Ohio FAQs

ONLINE - Teens become eligible for Driver Education at the age of 15 years and 5 months old. The driving and online instruction phase can be completed separately, allowing students to choose different driving schools for each phase. Online students have 180 days to complete the online course and an additional 180 days to finish behind the wheel instruction.

IN-PERSON - Students enrolled in in-person classes are required to complete their behind-the-wheel training with the same driving school. Meanwhile, in-person students are granted 180 days to complete both classroom sessions, and behind the wheel training. If you are 15 and 5 months old, you can start your Driver Education journey with Top Driver!

Ohio’s teen licensing process encompasses classroom instruction, behind the wheel training and the road test.  The program can be completed online, or in-person at a Top Driver Education Center.  Students will complete 24 hours of online or classroom instruction.  At the age of 15 years and 6 months old, students are eligible to apply for the  Temporary Instruction Permit.  The Classroom or Online phase of training must be completed to schedule mandatory behind the wheel instruction.  Students may be eligible for the road test at the age of 16 years old.  Top Driver programs start regularly and reach capacity quickly. 

Ohio grants students 180 days from the start date to complete the online program.  Four hours of online learning is allowed each day.  A state-mandated 10-minute break is required after every two hours of online learning.

Students are allowed to miss class if there is a valid reason.  Missed classes must be rescheduled on Top Driver Signals, and students will not be eligible to take the final written exam until all rescheduled classes have been attended.  To ensure a smooth learning experience, we recommend that students stick to the class schedule.   

Students must achieve a final written exam score of at least 75% to pass. No more than three attempts to pass the final exam are permitted by the state of Ohio. Students who do not pass the final exam after 3 attempts will be required to retake the classroom OR online program.

Teens Under the age of 18 are required to complete a Driver Education program to obtain a driver license.

You can enroll in a Top Driver program and start the online class without your permit. You must, however, obtain your permit to begin behind the wheel training. To apply for your Temporary Permit you must be at least 15 years and 6 months of age.

At 15 years and 6 months, you can complete the knowledge test online at the Ohio BMV-Online or go to any driver exam station to take the knowledge test and vision screening to begin the temporary permit process. Once the knowledge test and vision screening are passed you can proceed to a BMV deputy registrar license agency to purchase a TIPIC within 60 days of passing the test.

The first behind the wheel lesson can be up to one month from the time it is scheduled.  The timeframe will vary depending on the season. Scheduling for behind-the-wheel instruction may take longer during the summer months due to higher demand for services. Behind the wheel training is scheduled through the student portal, Top Driver Signals. 

When the classroom or online phase of training has been successfully completed and the student has obtained a Temporary Instruction Permit, they can proceed to schedule their behind-the-wheel training on the Top Driver Signals.   Students must provide TIPIC information to schedule behind-the-wheel lessons. 

The student must present their original Temporary Instruction Permit (TIPIC) to the instructor at the beginning of each lesson. This is a legal requirement. If you fail to bring your TIPIC, the lesson will be cancelled with a late cancellation fee.

Behind the wheel lessons are typically 2 hours in length. Lessons customarily start and end at the Top Driver Education Center which you enrolled.

A no-show fee will be assessed for each missed driving hour. Students arriving for behind the wheel training, without their permit will have the lesson cancelled and will be assessed a late cancel/no show fee for each hour of cancelled training.

Behind the wheel training must be cancelled on Top Driver Signals.  To cancel an appointment without incurring a late cancel fee, a minimum of 48-hour notice is required.

All classroom and behind-the-wheel training must be successfully completed to receive a Driver Training Certificate of Completion. Students receive the Driver Training Certificate of Completion no more than 10 business days from the time of the final behind the wheel lesson.  The Driver Training Certificate of Completion will be emailed to the student.

Top Driver offers a Platinum program that provides additional behind-the-wheel training that goes beyond the minimum state requirements. You can view all programs, locations, and prices on our website.