Kentucky CDL — General Knowledge Practice Test
The Kentucky CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has 50 questions, and you need 40 correct (80%) to pass. Practice free with questions written from the official Kentucky driver handbook — every one has a clear explanation, and you can retake as often as you like with no sign-up.
Content reviewed against official driver handbooks · July 7, 2026
What's on the Kentucky written test
The Kentucky CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has 50 questions; you need 40 correct (80%) to pass.
Based on the official Kentucky exam format — always confirm current details with your state DMV.
Practice by topic
Focus on one area at a time — each topic has its own set of Kentucky practice questions.
Learn the shapes, colors, and meanings of regulatory, warning, and guide signs — from stop and yield to construction and school-zone signs.
Speed limits, turning and signaling rules, headlight and seat-belt requirements, and the everyday laws every driver must follow.
How to read traffic signals, lane lines, and pavement markings — including yellow and white lines, arrows, and flashing lights.
Who goes first at intersections, four-way stops, roundabouts, and crosswalks, and how to yield to pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
Following distance, scanning, blind spots, using your lights, and the habits that prevent crashes and keep you in control.
Driving safely around motorcycles, bicycles, large trucks, pedestrians, and school buses — and knowing who has the right of way.
Blood alcohol limits, zero-tolerance and implied-consent laws, and how alcohol and drugs — legal or not — affect your driving.
Legal and illegal parking, colored curbs, distances from hydrants and crossings, and how to park safely on hills.
Choosing a safe speed, keeping a space cushion, adjusting for weather and traffic, and understanding stopping distance.
What to do when things go wrong — brake failure, tire blowouts, skids, and stalling on railroad tracks.
The point system, license suspension, provisional-license rules, insurance requirements, and other licensing basics.
How to pass the first time
- Read the official Kentucky driver handbook at least once before test day.
- Practice by topic to find your weak spots, then fix them.
- Take full-length practice tests until you pass comfortably every time.
- Read every explanation — understanding beats memorizing.
Kentucky CDL — General Knowledge test — frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Kentucky CDL — General Knowledge test?
The Kentucky CDL — General Knowledge knowledge test has 50 questions, and you need 40 correct (80%) to pass. Our practice tests mirror that format.
How many questions can I miss on the Kentucky CDL — General Knowledge test?
You can miss up to 10 of the 50 questions and still pass — you need 40 correct, which is 80%.
Can I retake the practice test?
Yes — practice as often as you like, completely free. The questions and answer choices are shuffled each time.
Can I take the Kentucky practice test in Spanish?
Yes. Every question here is available in English and Spanish — switch languages anytime. Many states also offer the real knowledge test in languages other than English; confirm what Kentucky offers with your DMV.
Can I practice on my phone?
Yes. The practice tests work in any mobile or desktop browser — no app or sign-up needed — so you can study anywhere.
Are these the real DMV test questions?
No. Our questions are original, written from the current official Kentucky driver handbook to match the real test's topics and style. We are not affiliated with any DMV or government agency.
What's the best way to study?
Read the Kentucky driver handbook, practice by topic to target weak areas, and finish with full-length tests until you consistently pass.
Other Kentucky practice tests
Take the CDL — General Knowledge test in another state
Every Kentucky question is written from the official Kentucky driver handbook and checked against its current edition. DMV Test Free is a free, independent study resource — not affiliated with any DMV or government agency. About DMV Test Free
Kentucky CDL — General Knowledge questions with answers
20 sample questions from the Kentucky CDL — General Knowledge question bank — each with the correct answer, a short explanation, and the section of the official handbook it comes from.
1. Besides how much and how fast you drink, your blood alcohol concentration also depends on your:
Correct answer: body weight
BAC depends on the amount of alcohol, how fast you drink, and your weight; a lighter person reaches the same BAC with less.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.22 What Determines BAC
2. After steering around an obstacle in an emergency, you must be ready to:
Correct answer: turn the wheel back the other way
Emergency steering and counter-steering are two parts of one action; be prepared to turn the wheel back once you have passed the obstacle.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.17 How to Turn Quickly and Safely
3. The number one cause of injury and death in roadway work zones is:
Correct answer: speeding traffic
Speeding traffic is the leading cause of injury and death in work zones; obey posted limits and slow further near workers.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.6 Roadway Work Zones
4. When applying for a commercial driving job, you must give your employer details of all driving jobs held during the past:
Correct answer: 10 years
You must provide your employer with information on all driving jobs you have held for the past 10 years when you apply for a commercial driving job.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 1.4 Other CDL Rules
5. Before pulling a bus away from a stop to merge with traffic, you should:
Correct answer: wait for a large enough gap to open
Know the size of the gap your bus needs and wait for it to open; never assume other drivers will brake to give you room.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 4.3 Common Accidents
6. Battery fluid and hydrochloric acid are examples of which hazard class?
Correct answer: Class 8, Corrosives
Corrosives such as hydrochloric acid and battery fluid are listed as hazard Class 8.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.23 Hazard Class Definitions
7. A driver whose rear window is blocked or whose windows are frosted is a hazard because they:
Correct answer: cannot see you and may move into your path
People who cannot see others are a dangerous hazard; a driver with blocked vision may back out or change lanes into you.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.8 Blocked Vision
8. When changing lanes, a commercial driver should:
Correct answer: signal, then change lanes slowly and smoothly
Put on your turn signal before you change lanes, then move over slowly and smoothly so an unseen driver has a chance to react.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.5 Lane Changes
9. Because backing is dangerous, when you park you should try to:
Correct answer: position the vehicle so you can pull forward to leave
Avoid backing when you can; park so that you will be able to pull forward when you leave.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.2 Backing Safely
10. An easy way to check whether the road is beginning to ice up is to feel the:
Correct answer: front of the mirror, its support, or the antenna
Open the window and feel the front of the mirror, the mirror support, or the antenna; ice there means the road is probably icing.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.6 Vehicle Icing
11. A Class C CDL may be required for a vehicle under 26,001 pounds if it:
Correct answer: carries 16 or more passengers or requires hazmat placards
Class C covers smaller vehicles only when they carry 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or transport placarded hazardous materials.
Source: KY CDL Manual, CDL Classifications
12. Over-the-counter cold medicines are a concern for drivers because they can:
Correct answer: make the driver drowsy
Many prescription and over-the-counter drugs, such as cold medicines, can make a driver drowsy or otherwise unsafe.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.22 Other Drugs
13. To correct a drive-wheel braking skid, your first move should be to:
Correct answer: stop braking so the rear wheels can roll again
Stop braking so the rear wheels can roll again, then counter-steer as the vehicle straightens out.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.19 Correcting a Drive-wheel Braking Skid
14. Compared with a fully loaded truck, an empty truck generally:
Correct answer: requires a greater stopping distance because it has less traction
An empty truck has less traction, so it requires a greater stopping distance than when it is fully loaded.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.6 Effect of Vehicle Weight
15. Kentucky's farm-to-market CDL exemption applies within the state or, when crossing state lines, within how many highway miles of the origin?
Correct answer: 150 miles
The exemption covers farm-to-market agricultural transportation used within Kentucky or within 150 highway miles of the point of origin if crossing state lines.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Exemptions
16. When making a left turn at an intersection, you should begin the turn only after:
Correct answer: reaching the center of the intersection
Reach the center of the intersection before you start a left turn; turning too soon can let off-tracking swing your left side into another vehicle.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.7 Left Turns
17. A red triangle framing an orange center, displayed on the rear of farm machinery, tells you the vehicle is:
Correct answer: traveling well below the speed of normal traffic
The slow-moving vehicle emblem, a red triangle around an orange center, warns that the vehicle ahead is traveling well below normal traffic speed.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.8 Slow Drivers
18. Strong winds make staying in your lane hardest for:
Correct answer: lighter vehicles, and are worst leaving a tunnel
Strong winds are usually a bigger problem for lighter vehicles and can be especially bad coming out of a tunnel.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.7 Strong Winds
19. The two-inch floor line on a bus that shows riders where they may not stand is called the:
Correct answer: standee line
Buses built to allow standing must have a standee line, about two inches wide, behind which all standing riders must stay.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 4.2 Standee Line
20. If you must stop on a road or shoulder, you must put out your emergency warning devices within:
Correct answer: 10 minutes
You must set out your emergency warning devices within ten minutes of stopping on a road or shoulder.
Source: KY CDL Manual, Sec 2.5 When Parked at the Side of the Road