All Nova Scotia practice tests

Nova Scotia Driving Test Practice 2026 – Free Nova Scotia Class 7 Questions

Original questions written from the official Nova Scotia handbook, with an explanation for every answer.

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  • 317 questions
  • 8 practice tests
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Practice test 1 · Question 1Score 0/0

Why is a do not pass sign often posted before a work zone lane closure?

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All Nova Scotia Class 7 practice tests

8 sets of 40 questions. Each set is fixed, so you can repeat it until you score 100%.

Exam facts

Key facts: Nova Scotia Class 7 Learner's Knowledge Test

Free Nova Scotia Class 7 practice tests written from the official Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook. Every question is original, explains why the right answer is right, and names the handbook page it comes from. There is no sign-up and no limit, and your progress stays on your device.

The real knowledge test has two parts: a Road Sign Recognition Test and a Rules of the Road Test, each with 20 multiple-choice questions, and you need 16 correct on each part. This site keeps signs and rules apart the same way, so you can drill each part on its own and then take a full 40-question mock exam scored part by part.

What the test covers

Topics and question bank

Every question is tagged to one topic from the official handbook. Pick a topic to drill just that area.

Try a few

Sample Nova Scotia Class 7 questions

Tap a question to see the answer. The full interactive test is at the top of the page.
  1. 1Why is a do not pass sign often posted before a work zone lane closure?
    • A. To slow traffic to a full stop
    • B. To reserve the lane for workers
    • C. To set up an orderly merge
    • D. To let trucks use both lanes

    Obeying the do not pass sign prepares traffic for an orderly merge, and ignoring it is an offence that can get you a ticket.

  2. 2Why does the handbook say you must sound your horn before passing another vehicle?
    • A. It legally obliges that driver to help you pass
    • B. It is only a courtesy and is optional
    • C. It warns oncoming drivers to slow down
    • D. It tells the driver to speed up

    You must signal and sound your horn before overtaking. The horn signal places the driver being passed under a legal obligation to help you pass.

  3. 3At speeds above 40 km/h, why is steering around an object usually better than braking?
    • A. Steering keeps your speed legal
    • B. Steering needs less distance than stopping
    • C. Braking above 40 km/h is illegal
    • D. Hard braking above 40 km/h can damage the ABS

    Above 40 km/h you need less distance to steer around an object than to stop. You can also combine threshold braking with steering.

  4. 4You and an oncoming car arrive at an intersection at the same time. You want to turn left; the other driver is going straight. What do you do?
    • A. Wave the other driver to turn
    • B. Go first, since you are turning
    • C. Turn first, since you signalled
    • D. Yield and turn when it is safe

    When facing vehicles arrive together, the driver turning left must yield to the one going straight and wait until the turn can be made safely.

  5. 5Within what time must a reportable collision be reported to police or the Registry of Motor Vehicles?
    • A. Within 24 hours
    • B. Within 72 hours
    • C. Within 1 hour
    • D. Within 7 days

    Collisions with injury, death or significant property damage must be reported within 24 hours to the local police, the RCMP or the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

  6. 6Is hitchhiking legal in Nova Scotia?
    • A. No, it is illegal
    • B. Yes, except on 100-series highways
    • C. Only during daylight
    • D. Yes, on any road

    The handbook states plainly that it is illegal to hitchhike.

  7. 7Why must you never try to beat a train to a crossing?
    • A. Trains always have a whistle
    • B. Some trains need over a kilometre to stop
    • C. Trains are required to slow down at crossings
    • D. The gate will trap your car

    Trains cannot stop quickly; some need more than a kilometre. Your vehicle can stop, so you are the one who must wait.

  8. 8You see this sign in a work zone. What does it mean?
    • A. Two lanes join from both sides
    • B. A detour leaves the highway at the next exit
    • C. Traffic must stop for workers
    • D. A lane is closed; move into the open lane

    Specific signs warn that a manoeuvre will be needed. Act promptly and change lanes before you reach the closure.

  9. 9What does this sign tell you?
    • A. A railway crossing is ahead
    • B. A parade route is ahead
    • C. A school crossing is ahead
    • D. A traffic control person is ahead

    This sign means a traffic control person is managing traffic past the work site with a STOP/SLOW paddle. Follow their directions.

  10. 10A peace officer directing traffic waves you through an intersection that has a stop sign. What do you do?
    • A. Obey whichever you saw first
    • B. Stop at the sign first, then go
    • C. Wait until the officer leaves
    • D. Follow the officer's direction

    Regulatory signs must be obeyed unless a peace officer directs you otherwise, so the officer's direction takes priority.

About the test

About the Nova Scotia Class 7 Learner's Knowledge Test

The Class 7 knowledge test is the written test you pass before you can get a learner's licence, the first stage of Nova Scotia's Graduated Driver Licensing program. You must be at least 16, and if you are 16 or 17 you need written consent from a parent or guardian. You also need to have no outstanding fines or reinstatement fees and no suspension on your record.

The test is in two parts. The Rules of the Road Test checks your knowledge of traffic laws and safe driving, and the Road Sign Recognition Test checks that you can recognise and understand highway signs. Each part has 20 multiple-choice questions and you must answer at least 16 correctly, so a strong score on one part cannot make up for a weak score on the other. You have 30 minutes for each part. If you fail one part you pay again and retake only that part.

You can take the test online in English or French on a desktop or laptop with a webcam, or in person at a Registry of Motor Vehicles or Access Nova Scotia office. Online, you can retake a failed part right away; in person, you wait until the next day. Passing the test does not let you drive yet: you still visit an office for a vision test, identification, the consent form if you are under 18, the learner's licence fee and your photo.

The handbook is the only study material named by the province, and it is a printed book from 2000 that has been revised several times, most recently in 2017. The update pages at the front of the Introduction PDF matter a lot: they add the restricted individual stage of GDL, extend the learner's licence to two years, and add the slow down and move over rule. Our questions follow those update pages wherever they differ from the older chapter text.

Once you hold a learner's licence you must drive with an experienced driver in the front seat and no other passengers, and your blood alcohol must be zero. You normally wait at least six months before the road test, or three months if you complete an approved long driver training course. After the road test you move to the newly licensed (Class 5N) stage for at least two years, then the restricted individual stage for two more.

Study plan

How to prepare

  1. 1Download the handbook chapters from novascotia.ca and read the Introduction first. The four update pages at the front change several rules that the older chapters still describe the old way.
  2. 2Start the sign part with Chapter 3. Learn shapes and colours before individual signs: red octagon stop, red-and-white triangle yield, five-sided yellow-green school zone, yellow diamond warning, orange work zone, green guide signs.
  3. 3Take one practice test per topic, then reread the handbook page cited under each question you miss. The explanation names the exact condition, such as which GDL stage a rule applies to, and that condition is usually what the real question turns on.
  4. 4Make a list of every number: 80 km/h default highway limit, 30 and 50 km/h school zone limits, 150 metres behind a fire truck, 60 km/h when passing a stopped emergency vehicle, parking distances of 5, 7.5, 10 and 15 metres, and the demerit thresholds for learners (4) and newly licensed drivers (6).
  5. 5Study the rules part as hard as the signs part. The rules test covers licensing, demerit points, impaired driving, right of way, parking, night driving and emergencies, and many people fail it by one or two questions.
  6. 6When you score 36 or more out of 40 on two different mock exams in a row, with at least 18 in each part, you are ready to book.
  7. 7If you take the test online, set up a desktop or laptop with a working webcam before you start, and try the sample test the service offers so the format is familiar.
  8. 8If you fail, look at which part you missed. You only retake that part, so spend your next study session on that part alone.

FAQ

Nova Scotia Class 7 test questions people ask

How many questions are on the Nova Scotia learner's test?

There are 40 questions in two parts: a Road Sign Recognition Test with 20 multiple-choice questions and a Rules of the Road Test with 20 multiple-choice questions. Each part is scored on its own.

What is the passing score for the Nova Scotia Class 7 knowledge test?

You need at least 16 correct out of 20 on each part, which is 80 percent per part. Passing one part does not cover the other, which is why our mock exams score signs and rules separately.

How much does the Nova Scotia knowledge test cost?

The Class 7 knowledge test fee was $15.03 when we checked the official page in October 2026. The learner's licence fee is paid separately after you pass. If you fail a part, you pay the test fee again to retake it.

How old do you have to be to get a learner's licence in Nova Scotia?

You must be at least 16. If you are 16 or 17, you need written consent from a parent or guardian, and the handbook lists who else may sign in special cases, such as an employer or a spouse over 18.

Can I take the Nova Scotia knowledge test online or in French?

Yes. The test is available online in English and French. You need an email address, a desktop or laptop computer and a webcam; phones and tablets are not allowed. You can also take it in person at a Registry of Motor Vehicles or Access Nova Scotia office, and the province can arrange an interpreter or a verbal test.

What happens if I fail one part of the test?

You pay for another test and retake only the part you failed. If you take the test online there is no waiting period, but in person you must wait until the next day.

How long is a Nova Scotia learner's licence valid?

The handbook's update pages say a learner's licence is valid for up to two years. If you have not passed the road test before it expires, you must rewrite the learner's test before renewing it.

What is on the Nova Scotia learner's test?

The sign part covers regulatory, warning, guide and work zone signs. The rules part covers traffic laws and safe driving: right of way, speed limits, school buses, parking, the GDL rules, demerit points, impaired driving, night and winter driving and emergencies. Everything you need is in the Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook.

When can I take the road test after getting my learner's licence?

Normally after at least six months. If you complete an approved driver training long course, with at least 25 hours of classroom time and 10 hours of driving, you can take it after three months.

Are these the real Nova Scotia test questions?

No. Real test questions are not public. Every question here is original, written by us from the official Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook, and cites the handbook page it comes from.