2.4 The Learner's Permit: Application, Permit Exam & Driving With a Permit

Every license starts with a learner's permit. You must hold a permit before applying for any license, and the permit becomes a license only after the road test is passed and all license fees are paid. If the permit expires, the holder must retake the permit exam and pay the fees again.

Getting a Permit

You must be at least 16 to apply for a Class D or M permit. The Manual lists the steps:

1. Study the Driver's Manual.
2. Complete the permit application (online saves time), make a reservation and submit it at an RMV service center. Applicants under 18 need a parent or guardian's signature.
3. Disclose any physical, mental or medical condition, or medication, that might affect safe driving.
4. Meet the identification requirements (section 2.3).
5. Pay the $30 learner's permit exam fee.
6. Have your photo and signature captured.
7. Pass a vision test, or submit an RMV Vision Screening Certificate.
8. Pass the learner's permit exam.

A permit is valid for up to two years. Road-test and license fees may be prepaid when the permit is issued, or later online through "Pay My Road Test and/or License Fees." If they are prepaid, the license is mailed automatically after a passed road test. A permit is not travel identification; airlines and cruise lines generally will not accept it.

The Learner's Permit Exam

Test-room rules and cheating

• No Driver's Manual or other reference material in the testing area.
• No electronic devices of any kind, including electronic optical devices.
• No headphones unless taking an audio exam.
• No hats, except for medical or religious reasons.

Using a manual, reference material or a device during the exam is cheating. An applicant caught cheating fails, is investigated, and if found responsible may not hold any license or permit for 60 days.

Languages, audio and accommodations

• Class D and M permit exams come in roughly three dozen languages, from Albanian and American Sign Language to Urdu and Vietnamese. Class A, B and C permit exams are English only.
• Audio exams (headphones on the ATS splitter or online) are available to anyone, with no advance scheduling. They come in every Class D and M language but only English for CDL exams, per federal regulation. The audio time limit is also 25 minutes.
• Testing accommodations for cognitive or physical disabilities can include extended time or a reader (a one-on-one verbal exam). Request them at 857-368-8105. The RMV may ask for documentation.
• ASL interpreters are requested through the same number.

Driving With a Class D Permit

You must carry the permit whenever you drive until you hold a JOL or full license. A Class D permit lets you drive a passenger vehicle only under these limits:

Driving With a Class M Permit

A motorcycle permit holder:

• may not carry a passenger;
• may ride only in daylight (sunrise to sunset);
• must wear a U.S. DOT-standard helmet;
• must wear eyeglasses, goggles or a protective face shield unless the motorcycle has a windshield or screen.

Coaching Notes for Instructors

• Permit first. Classroom instruction can start at 15 years, 9 months, but a student needs a valid permit before any behind-the-wheel or observation session.
• The six-month clock. A student under 18 must hold the permit for six consecutive months before the road test. Any suspension invalidates the permit, and the six months start over once the suspension is lifted (section 3.1).
• Penalties. Driving without a qualified licensed driver, or breaking the night rule, leads to the Junior Operator permit suspensions in section 8.1: 60 days, then 180 days, then one year, each requiring a new permit exam.