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Vermont driving lesson · Getting Your Vermont License

Getting a Junior Driver's License

A 4-minute lesson from the Vermont course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
4 minutes
Course unit
Getting Your Vermont License
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
14, 15, 16

The Junior Driver's License is Vermont's license for 16- and 17-year-olds. You earn it by holding a permit for a full year, finishing driver education, logging supervised practice and passing a road test. Several numbers here look alike, so learn which hours belong to what.

Before you can get a Junior License

Before you can get a Junior License
RequirementAmount
Age16 or 17
Time holding a Learner's PermitAt least 1 year
Clean record (no permit recalls, suspensions, revocations)6 months before applying
Driver ed: classroom study30 hours
Driver ed: behind-the-wheel training6 hours
Driver ed: observation6 hours
Supervised practice driving40 hours, at least 10 at night
Handbook p. 14 ↗

Nighttime driving

Driving from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise.

Handbook p. 14 ↗

Know the rule

The 40 hours of practice are in addition to the 6 behind-the-wheel hours from driver education.

Handbook p. 15 ↗

Know the rule

Your parent or guardian must certify the 40 hours. You can track them on the Driving Practice Log Sheet (form VN-219) or with the RoadReady App.

Handbook p. 15 ↗

Know the rule

Your permit must not be expired. You may take the road test if it hasn't been expired more than 3 years and was renewed before the exam. After more than 3 years, you must pass a written exam first.

Handbook p. 14 ↗

Know the rule

Driver ed must be certified by the Vermont Agency of Education or the DMV, and your instructor must log your completion in the Driver Education Certification Service before the driving test.

Handbook p. 14 ↗

Know the rule

Out-of-state driver ed counts only if a certified and/or licensed instructor taught it and it included both classroom and behind-the-wheel training.

Handbook p. 14 ↗

Before your Junior License road test

  • Parent or guardian signs the application (exchange students: form VL-036; a host parent can't sign)
  • Your SSN on the application, or an SSA letter saying you're ineligible for one
  • An exam appointment
  • A clean, legal vehicle in good condition with a valid inspection sticker and a working parking brake
  • A valid insurance card and the vehicle's registration; without them you can't test
Handbook p. 15 ↗

The insurance card must show:

  • The insurance carrier's name
  • The effective and expiration dates of coverage
  • The name of the insured
  • A description of the vehicle, including the VIN
Handbook p. 15 ↗

Know the rule

To convert an out-of-state Junior License you must pass the exams, prove state-approved driver ed and prove 40 more hours of driving. Vermont's GDL rules apply unless you held the other license at least 6 months.

Handbook p. 15 ↗

Know the rule

At participating high schools, certified driver ed instructors may give the road test. You then bring the certificate, permit, signed application, fee and proof of residency to a DMV office in person.

Handbook p. 16 ↗

Put it into practice

Maya got her permit on March 1 at age 15. She can't get a Junior License before March 1 next year. By then she must be 16, have finished 30 + 6 + 6 hours of driver ed, logged 40 practice hours (10 at night), and have no recalls in the past 6 months.

Check your understanding

Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.

How long must you hold a Vermont Learner's Permit before you can get a Junior Driver's License?
  1. At least 6 months
  2. At least 1 year
  3. At least 2 years
  4. At least 3 months

Answer: At least 1 year

An individual must possess a Learner's Permit for at least one year before getting a Junior Driver's License.

Handbook p. 14 ↗
How many classroom hours of driver education are required before a 16- or 17-year-old can get a Junior License?
  1. 20 hours
  2. 40 hours
  3. 30 hours
  4. 10 hours

Answer: 30 hours

Driver education requires 30 hours of classroom study, plus 6 hours behind the wheel and 6 hours of observation.

Handbook p. 14 ↗
Beyond driver education, how many additional hours of practice driving are required before a Junior License, and how many must be at night?
  1. 40 hours total, at least 10 at night
  2. 20 hours total, at least 5 at night
  3. 40 hours total, at least 20 at night
  4. 10 hours total, none required at night

Answer: 40 hours total, at least 10 at night

An additional 40 hours of practice is required, with at least 10 of those hours being nighttime driving.

Handbook p. 14 ↗
For the purposes of the nighttime driving requirement, when does "nighttime" begin and end?
  1. Sunset to sunrise
  2. 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise
  3. A fixed period from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
  4. 1 hour after sunset to 1 hour before sunrise

Answer: 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise

Nighttime driving is defined as the period from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise.

Handbook p. 14 ↗
A Vermont Learner's Permit that has been expired for how long requires a new written exam before a road test can be given?
  1. More than 6 months
  2. More than 1 year
  3. More than 30 days
  4. More than 3 years

Answer: More than 3 years

If a permit has been expired more than 3 years, a written exam is required again before the road test.

Handbook p. 14 ↗
The 40 hours of extra practice driving required before a Junior License can be counted toward the 6 driver-ed behind-the-wheel hours.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: False

The 40 hours of practice must be in addition to the 6 behind-the-wheel hours from driver education.

Handbook p. 15 ↗
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