West Virginia School Bus CDL Practice Test

This is a free 20-question practice test for the School Bus portion of the West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia.

Question 1 of 20

When a bus is in motion, students must:

Remain seated, facing forward, not block the aisle
Stand
Move around
Sit on the floor

Correct. Seated, facing forward, hands and feet to themselves, aisle clear. This protects them in any sudden stop.

Question 2 of 20

A school bus driver who notices fluid leaks during pre-trip:

Should determine the type and source, and not put the bus in service if any safety-critical leak is found
Ignore them
Only address oil leaks
Address only at end of day

Correct. Identify what is leaking. Brake-fluid, fuel, or coolant leaks render the bus unsafe. Repair before service.

Question 3 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 4 of 20

A school bus driver should never:

Use a cellphone for non-emergency communication while driving with students aboard
Use turn signals
Use mirrors
Stop at red lights

Correct. Cellphone use while driving a school bus with students aboard is prohibited or sharply restricted in most jurisdictions. Distraction is a leading crash factor.

Question 5 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 6 of 20

A school bus driver should never:

Allow students to use the emergency exits as routine entry/exit points
Allow students to be seated
Use the parking brake
Stop at red lights

Correct. Emergency exits are for emergencies. Routine use is unsafe and may damage the door or trigger interlocks.

Question 7 of 20

After delivering students to school in the morning:

Walk through the bus to verify no students remain
Lock and leave immediately
Only walk if requested
Skip the walk

Correct. Walk every aisle, every seat. Confirm bus is empty before leaving for the day or for the next trip.

Question 8 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 9 of 20

When the bus must stop because of crossing students, you should also:

Use the crossing-control arm (if equipped), signaling students to walk far enough in front of the bus to be seen
Skip the crossing arm
Have them walk behind
Have them run

Correct. The crossing-control arm extends in front of the bus, forcing students to walk where the driver can see them.

Question 10 of 20

The school bus driver's relationship with students:

Should be respectful, calm, professional; consistent rule enforcement helps maintain safety
Should be punitive
Should be casual
Should be nonexistent

Correct. Respectful, calm, consistent enforcement of safety rules builds the cooperative culture that makes route operation safer.

Question 11 of 20

If you must evacuate students through the rear emergency exit:

Have a responsible older student or adult outside to assist others as they exit, maintain orderly evacuation
Throw them out
Skip the rear exit
Only use the front

Correct. Position helpers at exits to assist. Maintain orderly process. Account for all students at the safe area.

Question 12 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 13 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 14 of 20

The school bus stop arm:

Extends to signal traffic to stop while children load or unload
Is decorative
Is for parking
Is optional

Correct. The stop arm signals approaching traffic to stop. Drivers who pass a stopped school bus with red lights flashing face heavy fines.

Question 15 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 16 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 17 of 20

After unloading at the end of the route, the driver must:

Walk through the bus to check for sleeping or hiding students, lost items, damage
Skip the walkthrough
Lock and leave
Only check the front

Correct. Always walk every aisle and check every seat. Sleeping children left aboard a parked bus is a recurring tragedy that the post-trip walk prevents.

Question 18 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 19 of 20

When loading students at the stop, the driver should:

Account for every student, watch for late students from nearby houses, count and recount
Just open the door
Skip the count
Move quickly

Correct. Count students before, during, and after loading. Late students may approach in your blind spot.

Question 20 of 20

When approaching the bus stop, you should activate the alternating amber warning lights:

About 200 feet in advance (more in 50+ mph zones)
At the stop
After unloading
Only at night

Correct. Activate amber warning lights about 200 feet before the stop (further in higher-speed zones), giving traffic time to slow.

About the West Virginia 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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia CDL practice tests.