Redesign of the DMV Permit Test 2017
The DMV Permit Test is Closely Monitored
Since 2015, every DMV permit test question has been closely monitored for errors and passing rates. Crunching the numbers gives us valuable information for improving tests, but also to focus on giving you in-depth facts for your driver examination.
In addition, we read and value user input. Yearly, 15 – 20 questions are corrected based on user reports. We also update questions and answers when the information in the state driver handbook changes or when a state passes new laws. Even if we try to stay on top of all these changes, there is always a chance we will miss something. That is why we hope that users help us to spot mistakes.
The DMV Permit Test Will be Updated in 2017
In 2017, we will focus on the “impossible questions”. The old-fashioned DMV test looked like school tests 20 -30 years ago. It was closely aligned to the textbook – the driver’s manual – but only sometimes related to real challenges outside the examination room. Today, the DMV design tests to make you think through scenarios rather than regurgitating statistics or hard facts.
State Departments sense the urge to update driver handbooks and DMV tests to modern standards.
All Facts Are Not Equally Important
Question Example – 1
On the California practice test, 85% got the following question wrong:
- 5 days.
- 10 days.
- 20 days.
- 30 days.
Question Example – 2
In comparison, only 36% get this one wrong:
- 5 days.
- 10 days.
- 14 days.
- 30 days.
There are some clear reasons why users miss the first but not the second.
The second question is a real question from the old California DMV tests. It appears on California DMV’s sample tests and basically every practice test site you can find online.
Even if a test-taker didn’t learn it from the driver handbook, they will surely learn it after taking several practice tests online.
Once you have your driver’s license and a car, you will likely sell a vehicle one day. The knowledge is practical – even if you have forgotten it the day you want to sell your vehicle.
The first question, however, describes a situation you aren’t very likely to experience. So it is easy to skip through it in the handbook. After all, it doesn’t apply to you. Right?
Most of us will agree that this information has nothing to do with safe driving or a sound knowledge of California traffic laws.
Even if you learn that the correct answer is 20 days, you will forget it again very quickly. Over time, these kinds of numbers also tend to change.
The first question will disappear on the 2017 practice tests. The second question will not show as often as it does today.
When the Driver Handbook Lacks Clarity
Question Example – 3
More than 80% get the following question wrong on the Georgia practice test:
- The lane is only for turning.
- You cannot drive in the lane beneath the sign.
- You should prepare to change lanes.
- You must be prepared to stop ahead.
The correct answer is A.
The difference between a flashing yellow X and a steady yellow X can be hard to spot in the Georgia Driver Manual. But the information is there, on page 40 in the 2016 version of the manual.
Even if most drivers don’t see lane control signs that often, they are essential traffic regulation signals that you must know. To help you prepare for the actual examination, we will publish more articles with in-depth knowledge about specific laws and rules like this.
Question Example – 4
1 out of 2 get this wrong on the Maryland Permit Test:
- Move to the right in the roundabout and stop.
- Proceed through the roundabout and continue driving.
- Move to the left in the roundabout and stop.
- Proceed through the roundabout before stopping.
The correct answer is D.
When you see or hear an emergency vehicle approaching using its signals, you must move as close as possible to the edge of the roadway, clear of any intersection, and remain stopped. The words “clear of any intersection” mean you must never stop in an intersection, including a roundabout. The handbook could have been explained better, couldn’t it?
Question Example – 5
4 out of 5 get the following question wrong on the California DMV permit test.
- Changing lanes is discouraged.
- Changing lanes is prohibited.
- Traffic is flowing in opposite directions.
- Traffic must exit ahead.
The correct answer is A.
A single solid white line means you shouldn’t change lanes unless necessary. A double white line means that changing lanes is prohibited. The California driver handbook doesn’t make a clear distinction between the two. It makes the question hard to answer for anyone who quickly scans through the handbook without reflecting on why both single and double lines are needed.
The driver handbook could do a better job here, but you may assume that the real DMV permit test will follow the letter in the handbook, not necessarily the letter of other legal documents. This is why we will update a question like this in 2017.
This article describes just how confused Californians are: www.mercurynews.com. The answer is not in the vehicle code, but in the California MUTCD :
Where crossing the lane line markings is discouraged, the lane line markings shall consist of a normal solid white line.
