Rhode Island · Permit testOfficial study materials and courses
| Option | Price | Free to use | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official sources | |||
Rhode Island Driver’s ManualOfficial · PDF and online chaptersThe DMV’s study book for the knowledge exam and the driver skills test. The DMV tells you to study all of it. | Free | The whole manual, with the testing chapters marked online | |
Modified Driver Skills Testing guideOfficial · PDFThe DMV’s guide to the closed-course road test, with diagrams of each exercise. | Free | The four road test exercises, the scoring and the car checks | |
| Guides | |||
Parent’s Supervised Driving Program and RoadReadyOfficial · PDF, web and phone appThe DMV’s plan for parents guiding the supervised hours under the graduated licensing law. Sponsors cover its cost. | Free | The lesson plan and the RoadReady app for logging supervised drives | |
| In person | |||
Approved driver educationIn person · CCRI and four driving schoolsThe 33-hour classroom course needed under 18 for a permit. CCRI runs the state program, and its students can take the permit test there. | Set by each school | Nothing free | |
Prices and ratings checked November 2026.
Who needs RI driver’s ed?
Everyone from 16 to 18 who wants a limited instruction permit. State law (R.I. Gen. Laws § 31‑10‑20) sets the course at 33 instructional hours, including at least 3 hours on Rhode Island traffic laws and the graduated licensing rules, and time on alcohol and drugs.
Where to take the course
The DMV’s licensing page lists these approved providers:
- AAA Driving School, 110 Royal Little Drive, Providence
- Community College of Rhode Island, 1762 Louisquisset Pike, Lincoln
- Labonte’s Auto School, North Attleboro, Massachusetts
- Newport County Driving School, Tiverton
- The MET Driving School, Providence
Online driver education courses aren’t accepted, under a DMV rule that took effect July 1, 2022. One difference between schools: after a CCRI course you can take the permit test through the college, while students from the other schools take it at DMV headquarters in Cranston.
When you can sign up
You can’t get the permit until you’re 16, but the manual says you can register for a course earlier, as long as you meet the minimum age on the first day of class. Courses take students up to age 22. Bring proof of identity and age to the first class, such as a birth certificate or passport. Photocopies aren’t accepted.
If you took driver education in another state and you’re under 18, the manual sets out how to get a Rhode Island certificate. You bring your course’s curriculum and certificate, in the original, and you may then need only a three-hour class on Rhode Island law, after which CCRI mails you a certificate. You then take the knowledge exam and the road test as well.
A study plan for the permit test
Five steps, built from the Driver’s Manual and the DMV’s chapter list:
- Start with the parts the DMV marks as testing material: the Important Messages, chapters II to XIII and the appendices.
- Give extra time to chapter III. It holds the seat belt, turning, parking, passing and phone rules.
- Learn the signals and markings in chapter IV, then the sign pages at the back of the manual.
- Write down the numbers: parking distances, following distances, headlight distances and the blood alcohol limits.
- Try the 20 practice questions on this site and look up each one you miss.
Practice driving with a parent
The DMV’s Parent’s Supervised Driving Program gives parents and teens a lesson plan for the supervised hours, from moving, stopping and steering up to avoiding crashes. CCRI hands a copy to parents during the course, and its companion app, RoadReady, is free and logs your driving time.
Sources: Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles · State of Rhode Island General Assembly and 4 more. Checked November 2026.
- Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles: New licenses and permits ↗
- State of Rhode Island General Assembly: R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-10-20, driver education before licensing ↗
- Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles: Rhode Island Driver’s Manual (PDF, April 2024) ↗
- Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles: Operator manuals ↗
- Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles: Parent’s Supervised Driving Program ↗
- Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles: Knowledge exams ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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