No matter where you live in Canada, you will have to start your driving career by taking a written test for your first graduated licence. If you are immigrating to Canada permanently (students, even those working co-op, are exempt), you may be able to bypass this if you have a high enough class licence from your home country. Alberta has reciprocal licence exchange agreements with the following countries if you have a class 5 licence, or in some cases 6 or 7:

  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • France
  • Germany
  • Isle of Man
  • Japan
  • Netherlands
  • Republic of Korea
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • United Kingdom
  • United States

Unless this is your case, though, most people will have to go through Alberta’s graduated licence program. To achieve a Class 7 learner’s licence, which has restrictions such as needing a supervisor with a Class 5 licence, over 18, to drive with you in the front seat. To get your Class 7 licence, you need to start by taking a written test. Here are some tips from Central Driving School on how to ace your Class 7 licence test and get starting on your driving journey.

Study and Practice

You can either purchase a study guide at a registry, or you can download a copy online to study with. There are also practice tests available online. Start by doing a practice test to get a gauge of your general knowledge and help you hone in on what you need to study; you may have some misconceptions about driving you were unaware of. Make sure you read through the whole study book and take notes if you need to. Once you have reviewed all the materials, do more practice tests to get a good feel for the type of questions. Time yourself, so that you know you can do the test in the allotted time given.

Go to the Optometrist

The last thing that anyone wants when they go to get their licence is to be unable to get it after failing the eye exam. Go to your optometrist beforehand, and they can make sure your eyes are up to standards. If not, then you can get corrective lenses which you can bring with you to your test. Your licence may have a stipulation on it that states you must be wearing your glasses or contacts.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep and Eat Breakfast

The day before your test make sure that you have a good night’s sleep so that you are refreshed and ready for your test. Also, have a proper breakfast. You do not want to go into the test on an empty stomach and end up being unable to concentrate with hunger pains.

Read Questions Carefully

When you are in the exam, make sure you slow down and take your time. Read the questions carefully so that you do not accidentally answer incorrectly. Be cautious of negatives versus positives and try not to second guess yourself, as this can lead to changing your answer to the wrong thing.

Stay Positive

If you don’t pass on your first try that is ok. You can redo the test and try again until you pass. Just stay positive and try again.

Learn to Drive with Central Driving School

Once you have your Class 7 licence, come into Central Driving School to learn to drive. Our Edmonton driving school offers driver training for all ages and levels. Whether you are young and just starting out, are learning for the first time later in life, or need to retake a course, we are here to help. Contact us today and get started learning to drive!