Leaving Out A Question on a Driver's Permit Test

Taking tests for anything is already a nerve racking thing. Going to test for a driver’s permit just multiplies that feeling exponentially, since driving is such a privilege. The best way to handle this nervousness and excitement is to be prepared.

To do this, you should know what’s on the permit test and how to strategize for it to maximize your opportunity to pass it. Besides this information, you can pick up a driver’s handbook from your state’s DMV online or office in person. It will help you ace the test to get your permit.

What the Test Covers

While each state has slightly different emphasis on their tests and guidebooks, due to their immediate areas and diverse laws, most tests are generally on the same topics. They all cover the rules of the road. This includes practices and procedures to road safety while driving.

Other subtopics the test may contain are:

• Sharing the road with pedestrians and other vehicles
• Laws of the Road
• Rules in owning a vehicle
• Flow of traffic and right of way
• Speed limits
• Weather conditions effects
• Defense driving
• Road signs
• Turning and passing
• Preventing and handling accidents or emergencies
• Penalties and punishments
• Legal matters, like licensing
• Vehicle controls and vehicle protection
• Safe and courteous decisions
• Insurance
• Myths
• Exam process

Again, the best thing to do is go to dmv.org and download or order the driver’s handbooks for your state. They also will have links to study questions, review material, and their contact information should you have any questions.

Dynamics of the Test

Many jurisdictions have about 20 questions on the test. In order to pass, most standards are that you must answer a minimum of 15 of those questions correctly. Every jurisdiction has its own rules and standards regarding the test, so it’s best to check with your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles. Each state will have their own guidebook and will emphasize a different part of the law. Usually each handbook will have study test questions in the back as a practice test for you to prepare. Read them carefully and know those answers, as they may be on your test.

When you take the test, there may be different tests offered in the same room of testees to prevent cheating. They will still cover the most crucial topics on driving on the road, so it’s a good idea to study the whole handbook before testing.

Your Strategy

In order to pass this test, you will need to have studied, relax during the test, and have a testing strategy. The test, more than likely, will be multiple choice questions. There have been numerous studies gone into how to take and pass multiple choice question tests. Only a few are worth noting for the scope of a permit test.

The test questions could be worded tricky, so take your time in reading each of them. Pay attention to the wording and make sure you understand what is being asked. Reread it until you feel confident about the question. If you are having a difficult time figuring out the answers to some of them, then rule out all the answers it is not, and then choose the one you believe it could be from the remaining ones.

The best trick to remember, even if you don’t know which answer to select, is pick one anyway and quickly move on to the next question. Do not leave any of them blank. If you want to skip a question to have more time to think about it later, make sure you notate it and return to it. The more questions you answer, the more opportunity to pass, as the amount of correct answers you have can increase.

Why not to Skip any Questions

It would be best to answer any question you are unsure of and move on to the next question, than to skip it and come back later. The reasons against skipping are:

1. If you skip a question, it is possible you may forget to come back to it later and you will end up leaving it blank.
2. If you skip, you may mess up the answer sheet by responding to another question on the wrong line.
3. If you skip a question, you may get into the habit of skipping too many and feel overwhelmed to have to come back to all of them.
4. Remember, if you opt to answer instead of skipping, you can always change your answer when you review your test.

At the end of your test, review it if you have time, to make sure you understood everything correctly and didn’t mix up any questions with their respective answers. Feel confident on every answer and don’t second guess yourself. If you aren’t sure, but took a guess by the elimination method described earlier, always go with your first guess, as it’s usually the right one.