Pennsylvania Motorcycle Knowledge Test Cheat Sheet
The fastest way to review before your PennDOT motorcycle test — the numbers and rules most likely to appear.
🪪 Permit & License
- Motorcycle authority is a Class M license
- Pass the 20-question knowledge test to get a Class M permit first
- Permit: daylight only, helmet + eye protection always
- On a permit, only a licensed instructor may ride with you
- Free 15-hr Basic Rider Course earns a license (waives the skill test)
- Permit $12, valid 1 year; max 4 permits in 5 years
🔢 Most-Tested Numbers
- Pass mark16 of 20 (80%)
- Following gap4 seconds minimum
- Poor conditions5 seconds or more
- Front brakeat least 3/4 of power
- Scan ahead12 seconds
- Under the influence0.08% BAC
🪖 Helmet & Gear
- Helmet required under 21 - and 21+ without 2 yrs or a safety course
- All permit holders must wear a helmet, any age
- Eye protection required for the operator
- A faceshield protects your whole face; goggles protect only the eyes
- Headlight on at all times (bikes built 1973+)
- 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/turn? Press the handgrip toward the turn
- Swerve? Brake before or after - never during
- Normal stop? Both brakes, and downshift
✅ 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 to be seen
- Where do crashes happen? 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
- Following distance → 4 sec; 5+ in poor conditions
- Made eye contact → Driver still may not yield
- Front tire flat → Steering feels heavy
⚠️ More Test Traps
- Curve too fast → Slow before - don't brake hard mid-curve
- Lane sharing → Usually prohibited; each vehicle needs a lane
- Chased by a dog → Downshift, approach slowly, accelerate away
- Carrying a passenger → Bike responds slower - ride slower
- Small animal in lane → Stay in your lane - don't swerve into traffic
- Rear wheel locks → Keep it locked if straight and upright
🚨 Emergency Situations
- Tire goes flat → Hold grips, ease off throttle, keep straight, edge off
- Stuck throttle → Kill switch + pull in the clutch
- Wobble → Close throttle gradually - don't brake, don't accelerate
- Front wheel locks → Release the front brake, then reapply
- Obstacle you must cross → Hit it near 90°, rise off the seat
- Engine seizes → Squeeze the clutch, pull off the road
🌧️ Surfaces, Weather & Night
- Pavement is most slippery just after rain starts
- Slippery surface: slow before it, both brakes gently
- Wet roads are most slippery in the center of the lane
- Cross parallel seams or grooves at 45° or more
- Bridge gratings: ride straight across, don't zigzag
- Night: ride slower and open a 3-second-plus following gap
🏍️ Motorcycle Control
- Countersteer: press left grip → lean left → go left
- Use both brakes every stop - the front gives 3/4 of the power
- Corner in four steps: SLOW · LOOK · PRESS · ROLL
- Slow tight turn: lean the bike only, keep your body upright
- Stay in first gear while stopped to move out quickly
- Head-check your blind spot before every lane change
🍺 Alcohol & Impairment
- Under the influence0.08% BAC
- Refuse a test1-year suspension
- Affected firstJudgment
- Leaves the body~1 drink per hour
- As little as one drink hurts judgment and balance
- 40-45% of riders killed had been drinking
🎯 Last-Minute Before the Test
- Both brakes to stop - front brake = 3/4 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 4 seconds - 5+ when wet or crowded
- Helmet + eye protection on a permit; headlight always on
- SEE = Search, Evaluate, Execute · 0.08% BAC = under the influence
Confirm every number against the official Pennsylvania Motorcycle Operator Manual (PUB 147) before test day. Full helmet law →
Source: Some test details are confirmed by the state agency; the rest reflect the consensus of major rider-education sources. 20 questions confirmed on the official PennDOT page; 16 of 20 (80%) to pass per all third-party sources. The motorcycle privilege is a Class M license, and all permit holders must wear a helmet and eye protection regardless of age.