New York Concealed Carry Practice Test: Free 16-Hour Course Written Exam Questions

102 practice questions for the written test at the end of New York's concealed carry course, the 16-hour class (plus 2 hours of live fire) the law requires before you get or renew a concealed carry license. You need 80% to pass. They cover all 12 topics in the state's minimum standards: general safety and holsters, safe storage, state and federal law, situational awareness, de-escalation, alcohol and drugs, police encounters, sensitive and restricted places, conflict management, deadly physical force and the duty to retreat, suicide prevention and marksmanship. Every answer explains why and names its source, from the Penal Law sections to the DCJS standards.

The real test: At the end of the 16-hour classroom course (plus 2 hours of live fire) required by Penal Law 400.00(19), you take a written test on the 12 topics in the DCJS / State Police minimum standards and need 80% to pass. Each instructor writes their own test. Our practice test is 50 questions weighted by the hours the standards give each topic, passing at 40 (80%).

Here: 102 questions. Our own practice questions, written from the DCJS / State Police Minimum Standards for New York State Concealed Carry Firearm Safety Training (2022), the New York Penal Law and General Business Law and 18 U.S.C. 922, with every answer's source named. Topics are the 12 topics of the standards. Not any instructor's test questions. Free.

What's on the test

"On the test" is the rough share of a 50-question test for each topic, following the exam's published weights.

10 sample questions

1. Which is the first universal rule of safe firearm handling?

   • A.Clean your firearm after every outing
   • B.Always keep the manual safety engaged
   • C.Never carry with a round in the chamber
   • D.Treat every firearm as if it is loaded
   Show answer

   D. Treat every firearm as if it is loaded

   NY-1 · 1. General firearm safety

2. You live with your 17-year-old. When your pistol is out of your immediate possession or control, what does Penal Law 265.45 require?

   • A.Hide it somewhere your child doesn't know to look
   • B.Lock it in a safe storage depository or use a gun lock
   • C.Unload it and keep it on a high closet shelf instead
   • D.Nothing, because 17 is old enough under the law
   Show answer

   B. Lock it in a safe storage depository or use a gun lock

   NY-17 · 2. Safe storage

3. What score must you get on the written test at the end of the New York concealed carry course?

   • A.At least 75%
   • B.At least 90%
   • C.At least 80%
   • D.At least 70%
   Show answer

   C. At least 80%

   NY-25 · 3. State and federal gun laws

4. What does situational awareness mean for someone carrying concealed?

   • A.Staying on high alert and treating every stranger with suspicion
   • B.Keeping a hand on your firearm whenever you are out in public
   • C.Relaxed attention to people and surroundings to spot trouble early
   • D.Scanning only for police officers so you can tell them you're armed
   Show answer

   C. Relaxed attention to people and surroundings to spot trouble early

   NY-42 · 4. Situational awareness

5. What is the goal of conflict de-escalation?

   • A.To show the other person that you are armed and serious about it
   • B.To win the argument without ever having to raise your voice
   • C.To hold your ground until the other person finally backs down
   • D.To lower the intensity of a conflict so no one gets hurt
   Show answer

   D. To lower the intensity of a conflict so no one gets hurt

   NY-47 · 5. Conflict de-escalation

6. How do alcohol and drugs affect safe firearm handling?

   • A.They have no effect if you're an experienced shooter
   • B.Small amounts sharpen focus and steady the hands
   • C.They impair judgment, coordination and reaction time
   • D.They only matter when you are driving a car
   Show answer

   C. They impair judgment, coordination and reaction time

   NY-53 · 6. Alcohol and drugs

7. You're pulled over while carrying. What should you do with your hands as the officer approaches?

   • A.Put them in your lap under the dashboard
   • B.Keep them visible, such as on the steering wheel
   • C.Hold your pistol out the window to show it
   • D.Reach for your license and registration right away
   Show answer

   B. Keep them visible, such as on the steering wheel

   NY-57 · 7. Encounters with law enforcement

8. Which of these is a sensitive location where carry is barred under Penal Law 265.01-e?

   • A.A hardware store
   • B.A gas station
   • C.A public library
   • D.A parking lot at your job
   Show answer

   C. A public library

   NY-63 · 8. Sensitive and restricted places

9. What is the main idea of conflict management for an armed citizen?

   • A.Avoid, escape or defuse conflicts before force becomes an option
   • B.Use the firearm early so the conflict ends as quickly as possible
   • C.Let others know you're armed so that they'll steer clear of you
   • D.Win every confrontation so that you're never seen as weak by others
   Show answer

   A. Avoid, escape or defuse conflicts before force becomes an option

   NY-77 · 9. Conflict management

10. When may a person in New York use deadly physical force to defend themselves?

    • A.Whenever someone makes them afraid of any kind of physical injury at all
    • B.Whenever someone shouts a threat at them from across the street
    • C.When they reasonably believe the other is using or about to use deadly force
    • D.Whenever someone trespasses on property that they own or rent
    Show answer

    C. When they reasonably believe the other is using or about to use deadly force

    NY-81 · 10. Use of deadly physical force

What the study guide does

• Short study rounds and flip cards.
• A practice test built like the real one: 50 questions, 40 to pass.
• Pass Meter: your chance of passing if you sat the test today, worked out from your own answers.
• An explanation for every answer.