ScottMc

Hi All,

To the guys in Il. Can you tell me what you needed to do to get your license?

Sight, written and practical tests? Did you need to get a learner's permit before taking the test?

Secondly what was the test like, both practical and written? For the written do you need to study up much?

Thanks,

Scott

anotherlimey

I transferred mine from NY, so I just did the written and eye tests again.

But, it seems everywhere is pretty much standard when it comes to a drivers license; you do the written, get your eyes tester, then you jump in the car and drive around the block for 5 minutes. Not everything is done on the same day (although I bet you can in some states).

EDIT: For the written, you should know what the different signs look like, i.e. the Yield and Stop signs and you need to know things like how long it takes for alcohol to leave the body, and how much you can drink etc...

Circus-of-Power

You need to get hold of a copy of the local rules of the road, thats available from your local test center.... You take multi choice test first.....sitting infront of a computer. The questions are basic and in most cases common sense... put it this way I managed 30 out of 30 with only a brief look at the rules of the road book. You will then have a driving test ...here in central Illinois that meant 3 laps of the block, a bit of reversing and parking back in front of the test center....very easy

You will need your birth certificate/passport... something that verifies your current address and some money ... thats it I think ...

Bob

check your states DMV for the requirements.

The practical test is usually pretty easy, just as long as you stop at the stop sign and creep to the white line if it doesn't line up and stop again before going....don't speed and you should be set.

As for the theory, read up on the penalty points, especially regarding drinking and people under 21 as those are the questions most of us here have gotten wrong as they didn't apply to us, so most didn't bother read them.

Oh, and get an up to date highway code thingy from the DMV...the one I used was BIL's, and it was a couple years old and well out of date as all the penalty points had changed and they had added curfew driving restrictions.

Bob

and often SSN and proof of valid visa status allowing you to get a license...

TouristTrap

http://www.dmv.org/il-illinois/drivers-license.php

Sophia_S

I took the test in Pontiac.....about 30 mins.written on paper,super simple test,then a quick 10 min. drive round the block,a left turn into an alleyway,reverse out and back to the licensing office.........passed!.......didn't drive in the UK.......birth certificate and proof of address (the gas bill)...I think that's what I took!....Sophia (oh yes,anabella just reminded me.......I had to show my ssn card.

anabella

You've reminded me of something I wanted to ask..

When I took my written test and they were taking all my details I was asked if I wanted to use the same address to vote so I said yes and then the lady went "Oh! my mistake, you are not allowed to vote anyway" so I was like.. what? Not even in the local elections? "No" was the answer.. Is this so? Am I wrong to think that we should be allowed to vote in the local elections?

BigDavyG

Piece of piss, so git 'er done.
I didn't look at a rules of the road beforehand and passed the written bit with 1 wrong answer to spare - a lot of it involves identifying roadsigns that have had all the writing removed from them, so a glance at the book 5 minutes before should take care of that.
The actual driving bit is a gift.

The hardest part is actually getting a chance to do all the tests, especially the driving bit as most centres don't take appointments so you have to just show up - it took me 4 visits before I actually got a chance to take a test and at some centres the queues were ridiculous, especially on a Saturday morning.

Silly Sod

I am about to take my test in Michigan. When I went to register they had me take the written test there and then. I never drove back home and was expecting a book of rules or something. The woman just gave me a written test and a pencil. I had never looked at any kind of book or signs or anything and I got 26 out of thirty. It seemed like they just want to establish you can speak english. So that was a doddle. The actual test here is 45 minutes: road, parking and highway. That said you can make 25 mistakes and they sent me a 'cheat sheet' which the woman asked me to destroy once I had memorised it. So all good then. I am not worried. Good luck.

Bob

good job you said no...if you said yes, that would pheck you up royally come citizenship time and get you denied, as you ain't allowed to pass for a USC...as for local elections and stuff, most states won't allow it....Maine does, for mayor, school board that sort of thing...but most don't....

TouristTrap

Nope, most places don't allow you to vote at all, unless you're a citizen, not even for local elections.

ukmancoll

Took my test roughly a year ago, after driving for quite a few months longer than I was probably supposed to!

I took it in the north western suburbs of Chicago.

Got there early in the morning, did the sight test which was obviously fine. Then the written test, which I had done no revision for at all (I had been driving a lot anyway), and scored around about 26 out of 30. Then took the driving test. The examiner saw that I was in my late twenties (the majority of tests these examiners do are with high school kids) and asked if I was taking the test because I had been banned from driving because of a DUI. Once I told him I was new in the country, and just needed to get my license, he became very friendly. As we drove around the block a couple of times, stopped at some stop signs, did a reverse round the corner, and answered a few question, he was talking to me about his time back in London. The test was very, very easy for anyone who has driven for more than a year or so. For me, who had been driving for over 10 years, it was a no brainer.

M

another bloody yank

I might be wrong, but I don't think you have to be able to speak or even read English to get a driver's license in Missouri.

Bob

It's generally not a requirement because you can do the test in Spanish, just as long as you can recognise what the sign means..