New Hampshire License Rules practice test

Practice permits, restrictions for new drivers and points: 26 questions based on the New Hampshire Driver's Manual, 26 of them on New Hampshire's own rules.

Key New Hampshire facts: License Rules

  • New Hampshire does not issue learner's permits. A person without a license may practice driving once they are 15 and a half years old, with an accompanying adult. RSA 263:25, paragraph I
  • The adult who sits beside a practice driver must be a certified driving instructor, a parent, a guardian or a responsible licensed adult aged 25 or older. RSA 263:25, paragraph I
  • Practice driving under the unlicensed-driver exception is not allowed for anyone whose driving privileges are currently suspended or revoked. RSA 263:25, paragraph I
  • A person must be at least 16 to apply for a New Hampshire driver license, and applicants under 21 receive a youth operator license. Driver Licensing Requirements for Minors (page read 2026-11-10)
  • Applicants aged 16 or 17 must first complete an approved driver education course before a license can be issued. RSA 263:19, paragraph I

Sample License Rules questions

What must an applicant under 18 provide from a parent or guardian to be issued a license?

  • A copy of the parent's own license history
  • A signed medical clearance
  • Written permission
  • A letter from the school principal
Show the answer

Written permission

A person under 18 needs written permission from a parent or guardian.

Source: NH DMV, Driver Licensing Requirements for Minors, Driver Licensing Requirements for Minors (page read 2026-11-10); New Hampshire Driver's Manual (DSMV 360, Rev. 11/25), Parental Consent, PDF p. 9 (printed p. 3)

Who may sit beside a person who is practicing driving in New Hampshire?

  • A parent, guardian or licensed adult aged 25 or older
  • Any licensed driver who is at least 21 years old
  • Only the practice driver's parent or legal guardian
  • Any licensed driver who is at least 18 years old
Show the answer

A parent, guardian or licensed adult aged 25 or older

The supervising adult must be a certified instructor, parent, guardian or responsible licensed adult who is at least 25.

Source: RSA 263:25, RSA 263:25, paragraph I; New Hampshire Driver's Manual (DSMV 360, Rev. 11/25), Practice Driving, PDF p. 8 (printed p. 2)

A person whose license is suspended wants to practice driving with a parent. What is the rule?

  • It is allowed as long as a parent sits beside the driver
  • It is allowed on roads with a posted limit of 35 mph or less
  • It is not allowed, since the exception excludes suspended drivers
  • It is allowed, but only during daylight hours and on local roads
Show the answer

It is not allowed, since the exception excludes suspended drivers

The unlicensed-driver exception excludes persons whose driving privileges are suspended or revoked.

Source: RSA 263:25, RSA 263:25, paragraph I; New Hampshire Driver's Manual (DSMV 360, Rev. 11/25), Practice Driving, PDF p. 8 (printed p. 2)

In a youth operator's first six months, how many non-family passengers under 25 may a holder under 18 carry without a licensed adult aged 25 or older?

  • Three
  • One
  • Two
  • None
Show the answer

One

During the first six months a youth operator under 18 may carry no more than one such passenger without a qualifying adult; the limit does not apply once the holder is 18.

Source: RSA 263:14, RSA 263:14, paragraph II(c); New Hampshire Driver's Manual (DSMV 360, Rev. 11/25), License Restrictions, PDF p. 10 (printed p. 4)

Take this topic's test

More New Hampshire practice

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.