Permit & Drivers License
Written & Researched By Nataly Meza & Nicholas Petersen
There are several steps to be taken in order to get your license, beginning with getting your learner's permit. You have the option to obtain your permit once you are legally 15 1/2 years old in California. After you obtain your permit there is a waiting period of 6 months before you can take your driver's test & finally get ahold of your license. This means the earliest age you can acquire a license is 16. If you choose to not get your permit, you then have to wait until you are 18 years old of age. Once you are 18, there is no waiting period. Since you do not need to wait 6 months, this means you complete your written test you then can take your driving test. Once that is done you are given a permit as a temporary placeholder for your license which will arrive in the mail 1-3 weeks after.
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How to get your permit if you are between the ages of 15 1/2-17 1/2 years old :
1. Sign up for an official Driver's Education course (You will need to submit certification between the ages of 15.5-17.5 years old). This is a course you sign up for at home on your own device. Drivers Ed can be done online or in person. This is essentially a preparation course before you take your official permit test at your local DMV.
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For example, a certified Driver's Ed options would be these ( click on the text to be redirected to their site) :
DriversEd.com ($24.95) (Open to All States)
Groupon ($19) (California Only)
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Generally, Driver's Ed will ask for a price of around $50, with occasional sales. You can do your own research or ask other teens who have permits themselves which they recommend.
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This course will be done on your own time, taking however long to complete it as you like. It is important to schedule out how much time you want to put into the course every week/day. There are instructional images, tests, informational animations, and practice permit tests.
2. Once you are finished with this course, your personal certificate proving you have finished a Drivers Education Course will be mailed to your home. This is an important document to hold on to because you will need it when you take your official permit test at your local DMV.
3. Next, apply for your CA Driver's License/Identification through HERE . This site takes you through the steps of applying and it is a fairly easy process & you can ask for adult assistance about any questions you don't know or comprehend.
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Your parents will have to sign off financial responsibility/insurance if you are below the age of 18 so be sure to let them know and have that done*
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You will also be required to submit proof of residency, being a birth certificate, United States passport, etc. Other options for proof of residency can be found here:
4. Head over to the DMV office once you have your appointment with your required documents.
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There you will be subject to a vision test, you will provide your thumbprint, you will pay a non-refundable application fee, provide your signature for your license, get a photo taken, and take your exam.
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On your exam you must get at least 38/46 questions answered correctly, anything below that will result in a failure. However, you are allowed to take this test 3 times in one day. If you fail all three times there will be a 7 day waiting period. Once these 7 days are over and you fail the test once again 3 times. Do not stress, if you have prepared with practice exams it should be a breeze. If you do not pass within the 3 test limit, you will be required to restart your application in its entirety. This means doing your course once again and obtaining another certificate.
5. Once you have passed your written test, you need to wait until you are 16 years old ( 6 month waiting period). During this wait it is important you complete two tasks:
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Drive 50 hours with your guardians. Your parents will sign off these hours once they are completed. These hours are to be recorded on a log, which can be found here on pages 43-45.
Click on this DMV File for your Supervised Driving Log. It is best to print this out and keep it on hand whenever you are doing hours with your guardians.
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Drive 6 hours with an instructor. This means you will need to find an approved driving school and sign up for at least three driving sessions ( 2 Hours per drive). Once you have completed these hours, you will be provided with a certificate you will need to prove these hours were completed.
6. Once these tasks are done and the 6-month wait is over, you can call your local DMV and book your appointment for your behind-the-wheel test. This is the last test you will need to do. Your guardian will drive you to your local DMV and you will drive to the designated driver's test spot. Here your guardian will exit the vehicle and you will relocate yourself into the driver's seat. A DMV driving instructor will then enter the vehicle and you will drive them around to follow their orders and directions. This instructor will watch you and evaluate you. Once the drive is over the driving instructor will decide if you have passed or failed based on your performance. You have a total of 3 chances to pass the test, with a $7 fee after each retake. If you fail on all attempts, you will need to restart your entire application.
Remember not to worry! If you don't feel truly ready to drive behind the wheel with an instructor you have plenty of time to keep driving around with a guardian. It is important to remember you still have your permit and you do not have to make your appointment immediately once you turn 16. Take your time and you will be okay.