California motorcycle permit practice tests
California DMV sets the passing score at 80% but does not publish a question count.
The DMV states a passing score of 80% on multiple-choice questions drawn from the California Motorcycle Handbook, but does not publish how many questions the test has. So this exam scores you at 80% — the part California actually specifies — and we do not invent a question count.
This is still worth it if:
- The threshold is the part that matters, and it is the real one: 80%.
- If you are under 21, California requires a CHP-approved training course before it will issue your permit — this is how you arrive ready for it.
Practice by section
Seven sections of riding knowledge plus California's own laws — 78 questions, every one explained. Free, no signup, and your place is saved if you stop halfway.
Controls & basic operation
Where every control is and what it does — the questions that assume you have actually sat on a bike. · 10 questions
2Turning, braking & swerving
Using both brakes, countersteering, and why swerving and braking do not mix. · 10 questions
3SEE strategy & lane position
Search, Evaluate, Execute — and which third of the lane buys you the most space. · 10 questions
4Traction & road hazards
Grooved pavement, steel plates, wet paint, gravel and rain — surfaces a car shrugs off and a bike does not. · 10 questions
5Passengers & cargo
How a passenger changes the handling, and where load belongs on a motorcycle. · 10 questions
6Group riding
Staggered formation, spacing, and passing as a group without closing your own escape route. · 10 questions
7Alcohol, drugs & fatigue
Why impairment costs a rider more than a driver — the balance and judgement a motorcycle needs most. · 10 questions
8State laws
Helmet law, eye protection, lane splitting and permit limits — the rules that genuinely change at the state line. · 8 questions
Road signs
Signs are federal, so the ones on a motorcycle test are the ones on any other test. Practise them free on the road signs page.
California's own rules
8 of these questions are specific to California — helmet law, eye protection, permit restrictions and equipment. These are the ones that change at the state line, and they are why a generic motorcycle practice test is not enough.
The official manual
California DMV publishes the California Motorcycle Operator Manual free. Read the official manual. Everything here is written from it — if something does not match, the manual is right and we would like to know.
Common questions
Does California require a motorcycle written test?
Yes. California DMV requires a motorcycle knowledge test.
How many questions are on the California motorcycle test?
California DMV does not publish a question count — it publishes a passing score of 80%. Any site quoting you an exact count for California is quoting a number the agency has not released.
Where is the official California motorcycle manual?
California DMV publishes it free. Open the official manual — where this site and the manual disagree, the manual wins.