by Jim Thompson | Last Updated: March 1, 2021

If you are a beginning driver, taking a driver education course is an excellent way to prepare you to get behind the wheel. To apply for a New York Junior driver license, teen drivers are required by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain a learner permit and complete a driver education course.

Requirements of Drivers Ed New York

New York teens aged 16 and above may enroll in a driver education course once they have obtained a New York learner permit. Getting this permit will require you to pass both a written knowledge test and a vision exam.

To make passing the written exam easier, you may want to take advantage of a permit practice test. Permit practice tests contain questions taken from previous DMV tests, so it is like having the answers before you see the exam. There’s really no better way to build your confidence before heading to the DMV to attempt your test.

After getting your permit, the next step is to complete either a pre-licensing or drivers ed course.

The Types of New York Drivers Ed

One of the ways you can fulfill the NY drivers licensing requirements is to complete a pre-licensing course. This course is five hours long and will give you helpful information on topics like:

• New York traffic law
• Safe driving tips
• The importance of passenger restraints
• The effects of drinking while driving
• How driver safety is affected by skills, attitudes and emotions

After finishing a pre-licensing class, you will be provided with a course completion certificate that is valid for one year.

A New York drivers education course will be comprised of 24 classroom hours covering the topics above as well as 24 hours of behind the wheel instruction.

After your driver’s ed class, you will receive a certificate of completion valid for two years.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Although it would be good practice to take an online course, online courses are not recognized by the state of New York as fulfillment of the drivers education requirement.

Getting Your License after Drivers Ed New York

If you are under the age of 18 and have held a learner’s permit for six months, you are ready to apply for your junior driver license. To obtain this license you must:

• Prove that you have completed your driver’s ed requirement
• Prove completion of 50 hours of supervised driving with a Form MV-262. These practice driving hours must include 15 hours of night driving and 10 hours driving in heavy traffic.
• Submit documents proving your identity
• Receive a passing score on your road skills test
• Submit payment for the license fee

IMPORTANT NOTE: You must schedule your driving skills test before the expiration date of your certificate of course completion.