New Mexico MVD Permit Practice Test 3
Test 3 of 10. Pick an answer for each question to see if it is right and why; your score appears at the end. You need 18 correct answers to pass, the same ratio as the real New Mexico test.
- Questions25
- Correct to pass18
- Passing score72%
- Minimum age15 years
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1. An arrow panel at a work zone displays a flashing arrow pointing to the left. What does it require?
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Answer C: Move out of the closed lane into the lane on the left
A flashing or sequential arrow on an arrow panel directs traffic out of a closed lane and into the lane the arrow points to.
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2. A vehicle in front of you has already begun turning left into a driveway when the gap you were waiting for opens up. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait and let that driver finish the turn
A vehicle that has lawfully started a maneuver keeps the right of way until it is finished.
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3. You find that the road surface has turned to sheet ice. What speed is appropriate?
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Answer A: A crawl, slow enough that you could stop without braking hard
Ice can cut grip to a fraction of normal, so stopping takes many times the usual distance and only a crawl leaves any margin.
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4. What is New Mexico's own driver education requirement, in hours of instruction?
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Answer A: 30 hours of classroom instruction and 7 hours behind the wheel
New Mexico's Traffic Safety Bureau sets its own driver education requirement at 30 hours of classroom instruction plus 7 hours behind the wheel.
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5. What additional fee applies when registering a New Mexico Organ Donation Awareness license plate?
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Answer C: $12
New Mexico charges an additional $12 fee at registration for an Organ Donation Awareness license plate, applied for using Form MVD-10666.
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6. If a New Mexico driver has several suspensions or revocations on record at once, how many reinstatement fee transactions does the MVD post?
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Answer D: Only one, even though multiple adverse actions are involved
New Mexico law requires payment of a reinstatement fee, but when several adverse actions appear on one record, only a single fee transaction is posted and collected.
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7. What should a driver do first after passing this sign?
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Answer A: Move into the right-hand lane and stay there
Traffic returns to two-way operation, so the driver keeps to the right of the centerline and stops treating the left side as available.
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8. Within what window may a New Mexico driver license be renewed relative to its expiration date?
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Answer C: Up to 90 days before expiration or within 30 days after it expires
New Mexico licenses are valid for four or eight years and can be renewed up to 90 days before, or within 30 days after, the expiration date.
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9. What is the what if habit of a defensive driver?
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Answer C: Thinking through what you would do if a hazard ahead of you turned bad
Rehearsing an answer before the hazard develops means you act at once instead of spending time deciding.
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10. A preferential lane sign reads HOV 2+ and lists the hours it applies. During those hours, which vehicles may use the lane?
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Answer A: Vehicles carrying at least two people, counting the driver
The number on an HOV sign is the minimum number of occupants, driver included, that a vehicle must carry to use the lane while the restriction is in effect.
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11. A rectangular red sign with the white words WRONG WAY means that
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Answer C: the driver is already traveling against the legal flow and must not continue
The wrong way sign uses a white legend and border on red and addresses a driver who has entered a ramp or one-way roadway in the wrong direction, who should stop and turn around safely.
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12. You are traveling beside another vehicle on a multilane highway at nearly the same speed. Why is this a poor position?
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Answer B: You may be sitting in that driver's blind spot with nowhere to go if they move over
Driving alongside removes your side escape route and often puts you where the other driver cannot see you. Speed up or drop back to open space beside you.
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13. A bicyclist is riding around a single-lane roundabout in the middle of the lane as you wait to enter. What is your duty?
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Answer C: Yield to the bicyclist just as you would to a car
A bicyclist using the roundabout is traffic like any other vehicle and has the same claim to the circulating lane.
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14. Your light turns green, but a vehicle from the cross street is still finishing a turn inside the intersection. What should you do?
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Answer B: Wait until that vehicle has cleared the intersection
A green indication lets you proceed only after yielding to pedestrians in the crosswalk and to vehicles already lawfully within the intersection.
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15. Why should cruise control be switched off on wet, snowy or icy roads?
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Answer B: It may keep feeding power to a wheel that has started to slip, and cancelling it costs you time
Cruise control holds a set speed regardless of grip, so it can add power just as a tire loses traction, and the extra step of cancelling it delays your response.
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16. Unless posted otherwise, what is New Mexico's speed limit on public highways that are not rural interstates, school zones, or business/residential areas?
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Answer B: 55 mph
New Mexico sets a default of 55 mph on public highways generally, distinct from the higher rural interstate default and the lower business/residential and school zone limits.
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17. What is the minimum age for a New Mexico instructional permit?
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Answer B: 15 years old
New Mexico issues the instructional permit at 15, provided the teen is enrolled in or has completed an approved driver education program and passes the knowledge and vision tests.
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18. What must a New Mexico driver show to reinstate a license once a DWI revocation period has ended?
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Answer C: Six consecutive months on an ignition interlock license with no attempt to tamper with the device
New Mexico requires six consecutive months of driving on an ignition interlock license, with no attempted tampering, before a DWI-related license can be fully reinstated.
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19. How does a NO OUTLET sign differ from a DEAD END sign?
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Answer B: It warns that a whole group of streets has no way out
No Outlet is posted where the road leads into a network of streets from which there is no through route, while Dead End refers to the single street itself.
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20. A person using a wheelchair is waiting to cross at a corner ahead. How should you treat that person?
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Answer B: As a pedestrian with the right of way at the crossing
A wheelchair or a mobility scooter user has the rights of a pedestrian, so yield the whole crossing and wait until the crossing is finished.
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21. Where in the United States may a motorcycle ride between lanes of traffic?
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Answer C: Only where a state has specifically authorized it
Riding between lanes is prohibited in most states and permitted only where a state law expressly allows it, so a rider must know the rule for the state being ridden in.
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22. Unless posted otherwise, what is the New Mexico speed limit in business or residential areas?
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Answer B: 30 mph
New Mexico uses 30 mph as the default in business and residential areas, a little higher than the 25 mph many states apply.
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23. An entrance ramp joins a highway just before an exit ramp leaves it. What should you expect in that short section?
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Answer D: Vehicles crossing paths as some enter and others leave
In a weaving section entering traffic moves left while exiting traffic moves right over the same short stretch, so lane changes there need extra room and extra care.
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24. What marks a New Mexico driver's license or ID card as REAL ID compliant?
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Answer C: A gold star, on a card issued after November 14, 2016
New Mexico marks REAL ID compliant driver's licenses and ID cards with a gold star, and only cards issued after November 14, 2016 carry it.
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25. What score must a New Mexico applicant reach on the Class D written test?
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Answer B: 70 percent or better
New Mexico sets the passing mark for Class D and Class M written tests at 70 percent, lower than the 80 percent it requires on commercial tests.