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Texas Permit Process Overview
The first step toward getting your Texas driver's license is to secure a learner's permit. There are several requirements to kickstart the permit process, but no worries—Aceable is here to provide the education, checklists, and resources you need to navigate it successfully and get on the road. Let’s get started!
Texas Permit Requirements
When you turn 14, you can start taking the required driver education.
At 15, you’re eligible to get your instruction permit, also known as a learners permit.
To obtain your learner's permit, also known as an instruction permit, you must first pass a written test. Depending on whether you're driving education course follows the concurrent or block method, you may be eligible to take the test after just six hours of instruction.
Pro-tip: In Texas, you can take the test after 6 hours of Aceable drivers education.
In some cases, you can complete the written test during your drivers ed class, or if you are enrolled in an online program, you may take the test as part of the course. Upon passing the test, you will receive a certificate of completion, which you can present at your local Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) office. If your driving education program does not offer the test, you will need to schedule an appointment at the DPS and take the test in person. Additionally, a parent or guardian must accompany you to sign all necessary paperwork.
Pro-Tips: Don’t forget to look through the rules and regulations for getting a learners permit in Texas.
How To Get A Learner's Permit In Texas?
Be at least 15 years old
Complete the first 6 hours of a driver's education course.
Make an appointment to test at a DPS office OR take the learners permit exam within the Aceable app, eliminating the need to visit the DPS office.
Then you're ready to finish the last 26 hours of Drivers ed and start behind-the-wheel training.
Once you've completed the drivers ed course and the required practice hours behind the wheel, apply for a full drivers license after holding your permit for six months or longer.
Pro tip: Aceable is your one stop shop for all your drivers and needs. Some of our perks include:
In-app learners permit exam
Behind-the-wheel training tools
Test prep materials
A parent account
Resources for logging your training time
Aceable Roadside Assistance discount
Learn about Aceable’s approach to learning
Worried About Your Texas Permit Test?
Get our study guide and pass your Texas permit test on the first try!
What to Give the DPS to Get a Texas Learners Permit
Speaking of paperwork, when you go to the DPS to pick up your permit, you’re going to need some documents.
Let’s talk about what to bring to the DPS to get your learners permit:
- Proof of identity
- Two documents as proof of Texas residency
- Proof of social security number
- Proof of enrollment/graduation from school, like a VOE form, high school diploma, or GED
- Proof that you are enrolled in/completed PTDE and forms from your PTDE packet
- $16 for learner license fee
Make sure you have original copies of all these documents, because photocopies will not be accepted.
How To Choose The Right Drivers Ed Course In Texas
There’s no shortage of drivers ed options in Texas. It’s available for everyone and mandatory for some. Here’s what you need to know before signing up for a drivers ed course.
First, you need to decide on a few things,
Do you want an online course or in-person?
Do you want an outside instructor or a parent to teach you?
Is the drivers ed course state approved?
How to tell if the drivers education is quality or not.
3 Ways to Take Teen Drivers Ed
In Texas you may have to take teen drivers ed, but at least you have options for when and where the courses are taught. There are three different types of teen drivers ed courses:
Drivers Ed Course at a Public School
These are taught at high schools, but they aren’t available everywhere. Some offer just classroom and some offer both classroom and behind-the-wheel. Classes are usually taught at night or during the summer, but space is always limited so make sure you sign up early if this is the route you want to go!
Drivers Ed at a Driver Training School
These are schools made for behind-the-wheel training. Sometimes you can do both the behind-the-wheel and classroom portion, but at some schools, you can do the behind-the-wheel portion and take the classroom coursework at an online drivers ed partner.
Parent-Taught Driver Education (PTDE)
With PTDE, the parent does not have to teach their children drivers ed, but they are responsible for overseeing all 44 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction. This means the parent just picks the classroom course provider. Online drivers ed is becoming an extremely popular choice for teens that choose PTDE. This way, you can complete drivers ed on your schedule.
If Parent Taught Drivers Ed is so inexpensive and convenient, why isn’t everyone doing it? Primarily because there are a few stipulations to who can teach Parent Taught Driver Ed. If you’ve had your Texas driver license taken away in the last three years or been convicted of a DUI, you can’t teach drivers ed. You’ll want to check all rules for parent instructor eligibility before signing up.
There’s one more crucial component to Parent Taught Drivers Ed: the PTDE Packet. Basically, the PTDE Packet helps prove that you’re actually doing drivers ed. You can order this from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) for $20.
Looking for more information on Parent Taught Drivers Ed? Check out our Step-by-Step Guide to see if it is the right choice for you.
Texas Drivers Ed Process
Block vs Concurrent Method for Drivers Ed
Some teen drivers ed programs abide by the block method, meaning you have to finish all 32 hours in the classroom before you can touch a steering wheel.
Other programs use the concurrent method, meaning you can get your learner's permit in Texas after six hours of classroom instruction and finish both phases of driver education together. At Aceable, we use the concurrent method. You can work on your behind-the-wheel practice hours while finishing up your 32 coursework hours.
Teen Drivers Ed Courses
Let’s break down the drivers ed requirements for teens 14-17 years old. Teen drivers ed is made up of two separate portions of drivers ed learning:
Classroom: 32 hours (limited to two hours per day)
Behind-the-wheel: 44 hours (limited to one hour per day)
You’re limited to two hours per day of both types of learning combined. So, if you take your one hour of behind-the-wheel, you can only take one more hour of classroom learning that day.
Behind-the-Wheel Training
What exactly does “behind-the-wheel” mean? It’s the phase of driver education that allows you to put what you learn in the classroom into practice. Behind-the-wheel instruction includes:
7 hours of observation (watching a parent or instructor).
7 hours of training (driving while a parent or instructor coaches you)
30 hours of practice (driving with a licensed driver). 10 of those practice hours must be done at night.
What’s Next After Getting My Texas Permit?
Once you obtain your Texas learner's permit, you can select a behind-the-wheel provider and begin the driving portion of your education. While pursuing this, you'll need to finish the remaining sections of the Aceable course to receive your certificate of completion.
With this certificate in hand, you can apply for a driver's license, provided you've held your learner's permit for at least six months. After completing the course and receiving your completion certificate, you can visit your local DPS office to apply for your driver's license and take the road test.
Quick Resources For The Texas Permit Process
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