New York 5-Hour Pre-Licensing Course FAQs

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles requires every new driver to complete a 5-hour pre-licensing course before taking the road test for their driver license. You can take the pre-licensing course after you have received your picture learner permit. This course is available 100% online or in a classroom setting. You must be at least 18 to take the online course and at least 16 to take the classroom course.

Yes. This course is approved by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles through American Safety Council. SafeMotorist is owned and operated by American Safety Council, which you can find on the NYS DMV's list of Online Pre-Licensing Course providers.

Students who are 18 or older at the time of purchase can complete this course to satisfy the New York DMV's pre-licensing course requirement before taking a road test for their first driver license.

The state of New York will not validate or process completion information if the driver does not meet the minimum age requirement of 18 at the time of purchase. Courses purchased before the student meets the minimum age requirement of 18 are not eligible for a refund.

Drivers 18 or older at time of purchase who are seeking their first New York driver license can take an NYS DMV-approved 5-Hour Pre-Licensing course online.

The state will not validate or process completion information if the driver does not meet the minimum age requirement of 18 at the time of purchase. If you are under the age of 18 and applying for a junior driver license (Class DJ) or junior motorcycle license (Class MJ), you are required to take your pre-licensing course in person.

Students must be at least 18 and have a photo learner permit (not a temporary permit) before starting the course. Your photo permit should arrive approximately two weeks after you receive your temporary permit.

You are not eligible for a refund if you did not meet the minimum age requirement at the time of purchase.

If you attended an in-person Driver Education course that issued a pre-licensing course certificate, you do not need to take the New York 5-hour online pre-licensing course. You will need to bring your Pre-Licensing Course Certificate (MV-278) to your road test.

Yes, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles requires all online students to confirm their identity to ensure that they complete the course without help. Our online program uses two methods of identity validation: security questions and voice biometrics.

Before you start the course, you will need to answer some multiple-choice questions about yourself. These questions will appear on your screen at several points during your training, and you will have 45 seconds to answer them correctly. You have up to three tries to answer each security question.

This course also uses a system called voice biometrics. Prior to starting the course, you will submit three voice samples of a specific phrase into your computer or smartphone microphone. At several checkpoints throughout your training, you will be prompted to repeat the phrase to confirm your identity.

The Voice Biometrics system will validate your identity by comparing each new voice sample you provide with your original voice samples.

To maintain our approval, the NYS DMV requires us to permanently lock students out of the course after failing three security attempts in a row. If this happens to you, you must repurchase the course for additional attempts. Please contact customer support if you fail an identity check because of a technical difficulty.

The state of New York will not validate or process completion information if the driver does not meet the minimum age requirement of 18 at the time of purchase.

Once you are done with the course, your voice samples and security questions are deleted from the system.

You have three attempts to pass each identity validation check. For each identity check throughout the course, you must answer security questions or provide voice samples.

To maintain our approval, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles requires providers to permanently lock students out of the course after failing three security attempts in a row. To resume your training, you will need to repurchase the course and start over from the beginning.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties that prevent you from passing an identity check, please contact our customer support team for assistance.

Our New York 5-hour online course is broken down into nine sections:

1. Introduction to Safe Driving
2. Driving within the Highway Transportation System
3. Rules of the Road
4. Safe Driving Habits
5. Safe Driving Skills
6. Risks of Alcohol and Other Drugs
7. New York State Laws
8. Feelings, Attitudes and Taking Risks
9. Aggressive Driving and Road Rage

The course takes about five hours to complete, not including end-of-module quizzes. Most students can complete the course in five hours, but it may take you longer depending on how much time you spend on each section.

All courses approved by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles must contain a minimum of 270 minutes of instruction. Our training program includes the required 270 minutes of course material broken up into nine modules. You can train at your own pace and take breaks anytime. You must complete the course within 30 calendar days of purchasing the course.

You have up to 30 calendar days to finish the course, and you can split up your training into as many sessions as you like. If you do not complete the course before it expires, you will need to repurchase the course and start again from the beginning.

No, the online 5-Hour Pre-Licensing course does not provide a certificate upon completion. After you successfully complete the course, we will report your completion to the state electronically.

You can schedule an appointment for your road test at a convenient NYS DMV location as soon as your completion is added to your record. You will not have to provide proof of course completion to take your road test.

No, this course does not have a final exam. But you must pass a multiple-choice quiz after each of the nine sections. You must pass every section before you become eligible to take the road test for your first driver license.

For each quiz, you have up to three attempts to get a passing score of 70% or higher. If you fail any quiz three times, you will be required to repurchase the course and try again.

Your 5-hour course completion will stay valid for one year after the date you pass the course. We will automatically report your completion to the state electronically. You can schedule your road test up to the date of expiration.

Pre-licensing course certificates issued by an in-person driver education course remain valid for two years.