The written test is not really the hard part in Maine — the 70 hours of supervised driving are. But signs are the section you can make nearly perfect in an evening, and there is no reason to lose marks there.
Our questions describe signs in words rather than showing pictures. Identify one from its shape, color and purpose without seeing it and you have learned the system rather than a set of images.
This quiz runs to 25 questions and 20 to pass, the same 80 percent bar Maine applies to the real knowledge test.
Maine Road Signs Test
45, not 55
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| School zone, during recess or opening and closing hours | 15 mph |
| Business or residential area, or built-up portion | 25 mph |
| All other public ways | 45 mph |
These are the statutory defaults under 29-A M.R.S. §2074, which apply unless a sign says otherwise. Under §2073 the Commissioner of Transportation may not set a maximum above 60 mph, or above 75 mph on the interstate system and other divided controlled-access highways, and may not set maximums for the Maine Turnpike at all.
Learn the system, not the pictures
Shapes
- Octagon — stop, and only stop
- Triangle on its point — yield
- Diamond — a warning about what is ahead
- Pentagon — school zone or crossing
- Round — a railroad crossing is ahead
- Crossbuck — the crossing itself
- Pennant, on the left — a no passing zone begins
Colors
- Red stops or prohibits
- Yellow warns about the road
- Orange means a work zone
- Green gives direction and distance
- Blue lists motorist services
- Brown points to parks, forests and historic sites
- White with black text states the law
Parking distances
| Do not park within | Of |
|---|---|
| 15 feet | A fire hydrant |
| 20 feet | A crosswalk |
| 30 feet | A stop sign or traffic signal |
Signs that matter more in Maine
- Moose. Not just a bigger deer. A moose stands well above hood height with a dark coat, so headlights often fail to pick up the body until you are close, and in a collision it comes through the windshield. Brake hard and hold your lane
- Frost heaves. Spring freeze and thaw buckles the surface. Slow before them, not on them
- Black ice forms on bridges and shaded curves first
- Coastal fog arrives in minutes. Low beams, because high beams reflect back at you
- Narrow shoulderless roads with stone walls and trees right at the edge. If something appears in your lane there is often no escape route, which is why solid yellow is so common here
It is the BMV, and it is OUI
Two naming differences trip people up on Maine paperwork. The agency is the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, so every form says BMV rather than DMV. And Maine calls impaired driving OUI, Operating Under the Influence, rather than DUI or DWI.
Next steps
Once you are consistently above 22 out of 25 here, move to the full Maine practice test, which covers the permit timeline, alcohol law and the driving conditions the manual takes seriously. Every figure is on the Maine cheat sheet, including the two conditions your supervising driver must meet, and the process is on the Maine permit guide.
And start logging those 70 hours early. Ten of them have to be at night, and winter darkness arrives fast here.
Disclaimer: Pass The Permit is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles or any government agency. Our questions are original practice material, not real exam questions. Always confirm current figures against the official Maine Motorist Handbook and Title 29-A of the Maine Revised Statutes.