West Virginia Permit Practice Test

Free practice questions based on the West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook. No sign-up: answer the questions, get your score, and see why each answer is right.

The West Virginia knowledge test

Passing score
19 of 25 (76%)
Practice test
25 questions

The West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles sets this passing score. The West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook gives the format: a timed, computer-based knowledge exam of at least 25 questions on traffic rules, signs and markings, and you need 19 correct out of 25 to pass.

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Sample West Virginia practice questions

Driving impaired with a passenger under 16 is punished by at least how much actual jail time?

  • No jail time
  • 30 days
  • 12 hours
  • 48 hours
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48 hours

The sentence is two days to 12 months with at least 48 hours actually served, a fine of $200 to $1,000 and a one-year revocation.

Source: West Virginia Code §17C-5-2, W. Va. Code §17C-5-2(k)

Which trip lets a Level 2 driver drive unsupervised after 10 p.m.?

  • Driving a friend home from a party
  • Visiting a relative in the evening
  • Returning home from a job
  • Going out for a late meal
Show the answer

Returning home from a job

The exceptions are lawful employment, a school-sanctioned activity, a religious event, or an emergency to prevent injury or death.

Source: West Virginia Code §17B-2-3a, W. Va. Code §17B-2-3a(d)(2)(A)-(B)

A crash causes no injuries but about $1,500 in apparent damage. Must you notify police?

  • Yes, right away by the quickest means
  • Only if the other driver insists
  • No, only injury crashes count
  • Yes, by mail within 30 days
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Yes, right away by the quickest means

Crashes with injury, death or apparent property damage of $1,000 or more must be reported immediately to the local police, sheriff or State Police.

Source: West Virginia Code §17C-4-6, W. Va. Code §17C-4-6

What must every first-time license applicant complete after passing the exam and before the license is issued?

  • A first aid course
  • A short DUI awareness class
  • A defensive driving class
  • A vehicle maintenance course
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A short DUI awareness class

State law requires a class on the dangers of driving under the influence before a license is issued; transfers from other states take it too.

Source: West Virginia Code §17B-2-7, W. Va. Code §17B-2-7(c); handbook DUI Awareness Cards, PDF p. 35

A crash happens outside any city or town. Whom do you notify?

  • Only your own insurance company
  • The police of the nearest city or town
  • The DMV headquarters in Charleston
  • The county sheriff or nearest State Police
Show the answer

The county sheriff or nearest State Police

Notify the local police if the crash is in a municipality; otherwise notify the county sheriff or the nearest West Virginia State Police office.

Source: West Virginia Code §17C-4-6, W. Va. Code §17C-4-6

Under the distracted driving law, may you wear a smartwatch while driving?

  • Only if it is switched off
  • Only on interstate highways
  • No, it must be removed
  • Yes, wearing one is allowed
Show the answer

Yes, wearing one is allowed

The ban on holding or supporting a device does not apply to wearing a smartwatch.

Source: West Virginia Code §17C-14-15, W. Va. Code §17C-14-15(e)(1)

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About these questions

We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook (Driver's Licensing Handbook, cover dated 'Revised 07/2026' (Drivers_Licensing_Handbook.pdf on webapps.transportation.wv.gov, 90 PDF pages, PDF created 2026-08-04; the file linked from the DMV's Driver's Licensing Handbooks page, dmv.wv.gov/driver-services/drivers/drivers-licensing-handbooks; the older 'Procedures on Driver's Licenses' page still links a 07/2022 web version, which was not used), read 2026-11-10. Page numbers cited are PDF pages; the printed page number is the PDF page minus 10 (PDF p. 34 = printed p. 24). Many pages use embedded fonts whose text extracts as shifted glyph codes; the text in sources/WV/handbook.txt was decoded by shifting those codes back, and some closing parentheses are lost, but the wording is otherwise intact. Every legal rule used in questions was checked against the West Virginia Code on code.wvlegislature.gov (read 2026-11-10; section texts saved in sources/WV/code_*.txt), and questions follow the statute. Out-of-date or inconsistent handbook statements and how they were handled: (1) distracted driving (PDF pp. 27-28) describes a hands-free rule with fines of $100, $200 and $300 plus three points; §17C-14-15 as amended in 2023 bans holding or supporting a device and sets fines of up to $100, up to $200 and, for a third conviction within 24 months, up to $350 with three points and a possible 90-day suspension; questions use the statute; (2) the DUI penalty chart (PDF p. 32) is out of date: §17C-5-2 (amended through the 2026 session; the only 2026 amendment, HB 4712, 'Baylea's Law', Acts 2026 ch. 103, took effect June 12, 2026 per the Legislature's bill status page and changes only the felony for deliberate-disregard DUI causing death in subsection (b)(1), which no question tests) sets revocation of six months for a first DUI under 0.15 (chart: 15 days), one year at 0.15 or more (chart: 45 days), one year with a passenger under 16 (chart: 60 days), 10 years for a second offense (chart: 1 year), a felony of two to five years for a third (chart: 1 to 3 years), and for drivers under 21 at 0.02 to under 0.08 a 60-day suspension for a first offense and one year or until 21 for a second (chart: 30 days; 60 days or until 18); questions use the statute and do not test the injury and death tiers; (3) under-21 alcohol: PDF pp. 31 and 32 describe zero tolerance for any measurable alcohol, but the definitions (PDF p. 9) and §17C-5-2(j) set the under-21 offense at 0.02 percent; the no-measurable-alcohol rule is used only for Level 1 and Level 2 GDL holders (§17B-2-3a); (4) refusal (PDF p. 32: revocation for one year and up to life; PDF p. 10: at least one year): §17C-5-7a(e) revokes, after a court finding, for one year or 45 days plus a year of test and lock for a first refusal, 10 years after one earlier refusal revocation and life after more; §17C-5-4(e) warns of at least 45 days and up to life; refusing only a blood test cannot cause revocation (§17C-5-4(d)); questions use the statute; (5) crash reporting: PDF p. 26 says report within five days, but §17C-4-6 requires immediate notice by the quickest means for injury, death or apparent damage of $1,000 or more; questions use the statute; (6) the no-passing list (PDF p. 59) bans passing within 100 feet of a bridge, viaduct, tunnel or underpass; §17C-7-6(a)(3) applies only when the view is obstructed, so no question states the flat bridge rule; (7) following distance: the three-to-four second rule (PDF pp. 57, 61) conflicts with the truck safety chart's two-second rule in dry conditions (PDF p. 63), so following_seconds is left open; (8) the 70 mph interstate maximum (PDF p. 52) is not in §17C-6-1, which only says interstate limits may not be below 55 mph; the 70 mph question cites the handbook; (9) the move-over law (§17C-14-9a: lane change or 15/25 mph for any stationary vehicle with emergency, amber or hazard lights, flares or a warning sign) is missing from the handbook; questions cite the statute; (10) the fee chart (PDF p. 25) lists a $5.00 Level 1 permit fee while PDF p. 20 and §17B-2-3a(c)(1)(D) give $7.50; not tested. Rules matched between handbook and statute: GDL levels (§17B-2-3a), school zone 15 mph and 125 feet (§17C-6-1), parking distances (§17C-13-3), school bus stop and first-offense fine (§17C-12-7), seat belts (§17C-15-49), child seats (§17C-15-46), dimming at 500 and 200 feet (§17C-15-21), insurance minimums (§17D-4-2), biennial inspection (§17C-16-4). 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 West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles, and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.