The road to licensing is slick and quick – quicker than what many parents are ready for. Rich Tosches wrote a hilarious column on his own experience with his son, and for those of you feeling jittery you may find it a happy shot in the arm.

But jittery is good. It means you care and that you’re taking this step with the seriousness it deserves. Those of us at National Driver Training Institute are doing our part to cram as much information, visual impact and physical practice into this short time period as possible. While we can’t guarantee no harm will ever meet your child on the road, we promise you our course will keep him or her about as safe as possible.

The Steps break out as follows:

Determine your state requirements and complete drivers education if required.

Our award-winning in-home study program is available as a hardcopy course book supplemented with DVD videos, an interactive CD ROM or or an online course over the internet (high speed connection required). There are seven levels to the curriculum, each which concludes with a written examination.

The student also accrues class hours by participating in “additional activities.” These are projects designed to bring the student out of the “theoretical” and into the “practical” and include such activities as tire rotation, oil changes and research on current events.

Each level also assigns the student with a video presentation covering topics laid out in the coursework. Young Drivers and Understanding Car Crashes are examples of our video assignments.

Students are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours worth of Discovery Group coursework and achieve a test score of 90% or more to qualify for a completion certificate. Very few exceptions.

Study for the permit exam. The permit exam will be based on your states rules and regulations handbook. Pick one up at your local Motor Vehicle department. Your state page should also have a downloadable version of the handbook. Go to your state page to find out. Take a sample permit test today!

Permit: Take the permit exam in one of our offices, or your local Motor Vehicle Department. After you have passed your test, you are now on your way to becoming a responsible driver.

License: Take the drivers test in one of our offices, or your local Motor Vehicle Department. After you have passed your test, you are now a licensed driver.