BY ANGELINA DEVINCENZO, East Lake High

Turning 15 is a huge milestone. Finally, you are allowed to receive that much-awaited piece of plastic that lets you start driving.  •  Of course not all students are banging on the Department of Motor Vehicles door at 12:01 a.m. the day they turn 15; some wake up on their 16th birthday and still do not have a permit in their wallet. No matter when you choose to get your permit, here are some tips to help make the process a breeze:

Take driver’s ed
By taking a driver’s education class you will learn the rules of the road, including those important road signs. You will also be given an opportunity to take both your permit and license tests in class. Most insurance companies will give you a cut on your insurance once you have completed driver’s ed.

Make note cards
It is extremely helpful to use note cards when studying for your permit test. You can use note cards provided on driver’s ed apps or Quizlet.com or make your own note cards from scratch; the questions that are in the back of your DMV driver’s manual is a good place to start.

Study the driver’s manual and take practice tests
Those questions in the back of the manual are there for a reason; read the book and answer them. You will be surprised how much information you do not know, and taking practice tests will help solidify how well you know your stuff! You can take these tests on various phone apps or online at sites such as lowestpricetrafficschool.com and www.learnerspermittest.com (these online courses usually cost money).

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that's what we said: Students with permits already share advice and their experiences.

Ellen Harris, East Lake High junior:

 “While taking the test, if a choice is ‘all of the above,’ pick it, because that will always be the answer."

Ryan Peters, Countryside High junior:

“Get on it fast. Don’t put it off; you will hate yourself later when you have to wait even longer for your license. I got mine right on my birthday.”

Kristen Goellner, East Lake High junior:

“When I was waiting for them to call my number I thought they did and I went to the table, but it wasn’t actually my turn and the guy it was for was standing behind me waiting for me to move.”

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Great (free) phone apps!

Drivers Ed Florida has practice tests, flash cards and a free, downloadable driver’s manual.
DriversEd provides practice tests, flash cards, your completed tests and driver’s manuals from every state.

DMV Prep LE is a great way to study your road signs. It has two sections, one that teaches you your road signs and another that helps you study them with flash cards.

Parking Frenzy is a fun parking game. Fun never hurts (no scraped fenders)!

Information from dmv.org and quizlet.com was used in this story.