Arkansas Motorcycle Knowledge Test Cheat Sheet
The fastest way to review before your DFA motorcycle test — the numbers and rules most likely to appear.
🪪 Permit & License
- Class M license — minimum age 16
- Ages 14–15: Class MD, limited to a motor-driven cycle 250 cc or less
- Get an instruction permit first, then pass the skills test
- On the permit: no passengers, no riding after dark
- An approved MSF Basic RiderCourse waives the skills test
- Class M fee $40 — license valid 8 years
🔢 Most-Tested Numbers
- Following gap2 seconds minimum
- Wet / poor conditions3 seconds or more
- Front brake70%+ of stopping power
- Search ahead12 seconds
- Adult BAC limit0.08%
- Pass the test20 of 25 (80%)
🪖 Helmet & Gear
- Helmet required for operators & passengers under 21
- Riders 21+ may legally ride without a helmet
- Eye protection required for ALL ages — unless windshield-equipped
- A face shield protects your whole face; goggles protect only the eyes
- Headlight on at all times, day and night
- Never wear tinted eye protection at night
✅ Remember This Answer
- Quick stop? Use both brakes together
- Front brake? Squeeze firmly — never grab
- Curve? Slow, Look, Press, Roll
- To lean and turn? Press the handgrip toward the turn
- Swerve? Brake before or after — never during
- Stopped in traffic? Stay in first gear
✅ Remember This Answer (2)
- Starts to rain? Ride in cars' tire tracks, not the center
- Railroad tracks? Cross straight, within your lane
- Tailgater behind you? Let them get in front of you
- Cut reaction time? Cover the clutch and both brakes
- Daytime visibility? Headlight on — 2× as likely to be seen
- Where do crashes happen? At intersections
⚠️ Common Test Traps
- "No room to stop" → Swerve — don't just brake harder
- "Stop fastest" → Both brakes — not front alone, not rear first
- "Brake while swerving" → Wrong — brake before or after only
- "It starts to rain" → Slow down, ride in the tire tracks
- "Following distance" → 2 sec; 3+ in poor conditions
- "Made eye contact" → Driver still may not yield
⚠️ More Test Traps
- "Curve ahead, too fast" → Slow before — don't brake hard mid-curve
- "Lane sharing with a car" → Never — each needs a full lane
- "Front wheel locks" → Release the front brake, then reapply
- "Carrying a passenger" → Bike responds slower — ride slower
- "Waited an hour per drink" → Side effects can still remain
- "Blind intersection" → Move where the driver can see you earliest
🚨 Emergency Situations
- Tire goes flat → Hold grips, ease off throttle, keep straight, edge off the road
- Stuck throttle → Twist it; if still stuck, cut-off switch + pull in clutch
- Wobble → Close throttle gradually — don't brake, don't accelerate
- Rear wheel locks → Keep it locked until stopped if straight and upright
- Obstacle you must cross → Hit it near 90°, slow, straight, rise onto the pegs
- Engine seizes → Squeeze the clutch, pull off the road
🌧️ Surfaces, Weather & Night
- Pavement is most slippery in the first minutes of rain
- Slippery surface: slow before it, no sudden moves, both brakes gently
- Cross parallel seams or grooves at 45° or more
- Ice forms in shaded areas and on bridges and overpasses
- Night: ride slower, open a 3-second-plus following gap
- Night: high beam when not following or meeting a car
🏍️ Motorcycle Control
- Press left grip → lean left → go left
- Use both brakes every stop — the front gives 70%+ of the power
- Corner in four steps: SLOW · LOOK · PRESS · ROLL
- Slow tight turn: lean the bike only, keep your body upright
- Pick the lane third that helps you see and be seen
- Head-check your blind spot before every lane change
🍺 Alcohol & Impairment
- Legally intoxicated (21+)0.08% BAC
- Under 21 — zero tolerance0.00–0.02% BAC
- Alcohol leaves the body~1 drink per hour
- As little as one drink hurts judgment and balance
- Judgment is the first thing alcohol affects
- Cannabis impairment can bring a riding-under-the-influence conviction
🎯 Last-Minute Before the Test
- Both brakes to stop — front brake = 70%+ of power
- Every curve: SLOW · LOOK · PRESS · ROLL
- Press the grip toward the turn to lean
- Brake OR swerve — never both at once
- Follow at 2 seconds — 3+ when wet or crowded
- Helmet under 21; eye protection every age; headlight always on
- SEE = Search, Evaluate, Execute · 20 of 25 to pass
Confirm every number against the official Motorcycle Operator Manual (MSF, 18th Edition) before test day. Full helmet law →
Source: Test details reflect the consensus of major rider-education sources — confirm with the state agency before your visit. Question count is not on the official page; 25 questions / 80% is a strong multi-site consensus. Arkansas uses the standard MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (18th Edition).