Maryland Permit Test Study Guide (2026)

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

The Maryland Driver's Manual is the only study source the MVA uses to write test questions. The manual covers traffic laws, road signs, safe driving, and special Maryland rules. Read each chapter once, then review the road sign chapter twice since signs make up a large share of the 25 questions.

Maryland Speed Limits

Speed limits are one of the most-tested topics on the MD permit exam, and the questions usually test Maryland's statutory default limits -- what the speed is when no sign is posted. Maryland's defaults are unusually granular (Transportation Article Section 21-801.1): 30 mph on business-district highways and undivided residential highways, 35 mph on divided residential highways, 50 mph on other undivided highways, and 55 mph on other divided highways -- plus a 15 mph alley default specific to Baltimore County. 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 Maryland 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 Maryland's zero-tolerance threshold for drivers under 21 is 0.02% (Transportation Article Section 16-113). This alcohol restriction is printed on your license and automatically expires the day you turn 21. A BAC of 0.08% or higher brings 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

The Maryland driver's manual recommends a minimum 3-to-4-second following distance under ideal conditions: pick a fixed object -- a bridge, overpass, or sign -- and count as the vehicle ahead of you passes it; if you reach the object before finishing your count to three, you're following too closely. Increase that to 4 or 5 seconds behind vehicles that stop often (buses, delivery vans), and to 6 to 8 seconds in snow.

Road Sign Colors & Shapes

Road signs on the MD 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 Maryland road-signs page.

Key Maryland 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 MD exam.

Parking Rules

Parking questions on the Maryland 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).

Maryland's no-parking zones (Transportation Article Section 21-1003) you must memorize: within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection (this rule doesn't apply in Baltimore City), within 30 feet on the approach to a flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign, or traffic control signal, and within 50 feet of the nearest rail at a railroad crossing.

GDL Restrictions (MD)

Maryland's learner's permit: after 45 days and 14 hours of supervised driving (3 at night or during sunrise/sunset), you can add limited driving privileges; before the provisional license, a parent or guardian must certify a full 60 hours of supervised driving, including 10 at night. Driver education requires 30 hours of classroom instruction plus 6 hours behind the wheel. The provisional license's night curfew runs midnight to 5 a.m., with exceptions for employment, school activities, volunteer programs, and athletics. Passenger restrictions: for the first 151 days, no passengers under 18 outside your immediate family unless a qualified supervising driver is present. Expect 1-3 GDL questions on the MD 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 Maryland 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.

Maryland Study Guide FAQ