Mississippi Motorcycle Knowledge Test Cheat Sheet
The fastest way to review before your DPS motorcycle test — the numbers and rules most likely to appear.
🪪 Permit & Endorsement
- Motorcycle authority is an endorsement on your MS license
- Pass a written knowledge test and an on-cycle skills test
- Learner's permit at 15; full driver license at 16
- Permit held 1 year, or until age 17, whichever is first
- On a permit, ride with an endorsed rider age 21+
- An AAMVA-approved safety course waives the skills test only
🔢 Most-Tested Numbers
- Test25 questions, 20 to pass (80%)
- Following gap2 seconds minimum
- Wet / heavy traffic3 seconds or more
- Front brake70%+ of stopping power
- Scan ahead12 seconds
- Legally intoxicated.08% BAC
🪖 Helmet & Gear
- Helmet required — every rider and passenger, every age
- Must meet AAMVA / USDOT criteria
- Eye protection not required by MS law — but strongly advised
- A face shield protects your whole face; goggles only the eyes
- A windshield is not a substitute for eye protection
- Headlight on at all times; bright, reflective gear
✅ Remember This Answer
- Quick stop? Use both brakes together
- Front brake? Squeeze firmly — never grab
- Curve? Slow, Look, Press, Roll
- To lean/turn? Press the handgrip toward the turn
- Swerve? Brake before or after — never during
- Helmet? Always — every rider, every age
✅ Remember This Answer (2)
- Starts to rain? Ride in cars' tire tracks
- Railroad tracks? Cross straight, within your lane
- Tailgater behind you? Let them pass
- Cut reaction time? Cover the clutch and both brakes
- Daytime visibility? Headlight on — 2x as likely seen
- Where do crashes happen? Intersections, first few miles
⚠️ 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 too fast" → Slow before — don't brake hard mid-curve
- "Lane sharing" → Usually prohibited — take the full lane
- "Chased by a dog" → Approach slowly, then accelerate away
- "Carrying a passenger" → Bike responds slower — ride slower
- "Waited an hour per drink" → Side effects can still remain
- "Wobble" → Close throttle gradually; don't brake
🚨 Emergency Situations
- Tire goes flat → Hold grips, ease off throttle, keep straight
- Stuck throttle → Twist it; if stuck, kill switch + clutch
- Wobble → Close throttle gradually — don't brake or accelerate
- Front wheel locks → Release the front brake, then reapply
- Obstacle you must cross → Hit it at 90°, rise on 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
- Night: ride slower and open a 3-second-plus following gap
- Night: high beam when not following or meeting a car
- Running wide in a curve is a top single-vehicle crash cause
🏍️ Motorcycle Control
- Countersteer: 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.08% BAC
- Under 21Lower limit (≈.00–.02%)
- Alcohol clears~1 drink per hour
- As little as one drink hurts judgment and balance
- Impairment begins well below the legal limit
- Combining alcohol and drugs is more dangerous than either alone
🎯 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 (countersteer)
- Brake OR swerve — never both at once
- Follow at 2 seconds — 3+ when wet or crowded
- Helmet always; headlight always on; full lane is yours
- SEE = Search, Evaluate, Execute · .08% BAC = intoxicated
Confirm every number against the official Motorcycle Operator Manual (MSF, 17th 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. Mississippi adopts the unmodified MSF Motorcycle Operator Manual (17th Edition), which the DPS Driver Service Bureau hosts. The motorcycle knowledge test is 25 questions, 20 correct (80%) to pass — a third-party consensus, since the DPS page does not publish the count. Universal helmet law; the motorcycle privilege is an endorsement on a Mississippi driver license.