Card 1 · Learner eligibility
A 15-year-old has not taken a driver-training class and wants Montana’s ordinary learner permit. Must the applicant wait until 16 solely because no course was taken?
- Yes; the non-course route begins only at 16.
- No; a 15-year-old may drive alone without a permit.
- No; the current ordinary learner route is available at 15, subject to the tests and other requirements.
- Yes; the non-course route begins only at 18.
Show answer for card 1
Correct answer: No; the current ordinary learner route is available at 15, subject to the tests and other requirements.
The current MVD page permits the non-driver-education learner route at 15. The handbook’s older age-16 wording is not current.
Source: Montana MVD, Drivers Under 18: Step 1, Learner Permit; current published page reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 2 · Learner eligibility
A student is 14½ and successfully participating in an approved Montana traffic-education course. What early learner route can apply?
- A one-year learner license under the approved traffic-education provision.
- An unrestricted license for any solo trip.
- A learner license based only on informal lessons from a friend.
- No learner privilege before 16 even in an approved course.
Show answer for card 2
Correct answer: A one-year learner license under the approved traffic-education provision.
The early route depends on approved traffic education and the statutory conditions. It is not an unrestricted license or an exception for informal instruction.
Source: Montana Code Annotated 2025, 61-5-106, subsection (2); current published text reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 3 · Learner permits
How long is an ordinary Montana learner license valid from issuance?
- Six months.
- Two years.
- Until the holder turns 21.
- One year.
Show answer for card 3
Correct answer: One year.
Permit validity is separate from the minimum holding period before progression. An expired permit does not authorize continued practice.
Source: Montana Code Annotated 2025, 61-5-106, subsection (1)(a); current published text reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 4 · Supervised practice
A 16-year-old learner wants to practice with a licensed 19-year-old friend who is not a parent or guardian. What additional condition is required for that supervisor?
- The friend must be at least 25 even with permission.
- Permission from the learner’s parent or legal guardian.
- No permission is needed because the friend is legally an adult.
- The friend must own the practice vehicle.
Show answer for card 4
Correct answer: Permission from the learner’s parent or legal guardian.
For an ordinary minor learner, the statute permits a licensed adult age 18 or older with parent or guardian permission. The supervisor must also occupy the required beside-the-learner position.
Source: Montana Code Annotated 2025, 61-5-106, subsection (1)(b)(i); current published text reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 5 · Supervised practice
A learner’s qualified supervisor proposes following in a second car during ordinary car practice. Does that satisfy the required position?
- Yes, if the cars stay within sight.
- No; the licensed supervisor must sit beside the learner.
- Yes, if both drivers use hands-free phones.
- Yes, for trips that stay within town.
Show answer for card 5
Correct answer: No; the licensed supervisor must sit beside the learner.
The ordinary car learner provision requires a licensed driver seated beside the learner. Motorcycle-specific visual-supervision provisions do not transfer to car practice.
Source: Montana Code Annotated 2025, 61-5-106, subsection (1)(a); current published text reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 6 · Graduated licensing
A teen has finished the required supervised hours but has held the learner permit for only four months. What minimum permit period does current MVD guidance require before progression?
- Four months if all practice hours are finished.
- Exactly 30 days.
- One year regardless of the other requirements.
- At least six months plus one day.
Show answer for card 6
Correct answer: At least six months plus one day.
Completing practice hours does not replace the permit holding period. Current MVD guidance requires both before the first-year restricted license.
Source: Montana MVD, Drivers Under 18: NCLP Conditions, progression; current published page reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 7 · Graduated licensing
Which supervised practice total is required for Montana’s teen progression from the learner stage?
- 50 hours, including 10 at night.
- 30 hours, including five at night.
- 50 hours with no nighttime requirement.
- 70 hours, including 20 at night.
Show answer for card 7
Correct answer: 50 hours, including 10 at night.
The parent, guardian or responsible adult must log the practice. Nighttime experience is part of the total, not an optional substitute.
Source: Montana MVD, Drivers Under 18: NCLP Conditions, supervised practice; current published page reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 8 · Graduated licensing
A teen completes the hours and holding period but received a traffic violation during the preceding six months. What does MVD’s progression rule require?
- Only a paid ticket receipt; the recent violation cannot affect progression.
- No review of violations once the practice log is complete.
- A six-month period without traffic violations or alcohol/drug offenses before advancing.
- A clean period only for applicants who did not take driver education.
Show answer for card 8
Correct answer: A six-month period without traffic violations or alcohol/drug offenses before advancing.
The clean-record condition is separate from practice and elapsed permit time. Completing one requirement does not erase the others.
Source: Montana MVD, Drivers Under 18: Restrictions for an NCLP; current published page reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 9 · First-year restrictions
During the first six months of a restricted license, a 16-year-old car driver has no licensed adult supervisor. How many unrelated passengers under 18 are ordinarily allowed?
- No more than three.
- Any number that can fit in seat belts.
- No more than one.
- None under any circumstances.
Show answer for card 9
Correct answer: No more than one.
The first-six-month rule allows one under-18 passenger, with exceptions for qualifying adult supervision and additional family members. This question excludes those exceptions.
Source: Montana Code Annotated 2025, 61-5-133, subsection (1)(c)(i); current published text reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 10 · First-year restrictions
A 17-year-old is in the second six months of the first-year restriction period, with no adult supervisor. Four unrelated 17-year-old friends want a ride. What is the correct decision?
- Do not carry all four; the ordinary limit is three unrelated passengers under 18.
- Carry all four if every seat has a belt.
- Carry all four because passenger limits end after six months.
- Carry all four if the trip is shorter than 10 miles.
Show answer for card 10
Correct answer: Do not carry all four; the ordinary limit is three unrelated passengers under 18.
The second-six-month limit increases to three, not an unlimited number. Family and qualifying-supervisor exceptions are not present here.
Source: Montana Code Annotated 2025, 61-5-133, subsection (1)(c)(ii); current published text reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 11 · First-year restrictions
A driver turns 18 before the first anniversary of the restricted license. When do these first-year minor restrictions end?
- Only on the first anniversary regardless of age.
- After a second road test in every case.
- At age 21.
- At age 18, because the earlier of that birthday and one year controls.
Show answer for card 11
Correct answer: At age 18, because the earlier of that birthday and one year controls.
The statute limits this restriction period to one year from issuance or the 18th birthday, whichever occurs first.
Source: Montana Code Annotated 2025, 61-5-133, subsection (1), duration; current published text reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 12 · First-year restrictions
When no statutory exception applies, during which hours may a first-year restricted teen not drive?
- Midnight to 6 a.m.
- 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
- Only during the first hour after sunset.
Show answer for card 12
Correct answer: 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The restriction has specific exceptions, including qualifying supervision and specified trips. The ordinary prohibited window is 11 p.m. through 5 a.m.
Source: Montana Code Annotated 2025, 61-5-133, subsection (1)(b); current published text reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 13 · First-year restrictions
A restricted teen finishes a work shift after 11 p.m. and drives directly from the workplace to home. Which nighttime exception applies?
- No employment trip can qualify after 11 p.m.
- The direct work-to-home trip is an authorized employment exception.
- The exception applies only if an employer rides along.
- The exception permits any social detour before going home.
Show answer for card 13
Correct answer: The direct work-to-home trip is an authorized employment exception.
The statute includes travel between the residence and employment and driving within the course and scope of employment. Do not turn that specific purpose into unrestricted nighttime travel.
Source: Montana Code Annotated 2025, 61-5-133, subsection (1)(b)(ii); current published text reviewed September 29, 2026 ↗ · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 14 · License classes
Which Montana credential is the basic non-commercial driver license for ordinary personal-car operation?
- Class R.
- Class A CDL.
- Class B CDL.
- Class D.
Show answer for card 14
Correct answer: Class D.
Montana uses Class D for the basic non-commercial license. License labels from another state must not be carried over blindly.
Source: Montana Driver Manual, Revised April 2024, p. 1: Class D Standard Driver License · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 15 · License restrictions
Your license requires corrective lenses. What is appropriate for a short drive in clear daylight?
- Wear the required glasses or contact lenses while driving.
- Keep the glasses in the glove box until needed.
- Omit them because the route is familiar.
- Use them only when reading distant road signs.
Show answer for card 15
Correct answer: Wear the required glasses or contact lenses while driving.
The corrective-lens requirement is not limited to darkness or unfamiliar roads. Having the lenses nearby is not the same as using them.
Source: Montana Driver Manual, Revised April 2024, p. 70: Corrective lenses · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 16 · Tire care
How should you determine and check the correct tire pressure before a trip?
- Judge only by whether the tire looks round.
- Use the highest pressure listed on any tire as the normal target.
- Use a pressure gauge when the tires are cold and follow the vehicle owner’s recommended pressure.
- Add the same extra pressure before every highway trip.
Show answer for card 16
Correct answer: Use a pressure gauge when the tires are cold and follow the vehicle owner’s recommended pressure.
A tire can look acceptable while improperly inflated. Use the vehicle’s recommended pressure and a gauge rather than appearance or an arbitrary increase.
Source: Montana Driver Manual, Revised April 2024, p. 13: Tires · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 17 · Visibility equipment
Your wipers no longer clear the windshield reliably. Rain is forecast. What should you do before relying on the car?
- Continue routine driving and replace them only after they stop completely.
- Rely on windshield treatment instead of restoring the wipers.
- Repair the wipers so they work properly.
- Plan to stop only after rain has blocked your view.
Show answer for card 17
Correct answer: Repair the wipers so they work properly.
The manual requires working windshield wipers. Lighting and airflow cannot substitute for a clear windshield.
Source: Montana Driver Manual, Revised April 2024, p. 13: Windshield and wipers · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 18 · Preparing to drive
Before pulling away, what is the best time to position the seat and mirrors?
- Before moving, so the controls are reachable and the rearward views are set.
- After entering traffic so the seating position feels realistic.
- Only after reaching the highway.
- Whenever another driver warns that you are drifting.
Show answer for card 18
Correct answer: Before moving, so the controls are reachable and the rearward views are set.
Set up the driving position before the vehicle moves. Adjusting while entering traffic competes with the attention needed for a safe departure.
Source: Montana Driver Manual, Revised April 2024, p. 19: Adjust seat and mirrors · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 19 · Fitness to drive
You are having difficulty staying alert during a long trip. What is the safer response?
- Raise the radio volume and keep going.
- Open a window and assume alertness has returned.
- Follow another car closely to maintain concentration.
- Stop in a safe place and rest rather than continue driving tired.
Show answer for card 19
Correct answer: Stop in a safe place and rest rather than continue driving tired.
Fatigue can affect vision and decision time. Temporary stimulation does not replace adequate rest or remove the need to stop driving when too tired.
Source: Montana Driver Manual, Revised April 2024, p. 71: Fatigue · Original question review: 2026-09-29
Card 20 · Attention
Your eyes are on the road, but a demanding conversation occupies your thoughts. Can that still be a driving distraction?
- No; only looking away can cause distraction.
- Yes; mental activity that takes attention from driving can also be dangerous.
- No; passengers are harmless if the driver keeps both hands on the wheel.
- Only if the vehicle is moving above 55 mph.
Show answer for card 20
Correct answer: Yes; mental activity that takes attention from driving can also be dangerous.
Driving requires attention as well as eyes and hands. A mentally absorbing task can delay recognition of hazards even without an obvious glance away.
Source: Montana Driver Manual, Revised April 2024, p. 49: Distraction · Original question review: 2026-09-29
