A driver's license applicant takes a knowledge test at an Oregon DMV office.
Courtesy of Oregon Department of Transportation / Flickr
People looking to apply for a noncommercial driver’s license in Oregon can now take their knowledge test online from the comfort of their own homes or anywhere with a stable internet connection.
The Oregon Department of Transportation, or ODOT, announced Wednesday that the new online knowledge test is available to applicants seeking a Class C noncommercial driver’s license or a motorcycle driver’s license endorsement.
Before this service was introduced, driver’s license applicants were limited to visiting a local driver and motor vehicle services, or DMV, office to take the knowledge test using on-site testing screens.
State DMV Administrator Amy Joyce says people can now take the online knowledge test at their convenience, eliminating the need for appointments that are required for testing at a DMV office.
“Testing online allows customers the chance to know that they have passed their exam before coming into the DMV office — this can save some people multiple trips into the office if they don’t pass the first time,” Joyce said in a press release.
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Joyce added that once driver’s license applicants pass their online test, they won’t need to schedule appointments for identity document verification and vision screening at the DMV office. However, the ODOT says they will still need to schedule an appointment online for a driving test.
Oregon’s driver’s license knowledge test consists of 35 multiple-choice questions, and applicants have 60 minutes to complete it. The cost for each test is $5.
ODOT emphasizes that the online testing experience closely mirrors testing at a DMV office, and there is no difference in fees between the two testing formats.
To take the online test, the department requires applicants to use a laptop computer equipped with a keyboard, a mouse and a webcam. The webcam takes multiple photos of the test taker’s face to confirm their identity and ensure compliance with testing regulations. The department doesn’t allow the online test to be taken with a touch-screen device.
For teenagers under the age of 18, an adult aged 21 or older must supervise their online knowledge tests.
The online test is currently offered in English and Spanish only, but the ODOT says the DMV has plans to develop additional language versions of the test in the future.
While Oregon has joined other U.S. jurisdictions like Alaska, California and Nevada in providing online knowledge tests for driver’s license applicants, Washington state still mandates that knowledge tests be taken at a DMV branch.
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Correction: This story has been corrected to say people seeking a Class C noncommercial driver’s license or a motorcycle driver’s license endorsement will need to make an appointment online for a driving test. OPB regrets the error.