Alaska DMV Permit Test common mistakes
Alaska DMV Permit Test · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Treating a flashing yellow arrow as though it grants a protected right of way and turning across oncoming traffic without yielding.
Candidates memorise 'yellow means caution' and lump all yellow signals together, so they miss that a flashing yellow arrow means the turn is permitted but unprotected and oncoming traffic still has a green.
What to do instead
Learn the four arrow states as a set: red arrow = stop, steady yellow arrow = prepare to stop, flashing yellow arrow = yield to oncoming traffic then turn, green arrow = protected turn. Drill the flashing yellow case specifically until 'yield first' is automatic.
Rolling through a stop sign or stopping behind the limit line and then creeping forward without a second full stop.
In real driving the stop often feels like a formality when the intersection looks clear, and candidates transfer that habit into the test instead of performing the complete stop the law requires.
What to do instead
Practise the full sequence every time: stop with the front bumper behind the limit line or crosswalk, scan left-right-left, then proceed. On the exam, say the sequence to yourself so the stop is deliberate rather than habitual.
Turning left on a green light without yielding to oncoming traffic or to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Candidates conflate 'green means go' with 'green means I have the right of way', forgetting that a solid green gives permission to enter the intersection but not priority over oncoming vehicles or pedestrians.
What to do instead
Memorise the rule that a solid green light means you may proceed only when the way is clear, and that left-turning traffic must yield to oncoming vehicles and to pedestrians. Rehearse the left-turn decision as: enter, yield, then complete.
Following too closely in normal conditions, using a gap of about one second instead of a full three seconds.
Candidates estimate distance by feel rather than by counting, and the three-second rule is often memorised as a phrase without ever being practised behind the wheel.
What to do instead
Learn the three-second rule as a measurable procedure: pick a fixed roadside object, count 'one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, one-thousand-three' from when the vehicle ahead passes it, and adjust. Add more time in rain, ice, darkness, or when following large vehicles.
Passing a cyclist without leaving adequate space or waiting until it is safe to move over.
Candidates underestimate how much a cyclist can be deflected by wind, potholes, or gravel and treat passing as a simple matter of squeezing by in the same lane.
What to do instead
Treat a cyclist as a full vehicle: slow down, wait until oncoming traffic is clear, and change lanes or leave a wide buffer when passing. Never pass closely and never crowd a cyclist toward the shoulder.
Believing that coffee, a cold shower, or fresh air can sober a person up enough to drive.
These myths are widely repeated in everyday conversation, and candidates answer from folk belief rather than from the fact that only time removes alcohol from the body.
What to do instead
Memorise the single fact that only time metabolises alcohol; nothing speeds it up. Pair this with the practical rule of designating a sober driver in advance rather than deciding after drinking.
Driving at the posted speed limit on snow or ice because the sign says that speed is legal.
Candidates learn that the posted limit is the maximum and forget the basic speed law, which requires driving slower when conditions make the posted limit unsafe.
What to do instead
Learn the basic speed law: never drive faster than is safe for current conditions, regardless of the posted limit. In winter, reduce speed, increase following distance, and brake and steer gently rather than abruptly.
Parking facing against the flow of traffic on a two-way street, or parking within the prohibited distance of a crosswalk, fire hydrant, or stop sign.
Candidates focus on whether a space looks empty and legal-ish rather than on the direction of parking and the measured no-parking zones, which are easy to forget under test pressure.
What to do instead
Memorise the parking checklist: park on the right side in the direction of traffic, and keep clear of hydrants, crosswalks, stop signs, intersections, and driveways by the distances your manual specifies. Check direction first, then clearance.
Failing to use headlights in rain, snow, fog, or low light because the driver can see well enough.
Candidates think of headlights as being for the driver's own vision rather than for being seen by others, so they skip them whenever visibility seems adequate.
What to do instead
Reframe headlights as a visibility-to-others device: turn them on in rain, snow, fog, and low light, and know when to switch from high to low beams so you do not blind oncoming drivers.
Braking hard and swerving when a moose or other large animal appears on the road.
The instinctive reaction is to stop as fast as possible, but hard braking at speed can cause a loss of control, and swerving into oncoming traffic or off the shoulder is often more dangerous than the animal itself.
What to do instead
Learn the wildlife response: slow down, keep both hands on the wheel, and brake firmly in a controlled way rather than swerving. Scan the shoulders at dawn and dusk, and remember that moose are tall enough to come through the windshield.