Do you have to get every road sign question right on the permit test?

By the Permito team · Facts checked against the Virginia DMV, Georgia DDS and New York DMV exam pages and North Carolina rule 19A NCAC 03B .0201 · Updated November 9, 2026 · Sources checked November 9, 2026 · How we check facts

How does the Virginia road sign part work?

Virginia’s knowledge exam has two parts. Part one is 10 road sign questions, and all ten must be answered correctly. Part two is 30 general knowledge questions, and you must answer 24 correctly to pass (Virginia DMV). That is 40 questions in all, but the rule is set per part, so “80% overall” does not describe it: 39 of 40 with one sign missed is not a pass.

The same page sets the retake rules. If you are under 18 you must wait a full 15 days before retaking the exam, and anyone who fails it three times must complete the classroom part of a Virginia-approved driver training program before trying again (Virginia DMV). More on Virginia: Virginia permit test guide and Virginia practice test: ten questions with explanations.

How does Georgia score road signs?

Georgia’s knowledge exam has a road signs test and a road rules test. On the signs test you identify signs, signals and markers and must answer 15 of 20 correctly; the road rules test also needs 15 of 20 (Georgia DDS). Each part has its own minimum, so 20 of 20 on rules does not rescue 14 of 20 on signs.

Georgia adds a language rule that matters if English is not your first language: the road rules test is available in some other languages, but the road signs test is given in English only (Georgia DDS). For a state that moved its whole test to English, see Can you take the Florida permit test in Spanish?. Georgia’s numbers and rules are in the Georgia permit test guide.

How many road signs do you need in North Carolina?

North Carolina’s rule lists the road sign examination separately from the knowledge examination. For a regular Class C license you must correctly identify 9 of 12 road signs; applicants for Class A or B licenses must identify all road signs. On the knowledge examination, 80 percent of the questions must be answered correctly (N.C. rule 19A NCAC 03B .0201).

Two more details from the same rule: the knowledge examination has an audio option with earphones for applicants with reading comprehension difficulties, and drivers renewing a North Carolina license in person take the road signs test again, along with the vision test (N.C. rule 19A NCAC 03B .0201). See the North Carolina permit test guide and North Carolina practice test: ten questions with explanations.

How do road sign questions count in New York?

New York’s written test for a Class D, M, DJ, MJ or E license has 20 questions. You must answer at least 14 correctly, and two of the four questions about road signs must be among your correct answers (NY DMV Driver’s Manual). The sign questions sit inside the 20, so they count twice: toward the 14 and toward their own minimum of 2. A learner who misses three of the four sign questions fails, even with 17 of 20 correct.

New York’s facts are in the New York permit test guide; ten practice questions are in the New York practice test: ten questions with explanations.

Which road sign shapes and colors are worth learning first?

The federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), the national standard for road signs, reserves some shapes for one sign or one series. The octagon is used only for STOP, the downward-pointing triangle only for YIELD, the circle only for the railroad grade crossing advance warning sign, the pennant only for NO PASSING ZONE, and the crossbuck only for the railroad grade crossing sign. The upward-pointing pentagon is limited to two signs: the school sign, with squared bottom corners, and the county route marker, with tapered sides (MUTCD Sections 2A.05 and 2A.06). Learn these first, because each of these shapes points to a single sign or, for the pentagon, to two.

Colors group the rest. In the MUTCD’s table of common sign colors, warning signs are black on yellow, temporary traffic control (work zone) signs are black on orange, and school signs are black on fluorescent yellow-green (MUTCD Sections 2A.05 and 2A.06). Every sign Permito teaches is on our Road signs: every sign with its name and meaning page, with the Regulatory signs and Warning signs groups on their own pages.

Does a separate sign score change how you should study?

Yes. In a state with its own sign minimum, put signs early in your plan: there are fewer sign questions to learn, and in Virginia the bar is every one of them (Virginia DMV). In Virginia, a practice score of 9 out of 10 on signs is a fail (Virginia DMV), so practice until every sign is automatic, first from the picture to the meaning and then from the meaning to the picture. In New York the four sign questions also count toward the overall 14 of 20 (NY DMV Driver’s Manual), so every sign you learn helps twice. Each state’s rule, with the agency link and our check date, is in the Questions and pass mark by state, with sources.

The bottom line

Virginia needs all 10 sign questions right, Georgia 15 of 20, North Carolina 9 of 12 for a regular license, and New York at least 2 of its 4 sign questions inside a 14-of-20 pass (Virginia DMV) (Georgia DDS) (N.C. rule 19A NCAC 03B .0201) (NY DMV Driver’s Manual). Learn the shapes the MUTCD reserves for single signs first, then the colors, then the symbols.

Related guides

• Can you take the Florida permit test in Spanish?
• What if the driver handbook and the law disagree?

Keep going

• Virginia permit test guide: question count, pass mark and state rules
• Virginia practice test: ten questions with explanations
• Georgia permit test guide: question count, pass mark and state rules
• Georgia practice test: ten questions with explanations
• North Carolina permit test guide: question count, pass mark and state rules
• North Carolina practice test: ten questions with explanations
• New York permit test guide: question count, pass mark and state rules
• New York practice test: ten questions with explanations
• Road signs: every sign with its name and meaning
• Questions and pass mark by state, with sources
• All permit test guides

Sources

Sources checked on November 9, 2026.

1. Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles: The Knowledge Exam (web page, read November 9, 2026).
2. Georgia Department of Driver Services: Section 3: Testing Information (DDS Driver’s Manual) (DDS Driver’s Manual 2023-2024, web edition read November 9, 2026).
3. North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings (N.C. Administrative Code): 19A NCAC 03B .0201, Driver’s License Examination and Online Renewal (readopted effective November 1, 2021).
4. New York State Department of Motor Vehicles: Driver’s Manual, Chapter 1: Driver Licenses (web edition, read November 9, 2026).
5. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA): Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Section 1B.01 and Sections 2A.05 Shapes (Table 2A-1) and 2A.06 Colors (Table 2A-2) (11th Edition with Revision 1 (December 2025)).

Rules change. Check your state’s official handbook before your test. Permito is a private study app, not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. Found a mistake? Write to support@permito.app and we will check it against the source. How we check facts.