South Dakota DMV Sign Test 4

5 out of 5 (77 votes)
80% Passing score
20 Questions
4 Mistakes allowed
A South Dakota road signs practice test is one of the cleaner ways to study for the permit test, mostly because signs do not give you much room to bluff. You either recognize the shape, color, symbol, or instruction quickly, or you start second-guessing yourself, which is exactly the kind of small spiral that makes an otherwise manageable DMV visit feel longer than it needs to be. This free SD road signs test gives you 20 multiple-choice questions focused on the signs South Dakota drivers are expected to know for the official knowledge test. It covers regulatory signs, warning signs, directional signs, school zone signs, “No Passing Zone” markings, and rural signs like “Open Range,” which are worth taking seriously if you plan to drive anywhere beyond the neat, predictable parts of town. The questions use sign images, so you are not just memorizing a phrase from a handbook and hoping it sticks. You are matching what the sign looks like to what you are supposed to do next, which is the whole point, really. For teen drivers, this practice test fits into a larger licensing path. South Dakota allows applicants to apply for an Instruction Permit at age 14 with parent or guardian consent. Driver education is not required, but an approved course can waive the knowledge test for the permit and shorten the Instruction Permit holding period from 275 days to 180 days. Before moving to a Restricted Minor’s Permit, teen drivers also need 50 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours after dark and 10 hours in inclement weather. That last bit sounds like paperwork until you remember winter roads exist and sometimes arrive with absolutely no sense of timing. Adults can use the South Dakota permit practice test, too, especially if they are applying for a first license, renewing, or just brushing up after years of driving on instinct. A passing score on this practice drivers test is 16 out of 20, so the bar is clear without being dramatic about it. Study the signs, miss a few here instead of at the DMV, and get used to reading the road the way South Dakota expects you to read it.
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Sample South Dakota Permit Test Questions

Question 1

A marked dividing area between opposing roadways is designed to block vehicle travel. Where may you cross it?

  1. A Anywhere when entering a driveway
  2. B Only at an authorized opening, crossover, or intersection
  3. C Wherever left-turn arrows appear nearby
  4. D Whenever opposing traffic is clear

Correct answer: B – Only at an authorized opening, crossover, or intersection

South Dakota law prohibits driving over, across, or within a dividing space or section constructed to impede vehicle traffic. A driver may cross only through an opening, crossover, or intersection established by public authority. This restriction also rules out making a U-turn across the barrier at an unapproved location.

Source: SDCL § 32-26-9 – Highways divided by physical barrier--Use of right-hand roadway--Crossing barrier prohibited--Violation as misdemeanor.

Question 2

Under South Dakota law, after stopping at a steady red light where two two-way streets meet, a driver generally may:

  1. A Continue straight if no traffic is visible
  2. B Turn left after yielding
  3. C Turn right after yielding, unless a sign prohibits it
  4. D Make any movement when the intersection is clear

Correct answer: C – Turn right after yielding, unless a sign prohibits it

A driver facing a steady red signal must stop before the crosswalk or intersection. A right turn is then permitted from the far-right side after yielding to pedestrians and traffic lawfully using the intersection. The turn is prohibited when a local ordinance applies and a sign gives notice of that restriction.

Source: SDCL § 32-28-4 – Meaning of steady red light or stop signal--Vehicular traffic--Right turn on red.

Question 3

You have a steady green light and want to turn left, but oncoming traffic is close enough to create a hazard. What should you do?

  1. A Drive to the next intersection instead
  2. B Stop at the crosswalk and wait for another signal cycle
  3. C Yield to the oncoming traffic and turn only when safe
  4. D Turn immediately because the light is green

Correct answer: C – Yield to the oncoming traffic and turn only when safe

In South Dakota, a driver turning left must yield to an oncoming vehicle that is already in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard. After yielding and giving any required signal, the driver may complete the turn. A steady green light does not remove this duty.

Source: SDCL § 32-26-19 – Left-turning vehicles--Right-of-way of oncoming vehicle--Signals--Violation as misdemeanor., South Dakota Driver License Manual — Traffic Control Devices, “Traffic Signals”

Question 4

What roadway condition does the pictured black-and-yellow chevron warning sign identify?

When you see this black and yellow sign, it means:
  1. A One-way traffic beginning on the right
  2. B A construction detour to the right
  3. C A sharp change in the road’s direction
  4. D A side road entering from the right

Correct answer: C – A sharp change in the road’s direction

The chevron-style Sharp Curve sign warns of a significant change in roadway direction. Warning signs alert drivers to hazards or special conditions ahead and may indicate that reduced speed is necessary. Slow before reaching the change in alignment and follow the direction shown by the symbol.

Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — Traffic Signs, “Warning Signs”

Question 5

Which pictured warning sign indicates that a divided roadway is ending?

  1. A The lane-ends-ahead sign
  2. B The divided-highway-ends sign
  3. C The two-way-traffic sign
  4. D The turn-left-or-right sign

Correct answer: B – The divided-highway-ends sign

This sign warns that the median or other separation between opposing roadways ends ahead. Drivers will soon encounter traffic traveling in the opposite direction without the same divider. South Dakota generally requires vehicles on an ordinary two-way highway to remain on the right half of the roadway.

Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — Traffic Signs, “Warning Signs”, SDCL § 32-26-1 – Use of right half of highway required--Slow-moving vehicles--Overtaking and passing excepted--Violation as misdemeanor.

Question 6

On a two-way roadway, yellow centerlines separate:

  1. A A center turn lane from through lanes
  2. B Bicycle traffic from motor vehicles
  3. C Lanes carrying traffic in the same direction
  4. D Traffic moving in opposite directions

Correct answer: D – Traffic moving in opposite directions

Yellow center markings are used on roadways carrying traffic in opposite directions. Double solid yellow lines indicate that passing is prohibited in both directions. A dashed yellow line may permit passing for the driver beside the dashed line, but only when the maneuver is otherwise safe and lawful.

Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual — Traffic Control Devices, “Pavement Markings”

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