New York will not let you schedule a road test without the MV-278 certificate from the 5-hour pre-licensing course. Join a live online class for $40, get the certificate by email, and we can book your road test right after.
Choose a class date and leave your contacts - we will confirm by text or email.
Every new driver in New York State has to finish the 5-hour pre-licensing course before the road test, unless they completed approved driver education instead. It is a safety class built around knowledge, not a driving lesson. The time is spent on how traffic works, where crashes come from and how the law treats risky behavior. You never sit behind the wheel, and the DMV states clearly that the class on its own does not get anyone ready for the road test.
The requirement is written into state law. The Vehicle and Traffic Law sets the length and content of the course and requires at least 2 hours of it to cover alcohol and drug education. The same law adds short awareness segments on road rage, work zones, motorcycles, school buses, and pedestrians and cyclists. The DMV treats the class as part of its highway safety program, and the goal is practical: fewer violations and fewer crashes among people who are just starting to drive.
The DMV recognizes three ways to take the course. A traditional classroom course and a live distance-learning class, taught in real time over video by the school's instructor, are both open from age 16. A separate self-paced online program, run as a state pilot through approved providers, is limited to people 18 and older and is closed to junior license applicants. The class we offer is the live kind: an instructor leads the group in real time, and you take part from home on a computer or phone.
In the licensing process, the course sits between the learner permit and the road test. You need a valid New York learner permit before you start, and when you finish you receive the MV-278 completion certificate. The road test scheduling system will not give you an appointment unless a valid MV-278, an MV-285 from driver education, or an online completion is on file. The MV-278 remains valid for one year after it is issued and cannot be renewed.
It also helps to know what the course does not do. It does not reduce insurance premiums or take points off a driving record; that is the role of the separate defensive-driving program known as PIRP. It does not replace supervised practice. And it does not allow you to drive without a supervising driver. You stay under learner permit rules until you pass the road test.
Use this list as your checklist before you reserve a date. Every point below affects class day directly, and sorting them out in advance lets you start on time and stay with the class until the end.
Under DMV rules, a student must hold a valid New York learner permit before beginning the pre-licensing course, in any format. For a live video class, the school relies on the permit to identify the student and to confirm eligibility for the course. Having a permit is not enough if it has expired, so check the date on the card. If you have not passed the written permit test yet, do that first and choose a class date afterward.
The instructor checks your permit on camera. A New York photo permit card is accepted on its own. If you hold a valid interim permit with no photo, keep a New York State photo ID beside it, for example your non-driver ID card, or a New York license or permit with a photo that has since expired. IDs issued by other states do not take their place. Hold the card close to the lens and keep it still so the name and photo are easy to read.
Register with your first and last name written the way they appear on the permit, without nicknames, shortened forms or a different spelling. The instructor compares the student on screen with that card, and your certificate is prepared under the name you give us, so the permit and the MV-278 you bring to the road test should carry the same name.
A laptop, a tablet or a phone will do, provided the camera and the microphone both work. The camera is used for the permit check, and the microphone lets you speak with the instructor during the live session. Install any updates the day before, and close other apps that could take over the camera once class starts.
The class is streamed live, so the connection has to hold for hours, not only for the first few minutes. A home Wi-Fi network near the router tends to be steadier than a weak mobile signal. Keep the device on its charger too: you complete the course by attending all of it, and a dead battery or a dropped connection can cost you part of the class.
Pick a room where you can stay on camera without people passing behind you and where noise will not reach the group through your microphone. The course covers personal subjects, including alcohol, drugs and the emotions that affect driving, and privacy makes it easier to listen and to take part. Tell the people at home when the class begins and ends.
Our class is one continuous live session, and the DMV describes the course as roughly 5 hours of instruction. Set aside that entire stretch, plus a few minutes before the start to connect. Arrange work, meals and family duties ahead of time so that nothing calls you away in the middle.
There are English groups and Spanish groups, and the Spanish ones are led by a bilingual instructor. Choose the language in which you follow legal terms with the least effort, then a date from the schedule, where the open dates are listed. Seats are limited in every group, so reserve through the form; we confirm your seat by phone call or text message. The course costs $40, and the certificate is already included.
Live online classes. Pick the date that suits you in the form - we will confirm your seat.
The basic rule is simple. If you do not hold a New York State driver license and you want to take a Class D road test, a completed pre-licensing course or approved driver education must be on record before you can book. These are the situations where the 5-hour course applies.
Anyone getting a first New York license follows the same order: permit, course, road test. Age does not change the rule. A 19-year-old student and a 45-year-old who never needed a car take the same class and receive the same MV-278.
Many New Yorkers manage for years on the subway and buses, then need a license for a new job, a move or family reasons. If you have never held a license anywhere, the course is required no matter how much time you have spent in a car as a passenger. The class covers the rules of the road from the beginning, which helps when everything about driving is new.
A license from another country cannot simply be traded for a New York one. A new resident passes the written test, completes the 5-hour course and passes the road test, then hands the foreign license to the examiner after passing. If that license is not printed in English, bring an International Driving Permit or a certified translation to the road test. Visitors may drive on a valid foreign license while their documents remain valid, and a Canadian license goes through the same exchange process as a license from another U.S. state.
A New York license can be renewed from 1 year before until 2 years after its expiration date. After the 2-year point, renewal is no longer possible. You apply for an original license, which means a vision test, the written test, the 5-hour course and a road test, the same as a first-time driver.
A junior applicant who is not completing a high school or college driver education program needs the 5-hour course as well. The self-paced online program is not open to junior (DJ/MJ) applicants, so a teen must take a classroom course or a live online class like ours. Teens also have to hold the permit for at least 6 months before booking and must bring an MV-262 certifying at least 50 hours of supervised driving, 15 of them after sunset.
The certificate lasts one year, counted from its issue date. It cannot be extended or renewed, and it cannot be used to book a road test once it has expired. If your year ran out before you scheduled the test, the only option is a fresh enrollment in the course and a new certificate.
The state's self-paced online program has a firm limit: students must finish within 30 calendar days of registering or they are dropped, and they may lose the fee. Someone in that position still needs a completed course, and a live class taken in one continuous session is one way to get it done.
Completing the State's 48-hour driver education program at a high school or college earns the MV-285 certificate, which the DMV accepts in place of the pre-licensing course. To book a road test with it, the MV-285 must have been issued within the past 2 years.
Licenses from another U.S. state or territory, a federal district or a Canadian province can be exchanged for a New York license. The license must have been issued at least 6 months before you apply and must be valid or expired for less than 24 months. The DMV's exchange instructions list a vision test and do not mention the pre-licensing course.
If your New York license is about to expire, or expired less than 2 years ago, you renew it instead of applying as a new driver. The course requirement for new drivers applies only once the license has been expired for 2 years or more.
If you already hold a New York license and are testing to change or add a license class, you bring your current New York license to the road test instead of a course certificate.
The course follows a written outline from the DMV; the student version is form MV-277.1. Below is what each part covers and why it matters once you are driving on New York streets.
The class starts with the rules you live under right now. A permit holder may drive only with a supervising driver who is at least 21 and licensed for that vehicle, and may not drive in DMV road test areas, on streets inside New York City parks or on bridges and tunnels run by the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority. You also learn about the 6-month probation for drivers who are 18 or older when they pass: one conviction for reckless driving, speeding, a speed contest or following too closely, or any two other violations, can lead to a 60-day suspension and a new probation period.
Every trip involves three parts: the driver, the vehicle and the environment around them. The course looks at how these interact and what makes a driver safe, from physical, mental and emotional fitness to knowledge, skills, habits and courtesy. It also treats driving as a shared activity in which your choices affect everyone else on the road.
This part explains how to keep a cushion of space around the car, where blind spots hide other vehicles, and how to scan the road ahead with a structured method the outline calls the SEE strategy. It covers reaction time and stopping distance, which shows why tailgating leaves no room to respond, and how to make your intentions clear to other road users.
You review who goes first at intersections, how to turn and change lanes, how to handle one-way streets and expressways, and how to back up, pass and be passed safely. Signs, signals, pavement markings and the directions of traffic officers are covered in the same unit.
State law requires the course to include awareness segments on pedestrians and cyclists, motorcycles, school buses and work zones. The outline also covers driving near trucks, buses and other large vehicles. In a city with crowded crosswalks, bike lanes and frequent roadwork, these sections describe situations you will meet on ordinary drives.
Cell phones and other distractions, drowsy driving and the New York seat-belt law each get their own attention. The point is to show how quickly attention slips and why occupant protection matters for every passenger, not only the driver. Hydroplaning and how road conditions affect stopping are part of the same skills unit.
One unit deals with the driver's state of mind: how mood and attitude shape decisions, the difference between a calculated risk and an impulsive one, and how road rage and aggressive driving develop. It explains the charges and penalties that aggressive driving can bring and walks through the Graduated Driver Licensing law that governs younger drivers.
By law, at least 2 hours of the course deal with alcohol and drugs. You learn how they affect the body and judgment, how blood alcohol content is calculated, what chemical testing and implied consent mean, and how the Zero Tolerance law, Leandra's Law and the Driver Responsibility Assessment work. An appendix lists common drugs and their effects.
The outline ends with an appendix on newer laws and concerns: school bus safety, pedestrian and bicycle safety, motorcycle awareness, right-of-way, distracted driving, roundabouts and developments in vehicle safety technology. This is the part of the class that tracks recent changes, so it deserves close attention even if you have driven before.
This is the full sequence, step by step, so you know what happens at each stage and what you need to do.
Look through the schedule for dates that still have seats, and check the language of each group. Choose a day on which the whole session fits. Keep the road test in mind as well: the certificate you earn stays valid for one year from its issue date, and the booking has to happen inside that year.
Enter your name and a phone number in the sign-up form; an email address is welcome but not required. We reach you by phone call or text message and confirm the date. The $40 fee covers the class and the MV-278 certificate. What you pay the DMV for the permit and the license is a separate payment to the state.
After you sign up, you receive the link to the live class together with joining instructions. Keep that message where you can find it quickly on class day, and make sure ahead of time that it opens on the device you will use.
Connect a few minutes before the scheduled start. If you arrive late, you may not be let in. Use those minutes to check sound, video and lighting; sit facing a lamp or a window rather than with the light behind you, so your face is clearly visible.
On camera, the instructor checks that the face on screen matches the registered student and the ID being shown. Keep your photo permit within reach, or your interim permit plus the New York State photo ID that goes with it, so you can hold it up the moment you are asked.
The class is led live by an instructor on a video call, much like a Zoom meeting. The content follows the DMV outline: an introduction to the MV-278 and permit rules, then the driving environment, habits and skills, attitudes and risk, and alcohol and other drugs, closing with a recap. State law reserves a minimum of 2 hours for alcohol and drug education. You can ask questions as topics come up, and the instructor may use short videos and group discussion. Nobody drives during the course, and there is no final exam.
Completion depends on attendance from the first minute to the last, not on a test score. Your MV-278 is issued once the class is complete, and you are notified when it is ready. Keep the original in good condition, in the same place as your permit, and sign it before you book the road test.
Your MV-278 number is one of the details requested when a road test is booked, and the original certificate goes with you on test day; copies are not accepted. You can book through the DMV yourself or let us handle it: Standard is $25 and Rush is $75, with a $115 car for test day if you need one. The next section covers the test in full.
Our 5-hour course is a live class. An instructor teaches the group in real time over video, and you connect from your own home with a computer or a phone. The class is not a recording, and there is no self-paced module to click through on your own. The DMV has allowed licensed driving schools to teach the course this way since July 28, 2020, on the condition that a qualified instructor teaches live; software that runs the course without an instructor is not permitted.
The class runs as one continuous session from start to finish, so plan for the full block of time without interruptions. Groups are taught in English and in Spanish, and Spanish dates are marked in the schedule. Seats in each group are limited, and the schedule shows how many remain.
This format is not the same as the state's self-paced online pilot. That program is open only to people 18 and older, requires passing a quiz in each chapter before moving on, must be finished within 30 days of registering, and does not produce a paper MV-278. The live class is open from age 16 and ends with an MV-278 certificate.
One instructor leads the session from beginning to end and takes questions as they come up. Because the class is live, you can ask about a rule you do not understand at the moment it is discussed. The instructor may also use short videos and group discussion along the way.
You need a device with a working camera and microphone. Your learner permit, or permit plus photo ID, is shown on camera so the instructor can confirm that the person attending is the student who will receive the certificate.
A smartphone works, but a laptop or tablet is easier to follow over several hours. Whatever device you use, keep it charging and on a stable internet connection for the whole session.
This class has no quizzes during the session and no final test. You complete the course by attending the entire class, from the first minute to the last.
Late arrivals may not be admitted. Open the class link a few minutes before the start time and check your sound and camera before the instructor begins.
Choose the language you understand best. Spanish groups are taught by a bilingual instructor. The sections on alcohol and drug laws are detailed, and they are easier to follow in your strongest language.
Your New York State learner permit comes first; you cannot start the course without one. Keep the 9-digit ID number on the front of the permit handy, because it is what you use to book, change or cancel a road test. If your photo permit card is still in the mail, the DMV says to allow 3 weeks for it to arrive.
Sign up for a live online class; the $40 fee already covers the certificate. Completing it earns you the MV-278 completion certificate, which stays valid for a year after its issue date.
The course includes no driving, so practice is up to you and your supervising driver. The DMV's advice is to log 50 hours or more of practice, including 15 or more after dark and 10 or more in moderate to heavy traffic. For applicants under 18, the 50 hours with 15 after sunset are required and certified on form MV-262. Permit holders may not practice in DMV road test areas.
Booking requires your permit ID, your MV-278 number, the ZIP code for the place where you would like to test, a mobile phone number and details of the vehicle you plan to use. Applicants under 18 must also have held the permit for at least 6 months. You can book with the DMV online or by phone at 518-402-2100, or through us: Standard booking is $25 with a typical wait of about 5 to 9 weeks, and Rush booking is $75 with a typical wait of about 1 to 3 weeks.
The DMV does not supply a car. You need a registered, insured and inspected vehicle in good working order, plus a licensed companion driver: over 18 if they drive you to the site, over 21 if you drive there yourself. If you have no car or nobody with a license to bring you, our $115 road test car can be waiting for you at the site, with a short warm-up drive before the examiner starts.
Bring your physical photo permit, the original MV-278 (copies are not accepted), an MV-262 signed by a parent or guardian for applicants under 18, and glasses or contacts if your permit lists a lens restriction. The examiner photographs you, your documents and the car. Class D tests are given on city streets, parallel parking is part of every test, and you may be asked to make a three-point turn.
Results are posted online after 6 p.m. on the test day. If you pass, an interim license is available online and the photo license arrives by mail in about 2 weeks. If you do not pass, your permit stays valid, you must wait at least 14 days before testing again, and extra fees apply after the first two failed tests.
After the course, the road test is the last step to a license. This section brings together what the DMV expects you to bring and arrange, how test day runs and what the examiner pays attention to. We are an independent private service, not the DMV. Standard booking costs $25, and the wait is usually about 5 to 9 weeks, varying by site. Rush booking costs $75: we search for the earliest openings, frequently at more than one nearby site, and the wait is usually about 1 to 3 weeks. Your date and time reach you by text or email. If you need to change them, tell us at least 48 hours ahead; rescheduling may carry a fee. DMV fees are paid to the state separately.
Only someone holding a valid New York learner permit can get a road test appointment, and the DMV record must show at least one unused road test. You also need an MV-278 that is less than one year old, or a driver education MV-285 that is less than 2 years old. Applicants under 18 must have had the permit for at least 6 months, and any time it was suspended does not count.
When you book, the system asks for the 9-digit number printed on your permit, your MV-278 number, a mobile phone number, a 5-digit ZIP code for the area you prefer and a representative vehicle. Any site in New York State is open to you. Within the city there are 27: Queens has 12, Brooklyn 6, Staten Island 6 and the Bronx 3, while Manhattan has none.
Bring the physical permit card; neither a picture of it on your phone nor the Mobile ID is accepted. If your permit is an interim one without a photo, add a New York State photo license or non-driver photo ID. Photo documents from other states are not accepted.
Bring the original paper certificate from your course, not a scan or a photocopy. If you met the requirement through high school or college driver education, bring the MV-285 instead.
Junior applicants must give the examiner a filled-out MV-262 at every attempt, not only the first, with the signature of a parent or guardian. The form certifies a minimum of 50 supervised driving hours, 15 or more of which were after sunset. Falsifying the form may be a crime.
If your permit carries a corrective lens restriction, wear your glasses or contact lenses during the test. Look at the restriction on the card a week ahead rather than on the morning of the test.
You must arrive with a licensed driver. The minimum age depends on who is driving on the way there: over 18 when the companion is behind the wheel, over 21 when you drive there on your permit. The companion must carry a physical license that covers the test car, since the Mobile ID is refused for companions as well. No one else may come to the site.
The DMV does not lend cars. Yours needs valid registration, insurance and inspection, permanent plates that belong to it and are mounted on it, working doors and seat belts, a clean front passenger belt the examiner can use, and the car as a whole must be clean. In-transit permits are not accepted, and for a rental you need the rental contract and written permission that allows its use on a road test. Our $115 car is meant for people who do not have a car or anyone licensed to bring them.
The DMV asks applicants to be there up to 15 minutes ahead of the appointment time. Lateness can mean the examiner is unable to give the test, and you would then need a new date. With our car, plan to arrive 60 minutes ahead instead, so the warm-up drive fits before the test. Some sites have no shelter, so wear clothing suited to the weather. Firearms are prohibited at road test sites unless otherwise authorized.
Before setting out, look up your appointment in the DMV's scheduling system: bad weather or road construction can lead to a test being cancelled, moved or rescheduled. Put the permit, the MV-278 and, for applicants under 18, the MV-262 in one folder, and confirm that your companion has a physical license.
At the site, the car pulls up at the end of the line of vehicles waiting for an examiner. DMV's guidance for driving schools asks for the paperwork to be ready when the examiner reaches you, so keep the folder in hand rather than in the trunk.
The examiner goes through your papers and takes photos of you, the documents, your learner permit and the car. A car that falls short of the requirements can keep the test from taking place, in which case a new booking is needed.
A DMV license examiner runs the test, which takes place on city streets. Every test includes parallel parking, and a three-point turn may be requested. According to that same guidance for driving schools, examiners do not set traps for applicants. The DMV publishes no official length for the Class D test, so do not plan around a fixed number of minutes.
When the drive is over, you receive a card explaining how to look up your result online. Results appear on the DMV's road test results site after 6 p.m. that same evening.
An interim license becomes available online, and it lets you drive; keep it with your photo learner permit. The photo license is mailed to you and takes about 2 weeks to arrive. If you are 18 or older on the day you pass, a 6-month probation follows. During it, one conviction for DWAI, speeding, reckless driving, following too closely or a speed contest, or convictions for two traffic violations of any kind, lead to a 60-day suspension and then a fresh probation period.
Applicants under 18 who pass receive a junior license and must follow the junior driver restrictions. A junior license holder is barred from driving in all five boroughs, under any circumstances. The DMV's advice to teens who expect to do a lot of driving in the city is to put the road test off until 18.
Your learner permit remains valid until it expires. The next attempt can come no sooner than 14 days later, and after the first two failed tests a fee is due before you can book again. If we booked your first test, we can arrange the next one the same way.
The DMV does not release a scoring sheet, point values or a list of automatic-fail errors for Class D tests, so any point chart you find online deserves caution. Its guidance for driving schools does name the areas that are scored: observation, turns, U-turns, parallel parking, judgment and the rules of the road.
Prepare early for each turn and keep the car under control through the whole maneuver. Under state law, your signal has to come on at least 100 feet ahead of a turn or lane change, which means well before the corner rather than as you start to turn the wheel.
Every road test includes it. At the end, your wheels need to be within one foot of the curb. The Driver's Manual recommends pulling up alongside the vehicle parked ahead of the space, leaving roughly two feet of gap between the cars, and then reversing in.
The examiner needs to see that you are aware of what is around the car. Check the mirrors and turn your head for blind spots before you pull out, change lanes, back up or turn, and scan intersections and crosswalks as you approach them.
U-turns appear on the list of scored areas. They are not allowed in the business districts of New York City, at any spot with a NO U-TURN sign, in school zones, or where other drivers could not see you from 500 feet away in either direction. To turn around on a narrow street with two-way traffic, the manual describes the three-point turn, which the examiner may request.
Judgment covers the choices you make in traffic, such as how much space you leave around the car, what speed you choose for the conditions and when you yield to other road users.
Traffic signs, lights, lane markings, right-of-way and speed limits apply during the test exactly as they do on any other drive. Coming to a full stop where required and choosing the correct lane are part of driving by the rules.
Two features have to stay off for the whole test: adaptive cruise control and automatic parallel parking. Systems that only warn or assist, such as cameras, parking sensors or a blind-spot monitor, may remain on, but the examiner assesses whether you drove safely without relying on them, and that assessment is final.
| MV-278 | MV-285 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it shows | You completed the 5-hour pre-licensing course in a classroom or a live online class | You completed a state-approved driver education program |
| How you earn it | About 5 hours of instruction, with no driving practice included | The State's 48-hour driver education program at a high school or college |
| Valid for booking a road test | 1 year from the date of issue; it cannot be renewed | 2 years from the date of issue |
| Typical holders | Adults, new residents, returning drivers and teens outside driver education | High school and college students who took driver education |
| For a 17-year-old in NYC | Leads to a junior license only; junior license holders may not drive anywhere in the five boroughs until 18 | Lets a 17-year-old move up to a senior Class D license, which is not covered by the NYC junior ban |
| Insurance | Not linked to the mandatory insurance reduction, which comes from the separate PIRP course | Many insurers voluntarily give young drivers a discount; proof comes from the school on letterhead, not the MV-285 itself |
A valid New York learner permit is required before you start the course, whatever the format. Pass the written permit test first, then choose a class date.
The MV-278 expires one year after it is issued, and it cannot be renewed or extended. If you expect a long stretch of practice, time the course so you will be ready to book the road test within that year. An expired certificate means taking the whole course again.
The DMV asks for the original MV-278 at the test and does not accept copies. Keep the certificate together with your learner permit, and do not wait until the morning of the test to look for it.
The defensive-driving course known as PIRP is a separate program. It is the one tied to insurance rate reductions and point reductions, and it does not satisfy the pre-licensing requirement. The 5-hour course, in turn, brings no insurance reduction and removes no points.
The class includes no time behind the wheel, and the DMV says it does not by itself prepare anyone for the road test. Parallel parking, turns and observation are learned through practice with a supervising driver or a driving instructor.
The self-paced online program is limited to people 18 and older, and its providers must confirm that a student is not applying for a junior (DJ/MJ) license. Teens need a classroom course or a live online class instead.
The DMV does not reissue the MV-278. A lost certificate is replaced by the school that ran the course, and you need the replacement before you can book the road test.
The DMV does not provide a vehicle for the road test. You arrive in your own car, a borrowed one or a rental, and it has to meet a few basic conditions before the test can begin: valid registration, insurance and inspection, permanent license plates assigned to the car and mounted on it, everything in proper working order, and a clean car. A vehicle running on an in-transit permit is not accepted. The examiner photographs the car along with you and your documents.
The car is only half of the requirement. You also need a licensed companion driver who carries a physical license valid for the vehicle; the mobile ID is not accepted. The companion must be over 18 if they drive you to the site, or over 21 if you drive there yourself. Only the companion may come with you to the site, so friends and relatives cannot come along.
If you have no car, or no licensed driver who can come with you, our road test car covers it for $115 per test day. It is fully insured and prepared for the DMV road test, it is brought to your test site, and you get a short warm-up drive before the test starts. When you use our car, plan to be at the site 60 minutes ahead of your appointment. You can add the car to a Standard or Rush booking, or add it later.
All three must be valid on test day. New York vehicles must be inspected at least once every 12 months, so check the sticker date well ahead. Insurance for a New York car must come from a company licensed by the state's Department of Financial Services, and the name on the insurance must match the name on the registration exactly.
Every door and seat belt must work. The front passenger belt has to be available and clean, because the examiner uses it. Clear the passenger seat and floor before you arrive.
State law requires working brakes and steering, a horn, wipers, turn signals, brake lights and the required mirrors. The windshield and the front side windows may not be treated with material that lets through less than 70% of light. Walk around the car the day before and test every light.
Adaptive cruise control and automatic parallel parking may not be used during the test. Warning and assist systems such as blind-spot monitors, cameras, parking sensors, lane departure warnings and automatic emergency braking are allowed, but the examiner decides whether you drove safely on your own, and that score is final.
For a rental, bring both the rental agreement and a written permission that allows the car to be used for a road test. If anything about the car is unusual, such as out-of-state plates, confirm the details before test day. If the car does not meet the requirements, the test may not go ahead and you would need to book again.
Fully insured and ready for the DMV road test, it meets you at the site, and a short warm-up drive comes with it. It works with a Standard or Rush booking or as a later add-on. Arrive 60 minutes before your appointment so the warm-up fits in comfortably before the test.
The class is online, so it works the same wherever you live in the city.
From Bay Ridge to Williamsburg, Brooklyn learners join the same live online class from home - no trip to a classroom on Atlantic Avenue or anywhere else.
Queens is big and the commute to a classroom can eat half a day. Taking the 5-hour course online lets Flushing, Jamaica and Astoria learners skip the trip entirely.
Manhattan learners take the course online like everyone else - a laptop or phone at home, at work or in a library is all it takes.
Bronx learners from Riverdale to Soundview can finish the required 5 hours online and get the MV-278 certificate without leaving the borough.
No ferry ride, no bridge toll: Staten Island learners join the live online class from home and receive the MV-278 by email.
$40 flat, and the MV-278 certificate is included. DMV fees, such as the permit and license fees, go to the state separately and are not part of our price.
It is live. The instructor teaches in real time over video and takes questions during the session, and you take part from your own home using a computer or a phone.
Yes, as long as the phone has a working camera and microphone and a stable connection. A laptop or tablet is more comfortable for a class of this length, but a phone is enough.
No. There is no quiz during the class and no exam at the end; attending the whole session is what completes the course.
Yes. A valid New York learner permit is required before you start. In class you show your photo permit on camera, or a valid interim permit together with a NYS government photo ID if the card has not arrived yet.
Yes. Live online classes are open from age 16, including applicants for a junior license. The age limit of 18 applies only to the self-paced online program. Before the road test you will also need to have held your permit for 6 months and bring a signed MV-262.
Yes. We run groups in English and in Spanish, and the Spanish dates are marked in the schedule.
Choose a date from the live schedule in the form and leave your name and phone number; email is optional. We then call or text you to confirm the seat. Seats in each group are limited.
It is issued after you complete the course, and you are told when it is ready. Keep the original certificate: you will need it at the road test, and it is good for one year from its issue date.
It cannot be renewed or extended. The certificate must be valid on the day you book, and once it has expired the course has to be repeated.
If you have moved to New York, yes. You pass the written test, complete the 5-hour course and pass the road test, then hand your foreign license to the examiner. Licenses from other U.S. states and Canadian provinces go through a separate exchange process.
Only if 2 or more years have passed since it expired. Up to 2 years after the expiration date you can still renew. After that you apply as a new driver and go through every step: vision and written tests, the 5-hour course and the road test.
No. Those benefits belong to the separate defensive-driving program known as PIRP, which is a different course and does not count toward the pre-licensing requirement.
Yes. Standard booking is $25, and most people wait about 5 to 9 weeks depending on the site. Rush booking is $75: we look for the earliest available dates, often checking several nearby sites, and most people wait about 1 to 3 weeks. A car for test day is $115. We are a private, independent service and not part of the DMV.
With the MV-278 in hand you can book your road test. We do that too - Standard $25, Rush $75 - and bring a car for test day for $115.
Road test sites →