle approaching from the right.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
21. What must Maryland drivers do when approaching a stopped school bus with flashing red lights on an undivided road?
Maryland requires traffic in both directions on an undivided road to stop for a school bus with flashing red lights, and to remain stopped until the lights stop flashing.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
22. Who must wear a seatbelt in a moving vehicle under Maryland law?
Maryland law requires the driver and all passengers, in every seating position, to wear a seatbelt.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
23. What does Maryland's basic speed law require regardless of the posted limit?
Maryland's basic speed law requires a safe speed for current conditions, which can mean driving below the posted limit even when it's technically legal to go faster.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
24. What does a flashing yellow traffic signal mean in Maryland?
A flashing yellow signal means proceed with caution, unlike a flashing red, which requires a full stop.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual
25. When is a right turn on red generally allowed in Maryland?
A right turn on red is generally legal in Maryland after a complete stop and yielding to cross traffic and pedestrians, unless signage says otherwise.
Source: Maryland MVA, Driver's Manual