Kentucky Learner's Permit Practice Test

Free Kentucky DMV practice test for your learner's permit — road signs, right-of-way and the rules of the road, with real Kentucky knowledge-exam questions.

What's on the Kentucky knowledge test

The Kentucky knowledge test is a single 40-question exam covering road signs and the rules of the road together. You need 32 correct (80%) to pass.

Questions and exam format researched against Kentucky's official driver handbook and state sources. Last verified 20 August 2026.

Topics covered

Sample Kentucky permit test questions

In the U.S. sign system used in Kentucky, what shape is always used for a STOP sign?

Answer: Octagon

STOP signs use the eight-sided octagon shape nationwide, including Kentucky.

Road Signs

What is Kentucky's default speed limit on interstate highways and parkways, absent a different posted limit?

Answer: 65 mph

KRS 189.390 sets a default 65 mph limit on interstates and parkways.

Speed Limits

Under KRS 189.125, who is required to wear a seatbelt in a Kentucky vehicle manufactured after 1981?

Answer: The driver and all passengers

Kentucky's seatbelt law requires the driver and all passengers to buckle up in vehicles made after 1981.

Kentucky Laws

What is the minimum age to apply for a Kentucky instruction permit under KRS 186.450?

Answer: 15

The minimum age for a Kentucky instruction permit is 15.

GDL & Permit Rules

How much clearance must a Kentucky driver leave when overtaking a bicycle or electric low-speed scooter traveling the same direction?

Answer: 3 feet

Kentucky requires at least 3 feet of clearance when passing a bicycle or electric low-speed scooter.

Sharing the Road

What does a red circular or octagonal sign generally indicate in the standard sign-color system?

Answer: A prohibition or a required stop

Red is reserved for prohibitions and required stops, like STOP and DO NOT ENTER signs.

Road Signs

On how many specifically named interstates and parkways may Kentucky's transportation secretary raise the speed limit to 70 mph?

Answer: 16

The secretary may raise the limit to 70 mph on 16 named interstates and parkways — not a blanket statewide change.

Speed Limits

In a Kentucky civil lawsuit, can a plaintiff's failure to wear a seatbelt be used against them as contributory negligence?

Answer: No — it is not negligence per se

Not wearing a seatbelt is not treated as negligence per se in a Kentucky civil case.

Kentucky Laws

Ways to practise

Other states

Sources

Questions and exam format researched against Kentucky's official driver handbook and state sources. Last verified 20 August 2026.

Full research notes, including what could not be confirmed

Kentucky Revised Statutes (statutory text via the Kentucky General Assembly's official codified statutes, legislature.ky.gov): KRS 189.330 (uncontrolled-intersection right-of-way), KRS 189.338 (turns on red, incl. the one-way-to-one-way left-on-red allowance and flashing-signal rules), KRS 189.390 (speed limits, eff. July 2022) and KRS 189.394 (school-area/work-zone doubled fines), KRS 189.290 (reckless driving), KRS 189.125 (seatbelt and child-restraint requirements), KRS 189A.010 (DUI BAC and penalties), KRS 189.292 and 189.294 (adult text-only vs. minor total-device phone bans), KRS 189.930/189.960 (Move Over law), KRS 189.030 (headlight requirements), KRS 186.450 and 186.452 (GDL: instruction permit and intermediate license, both amended 2025), KRS 189.450 and 189.459 (parking and accessible parking), KRS 189.370 (school/church bus stop-arm law, amended 2026) — plus the official Kentucky State Police Driver's Manual (kentuckystatepolice.org, the agency that authors and administers the manual per its own title page byline "Kentucky State Police"; driver testing/licensing services are additionally administered by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet at drive.ky.gov), updated 7/23/2026 edition. Researched and verified 2026-08-19, source-domain citation gap closed 2026-08-20. Exam format: the manual confirms an 80% passing score ("Applicants must make a minimum score of 80% to pass this test"), which this module uses directly (rulePassPct: 0.8) — re-confirmed verbatim against the manual's Testing Requirements/Preparation section this session. No official question count is published anywhere in the manual's written-test section (re-checked this session); this module uses 40 questions (ruleCount: 40), a third-party-sourced estimate carried at medium confidence rather than an officially confirmed figure — unified knowledge test, no separate sign-recognition gate (signCount: 0), consistent with KSP's own testing format. Known gaps deliberately NOT invented, per the research brief: the specific dollar fine for a seatbelt violation; any red-arrow-signal rule (not separately addressed in KRS 189.338); per-violation point values for specific offenses (e.g., how many points a speeding ticket carries); and any rear-facing-until-age-X requirement (Kentucky's child-restraint law is height-triggered, not age-triggered, and no separate rear-facing age rule exists in the statute). Re-verify periodically, as KRS provisions, fees, and the KSP manual are amended over time.

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