More than half of all crashes happen at intersections. Knowing how to position your vehicle, when to signal, when to yield, and how to handle controlled and uncontrolled intersections is central to passing the permit exam.
What the exam tests
Intersections is one of the topic areas every state DMV exam pulls from. Expect roughly two to five questions per exam from this category, depending on your state. The questions test both your recognition of the underlying rule and your ability to apply it to a specific scenario such as a four way stop, a yellow advisory speed sign, a school bus with extended stop arm, or an emergency vehicle approaching from behind.
Core rules to remember
Turning, stopping, and signaling at junctions. The exam will phrase the question with a concrete scenario, then offer four answers that include the correct rule, a plausible distractor, an incorrect generalization, and a clearly wrong option. Read every choice before answering. Eliminate the obviously wrong options first, then choose the most precisely correct of the two that remain.
Practice questions on intersections
Below is a sample of practice questions from this topic across multiple states. Each links to a long-form explanation page that walks through the rule, the safety reason, the most common driver mistake, and a study tip.
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in Alabama. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — Alabama
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in Alaska. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — Alaska
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in Arizona. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — Arizona
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in Arkansas. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — Arkansas
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in California. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — California
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in Colorado. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — Colorado
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in Connecticut. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — Connecticut
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in Delaware. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — Delaware
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in Florida. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — Florida
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in Georgia. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — Georgia
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in Hawaii. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — Hawaii
- You are stopped at a green left turn arrow in Idaho. The arrow turns to a steady green ball. What does the new signal mean? — Idaho
Browse all 50 state practice tests →
Why this topic matters
Intersections questions are not the kind of trivia you can guess your way through. Get this topic wrong on the road and you risk a crash. Get it wrong on the exam and you delay your permit by at least a day, often a week. The rules in this category are written for the situations that historically cause the most fatalities, so the exam takes them seriously and so should you.