What does "all of the following EXCEPT" mean on the CDL test?

It means three of the choices are true and one is false. Pick the false one. Turn it into the plain question "Which one is false?" before you read the choices.

Why are CDL permit test questions worded in a tricky way?

Many drivers find the wording hard, and one small word like EXCEPT or NOT can flip the meaning. Slow reading is the fix: read the question twice and circle the trap word before you look at the choices.

What should I do when a choice says "all of the above" on an EXCEPT question?

Check it last. On an EXCEPT question you are normally hunting for the one false choice, so read every other choice first and only pick "all of the above" if your checking supports it.

Do ALWAYS and NEVER make an answer wrong?

Not by themselves. Some CDL rules are absolute. Ask whether there is any exception. If you can name one, cross the choice out. If not, check your state's CDL manual.

How do I answer a NOT or EXCEPT question when I am not sure?

Find one choice you know is true and cross it out, then repeat. Each true choice you remove leaves fewer to check, and when three are gone the last one is the answer.

Do the exact questions and passing scores change by state?

Yes. Question counts, passing scores, fees and exact wording differ by state, so check your state's CDL manual for your numbers.

CDL Test Word Traps: How to Answer EXCEPT Questions

On an "all of the following EXCEPT" question, the right answer is the one choice that is false. Circle the word EXCEPT first, turn the question into "which one is false?", then check every choice.

By the end of this page you will have a 4-step reading routine and a trap word table you can use on every question in the CDL permit test.

Turn EXCEPT into "which one is false?" before you read the choices

Three of the choices are true statements. One is not. That one is your answer.

The mistake is simple, and it happens to people who know the material. You read the question fast, see a choice that is true, and pick it. Then you see the word EXCEPT. Drivers on the Trucking Truth forum describe exactly this slip: they answered with a true statement and only noticed EXCEPT afterward.

One small word can flip the whole question. A CDL school article on common permit test mistakes lists careless reading and says that where a word sits, or a missing word, can change the meaning. So you do not need to study more for these questions. You need to read slower on them.

Use this 4-step routine on every question

Copy this onto a note on your phone.

Read the question twice, slowly, before you look at the choices.
Circle the trap word. EXCEPT, NOT, ALWAYS, NEVER, MUST, MOST LIKELY, BEST.
Say it as a plain question. "All of the following are true EXCEPT" becomes "Which one is false?"
Check every choice, even if the first one looks right. Then pick.

Step 4 is the one people skip when they are tired or short on time. Do not skip it. On the written test, a question you knew and missed counts the same as a question you did not know.

Keep this trap word table on your phone

A university test-taking guide says to mark key words such as BEST, GREATEST, NEVER, COMMON, LESS, NOT, EXCEPT, MORE, SOMETIMES, GENERALLY, MOST and USUALLY, because overlooking one can make you miss a question you actually know. Here is what each one means in plain English, and what to do.

Trap word	Plain meaning	What to do
EXCEPT	Three are true. Pick the one that is not.	Test each choice: true or false? Pick the false one.
NOT	Pick the wrong one.	Same as EXCEPT.
BEST, MOST, MOST LIKELY	More than one may be true. Pick the strongest.	Pick the choice that fits the whole question, not just part of it.
NEVER, ALWAYS	No exceptions at all.	Look for one exception. If you find one, the choice is wrong.
MUST	A rule, not a suggestion.	Look for the rule in your state's CDL manual.
SOMETIMES, GENERALLY, USUALLY	True most of the time, not every time.	Do not reject a choice just because it has an exception.
LESS, MORE	A direction.	Check you did not flip it.

If English is your second language, these short words are the ones most worth learning first. Our guide to CDL practice tests for non-native English speakers shows more ways to read tricky wording.

Work one driving example from start to finish

Example: here is a General Knowledge style question. It shows the wording style. It is not a question from your exam, and your state's wording may differ.

If you are being tailgated, you should do all of the following EXCEPT:

avoid tricks such as flashing your brake lights

avoid quick changes

increase your following distance

speed up

let the tailgater pass you

Here is the routine, step by step.

Read twice. Slow down on the first line.
Circle the trap word: EXCEPT.
Say it plainly: "Four of these are good advice. Which one is bad advice?"
Check each choice with "good advice or bad advice?"
- Avoid tricks like flashing brake lights: good advice.
- Avoid quick changes: good advice.
- Increase your following distance: good advice.
- Let the tailgater pass you: good advice.
- Speed up: bad advice.

The answer is "speed up." A free practice page gives the reason: do not try to speed up to get away from a tailgater, because no speed is too fast for some tailgaters. Increase your following distance and, if you can, keep right and let the tailgater pass.

Notice the trap. Four of the five choices are things a careful driver does. If you skim past EXCEPT, you will see several "right" answers and pick one of them. You give the correct driving advice to the wrong question.

Try a second drill with a made-up question

Example: this one is invented to show the method. It is not from any test.

All of these are checked on a pre-trip inspection EXCEPT: tires, lights, the driver's lunch, brakes.

Say it plainly: "Three are checked. Which one is not?" The answer is the driver's lunch.

Now cover the answer and try it on your own practice questions. Say the plain version out loud before you read the choices. It takes about five seconds, and it saves the question.

When you are unsure, cross out true choices

Sometimes you do not know which choice is false. Do not guess yet. Find any one choice you are sure is true and cross it out. Then find another.

This works because of how the question is built. A test-taking guide from a university explains it this way: on NOT and EXCEPT items, eliminating the true choices leaves the false one. Cross out three true choices and the last one is your answer.

When you can cross out only two, you still went from a one-in-four guess to a one-in-two guess. Pick from the two that are left, and mark the question to review in your practice.

Check "all of the above" and "none of these" last

On a regular question, "all of the above" is a strong answer when you can confirm two choices are true. On an EXCEPT question it can be a curve ball. One driver on a CDL forum points out that you are looking for the wrong answer on EXCEPT questions, unless the test throws in an "all of them are correct" choice.

A free practice page also tells test takers to watch for "none of these" and "all of these" along with the word EXCEPT. So the rule is:

When one choice says "all of the above" or "none of these": read every other choice first. Pick it last, and only if your checking supports it.

Do not reject ALWAYS and NEVER by reflex

Some test-taking tips say choices with absolute words are usually wrong. That is a rough guess, not a rule. Some CDL rules really are absolute.

So when you see ALWAYS or NEVER, ask one question: "Is there any exception?" If you can name one, cross the choice out. If you cannot, check your state's CDL manual before you decide. The manual is the source, not the word.

On "best answer" questions, pick the one that fits the whole question

Trap words like BEST and MOST LIKELY change the job. Now more than one choice can look correct, and one is the best. A school district's test-taking tips make the same point: several answers can seem right, so find the one that fits best.

This is the "looks right but is incomplete" problem that many drivers hit after reading the handbook. If it keeps happening in practice tests, our guide on why you keep failing CDL practice tests walks through how to find your repeat misses.

The rule: when two choices both look right, ask which one covers the whole question. Pick that one.

What each reading mistake costs you

Mistake	What it costs
Answering with a true statement on an EXCEPT question	A question you knew, marked wrong
Reading "is" as "is not"	The same: one missed question
Picking the first true-sounding choice and moving on	A question you could have caught with step 4
Rejecting a choice only because it says "always"	A correct answer thrown away

Every missed question counts against your limit on the written test. Question counts and passing scores differ by state, so check your state's CDL manual for your numbers. For the General Knowledge test, our wrong-answer budget guide shows how to think about it.

Do this in the next ten minutes

Copy the 4-step routine onto a note on your phone.
Screenshot the trap word table.
Open any practice test and find the first question with EXCEPT or NOT. Say the plain version out loud, then answer.
Write down every EXCEPT or NOT question you miss. If you miss one, ask: did I read the trap word, or did I not know the rule?

If you did not know the rule, look it up in your state's CDL manual. If you did not read the trap word, the routine fixes it.

Find out what to study first

Reading traps are only one part of the permit test. The free diagnostic takes about 10 minutes, needs no account, and gives you a predicted score and your weak spots, so you know what to study first. When you miss a question in the full program, the Mistake Fixer re-drills it at 1, 3 and 7 days. FirstTry CDL practice questions are exam-style and built from the official CDL manual, and FirstTry CDL is not affiliated with any DMV, FMCSA or government agency.

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