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.
As a new driver your record is closely monitored by the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles: a ticket can bring a warning letter, probation or a driving prohibition, and breaking any learner or novice restriction means a fine and penalty points on your driving 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: Your licence ↗ · Graduated licensing ↗ · Using this guide ↗ · Get your l ↗ · Glp 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: Your licence ↗ · Get your l ↗ · What to take ↗

3.What to take to the driver licensing office

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.
Any outstanding fines or debts to B.C. courts, the provincial government or ICBC must be settled before you can get or renew a licence. When you pass, you receive a Class 7L licence, an L sign and a copy of Tuning up for drivers.

Official source: Your licence ↗ · What to take ↗ · Get your l ↗

4.Learner (L) stage restrictions

A qualified supervisor must sit beside you in the front passenger seat whenever you drive. The supervisor must be 25 or older and hold a valid Class 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 licence.
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. The only exception is an emergency call to 911, and the law applies even when you are stopped at a red light or 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.
You must be a learner for at least 12 months before you can take the road test. Record your practice in the driver experience log you are given with your licence — aim for at least 60 hours — and make sure you are listed as a driver on the insurance policy of every vehicle you practise in.

Official source: Your licence ↗ · 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. Free replacement N signs are available at any driver licensing office.
Only 1 passenger may ride with you, unless the passengers are your immediate family (parents, children, spouse, brothers, sisters and grandparents, including step and foster relationships), a supervisor aged 25 or older with a valid Class 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 licence sits beside you, or you are taking 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: Your licence ↗ · Get your full licence ↗ · Glp 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: Your licence ↗ · What to take ↗ · 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.
All driving schools and instructors must be licensed by ICBC — ask to see the licences — and the school must give you a written policy on rates, hours, the number of people in a training vehicle and refunds. Schools offering approved GLP courses display a Driving School Licence with a GLP designation.
New residents may drive on a valid licence from another province, state or country for the first 90 days in B.C.; after that you need a B.C. licence, so turn in your old one and pass the applicable tests. Holders of Canadian, American, Australian, Austrian, Dutch, French, German, Japanese, New Zealand, South Korean, Swiss or United Kingdom licences can usually exchange the same day.
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.
Update the address on your licence within 10 days of moving — there is no fee — and notify ICBC if you change your name, with legal proof such as a marriage or change-of-name certificate. A lost, damaged or expired licence is replaced at a driver licensing office once all fines and debts to the B.C. government and ICBC are settled.
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: Your licence ↗ · Get your l ↗