New Hampshire DMV Practice 8

5 out of 5 (73 votes)
80% Passing score
20 Questions
4 Mistakes allowed
New Hampshire is a little stubborn about driver licensing, in a very New Hampshire sort of way. For non-commercial first-time drivers, the state does not hand out a standard learner’s permit like many other states do. Eligible new drivers practice under supervised-practice rules before applying for a driver license, which means the NH DMV written test is not just some small formality you breeze past on the way to the “real” stuff. It is one of the main gates. A polite gate, maybe, but still a gate. This eighth NH DMV practice test digs into intersections, where otherwise sensible people suddenly forget who arrived first, who should yield, and whether “I was almost there” counts as a traffic law. It does not, unfortunately. The test gives you 20 multiple-choice questions built around four-way stops, right-of-way rules, turns, traffic signals, and those slightly crowded intersection moments where the correct answer is usually less dramatic than what everyone on the road seems determined to do. You are not just memorizing little rule fragments here. You are getting used to the way the New Hampshire driver’s manual wants you to read a situation, slow it down, and pick the safest legal move. The real New Hampshire knowledge test is administered by the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles, under the Department of Safety. It is computer-based, taken on an automated touch-screen system, and you do not need to be especially tech-savvy to use it, which is merciful. The official test has 40 multiple-choice questions. You need 32 correct answers to pass, so that is an 80% score, and you can miss up to 8. If you run out of time or miss too many, the system ends the test, and a retest appointment can be requested no sooner than 10 days from that date. Ten days is not forever, but it is long enough to make a bad guess feel unnecessarily expensive. Each question in this New Hampshire drivers ed practice test is based on the official NH Driver’s Manual, covering traffic laws, road signs, signals, pavement markings, safe driving, impaired driving, sharing the road, and driver responsibility. The questions pull from a larger pool, so another attempt will not be the exact same quiz with a new haircut. For 2026, the material is kept current, which helps you study for the NH DMV written test without practicing dusty rules that have wandered off into the past.
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Sample New Hampshire Permit Test Questions

Question 1

Which action is not part of the recommended routine for safely backing a vehicle?

Safely backing up your vehicle includes all of the following except:
  1. A Using mirrors and turning to look behind
  2. B Checking behind the vehicle before entering it
  3. C Sounding the horn every time before backing
  4. D Backing slowly while continuing to watch behind

Correct answer: C – Sounding the horn every time before backing

Before backing, check behind the vehicle for children, objects, or other hazards that may not be visible from the driver’s seat. Use both mirrors and head checks, move slowly, and continue looking rearward until stopped. A horn may sometimes alert another road user, but sounding it every time is not a substitute for verifying that the path is clear.

Source: New Hampshire Driver’s Manual — §5, “Backing”

Question 2

If a vehicle is equipped with air bags, when should its occupants wear safety belts?

  1. A Only while traveling on freeways
  2. B On every trip
  3. C Only when driving outside a city
  4. D Only at speeds above 35 mph

Correct answer: B – On every trip

Air bags are supplemental restraints designed to work with safety belts. The belt positions and restrains an occupant, helping the air bag provide its intended protection during a crash. New Hampshire’s manual recommends belt use by occupants of all ages on every trip, while state law requires properly adjusted and fastened restraints for drivers and passengers under age 18, subject to listed exceptions.

Source: RSA 265:107-a, I–II – Child Passenger Restraints Required, New Hampshire Driver’s Manual — §4, “Air Bags”

Question 3

At a location posted NO STOPPING, which situation allows a non-emergency driver to stop?

  1. A While unloading packages
  2. B When necessary to avoid a conflict with traffic
  3. C While letting a passenger out
  4. D For fewer than five minutes

Correct answer: B – When necessary to avoid a conflict with traffic

New Hampshire prohibits stopping where an official sign says stopping is not allowed. Exceptions include stopping when necessary to avoid a conflict with traffic, to comply with law or an official traffic control device, or to follow a police officer’s directions. Loading, dropping off passengers, or stopping briefly does not create an exception by itself.

Source: RSA 265:69, I – Stopping, Standing or Parking Prohibited in Specified Places

Question 4

At an intersection with no painted crosswalk or operating signal, when must a driver yield to a pedestrian?

  1. A Only when a WALK signal is displayed
  2. B Only after the pedestrian reaches the center of the road
  3. C When the pedestrian is in the unmarked crosswalk on the driver’s half, or is approaching it closely enough to be in danger
  4. D Whenever the pedestrian crosses at any location outside the intersection

Correct answer: C – When the pedestrian is in the unmarked crosswalk on the driver’s half, or is approaching it closely enough to be in danger

In New Hampshire, the connections between opposite sidewalk or roadway edges form an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. Without operating signals, a driver must yield when a pedestrian in that crosswalk is on the driver’s half of the roadway or is approaching closely enough from the other half to be in danger. A pedestrian crossing outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk generally must yield to vehicles.

Source: RSA 259:17 – Crosswalk, RSA 265:35, I – Pedestrian's Right of Way in Crosswalks, RSA 265:36, I – Crossing at Other Than Crosswalks

Question 5

After a person drinks alcohol, what can coffee do?

  1. A Lower the amount of alcohol in the body
  2. B Neutralize alcohol-related impairment
  3. C Increase alertness without countering alcohol’s effects
  4. D Make the body eliminate alcohol faster

Correct answer: C – Increase alertness without countering alcohol’s effects

Coffee may make someone feel more alert, but it does not counter the effects of alcohol or make that person sober. Food, exercise, fresh air, and cold showers are also ineffective as sobering methods. The official manual states that only time reduces alcohol’s effects, and its safest guidance is not to drive after consuming alcohol.

Source: New Hampshire Driver’s Manual — § 3, “Dangerous Driving”

Question 6

After passing another vehicle, which check indicates that you have enough clearance to move back to the right?

  1. A The entire front of the passed vehicle is visible in your rearview mirror
  2. B Your right turn signal has been activated
  3. C Your headlights are turned on
  4. D The passed driver flashes their headlights

Correct answer: A – The entire front of the passed vehicle is visible in your rearview mirror

New Hampshire requires a passing driver to remain left until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle. The official manual recommends continuing the pass until the complete front of that vehicle is visible in the rearview mirror, then signaling and returning smoothly. Although the overtaken driver must not increase speed until completely passed, the passing driver remains responsible for verifying safe clearance.

Source: RSA 265:18, I–II – Overtaking a Vehicle on the Left, New Hampshire Driver’s Manual — § 5, “Passing”

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