Québec road signs fall into families — prescription, danger, information, roadwork — plus traffic lights and the markings on the road. On the SAAQ knowledge test, road signs are a section of their own, passed separately.
The test’s format: 28 questions · 3 sections · 75% each. Each family follows a logic that sticks better than a list: a sign’s shape and colour already tell you whether it orders, warns or informs. Here are the families to know, the traps the test loves, and an efficient way to learn them.
The families to know
- Prescription — obligations and prohibitions: stop, yield, speed limits, one way. A useful cue: a green crown marks an obligation, a red circle with a bar marks a prohibition.
- Danger — they warn of a risk further down the road: a stop ahead, traffic lights, a curve. “Advance warning” signs exist to leave you time to react.
- Information — directions, services, landmarks: they guide without requiring anything.
- Roadwork — an orange background always signals a work zone: slow down, and double your caution.
- Traffic lights — including the ones that trap: a flashing red light, for instance, has the same value as a stop sign.
- Road markings — a yellow line separates opposing directions, white lines separate lanes going the same way; a double solid line prohibits passing.
How the test examines road signs
Road signs are one of the test’s three sections, judged separately — you can’t make up for them with road rules: the passing score applies to each section. And the test loves the nuances between neighbouring signs: stop and yield, no parking and no stopping, obligation and prohibition. Knowing a sign’s name isn’t enough: what it demands behind the wheel is what gets tested.
The questions in this section often rest on an illustration: a single sign whose meaning you have to give, or a scene — an intersection, a light, a marking — where you have to say what to do. That is why the SAAQ publishes an illustrated guide to the knowledge tests, cited in the sources at the bottom of this page: the test’s drawings come from there, and Permis 101’s signs are redrawn from the same published specifications.
The most common traps
- Stop and yield. One requires a complete stop, always; the other only when someone has the right-of-way.
- No parking and no stopping. Two prohibitions under the same red circle — and two different consequences: the second forbids even a momentary stop.
- Obligation and prohibition. The green crown orders, the red circle with a bar forbids: the same symbol changes meaning with its frame.
- The flashing red light. It isn’t an ordinary red light: it is worth a stop sign, with the same obligation to come to a complete stop before moving on.
How to learn them efficiently
By family first — each family has its own logic, and logic sticks better than a list. By traps next: the pairs that get confused deserve attention of their own. Then by testing yourself, until recognition becomes a reflex.
Permis 101’s library gathers 128 redrawn signs, sorted by official category, each with its meaning, where you meet it, and the exam trap if there is one — plus a quiz mode to test yourself. A free preview of 12 signs lets you try it. Round it out with real draws in the test’s format: that’s where recognition gets confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
How many road signs do I need to know for the test?
What matters isn’t memorizing a number, but recognizing each family and what it demands behind the wheel. Permis 101’s library gathers 128 of them, drawn from the official guides and sorted by category, each with its meaning and the exam trap if there is one.
What do the colours of Québec road signs mean?
Each colour announces a family: an orange background, a roadwork zone; a green crown, an obligation; a red circle with a bar, a prohibition. Reading the colour before the symbol already tells you which rule applies.
What does a sign with an orange background mean?
An orange background always signals a roadwork zone: slow down and double your caution — workers may be on the road.
What is the difference between “stop” and “yield”?
The stop sign requires a complete stop, even if the way looks clear — slowing down is not enough. A yield sign asks you to slow down and let road users with the right-of-way pass; you only have to come to a complete stop if someone has the right-of-way. The test loves that nuance.
Do road signs count separately on the knowledge test?
Yes. They are one of the three sections, judged on their own: an excellent result on road rules never makes up for a signs section below the threshold. The passing score explains that rule in detail.
Where can I find the official Québec road signs?
In the SAAQ’s Driver’s Handbook, and in its illustrated guide to the knowledge tests — both are cited in the official sources at the bottom of this page. Permis 101’s signs are redrawn from the published specifications — not photos, not copies — to match what you’ll see on the road and on the test.
How do I learn the road signs for the test?
By family first, by traps next, then by testing yourself. The road-signs quiz is built for that: one sign, its meaning, until recognition becomes a reflex. A free preview of 12 signs lets you try it.
Go further
- Test yourself on the signs: the road-signs quiz
- What a good practice test must reproduce
- The passing score: why the average doesn’t count
- The complete guide to the knowledge test
- The Permis 101 FAQ
Official sources
The facts on this page come from the official pages of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).
A library with search, meanings, exam traps and a quiz mode — and a free preview of 12 signs to try.
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Permis 101 is an independent app, not affiliated with the SAAQ. For official information and to book your test, go to the SAAQ.