Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA)
Maryland CDL practice tests
How Maryland handles the commercial learner permit, the fees and the skills test.
- General Knowledge24 questions, required of every applicant
- Air Brakes20 questions, skip it and an L restriction applies
- Combination Vehicles18 questions, needed for Class A
- Hazardous Materials20 questions, endorsement H
- Tank Vehicles16 questions, endorsement N
Every knowledge area
The 145 questions are the same in every state. Start with general knowledge, then sit the areas Maryland will write onto the permit.
General Knowledge
Required of every applicant: inspection, control, space and speed management, hazard perception, emergencies and hours of service.
Air Brakes
Air brake knowledge and vehicle checks for applicants who may drive vehicles with air brakes.
Combination Vehicles
Coupling, the fifth wheel, off tracking and trailer swing. Needed for Class A.
Hazardous Materials
Placards, shipping papers, segregation and the security threat assessment.
Tank Vehicles
Liquid surge, baffles, outage and why a tanker rolls over so readily.
Doubles and Triples
Rearward amplification, converter dollies and coupling a second or third trailer.
Passenger Transport
Bus inspection, standee lines, passenger supervision and railroad crossings.
School Bus
Danger zones, loading and unloading, student crossing and evacuation.
What is different in Maryland
Maryland in particular
Maryland keeps the entire CDL exam process in house rather than farming the skills test out to private testers, and bundles the permit fee, the CDLIS check and the first road test attempt into one $90 charge instead of billing them apart.
The written exams themselves are federal
Maryland decides the permit rules, the fees and who runs the skills test, but the knowledge you are tested on comes from 49 CFR Part 383 and is the same in every state, which is why the 145 questions here work wherever you apply.
What changes in this state
Commercial learner permit
Maryland requires an applicant to hold the commercial learner permit for at least two weeks before the skills test can be scheduled, and the permit itself is valid for six months from issuance.
Maryland MVA, CDL Skills Test, checked Aug 28, 2026Fees
A single $90 charge covers the commercial learner permit, the CDLIS record check and the first attempt at the skills test, with a $20 fee added only if a retest is needed.
Maryland MVA, CDL Skills Test, checked Aug 28, 2026Where you test
Maryland does not license outside companies to give the CDL exam, the MVA administers both the knowledge and skills tests itself, with skills test appointments booked through the myMVA account or by phone.
Maryland MVA, CDL Skills Test, checked Aug 28, 2026Maryland CDL written exams, in the federal format.
145 cited questions, free, with nothing to sign up for. The permit rules above are Maryland's. The knowledge is 49 CFR Part 383.