How Long Does Driving School Take? Hours for Every Course

How long does driving school take? The answer has two parts. Each course is a fixed number of hours, and you choose how fast you use them. Your road test date is set by an Alberta rule that no course can change. This guide gives the hours, shows how to fit them around your week, and explains that rule.

How many hours is driving school?

Every in-car course and every winter class has a set number of hours, so you know the total before you book.

• Full Course. 15 hours of theory plus 10 in the car, 25 in total. The course for a first licence, from $545 plus 5% GST in Zone A.
• Extended Full Course. 15 hours of theory plus 15 in the car, 30 in total.
• Full Course Value For Money. 15 hours of theory plus 18 in the car, 33 in total.
• Online versions. The 15 hours of theory move online and the in-car hours stay the same.
• 6 Hour on Road Training. Six hours in the car for Class 7 holders who already drive.
• Brush-Up. Two hours in the car for licensed drivers, and two hours is the minimum booking.
• Car Use with Training. One hour in our car with an instructor before your road test.
• Winter Driving Packages. 2, 4 or 8 hours, in class.

How long are driving classes when you spread them out?

The 15 hours of theory are in our classroom or online. The in-car hours fit around your week, with free pickup and drop-off inside our service areas. Early mornings, evenings and weekends all work. Call us any day between 7:30 am and 8:00 pm to plan them.

So how long does driving school take in weeks? Take the 10 in-car hours of the Full Course.

• Two hours a week. The 10 hours take five weeks.
• Four hours a week. The 10 hours take under three weeks.

Slower is fine. One lesson a week with practice in between is a steady plan. The 6 Hour on Road Training takes three weeks at two hours a week. A Brush-Up is one two-hour booking, so it fits in a single evening. Give 24 hours notice to cancel a lesson, or a $100 charge applies.

How many hours of driving lessons do I need?

Alberta's Class 5 driver training page sets the minimum at 15 hours of classroom and 10 hours in the vehicle. Our standard Full Course matches that minimum. More hours help when you get little practice outside lessons. Fewer hours can be enough when you already drive with family.

• New learner, little practice at home. Extended Full Course or Value For Money, 15 or 18 hours in the car.
• New learner who drives with family. Full Course, 10 hours in the car.
• Class 7 holder who already drives. 6 Hour on Road Training.
• Licensed driver who feels rusty. Brush-Up, two hours on the skills you name.

Between lessons you may practise with a supervisor. Alberta says the supervisor must be over 18, hold a full Class 5 licence, and sit in the front passenger seat.

The one rule that sets your earliest road test date

Your lessons can be finished in a few weeks. Your road test cannot come that fast. The test gives you a Class 5-GDL licence, and GDL is short for Graduated Driver Licensing. Alberta's own list for that licence says you must:

• be 16 years of age or older
• have had a Class 7 learner's licence for at least 12 months
• have parental or guardian consent if you are under 18
• pass the road test

The 12 months is the rule that matters most. Count them from the day your Class 7 was issued. Got your Class 7 in March? Then your earliest road test is the following March, however fast you finish the lessons.

Take the course when it suits you and keep practising until the year is up. Bring your Class 7 licence to every lesson, or the hours are lost.

Does driver training shorten the wait?

Not the learner year. Alberta lists no exception for driver training, so finishing a course early does not move the test date. Where training can save time is after the test, in the probationary stage below.

How long does it take to get a Class 5 licence?

When people ask "how long does driving school take?", they often mean the licence, not the lessons. Alberta says it takes a minimum of 3 years to get a full Class 5 licence. The GDL program has three stages.

1. Class 7 learner's licence. Pass a knowledge test and a vision test, then drive with a supervisor.
2. Class 5-GDL probationary licence. After at least 12 months on the Class 7, and at 16 or older, pass the road test.
3. Full Class 5 licence. Be at least 18, complete 24 months of probationary driving, and be suspension and demerit free for the last 12 months.

Here driver training does help with time. Alberta says drivers may be eligible to reduce the 24 month probationary period by up to 6 months. The course must be a Class 5 or Class 6 driver training program from a school licensed by the Alberta government. Ask at the registry whether your course counts.

What City Driving School offers

City Driving School Ltd is Alberta Transportation approved and has taught in Edmonton since 2009. Three courses fit most readers. Zone A is Edmonton South and Beaumont, and in-car prices differ by zone.

• Full Course, 15 hours of theory plus 10 in the car, from $545 plus 5% GST in Zone A.
• 6 Hour on Road Training, six hours in the car, from $360 plus 5% GST.
• Brush-Up, two hours in the car, from $120 plus 5% GST.

So how long does driving school take? One hour to 33, on the days you choose, and your Class 7 date sets the test.