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Free NYC Motor Vehicle Operator Practice Questions

City drivers sit the Motor Vehicle Operator exam. This sample takes ten questions from the five sections of our practice exams for the title, each with the reason every wrong option is wrong.

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Question 1

You are driving in New York City on a street with no speed limit sign posted. What is the speed limit?
  1. A. 20 mph
  2. B. 30 mph
  3. C. 25 mph
  4. D. 35 mph
Show the answer

The answer is C. The speed limit in New York City is 25 mph unless another limit is posted.

  • A is wrong: 20 mph is a posted school zone limit, not the citywide default.
  • B is wrong: 30 mph is the default in much of New York State outside the city, not in it.
  • D is wrong: 35 mph applies only on a street where it is posted.

Question 2

You are stopped at a red light in New York City and want to turn right. No sign at the intersection says anything about turning on red. You may
  1. A. turn right after stopping
  2. B. turn right without stopping, if the way is clear
  3. C. turn right after stopping, provided no pedestrian is in the crosswalk
  4. D. not turn until the light turns green
Show the answer

The answer is D. Turning on a red light is not allowed anywhere in New York City unless a sign is posted that permits it. With no sign, you wait for green.

  • A is wrong: Stopping first is the rule in the rest of the state; in the city there is no turn on red without a sign.
  • B is wrong: This would be wrong even where turns on red are allowed, because a full stop comes first.
  • C is wrong: A clear crosswalk does not create a permission the city has not given.

Question 3

A school bus ahead of you on a two-lane road stops and puts on its flashing red lights. Traffic is coming the other way. You must
  1. A. stop, while the traffic coming the other way may continue
  2. B. stop, and so must the traffic coming the other way
  3. C. slow to 10 mph and pass with care
  4. D. pass on the left if no children are in the road
Show the answer

The answer is B. In New York, traffic approaching a stopped school bus with flashing red lights must stop from either direction, and you stop at least 20 feet away.

  • A is wrong: Both directions must stop, not only the traffic behind the bus.
  • C is wrong: There is no slow-and-pass allowance for flashing red lights.
  • D is wrong: Passing a stopped school bus with red lights flashing is exactly what the law forbids.

Question 4

In good conditions on a dry road, how much space should you keep between your vehicle and the one ahead?
  1. A. One second
  2. B. Two seconds
  3. C. Four seconds
  4. D. One vehicle length, whatever the speed
Show the answer

The answer is B. Use the two-second rule: as the vehicle ahead passes a fixed object, count one thousand one, one thousand two, and you should not reach the object before you finish.

  • A is wrong: One second leaves no room to react at any useful speed.
  • C is wrong: Four seconds is what you increase to in bad conditions, not the fair-weather rule.
  • D is wrong: A fixed length ignores speed, which is what decides the distance you need.

Question 5

It is raining hard and the road is wet. Your following distance should be
  1. A. increased to at least three or four seconds
  2. B. the same, since the two-second rule already allows for weather
  3. C. reduced, so that you can see the vehicle ahead through the spray
  4. D. decided by the posted speed limit
Show the answer

The answer is A. In bad conditions the manual says to increase the count to at least three or four seconds.

  • B is wrong: Two seconds is the fair-weather figure; the manual increases it for bad conditions.
  • C is wrong: Closing up in the rain is how a driver ends up in the vehicle ahead.
  • D is wrong: The speed limit is a maximum, not a following distance.

Question 6

According to the job description for this title, which of these does the operator check before driving?
  1. A. The wheel alignment and the suspension travel
  2. B. The engine timing and the fuel injectors
  3. C. The tires, oil and fuel
  4. D. The brake pad thickness with a gauge
Show the answer

The answer is C. The operator checks the tires, oil and fuel, replenishes fluids as needed, and checks that the lights, horn and brakes appear to be operating properly.

  • A is wrong: Alignment and suspension travel are measured in a shop.
  • B is wrong: Timing and injectors are a mechanic's work, not a driver's daily check.
  • D is wrong: The driver checks that the brakes appear to work, not the pad thickness with a gauge.

Question 7

During the readiness check you find one tire noticeably softer than the others. You should
  1. A. drive the run and then report it at the end of the day
  2. B. have it checked and corrected before the vehicle goes out
  3. C. let air out of the others to match
  4. D. drive the run at a lower speed
Show the answer

The answer is B. An under-inflated tire runs hot, wears badly and makes hydroplaning more likely, so it is dealt with before the vehicle leaves.

  • A is wrong: The point of a readiness check is to catch this before the run, not after.
  • C is wrong: Deflating three good tires turns one fault into four.
  • D is wrong: Lower speed does not stop an under-inflated tire heating up.

Question 8

You are loading boxes of different weights into a van. Where should the heaviest boxes go?
  1. A. At the back, so they come out first
  2. B. Low down and over the axles
  3. C. On top, so nothing is crushed underneath
  4. D. Wherever there is space, since the van is rated for the load
Show the answer

The answer is B. Weight low down and over the axles keeps the vehicle stable and puts the load where the suspension is designed to carry it.

  • A is wrong: All the weight at the back lightens the front and makes the steering vague.
  • C is wrong: Heavy items on top raise the center of gravity, which is what tips a vehicle in a turn.
  • D is wrong: A weight rating is a total, not permission to put it anywhere.

Question 9

A written instruction states: "Record the odometer reading at the start and at the end of each tour. Where the vehicle is refueled during the tour, record the odometer reading at the pump as well." You refuel twice during one tour. How many odometer readings do you record?
  1. A. Two
  2. B. Three
  3. C. Four
  4. D. Five
Show the answer

The answer is C. Start and end make two, and each of the two refuelings adds one, which is four.

  • A is wrong: This counts the start and end and ignores the refuelings.
  • B is wrong: This counts only one of the two refuelings in the tour.
  • D is wrong: There is no fifth reading in the instruction.

Question 10

A written instruction states: "A trip report is completed for every trip outside the garage. A trip within the garage grounds requires no report. Where a trip outside the garage is canceled before the vehicle leaves, no report is required." You are sent out, the trip is canceled while you are still in the yard, and you then make one delivery run. How many trip reports do you complete?
  1. A. One
  2. B. None
  3. C. Two
  4. D. Three
Show the answer

The answer is A. The canceled trip needed no report because the vehicle never left, so only the delivery run is reported.

  • B is wrong: The delivery run left the garage and needs a report.
  • C is wrong: The canceled trip is expressly exempt from a report.
  • D is wrong: There were only two trips in question, and one of them is exempt.
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