Studying for the Indiana Permit Test

Before you study: how the exam is put together

The exam runs on a computer and every question comes out of the Indiana Driver's Manual. One section tests traffic signs. The other, traffic maneuvers, tests laws and safe driving. Each section is scored on its own and each needs 80 percent, so acing the signs will not carry a weak traffic score.

The BMV practice exam points you to the source. Every sign question is built from Chapter 6, where sign shapes, colors and symbols are explained. Traffic questions draw on the laws in Chapter 6 and the two chapters after it. The final chapter, 9, is nothing but sample questions.

Who has to take it, and when

Most drivers see this exam once, for their first permit. It comes back in a few situations: a learner's permit renewal, a license renewal with six or more points on the record, a move to Indiana from abroad, a license that has been expired over 180 days, or a new endorsement.

Teens can apply at 15 if enrolled in approved driver ed with a Certificate of Driver Education, or at 16 without a course. Adults take the identical exam. A newcomer under 18 who brings a license from another state also takes the knowledge exam and vision screening, along with showing that license or a driving record.

On exam day: timing and second chances

Nobody books this exam in advance. What catches people is the cutoff: if fewer than 30 minutes remain before the branch closes, you will be told to come back.

A failed attempt can be repeated one business day later. A pass lasts 180 days, which gives you room if your paperwork is not finished. Do not confuse this with the road test, which has a 7 day wait after a fail and a two month wait after three failures on one permit.

If English is not your first language

Beyond English, there are 19 exam languages. From Europe: Spanish, French, German, Polish, Russian, Serbian and Croatian. From Asia: Mandarin (simplified Chinese), Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Hindi, Punjabi, Burmese and Chin. Plus Arabic, Swahili and Haitian Creole.

Speak something else? Schedule an interpreter appointment on the BMV site and bring the interpreter yourself, since the BMV supplies none for spoken languages. Only one person may help, and they sign an affidavit promising to translate and do nothing more. If your language is already on the list, an interpreter is not allowed.

ASL interpreters are arranged by phone (888-692-6841, the BMV Contact Center) or at a branch, and the exam must fall on a later day than the booking.

What to study, chapter by chapter

The manual is on the BMV site as one download and as separate chapters. The BMV cautions that printed copies are refreshed at most once a year and can be out of date. Translated manuals exist in ten languages, among them Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hakha Chin, Burmese and Arabic, with French, Hindi, Japanese and Punjabi as well.

Put your hours into three chapters. Chapter 6 is signs and signals. Chapter 7 is safe vehicle operation, including how to share lanes with bicycles, motorcycles and motor driven cycles. Chapter 8 deals with crashes and emergencies, such as a car that breaks down and the warning devices you must carry.

Instructor tip for parents: quiz signs by shape and color first, then meaning. Teens who can name a sign from its outline alone tend to sail through that half.

Using the BMV practice exam well

The free BMV practice exam copies the real layout, with a sign part and a traffic part. Score each part separately, because that is how the real exam is graded.

Where a part comes in under 80 percent, watch the BMV's short video for that chapter and then take the practice exam again. Repeat until both parts are comfortably above the line.

Same visit: the vision screening

Every permit applicant gets a vision screening at the branch. Wear your glasses or contacts if you drive in them; a corrective lens restriction goes on the permit.

Alternatively, an eye doctor can complete State Form 56520, Vision Screening Documentation. If you do not meet the standard at the branch, you are referred to an eye care professional and screened again later.