Where to learn and log your hours
| Option | Price | Free to use | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official sources | |||
Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle LawsOfficial · online manualThe Ohio Driver Manual. The BMV offers it as the study guide for the knowledge test, and Sections 2 to 10 hold what the test asks. | Free | All 13 sections, each one printable | |
BMV Sample Driver License Knowledge TestOfficial · online quizThe BMV’s own sample, to try after you’ve studied the Digest and see how the questions are asked. | Free | 10 questions, scored on the page | |
| In person | |||
Licensed driver training schoolsIn person or online · licensed by the stateThe course drivers under 21 need: 24 hours of classroom or online instruction and 8 hours of driving time. The BMV links a list of approved schools from its teen licensing page. | Set by each school | No free option listed | |
Abbreviated Adult Driver Training CourseIn person or online · licensed schoolsFor drivers 21 or older after a first failed driving test: 4 hours of class, then 4 hours with an instructor or 24 hours with a licensed adult. | Set by each school | No free option listed | |
Motorcycle Ohio coursesIn person · Ohio Department of Public SafetyBasic Riding Skills and the two shorter courses waive the BMV motorcycle skills test; you need a motorcycle temporary instruction permit identification card (TIPIC), license or endorsement first. | $75 | No free course listed | |
Prices and ratings checked November 2026.
Who needs driver’s ed in Ohio?
The Digest sets the same course for two groups:
- Drivers under 21
- Temporary residents aged 21 or older
The course is at least 24 hours of classroom or online instruction and 8 hours of driving time, at a licensed driver training school. A temporary resident with a valid license from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea or Taiwan doesn’t have to take it and may get an Ohio license by showing that license.
What is the Ohio BMV 50 hour affidavit?
It’s form BMV 5791, the Fifty-Hour Affidavit with Driving Log. You log 50 hours of driving with an eligible licensed driver, at least 10 of them at night, on top of the driver training course. The form must be notarized, and notaries are available at deputy registrar agencies.
Bring it to your driving test appointment, and again when you buy your license. The RoadReady Ohio phone app logs practice hours too, and a notarized BMV 5791 with the app’s driving log is accepted.
Your Driver Education Certificate
Under 18, you must bring your Driver Education Certificate to the driving test. At 18 to 20, the BMV may ask for it at the test if it can’t confirm your course electronically, so bring a copy.
If you’re 21 or older
Unless you’re a temporary resident, there’s no course before your first driving test. If you fail the maneuverability or road part the first time, though, you take an Abbreviated Adult Driver Training Course before you try again, unless you finished a driver training course in the 12 months before. You pick one of four options:
- A 4-hour class in person, then 4 hours behind the wheel with a licensed school
- A 4-hour state-approved online course, then 4 hours behind the wheel with a licensed school
- A 4-hour class in person, then 24 hours of driving with a licensed driver 21 or older
- A 4-hour state-approved online course, then 24 hours of driving with a licensed driver 21 or older
With the 24-hour options, you may drive no more than four hours a day and you fill in the notarized Twenty-Four Hour Affidavit, form BMV 5789. Bring the course certificate to your second test.
A study plan for the knowledge test
Four steps, using the Digest:
- Read Sections 2 and 3 on your car and on staying alert, including the phone rules for your age.
- Learn Section 4, the signs, signals and pavement markings, then Section 5 on turns, passing and parking.
- Read Sections 6 to 10: penalties, special situations, safe driving, sharing the road and emergencies.
- Try the BMV’s sample test, then the 20 questions on the practice test page.
Sources: Ohio Department of Public Safety · Ohio BMV and 2 more. Checked November 2026.
- Ohio Department of Public Safety: Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws, Section 1, How to Get Your Driver License ↗
- Ohio Department of Public Safety: Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws, Section 11, Taking the Driving Test ↗
- Ohio Department of Public Safety: Digest of Ohio Motor Vehicle Laws, Section 12, Purchase Your Driver License ↗
- Ohio BMV: Temporary Permit and Probationary Driver Licensing ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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