New Hampshire School Bus CDL Practice Test

This is a free 20-question practice test for the School Bus portion of the New Hampshire Commercial Driver's License knowledge exam. Questions are pulled from a pool of 55 drawn from the AAMVA CDL Manual, which is the source document the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles uses to write its actual exam.

How it works: Click an answer. The correct choice highlights in green, and you'll see a short explanation. Aim for 85% or better before you sit for the real test in New Hampshire.

Question 1 of 20

A school bus must have functioning:

Emergency exits, all signal lights, stop arm, mirrors, fire extinguisher, first-aid kit, body-fluid clean-up kit, reflective triangles
Only the engine
Only seats
Only brakes

Correct. School-bus equipment list is more extensive than other CMVs. All items must be in working order.

Question 2 of 20

A school bus stop in low-light or poor-visibility conditions:

Activate flashers earlier, use additional lights if equipped, allow extra time for traffic to react
Skip flashers
Move quickly
Drive past

Correct. Reduced visibility means earlier flashers, more conspicuous stop, more time for traffic to react.

Question 3 of 20

When stopped to load or unload students, the bus driver should:

Set parking brake, place transmission in neutral, activate red lights and stop arm, count students, watch mirrors
Just open the door
Only honk the horn
Skip the parking brake

Correct. Standard procedure: parking brake set, neutral, red flashers and stop arm out, count students on/off, mirror check before resuming.

Question 4 of 20

A student misbehaves on the bus. The driver should:

Pull off safely if needed, address the behavior calmly, never engage physically; report per district policy
Argue back
Speed up
Throw them off

Correct. Pull off safely if behavior is dangerous to driving. Address calmly. Document and report per district policy. Never use physical force except to prevent immediate harm.

Question 5 of 20

A school bus with red lights flashing and stop arm extended:

Tells approaching traffic to stop until the bus moves
Allows traffic to pass slowly
Has no meaning
Tells traffic to honk

Correct. Red flashers + stop arm = required stop for approaching traffic in both directions (with the divided-highway exception in some states).

Question 6 of 20

During a fire on the bus, you should:

Stop in a safe area, evacuate students upwind from the fire, move them to a safe distance, call 911
Continue driving
Only fight the fire
Have students stay aboard

Correct. Stop, evacuate upwind to a safe distance (≥100 feet off the road), call 911. Use extinguisher only on small fires you can safely manage.

Question 7 of 20

When students must cross the road to reach or leave the bus, they should:

Cross at least 10 feet in front of the bus, where the driver can see them, only on the driver's signal
Cross behind the bus
Cross at any time
Cross at the rear

Correct. Crossing students walk at least 10 feet ahead of the bus, in clear view, after the driver signals it is safe.

Question 8 of 20

Drivers transporting students with special needs should:

Receive additional training, use proper lifts and securement, follow individualized plans (IEPs)
Have no special training
Skip securement
Drive faster

Correct. Special-needs transport requires extra training, equipment use, and adherence to individual plans (IEPs / 504 plans).

Question 9 of 20

You see a student running back toward the bus after being unloaded. You should:

Wait until the student is clear, account for them, before moving
Continue moving
Honk and accelerate
Open the door while moving

Correct. Stop and account for the student. Many fatal incidents involve students returning for forgotten items in the danger zone.

Question 10 of 20

Securing the bus at the end of the day:

Park in designated area, set parking brake, turn off engine and lights, secure all doors
Leave the engine running
Skip the parking brake
Leave doors unlocked

Correct. Standard end-of-day securement: parking, brake, engine off, lights off, doors secured. Walk through to ensure no children remain.

Question 11 of 20

When you cannot account for all students after unloading:

Stop the bus, set the brake, search the danger zone and surrounding area immediately
Drive on
Continue route
Wait until end of route

Correct. Missing student requires immediate search. Stop, brake, search the bus and the area around it before continuing.

Question 12 of 20

When evacuating students, they should be moved to a safe area:

At least 100 feet off the roadway in the direction of oncoming traffic, away from the bus
Right next to the bus
Across the road
Anywhere

Correct. Move students at least 100 feet away, off the roadway, in the direction of oncoming traffic so they can see and be seen by approaching drivers.

Question 13 of 20

Pre-trip inspection of a school bus should include:

All standard items plus emergency exits, signaling devices (red and amber lights, stop arm, crossing-control arm), wheelchair lift if equipped, first-aid kit, fire extinguisher, body fluid clean-up kit
Only the engine
Only the brakes
Only the seating

Correct. Standard CMV inspection plus school-bus-specific equipment: lights, stop arm, crossing arm, lift, kits, mirror condition.

Question 14 of 20

Bullying or fighting on the bus:

Pull off safely if behavior is dangerous, address per district policy, report incidents
Continue route
Encourage peers to intervene physically
Speed up

Correct. Pull off safely if behavior endangers driving. Address verbally and document per district policy. Notify school administration.

Question 15 of 20

When stopped at a railroad crossing in a school bus, the driver should:

Open the entrance door and driver window, look and listen for trains
Skip the door
Only honk
Drive across without stopping

Correct. Open door and window, eliminate noise from the bus, look both ways, listen for whistles and bells. Cross only when clear.

Question 16 of 20

When loading wheelchair students:

Use the lift correctly, secure the wheelchair with 4-point tie-downs, use occupant restraints, ensure the lift is fully stowed before moving
Skip securement
Drive without securing
Use 1 tie-down

Correct. 4-point tie-down for the chair plus occupant lap and shoulder restraints. Verify lift stowed before moving.

Question 17 of 20

A school bus evacuation is required when:

Fire is on or in the bus, the bus is in danger of fire (downed wires, fuel spill), the bus is on or near tracks, the bus is in path of a train, or the bus is in danger of being hit
Only when the bus is empty
Only at night
Only after a flat tire

Correct. Evacuate for fire, danger of fire, on/near railroad tracks, in path of a train, or danger of being hit by another vehicle.

Question 18 of 20

The "danger zone" around a school bus is generally:

10 feet in front, on each side, and behind the bus, plus any area required for the bus to maneuver
Only behind the bus
Only in front
5 feet on each side

Correct. The danger zone extends 10 feet in front, 10 feet on each side, and 10 feet behind the bus, plus the area needed to maneuver. Most students killed by their own bus are in this zone.

Question 19 of 20

A school bus stopped on a highway during loading or unloading is protected by:

State laws requiring all approaching vehicles to stop (with limited divided-highway exceptions)
Federal law only
No law
State school district policy

Correct. State laws (informed by federal recommendations) require approaching vehicles to stop. Many states have stiff fines for passing a stopped school bus.

Question 20 of 20

A "post-trip" inspection of the school bus should include:

Walk every aisle, check every seat, check restrooms or rear compartments where applicable
Skip the walk-through
Look only at front
Skip seats

Correct. Post-trip = walk every aisle, check every seat, all compartments. Document on DVIR.

About the New Hampshire School Bus exam

Most states administer 20 School Bus questions and require 80% to pass. The exam emphasizes loading and unloading procedures, the danger zone around the bus, emergency exit and evacuation procedures, railroad-highway crossings, and student management.

The New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles follows the federal CDL standards established by FMCSA. To earn the School Bus credential, you must answer at least 80% of the questions correctly. Many candidates score lower the first time because the test pulls from a large pool — refreshing this page will give you a different mix of questions, drawn from the same authoritative source.

Want more practice? Try the full School Bus question bank or browse all New Hampshire CDL practice tests.