Mississippi Lanes & Turns practice test

Practice lane markings, turns, passing and merging: 39 questions based on the Mississippi Driver's License Manual, 12 of them on Mississippi's own rules.

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Key Mississippi facts: Lanes & Turns

  • With more than one lane each way, drive in the far right lane except to pass or turn left; without a turn lane, turn left from the lane next to the center. Traffic Lanes, PDF p. 45
  • Crossing the center line of a four-lane highway to pass is never legal; on interstates and four-lane highways passing is allowed on either side where lanes are split by a broken white line. Passing Other Vehicles, PDF p. 47
  • Do not pass on hills or curves or within 100 feet of bridges, viaducts, overpasses, railroad crossings, crosswalks or intersections. Other Safe Passing Guidelines, PDF p. 47
  • Be in the correct lane at least a quarter mile before the interstate exit; most exits are on the right, some on the left. Entering & Exiting the Interstate, PDF p. 69
  • Arm signals: left turn, arm straight out; right turn, arm bent upward at the elbow; slow or stop, arm down with palm to the rear; signal continuously for at least 100 feet. Arm Signals, PDF p. 42

Sample Lanes & Turns questions

You are in an interstate's right lane as traffic enters from a ramp. What should you do?

  • Move left when safe so they can merge
  • Use your horn to warn them to wait
  • Speed up so they cannot merge ahead
  • Stop in your lane to let them come in
Show the answer

Move left when safe so they can merge

Watch for vehicles in acceleration lanes when you drive in the right lane.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, PDF p. 70

Should you use your left signal to show the driver behind you that it is safe to pass?

  • No, that driver must decide
  • Yes, but only on two-lane roads
  • Only at night when it is dark
  • Yes, it is the courteous thing
Show the answer

No, that driver must decide

The driver behind you is responsible for deciding when passing is safe.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Signal Lights, PDF p. 42

How do you signal a left turn with your arm?

  • Arm waving in circles
  • Arm straight out
  • Arm bent upward
  • Arm down, palm back
Show the answer

Arm straight out

Signal this way when your signal lights do not work, and keep signaling for at least 100 feet.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Arm Signals, PDF p. 42

Is it ever legal to pass by crossing the center line of a four-lane highway?

  • Yes, below 45 mph
  • No, never
  • Yes, in daylight
  • Yes, if no one is coming
Show the answer

No, never

On four-lane highways and interstates, you pass using the lanes going your way.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Passing Other Vehicles, PDF p. 47

On a road with more than one lane in your direction, which lane should you normally use?

  • Any lane you like
  • The center lane
  • The far left lane
  • The far right lane
Show the answer

The far right lane

Use the left lane to pass or to turn left.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Traffic Lanes, PDF p. 45

How do you signal a right turn with your arm?

  • Arm stretched out the right window
  • Arm bent upward at the elbow
  • Arm held straight out the side
  • Arm down with the palm to the back
Show the answer

Arm bent upward at the elbow

Bicyclists and drivers whose signal lights are broken also use arm signals.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Arm Signals, PDF p. 42

There is no designated turn lane. Which lane should you use to turn left?

  • The paved road shoulder
  • The lane next to the center
  • Any lane, if you signal first
  • The far right-hand lane
Show the answer

The lane next to the center

Move into the proper lane early, well before the turn.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, Traffic Lanes, PDF p. 45

On a one-way street, which lane should you normally turn from?

  • The center lane
  • The lane nearest the curb
  • The lane farthest from the turn
  • Any lane at all
Show the answer

The lane nearest the curb

Pavement markings or signs may allow turns from other lanes too.

Source: MDPS Driver's License Manual, One-Way Streets, PDF p. 54

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About these questions

We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the Mississippi Driver's License Manual ('Revised December 2024' (PDF p. 2), file '1.15.2025 Revised MDPS Driver's Manual.pdf' on driverservicebureau.dps.ms.gov (posted as the new manual on 2025-03-10), 92 PDF pages, read 2026-11-10. Page numbers cited are PDF pages, which equal the printed page numbers. Where the manual is silent or out of date, the Driver Service Bureau pages (Regular Learner's Permit, Regular Driver License, Hardship License, Knowledge Testing Policy, the August 2025 DUI FAQ and the 2026-06-25 Driver's Education Update), Miss. Admin. Code Title 31, Part 1, and the Mississippi Code are the source. The official Mississippi Code is published only by LexisNexis (linked from sos.ms.gov, not a .gov host), so statute text was read from bills on billstatus.ls.state.ms.us that reproduce the current section before amendment: 63-3-809 (2026 HB 287), 63-3-615 (2025 HB 7), 63-3-501 (2025 HB 74), 63-33-1 (2026 HB 291) and 63-11-30 (2024 SB 2606); none of those bills was enacted, and the 2025 and 2026 session lists of enacted bills show no other change to these traffic rules (SB 2314 and SB 2322 of 2026 change license administration only). Differences found and how they were handled: (1) the manual's emergency vehicle section (p. 67) covers only emergency vehicles, while 63-3-809(3) and (5) also require moving over or slowing for stopped recovery, utility service, sanitation and highway maintenance vehicles and rural mail carriers, with fines up to $250 or $1,000 (63-3-809(6)); questions follow the statute; (2) the manual gives no penalty for texting; 63-33-1(3) makes it a civil violation with a $100 fine, used in one question; (3) the speed table (p. 41) gives limits that 'usually apply' (interstates 70, four-lane highways 65, two-lane highways 55), while 63-3-501 sets 65 as the general maximum and lets the Transportation Commission raise interstates and four-lane controlled-access highways to no more than 70; questions use 'usually' for the table and the statute for the general maximum; (4) the railroad stop rule is printed as 'within fifty to ten feet' (pp. 35-36) and is read as between 10 and 50 feet from the outer rail; (5) the manual (p. 11) requires the exam when an out-of-state license is expired over thirty days, while the Regular Driver License page says any expired out-of-state license; the question uses 'more than 30 days', true under both; (6) Admin. Code Title 31, Part 1 (filed 2014) is partly out of date (one-year permit, $3 fee, road test rules) against the current DSB pages; only its 80% pass rule is used. The school zone limit of 15 mph (pp. 31, 41) could not be checked against statute text on an official host and comes from the manual only. edition) and from official sources on road signs. Every answer links to its source, so you can check it and read more.

DMV Decoded is an independent guide, not a government agency. This practice test is not connected to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Driver Service Bureau, and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.