In response to many requests, Statewide Driving School has put up this page to help parents and teens understand the "timeline" of licensing.

STEP ONE: DRIVER EDUCATION
     Any minor, under the age of 17 1/2 years of age, must complete a driver education course. This course can be a:
1) Department of Motor Vehicles APPROVED course, through a commercial driving school;
2) Department of Education  APPROVED course, in a public or private secondary school;
3) DMV " accepted ", but not approved , course through some private high school entrepeneurs, who hide behind the laws allowing them to exist. The first two options are state-approved and regulated, this one is not, so let the buyer beware of what "course" they are paying good money for.

     Once the course has been completed, the student is awarded a DMV-issued "Certificate of Completion", which is PINK (DL387) if from a public/private high school, and BLUE (OL 237) if from a commercial driving school.

STEP TWO: GETTING THE LEARNING PERMIT

     Once you have your Driver Education (DE) certificate, you must ENROLL in a course of driver training (DT). For the most part, this is only done at commercial driving schools, although some high schools still maintain a DT course. The word "enroll" is defined as: "To insert, register or enter into a list or roll...(Merriam-Webster)". The purpose here is to show that the student is prepared to learn driving, soon after passing the test. This will usually entail scheduling, and paying for, at least ONE lesson (enrolling) with a commercial driving school. The school will give the student a "Certificate of Enrollment" (DL/OL 392) .

(These certificates are provided, at no cost to the school, by the DMV. BEWARE of schools offering to "sell" a certificate for a small sum, usually around $15.00 - $35.00, without actually "enrolling" in their class!)

     Once you have BOTH certificates, and you are at least 15 1/2 years of age, you may take the written test for your permit. You do not need to make an appointment for the written test, but it is sometimes beneficial, especially at the busier DMV field offices. Tests are not given after 4:30pm.

STEP THREE: DRIVER TRAINING

     Now that you have the permit, look at PAGE 2 . It tells you that it is NOT VALID until you have taken your first lesson with a DMV- or Department of Education-licensed Driving Instructor. You cannot drive on the permit, even with your parents, until that first lesson. If you are caught driving on an invalid permit, YOU are guilty of " driving without a license ", and your PARENTS are guilty of " allowing an unlicensed driver to operate a motor vehicle ". Both, or either, of these can result in the impoundment of your vehicle for a period of 20 days, at an average cost of $80.00 per day!

     When you get your permit, call your driving school and get the earliest possible schedule, since your permit won't become valid until then. Statewide Driving School gives priority scheduling to "first-timers" for just this reason.

   IMPORTANT NOTE : You are required to keep your permit a minimum of 6 months, irrespective of when you turn 16. If you are ALREADY 16, you must STILL keep the permit for 6 months before you will be eligible for the drive test. The DMV uses MIDNIGHT as a date termination, so it is actually 6 months PLUS one day. If you received your permit on, for example, May 1, you will need to wait until November 2 to be eligible.

     If you did NOT PASS the test on your first try, please look at the  FIRST PAGE of your permit. You will see TWO different dates below your name. One says DATE ISSUED and the other says EXPIRATION DATE . You have ONE YEAR to complete the process of getting your permit AND your license, and the clock starts ticking from the day you pay the fee and submit the application. If the 6-month waiting period (from the ISSUED DATE) is beyond the EXPIRATION DATE, you will have to re-take the written test, pay another fee, and get another permit. PERMITS ARE NOT RENEWABLE . 

STEP FOUR: THE DRIVING TEST

     After you have held your license for 5 months, and you feel ready to take the test, begin calling the DMV for a schedule for your drive test. The DMV computers only schedule 30 days in advance, and they tend to fill up the time slots early, so START early. Calculate the day you will become eligible, and then start calling for a schedule on or after that date. You don't have to go to the same DMV office that gave you your permit, so ask for available times at several nearby field offices.
     Be sure to bring EVERYTHING you took for the permit test (birth certificate, SSN, etc.) PLUS the DL238 "Certificate of Completion of Driver Training", that shows you have completed the required 6 hours of driving instruction. In addition, you must bring the current registration for the vehicle you will be using for the test, as well as proof of insurance . They will ask for these at the appointment window. If you don't have them, you won't get past the window!

If you have any further questions about this timeline, please email me at: