New Hampshire Lanes & Turns practice test

Practice lane markings, turns, passing and merging: 41 questions based on the New Hampshire Driver's Manual, 12 of them on New Hampshire's own rules.

Key New Hampshire facts: Lanes & Turns

  • On multi-lane roads the left-most lane is meant for passing slower vehicles, and driving continuously in the left lane when it impedes traffic is not allowed. Passing, PDF p. 23 (printed p. 17)
  • A vehicle moving slower than normal traffic stays in the right-hand lane or as near the right edge as practicable, except to pass or to prepare for a left turn. RSA 265:16, paragraph II
  • Do not pass when oncoming traffic is approaching, when a curve or hill blocks the view, at intersections, or before a railroad crossing or bridge. Passing, PDF p. 23 (printed p. 17)
  • No driver may be on the left side of the roadway within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad crossing, or within 100 feet of a bridge, viaduct or tunnel when the view is blocked. RSA 265:21, paragraph I
  • A passing vehicle must return to its lane before coming within 200 feet of an approaching vehicle. RSA 265:20

Sample Lanes & Turns questions

A vehicle traveling slower than the normal speed of traffic should stay where?

  • In the right-hand lane or near the right edge
  • In the middle of the road, between lanes
  • In the left lane, near the center line
  • On the shoulder, off the roadway
Show the answer

In the right-hand lane or near the right edge

Slower vehicles keep right except to pass or to prepare for a left turn.

Source: RSA 265:16, RSA 265:16, paragraph II

How far before a turn must a signal be given?

  • Continuously for at least the last 50 feet
  • Continuously for at least the last 500 feet
  • Continuously for at least the last 10 feet
  • Continuously for at least the last 100 feet
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Continuously for at least the last 100 feet

A signal must be given continuously for not less than the last 100 feet.

Source: RSA 265:45, RSA 265:45, paragraph II; New Hampshire Driver's Manual (DSMV 360, Rev. 11/25), Communicating and Signaling, PDF p. 21 (printed p. 15)

When is passing on the right permitted?

  • When the vehicle ahead is traveling slowly
  • When the right shoulder is wide and paved
  • When the road has only one lane each way
  • When the vehicle ahead is about to turn left
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When the vehicle ahead is about to turn left

Passing on the right is allowed if the vehicle ahead is about to turn left, or where the road is wide enough for two lines of traffic moving the same way.

Source: RSA 265:19, RSA 265:19

How close to an intersection or railroad crossing may a driver be on the left side of the roadway?

  • Not within 500 feet
  • Not within 100 feet
  • Not within 25 feet
  • Not within 50 feet
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Not within 100 feet

A driver may not be on the left side within 100 feet of an intersection or railroad crossing unless otherwise indicated.

Source: RSA 265:21, RSA 265:21, paragraph I

How should you enter a multi-lane highway from an acceleration lane?

  • Merge immediately at the start of the ramp
  • Match the speed of traffic, find a gap and merge
  • Stop at the end of the ramp and wait for a gap
  • Merge well below the speed of highway traffic
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Match the speed of traffic, find a gap and merge

Use the acceleration lane to reach the speed of traffic and merge into a gap.

Source: New Hampshire Driver's Manual (DSMV 360, Rev. 11/25), Changing Lanes, PDF p. 22 (printed p. 16)

While passing, a driver must return to the right lane before coming within how many feet of an approaching vehicle?

  • 100 feet
  • 200 feet
  • 25 feet
  • 500 feet
Show the answer

200 feet

The overtaking vehicle must return before coming within 200 feet of an approaching vehicle.

Source: RSA 265:20, RSA 265:20

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About these questions

We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the New Hampshire Driver's Manual (New Hampshire Driver's Manual, New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles; 52 PDF pages, the last page reads 'DSMV 360: Drivers Manual (Rev. 11/25)' (PDF metadata: created 2026-01-06, modified 2026-03-03; the file was served with Last-Modified 2026-03-03); linked as 'Driver's Manual (Operator), New Hampshire' on the DMV Forms page (https://www.dmv.nh.gov/forms), read 2026-11-10. The DMV site (dmv.nh.gov) refuses non-browser downloads (Akamai 403), so the PDF was fetched in the built-in browser and its text extracted. Page numbers cited are PDF pages; the printed page number is the PDF page minus 6 (printed p. 1 is PDF p. 7). The CDL, motorcycle and organ-donation material and the 'Test Your Knowledge' fill-in questions (PDF pp. 48-51, a study aid and not the exam) were not used as question sources. Statutes were read on gencourt.state.nh.us (RSA Title XXI, chapters 263, 264, 265, 265-A and 266) on 2026-11-10; several sections carry amendments effective 2026-07-01 (RSA 263:10) and 2027-01-01 (RSA 265:79-c fines, RSA 265:54 school bus penalties, RSA 265-A:14 refusal penalties and RSA 265-A:18), so no question tests those fine or penalty amounts. Handbook statements that differ from or go beyond current law and how they were handled: (1) railroad crossings (PDF p. 28 says buses that carry passengers and trucks carrying flammable or hazardous material must stop) is broader than RSA 265:50 (passengers for hire, school buses carrying children, explosives, flammable-liquid tank vehicles and LPG cylinders); only the school bus case, which both agree on, is tested; (2) speed limits (PDF p. 21 says '45 or 55 mph in other locations') omit that RSA 265:60 II(d) sets 45 mph only on unimproved rural highways and 55 mph elsewhere; questions use the statute; (3) child restraints (PDF p. 18) omit RSA 265:107-a I-c (passengers under 2 in a rear-facing seat); a question uses the statute; (4) school bus stops (PDF p. 33 says to stop at least 25 feet away 'in any direction' unless a physical barrier separates the roadway) is broader than RSA 265:54 III (only the other roadway of a divided highway with separate roadways, or a loading zone on a controlled-access highway); a question uses the statute; (5) the youth operator text (PDF pp. 11-12) predates the amendment of RSA 263:14 V (eff. 2026-01-01: a youth operator convicted of DWI, reckless driving or 30+ mph over the limit cannot be reissued a license for at least 90 days), which a question tests from the statute; (6) the manual gives no headlight-dimming distance, while RSA 265:114 says within approximately 150 feet, so dim_oncoming_ft and dim_following_ft use the statute; (7) the manual's following distance is four seconds (PDF pp. 22, 36) and the statute (RSA 265:25 I) sets no time, so following_seconds uses the manual; (8) the manual says New Hampshire has no mandatory insurance law (PDF p. 38); no section of RSA 264 read requires insurance in general, only proof of financial responsibility in cases such as RSA 264:2, 264:3 and 264:20, so questions follow the manual and common questions that assume compulsory insurance are excluded; (9) the REAL ID paragraph (PDF p. 11) still speaks of 7 May 2025 as a future date; not tested; (10) the new-resident 60-day rule (PDF p. 7) is stated only in the manual, not in a statute section read, and is tested from the manual; (11) the manual's work-zone sentence 'Fines may be doubled' (PDF p. 29) was not found in a statute section read and is not tested. Vision (20/40, 80% pass, 10-day retest), appointment and language facts come from the DMV page Driver Licensing Testing Requirements, read 2026-11-10; the youth-operator and practice-driving rules agree between the DMV pages, the manual and RSA 263:14 and 263:25. 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 New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles, and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.