Getting your B.C. licence · BC Knowledge Test Prep

1.The Graduated Licensing Program

B.C.'s Graduated Licensing Program (GLP) is designed to reduce crashes among new drivers of any age: you gain experience gradually, under conditions that expose you to less risk, before you get a full-privilege Class 5 licence.
To get through GLP you pass 3 tests: 1 multiple-choice knowledge test, then 2 road tests. If you drive safely, it takes about 3 years from start to finish.
You ease into driving in stages: first as a learner (Class 7L) with a qualified supervisor, then on your own as a novice (Class 7) after passing the Class 7 road test, and finally with a full Class 5 licence once you have passed the Class 5 road test and left GLP.
The Superintendent of Motor Vehicles keeps a close watch on new drivers' records: one ticket can lead to a warning letter, probation or a driving prohibition, and breaking any learner or novice restriction brings a fine plus penalty points on your record.
A driving prohibition sets you back: in the learner stage no time counts toward the novice stage until your licence is reinstated, and in the novice stage the clock resets to zero, so you need another 24 consecutive prohibition-free months before you can leave GLP.
The guide's chapter on getting your licence (chapter 9) is for reference only and is not tested. The knowledge test measures how well you know the rest of the guide, so use this chapter to plan your path and study the other chapters for the test.

Stage	How you get it	Before the next step
Learner (L), Class 7L	Be at least 16, pass the knowledge test and a vision and medical screening	At least 12 months as a learner
Novice (N), Class 7	Pass the Class 7 road test	At least 24 consecutive months without a driving prohibition (18 with an approved GLP course)
Full licence, Class 5	Pass the Class 5 road test — replaced by a Driving Record Assessment from October 19, 2026	You leave GLP: no more restrictions, tests or L and N signs

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – chapter 9, your licence ↗ · ICBC – Graduated licensing ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Using this guide ↗ · ICBC – Get your L ↗ · ICBC – Graduated Licensing Program changes ↗

2.Getting your L: the knowledge test

You must be at least 16 years old to apply for a learner's licence. You also need to pass the knowledge test and a vision and medical screening; the licence you receive is a Class 7L.
The knowledge test has 50 multiple-choice questions on the information in the guide, and you need 40 out of 50 right to pass.
Almost 1 question in 5 is about road signs, so learn every sign. ICBC's road signs practice test shows all of them, and the online practice test has almost 200 questions to learn from.
You can take the test online, on a computer with a working webcam, keyboard and mouse, or in person at an ICBC driver licensing office on a touch-screen kiosk (you may need to book an appointment). Either way you can listen to an audio recording, and in some parts of the province the test is only offered on paper.
It is not an open-book test: you cannot talk, refer to study materials or use any electronic device. Taking photos of the test, using a phone, smartwatch, earbuds or smart glasses, using an electronic translation dictionary or bringing in an answer key are automatic fails.
The online and in-person tests are offered in English, French, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Punjabi, Farsi, Arabic, Croatian, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
If you fail, icbc.com says you can take the test again after 1 day, and there is a fee each time. The guide's own retest table shows 7 days between knowledge-test attempts, so check the current rule before you rebook.

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – chapter 9, your licence ↗ · ICBC – Get your L ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – what to take to the driver licensing office ↗

3.What you need to bring along

Apply at your nearest driver licensing office with one piece of primary ID and one piece of secondary ID. For a first licence, a Canadian birth certificate or citizenship card plus a photo student card is usually all you need; the current list is at icbc.com/acceptedID.
Licences are issued in your legal name only, and photocopies are not accepted unless certified as a true copy by the government agency that issued the document. Primary ID includes a BC Services Card with photo, a Canadian birth certificate, passport or citizenship certificate, or a Permanent Resident Card; secondary ID includes a bank or credit card showing your imprinted name and signature, a foreign birth certificate, a passport or a current student card with photo.
If you are under 19, bring a custodial parent or legal guardian, or a signed and witnessed parent/legal guardian consent form. You may be able to apply to bypass this if you are not living with a parent or guardian.
Bring the fees for the knowledge test and the Class 7L licence. Current fees are listed on icbc.com; you can pay by cash, certified cheque or money order, and most offices also take VISA, MasterCard and debit cards.
Bring your glasses or contact lenses if you need them to drive, and arrive at least 1 hour before the office closes. If a disability will make the test difficult, phone the office ahead of time.
The vision screening checks colour vision, depth perception, field of vision, double vision and sharpness of vision. If you do not pass you may need further testing by an optometrist or ophthalmologist, and if you need corrective lenses to drive that restriction is shown on your licence. You will also be asked about your medical condition; any doctor's report goes to RoadSafetyBC, which makes the final decision.
You cannot be issued or renew a licence while you owe money to B.C. courts, the provincial government or ICBC — clear any fines or debts first. Passing earns you a Class 7L licence, an L sign and a copy of Tuning up for drivers.

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – chapter 9, your licence ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – what to take to the driver licensing office ↗ · ICBC – Get your L ↗

4.Learner (L) stage restrictions

Whenever you drive, a qualified supervisor sits in the front passenger seat beside you: someone aged 25 or over who holds a valid licence of Class 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.
Only 2 passengers may be in the vehicle with you: your supervisor and 1 other person.
No driving between midnight and 5 a.m.: you may drive only between 5 a.m. and midnight.
Zero blood alcohol content and zero blood drug concentration: you must not drive after consuming any amount of alcohol, or with certain drugs, including cannabis (THC), in your body.
No hand-held or hands-free electronic devices: no cellphones, music or gaming devices or GPS, and no Bluetooth, wired headsets, one-touch speakerphone or earbuds. Calling 911 in an emergency is the sole exception, and the ban still applies while you sit at a red light or crawl in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Display the official L sign — red and magnetic — in your back windshield or on the rear of the vehicle, visible to drivers behind you. Replacements are free at any driver licensing office, a temporary sign can be downloaded from icbc.com, and a home-made sign is not allowed.
The road test comes no sooner than 12 months into the learner stage. Log your practice in the driver experience log that comes with your licence — at least 60 hours is the target — and make sure every vehicle you practise in has you listed as a driver on its insurance policy.

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – chapter 9, your licence ↗ · ICBC – Get your L ↗

5.Novice (N) stage and leaving GLP

After at least 1 year as a learner you can take the Class 7 road test. Passing it gives you a Class 7 novice licence, and you may then drive unsupervised, with restrictions.
As a novice you must still have zero blood alcohol and zero blood drug concentration, must not use hand-held or hands-free electronic devices, and must display the official N sign in your back windshield or on the rear of the vehicle, visible to drivers behind you. If you lose the N sign, any driver licensing office will give you a replacement at no charge.
Only 1 passenger may ride with you. The limit lifts when everyone aboard is immediate family (a parent, child, spouse, brother, sister or grandparent, with step and foster relationships counting), when a supervisor sits beside you — someone aged 25 or older with a valid licence of Class 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 — or when you are in driver training with a licensed instructor.
Today you may take the Class 5 road test once you have held your N for at least 24 consecutive months without a driving prohibition — possibly 18 months if you took an approved GLP course in the L stage and had no at-fault crashes, tickets or prohibitions in the first 18 months of the N stage. Passing it takes you out of GLP.
From October 19, 2026, novice drivers with a clean record will not take a second road test. A Driving Record Assessment replaces it: you need at least 24 months of safe driving (18 with an approved GLP course) if you are under 25, or 12 months if you are 25 or older, with no convictions for excessive speed or electronic-device use and no prohibitions or suspensions in that time, followed by a 12-month restriction period.
Until the change takes effect you can still choose to take the Class 5 road test. Any second road test booked on or after October 19, 2026 will be cancelled and ICBC will email you; once you meet the criteria, you upgrade at a driver licensing office, by appointment or as a walk-in.

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – chapter 9, your licence ↗ · ICBC – Get your full licence ↗ · ICBC – Graduated Licensing Program changes ↗

6.Road tests

The Class 7 road test takes about 45 minutes. A driver examiner marks whether you drive in a safe, smooth and controlled manner: first checking that you know the controls, use your seatbelt and adjust the seat, mirrors and head restraints, then assessing your observation, hazard perception, speed control, space margins, steering and communication.
The manoeuvres may include driving through and turning at intersections, backing up, entering traffic, pulling over and stopping, changing lanes, parking and starting on a hill, angle, parallel and stall parking, 2- and 3-point turns and merging on and off a highway.
All road tests are by appointment. Book online at icbc.com/roadtest — there is no charge for booking — and tell ICBC if you cannot keep the appointment: you are charged a fee if you miss the test without 48 hours notice or a valid reason.
Bring your current licence, primary and secondary ID, the fees for the road test and photo licence, your glasses or contact lenses, a safe vehicle with its registration and insurance papers (the insurance must permit you to drive it), a licensed driver who meets the supervisor requirements, and — for a Class 7 test — your Declaration of Completion if you took an approved course.
No pets or passengers other than the examiner are allowed. Your test may be cancelled if the vehicle is unsafe: lights not working, a badly cracked windshield or illegal tint, a horn that does not work, missing plates or insurance, faulty seatbelts, unsafe tires, airbag or brake warning lights that stay on, doors or windows that do not work, a faulty exhaust, illegal modifications, or a fuel gauge on empty.
If you fail the Class 7 road test you may take it again in 14 days. For the Class 5 road test the waits are 14 days after a first failed attempt, 30 days after a second and 60 days after a third or later attempt, with a fee each time.
The Class 5 road test demands a higher level of skill in more challenging settings. It starts with a pre-trip check of the horn, parking brake, high beams and signals, including your hand signals for turning, and during the drive you may be asked to point out hazards. The test and feedback take about 35 minutes; a translator may join the feedback session but not the drive.

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – chapter 9, your licence ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – what to take to the driver licensing office ↗ · ICBC – Get your full licence ↗

7.Driver training, new residents and keeping your licence

An ICBC-approved GLP driver course has at least 32 hours of classroom and on-road instruction and must be completed within 1 year. Finish it in the learner stage and, if you have no violations, prohibitions or at-fault crashes in the first 18 months of the novice stage, you get a 6-month reduction in the novice stage; high-school students also earn 2 Grade 11 credits.
Driving schools and their instructors need an ICBC licence — ask to see it — and a school has to hand you a written policy covering rates, hours, how many people ride in a training vehicle and refunds. A school approved to teach a GLP course shows a Driving School Licence carrying a GLP designation.
A newcomer may drive on a valid licence from another province, state or country for up to 90 days after arriving in B.C.; beyond that a B.C. licence is required, which means surrendering the old one and passing whatever tests apply. Licences from elsewhere in Canada and from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland can usually be swapped on the spot.
To be issued a full-privilege class (Class 1 to 6) you must prove you have held a licence for at least 2 years; otherwise you are placed in GLP, and an out-of-province learner's licence only qualifies you for a Class 7 or 8 learner's licence.
Moved? You have 10 days to put the new address on your licence, free of charge. A name change also has to be reported to ICBC with legal proof such as a marriage or change-of-name certificate. If your licence is lost, damaged or expired, a driver licensing office replaces it once any fines and debts owed to the B.C. government and ICBC are paid.
If you renew within 3 years of expiry, ICBC may renew your licence without re-testing; if it expired more than 3 years ago you must pass a vision screening, a road signs test and a road test. A learner's licence is different: it is valid for 2 years and you re-take the knowledge test to renew it.
Always carry your licence when you drive and keep it current. Never lend it, use one that is not valid or alter it: letting someone else use your licence is fraud, punishable by fines of $400 to $20,000, up to 6 months in prison, or both. Driving without a valid licence or contrary to its restrictions could also breach your insurance coverage.

Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – chapter 9, your licence ↗ · ICBC – Get your L ↗