Georgia Permit Test Study Guide (2026)

Cover every topic on the Georgia DMV permit test, ranked by how often they show up on the real exam.

The Georgia Driver's Manual is the only source the DDS uses for knowledge test questions. The manual is free as a PDF on dds.georgia.gov. Read each chapter once. Then review the road signs chapter twice since signs are half the Class CP test.

Georgia Speed Limits

Speed limits are one of the most-tested topics on the GA permit exam, and the questions usually test Georgia's statutory default limits -- what the speed is when no sign is posted. Under O.C.G.A. Section 40-6-181, Georgia's default is 30 mph in any urban or residential district, and 35 mph on unpaved county roads, unless posted otherwise. School zone limits are set locally per school, with doubled fines for violations when the zone's flashing lights are active. Always obey the basic-speed law: never drive faster than is safe for current conditions.

Alcohol & BAC Limits

Expect at least one alcohol question on the Georgia permit test. Memorize the three BAC thresholds: 0.08% is the legal limit for drivers age 21 and older, 0.04% is the limit for anyone driving with a commercial driver license (CDL), and Georgia's zero-tolerance threshold for drivers under 21 is 0.02% (O.C.G.A. Section 40-6-391(k)) -- no proof of impairment is needed at that level. A first violation brings a 6-month license suspension; a BAC of 0.08% or higher (or a test refusal) brings a 12-month suspension and full adult DUI charges instead.

Right-of-Way Rules

Right-of-way is the single most-missed topic across every state's permit test. The rules are simple once you memorize them. At a 4-way stop, the first vehicle to fully stop goes first; if two arrive together, the driver on the right has the right of way. At an uncontrolled intersection, yield to any vehicle already in the intersection and to the driver on your right. At roundabouts, yield to traffic already circulating and enter only when there is a safe gap. Always yield to pedestrians in any crosswalk, marked or unmarked, and to emergency vehicles with lights and sirens — pull right and stop. When turning left across oncoming traffic, you must yield to oncoming vehicles. Yield does not give you the right of way; it requires you to give it up.

Following Distance & Safety

Georgia's driver guidance teaches the 3-second rule: pick a fixed point on the road -- a telephone pole or street sign -- and count one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three as the vehicle ahead of you passes it; if you reach the point before finishing the count, you're following too closely. On wet roads, increase that to 4 or 5 seconds.

Road Sign Colors & Shapes

Road signs on the GA permit test follow the federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, so shapes and colors are consistent across the country. Memorize the shapes first: octagon always means stop, downward triangle means yield, diamond means warning, pentagon marks a school zone, round warns of a railroad crossing, and horizontal rectangle is a guide sign. Then learn the colors: red is stop or prohibition, yellow is general warning, orange is construction, green is directions and exits, blue is driver services, brown is recreation, and fluorescent yellow-green is for schools and pedestrians. Practice identifying signs by shape and color alone — see the full visual cheat sheet on our Georgia road-signs page.

Key Georgia Numbers to Memorize

If you only remember a handful of facts going into the test, make it these. Every one of them maps to questions that have appeared on the real GA exam.

Parking Rules

Parking questions on the Georgia permit test cover two patterns everywhere. For parallel parking, your wheels should be no more than 12 inches from the curb. For hill parking, the kerb rule decides which way your front wheels point: facing downhill (with or without a curb), turn the wheels toward the curb; facing uphill with a curb, turn the wheels away from the curb so they rest against it; facing uphill with no curb, turn the wheels toward the edge of the road. Always set the parking brake and leave the car in park (or in low gear with a manual).

Georgia's no-parking zones (O.C.G.A. Section 40-6-203) you must memorize: within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection, within 30 feet on the approach to a flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign, or traffic-control signal, within 50 feet of a railroad crossing, and never on a crosswalk or on railroad tracks.

GDL Restrictions (GA)

Georgia's Class D provisional license requires only 40 hours of supervised driving -- including just 6 at night, fewer night hours than most states require. The learner's permit (Class CP) is available at 15, supervised by someone 21 or older holding a valid Class C license. Class D's night curfew runs midnight to 5 a.m. Passenger restrictions step up in three stages: no non-family passengers for the first 6 months, one non-family passenger under 21 for months 7-12, then up to three after 12 months. Expect 1-3 GDL questions on the GA exam.

DUI & Drug Laws

DUI questions go beyond the BAC limits in Section 2. Three concepts you must know: implied consent means refusing a chemical test triggers automatic license suspension on top of any DUI charge. Prescription and over-the-counter drugs can also impair driving — antihistamines, sleep aids, painkillers, and some cold medicines list "do not operate heavy machinery" warnings, and driving impaired by them is a DUI even if you have a valid prescription. Marijuana — even where state-legal — is treated like alcohol for driving: any detectable impairment can result in a DUI, and edibles can take 1–3 hours to peak. The only safe BAC and the only safe THC level for driving is zero. There is no quick way to sober up; only time will lower your BAC.

Now Test What You've Studied

Five questions pulled at random from our Georgia question bank — a mix of road signs, traffic laws, and right-of-way. Answer to see the correct choice and a short explanation. For a full timed exam, take the free practice test.

Georgia Study Guide FAQ