In Virginia, all new drivers, regardless of age, must obtain a learner’s permit to practice supervised driving before applying for a driver’s license. To obtain a permit, you must be at least 15 years and 6 months old, complete an application, and pass two official tests: a vision screening and an official knowledge (permit) test on driving theory. You must take the permit test at a DMV office or a high school that offers it, not online.
If you’re under 18, you must be enrolled in high school or the equivalent, and your parent or guardian must sign your application for a permit.
To obtain a license if you’re under 18, you must be at least 16 years and 3 months old, be enrolled in or have graduated from high school or the equivalent, hold your learner’s permit for at least nine months, and complete an In-Car Maneuvers Observation Record or a state-approved driver education course. Your parent or guardian must also certify that you have practiced supervised driving for an additional 45 hours, including 15 hours after sunset. Finally, you must pass a DMV road skills test.
If you’re at least 18 years old and seeking a license, the above requirements for teen drivers don’t apply to you. You can either hold your permit for 60 days and pass an In-Car Maneuvers Observation Record and a road skills test, or complete a driver education course (which will allow you to skip the road test).
All questions on the knowledge test are based on information in the official Virginia DMV driver’s 2025 handbook (Virginia DMV Handbook (VA Driver's Manual) 2025). The DMV currently publishes versions of this manual in English and Spanish, both of which can be easily downloaded from this webpage in PDF format.
We have also created an audiobook of the English version of the official driver’s manual. It’s formatted as a downloadable series of seventeen MP3 files, covering all the sections of the handbook, including the introduction. The total running time of this audiobook is approximately 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 15 seconds, so you should be able to listen to the whole audiobook in a day or two.
What about the day of the permit knowledge test? You don’t want to forget something important under pressure. That’s why we also offer our own permit test study guide (available elsewhere on this website) with last-minute tips for the big exam day. It covers how to prepare your mind and body, what documents to take with you, which fees you may have to pay, and which test questions are most often missed.