How Long Does the
NY DMV 5-Hour Online Pre-Licensing Course Take?
The online pre-licensing course is designed to be flexible — but it still has rules. Approved by the New York State DMV, the course consists of five hours (300 minutes) of instruction and is divided into nine timed modules with built-in assessments.
Whether you finish it in one sitting or break it into sections over several days, you’ll need to meet all time and completion requirements to get credit.
How Long Does the NY DMV 5-Hour Online Pre-Licensing Course Take?
The online pre-licensing course is designed to be flexible — but it still has rules. Approved by the New York State DMV, the course consists of five hours (300 minutes) of instruction and is divided into nine timed modules with built-in assessments.
Whether you finish it in one sitting or break it into sections over several days, you’ll need to meet all time and completion requirements to get credit.
By law, all pre-licensing courses in New York — whether online or in person — must be at least 5 hours long.
That includes the time spent:
Viewing instructional content
Completing lesson activities
Finishing required quizzes
You cannot skip ahead, fast-forward, or bypass any material.
Each section is timed, and you must stay actively engaged until the timer ends before you can move on.
Once you begin the course, you have up to 30 calendar days to complete it. You can log in and out as needed, and your progress is automatically saved.
If you don’t finish within that window, you’ll need to re-register and pay the course fee again. For this reason, we recommend planning ahead and giving yourself ample time to complete all nine lessons.
More on course access and payment is detailed on our Course Registration & Payment Options page.
To be marked as “complete” and have your results sent to the DMV, you must:
Complete all nine instructional lessons
Stay for the full timer duration of each module
Pass each quiz with a minimum score of 70%
Successfully complete identity verification prompts
Agree to the final student affirmation
There is no final exam. As long as you finish each section and pass the lesson quizzes, you’ll earn completion status.
Still curious about how the course works? Visit our How the Course Works page.
Absolutely. The course is fully self-paced and available 24/7. You can:
Start and stop whenever you like
Use any device
(computer, tablet, or phone)
Resume right where you left off
Complete all in one day or across multiple sessions
The only limit is the 30-day completion deadline once you start. You’ll see a countdown on your dashboard to keep you on track.
Once you’ve finished the last module, passed all quizzes, and completed the identity checks, you’ll receive an on-screen confirmation that your course is complete.
Your results will be submitted to the DMV automatically within 24 to 48 hours — no action needed on your part.
To learn more about what happens after completion, visit our Course Completion & DMV Notification page.
Questions? Need Help?
If you're unsure whether you're on track or need help re-accessing the course, our Customer Service & Technical Support team is always available.