New York 5-Hour Online Pre-Licensing FAQs

Yes, this course is approved by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NYS DMV) through American Safety Council. Courses purchased before the student meets the minimum age requirement are not valid and will not be processed by the state.

You can confirm our course approval under American Safety Council by visiting the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles website.

The course is approved pursuant to Commissioner's Regulations, Part 76. As such, the course meets all legal requirements for driver preparation as prescribed in New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law, Sections 215 and 508(4).

The 5-Hour Pre-Licensing course is available in English and Spanish. You may choose your language preference during registration.

» Preguntas frecuentes sobre el Curso de 5 Horas en español

The 5-hour course provides vital education to new drivers, including rules of the road, defensive driving techniques and more.

Other course topics include:

• New York vehicle and traffic laws
• Habits and skills for safe driving
• Risks of driving under the influence
• How to drive safely on the highway
• Aggressive driving and road rage

Upon completion of the course, you'll know more about the responsibilities of safe drivers and a wide range of factors that can affect your driving.

You can complete the course 100% online using any device. You can work on the course anywhere, even from the comfort of your home!

The New York 5-Hour Online Pre-Licensing Course takes about five hours to complete. It includes nine learning modules and at least 270 minutes of instruction, not including quizzes. You can complete the timed course modules at your own pace and take multiple breaks.

Students must be at least 18 years old when they purchase this course. Courses purchased before the student meets the minimum age requirement are not valid and will not be processed by the state of New York.

Due to New York DMV requirements, you'll need to confirm your identity at several checkpoints throughout the course. We use security questions and voice biometrics, two fast and simple methods that ensure you are the only person who participates in this training.

Security Questions

At the start of the course, you will be prompted to answer a series of security questions about personal details. These questions will appear on your screen at random points throughout the course, and you must answer them correctly within 45 seconds to continue the course. You can miss or incorrectly answer up to three security questions throughout the course. If you miss a fourth security question check, you will be locked out of the course and must purchase it again to continue your training.

Voice Biometrics

You will also be required to confirm your identity using voice biometrics, a validation technique that takes samples of your voice. With this method, you'll be prompted to provide a voice sample at random intervals using your device's microphone. A headset is not required.

Tip: To avoid missing any checkpoints, be sure to log out of the course any time you are not able to actively participate in the program. If an authentication request pops up, complete it before navigating away from the screen.

New drivers seeking a New York driver license can take this course online only if they are 18 or older at the time of purchase and do NOT hold a junior driver license (Class DJ) or junior motorcycle license (Class MJ). Those who are ineligible to take the pre-licensing course online may be eligible to take the course in a classroom.

Students must have a photo learner permit before starting the course. Your photo permit will arrive in the mail about two weeks after the state of New York issues your temporary permit.

Courses purchased before the student meets the minimum age requirement or are affiliated with a class DJ or MJ license will not be processed by the state of New York and are not eligible for a refund.

Yes. Before you can start your online 5-hour course, the NYS DMV requires you to prove you have a valid New York learner permit that includes your photograph. If you have a temporary learner permit with no photo, you must wait until you have a photo permit before you start your training.

The NYS DMV issues temporary learner permits to drivers immediately after they pass the written permit exam at a DMV office. After you earn your temporary permit, it takes about two weeks for your photo permit to arrive in the mail.

No, you do not need to pass a final exam to complete the course. However, you must pass brief quizzes at the end of each of the course's nine learning modules. You have up to three attempts to pass each quiz with a sore of 70% or higher. Due to New York Department of Motor Vehicle requirements, you will be locked out of the course and required to re-register if you fail to pass a quiz within three attempts.

Tip: Once you are at a quiz screen, do not navigate away without submitting your attempt. Doing so may count as one of your three attempts.

Due to NYS DMV regulations, you must complete the New York 5-Hour Online Pre-Licensing Course within 30 calendar days of registering for the course.

No, graduates of the online pre-licensing course do not need to provide a certificate of completion to the state. After you successfully pass the course, New York Safety Council will email you a confirmation of your course completion and automatically submit your completion information to the NYS DMV. It may take up to 24 to 48 hours for your course completion to be posted on your driver record.

You must take the road test for your first driver license within one year of completing the course. You will not need to provide an original Pre-Licensing Course Certificate (MV-278) when you arrive at a NYS DMV test location to take your road test. However, students who complete the 5-hour pre-licensing course in the classroom are required to present this document before their road test.

There is no completion certificate for this course because we report your completion to the state of New York electronically. You will be emailed a Completion Notice for your personal records when you're done. You do not need to share the notice with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. If you ever need an additional copy, our Customer Care team can email you another one.

There is no completion certificate for this course. Instead, we report your completion to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles electronically. So all you need to do after completing the course is prepare for your road test and make your appointment with the New York DMV.

If you are having trouble loading the course or advancing, here are some steps that should get you back on track! We recommend following these steps in order and progressing until you've found a solution that works for you.

1. Review your course timing requirements and ensure you accessed all of the content

Each course module is timed, and the timer must run down to zero before you can click the continue button to advance. Please check your course's module time and allow the timer to elapse. Also, look for other advancement buttons and be sure to complete all required interactions.

2. Refresh the webpage

If the course does not automatically advance you to the next page once you've satisfied the timing requirements, refresh the webpage and attempt to resume the course.

3. Switch your browser or change browser settings

Sometimes default browser settings can conflict with the course display.

• Rather than navigating through numerous menus and options, one simple solution is to try switching to another browser. For example, you could try switching from Safari to Google Chrome.
• If you are using a mobile device, try switching the viewing mode to "desktop viewing mode."
• Lastly, try opening your browser of choice in an incognito mode.

4. Clear your cache

When browsing online, web browsers store, or "cache," website data like images and scripts to help improve your experience. Clearing your web browser's cache removes these stored assets, and this may help resolve display or navigational issues.

To clear your cache in Google Chrome, click the Chrome menu (icon with three vertical dots) and select More tools. Next, click Clear browsing data. Make sure that the Cached image and files box is checked. See more details on how to clear your cache in Chrome here.

To clear your cache in Mozilla Firefox, click the menu button (icon with three horizontal lines) and select Settings. Next, select Privacy & Security. Scroll down to Cookies and Site Data and click Clear Data. See more details on clearing your cache in Firefox here.

5. Disable third-party browser extensions

While third-party browser extensions can be useful, some have been known to cause problems on various online platforms. You can try disabling select extensions and reloading the course webpage.

If disabling an extension stops the issue, you can either remove it or keep it disabled while completing your course. Disabling an extension will turn it off without removing it, while deleting an extension will remove it entirely. Follow these links to learn more about managing extensions in Chrome and Firefox.

6. Restart your computer or device

Computers and devices should be restarted frequently to optimize performance and system health. This is why "turn it off and on again" is often tech support's favorite piece of advice. Try restarting your device to see if it fixes the issue.

7. Switch devices

If you're using a mobile device or tablet to access your course, try switching to a desktop or laptop device. While you can view your course on a mobile device, we recommend using a desktop or laptop for the optimal experience.

8. Still experiencing issues?

We're sorry to hear you are still having some trouble! Please contact our Customer Care team by visiting https://www.newyorksafetycouncil.com/contact-us/ or using the LiveChat button in the help area of your course. For the fastest support, please provide your Order ID number in your support inquiry.

If you have been locked out your course, follow the instructions on your course dashboard for guidance on what to do next. If you feel that you have been locked out in error, please contact our Customer Care team for further assistance. For the fastest response, contact us via LiveChat.

You have up to one year to take your driver license road test after completing the 5-Hour Pre-Licensing course. If you do not take your road test before the one-year cutoff, you must re-register for the pre-licensing course and take it again.

Customers who have not yet attempted a quiz, requested or been issued a certificate or completed the course may be eligible for a refund. For eligible students who have already started their course, a $5 administrative fee will be deducted from the refunded amount.

No refunds will be granted for the following:

• Courses purchased before the student meets the minimum age requirement of 18
• Failure to pass quizzes, the final exam or any other course assessment requirements within the allotted number of attempts
• Failure to pass identity validation requirements (including biometrics, security questions or other required methods)
• Course expirations
• Expedited processing or mailing of certificates once the requested expedite has been fulfilled
• Requests submitted after the driving record has been processed

This course is designed for new drivers, so this course does not need to be renewed once you've completed it.