How to get a Driver's License in California

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE. I HAVE NO LIABILITY WITH IF YOU DO OR DO NOT RESPECT WHAT I SAY HERE. Read on once you have that in mind.

So I’m on my permit right now, but I got a clear idea of what I need to do to get my license. I’m older than a lot of my friends so it was only until recently that a lot of my friends has started to catch up in terms of age and began to ask me for advice. I thought I’d write a blog post about it so that I can just refer them to this post instead of repeating myself over and over again. I’ll try to keep this as short as possible.

Also note that the California DMV actually has a nice guide for teen drivers here.

Do this course. Finish it and get your education certificate.

More info

It’s (or actually, a friend referred me to it) for only $10 (!!). I don’t recommend taking this course too seriously, because what really matters when taking the test is having read through the DMV handbook. The course is just a legal requirement to get the education certificate you need in order to apply for a permit.

Start the application for a permit online at the DMV’s site.

You will need to create an account first and you will also need your social security number at some point.

Review the DMV handbook. I would also recommend practice tests on this app.
Take the test online.

I don't remember exactly which steps in the site you need to go through, but if you do it right, you will receive an email that looks something like this:

Click on the link in a Chrome browser (it must be Chrome; Arc doesn’t work unless you want to delete all of your pinned tabs, etc. No, a new workspace doesn’t work either)

Schedule an appointment at the DMV to get your permit in person.

You will need to bring your education certificate, your social security card, your birth certificate, AND proof of residence if you applied for REAL ID (this cuold be like water bill or whatever).

You can start practicing with your new permit but you will need at least 6 hours of professional driving lessons (which you can do here) as a legal requirement in order to take the license test.

Longer version

You got the paper permit! Yes it's literally a stack of papers held together by staples. I thought it would be like a cool card or whatever but I guess not.

Now you need to practice driving for 6 months and cannot drive with anyone but you and a 25-year-old with their license sitting shotgun. You need to have 50 hours of driving practice, 10 of which must be at night, but this is based off your parents’ signature so it’s more like an honor system than anything. You will nneed to the professional driving lessons at some point in order to take the test though. Advantage is…again, even if the site looks sketchy, it’s the best deal I’ve found online. Additionally, they’re actually not bad and are very reputable.

After those 6 months, you need schedule an appointment to take the driving test. As of writing this blog, I have not gotten to this step yet, so I will update this post when I do.

Good luck!