Driving Tests

New Brunswick Driver Training Course: Road Test at 8 Months, Not 12

informational·how to guide·Published September 15, 2026

Is a driver training course mandatory in New Brunswick, and how much time does it save?

No. A driver training course is optional in New Brunswick. A Class 7 Level 1 driver normally waits 12 months before the Level 2 road test. If you passed a licensed driver training course in the previous 2 years, you can take the road test after 8 months instead, so you save 4 months. Bring your green certificate to the road test.

Where these rules come from

New Brunswick sets the 8-month rule in section 84 of the Motor Vehicle Act. The Government of New Brunswick explains it on its graduated licences page and in the driver's licence testing requirements. The road test details come from the gnb.ca pages on written and road tests and on driver's licences (fees as of August 1, 2026), and the school rules from the gnb.ca page on driver training course licences. This guide is current as of 2026. Where the law and a government page word a rule differently, this guide follows the law. Confirm the rules with Service New Brunswick (gnb.ca) before you drive.

How the 8-month route works in New Brunswick

Every new driver in New Brunswick starts at Class 7 Level 1, the learner's licence. The normal wait before the Level 2 road test is 12 months. The Motor Vehicle Act calls Level 1 and Level 2 the stage one and stage two learner's licence. With a course, you qualify for Level 2 when all three conditions are true: you have held Level 1 for 8 or more calendar months without a break, you passed a licensed driver training course in the previous 2 years, and you pass the road test.

12-month route and 8-month route compared

12-month route and 8-month route compared
What changes	Without a course	With a licensed course
Level 1 wait before the road test	12 months	8 months
Course needed	No	Yes, a licensed driver training course passed in the previous 2 years
Minimum age for Level 2	17	16 years and 8 months
Time in Level 2	At least 12 months	The rest of the 24 months (at least 12)
Total time before a full licence	At least 24 months	At least 24 months

Does the course get you a full licence sooner?

No. All new drivers spend at least 24 months in the graduated licence before a full licence, with at least 12 of them in Level 2. The course moves those 4 months into Level 2: if you reach Level 2 early, you stay there for the rest of the 24 months. When the 24 months end, you must apply for your Class 5 licence; no road test is needed for it. The free question on when a Level 1 driver may take the Level 2 road test checks the 8-month rule. Our practice tests and question pages are in English only.

Steps to use the 8-month route

1
Choose a licensed course
Only a driver training course licensed by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles counts. Ask the school to confirm its course licence before you pay.
2
Pass the course within the 2-year window
The law counts a licensed course passed during the previous 2 years. Plan the course and the road test so that both fit inside that window.
3
Keep your Level 1 licence without a break
You need 8 or more calendar months on Level 1 without interruption. The Level 1 rules apply for all of that time: you drive only with a supervising driver who has at least 3 years of experience, you carry no other passengers, and you do not drive between midnight and 5 a.m.
4
Bring your green certificate
Bring your driving school certificate to the road test. The testing requirements call it the green certificate. Bring physical copies of all your documents; only proof of insurance can be digital. If a document is missing, you are turned away.
5
Pass the road test
The road test is in person at a Service New Brunswick (SNB) office. It costs $25 for each attempt (fees as of August 1, 2026). After you pass, you move to Level 2. The Level 2 road test guide covers the test itself.

Can you lose the course credit?

Yes. A breach of the zero alcohol and zero drug rule brings a one-year suspension. After it, you return to the start of the graduated licence, and a road test or driver training course that you passed before gets no credit. Loss of all points brings a three-month suspension and the same return to the start. The law adds that time already spent in stage one or stage two gets no credit either. The question on what happens when a newly licensed driver loses all points checks this rule. The guide to new driver penalties has the full list.

Does the 8-month route fit your case?

You passed a licensed course more than 2 years before your road test

The course no longer counts. Plan for the 12-month wait, or pass a new licensed course.

You took a driving school course that is not licensed by the Registrar

It does not count. The 12-month wait applies.

You held a full licence before, in another province, territory or country

If you must take the road test, the Level 1 waiting period is waived with proof of that full licence. Ask SNB which proof it accepts.

Your licence was suspended for a drug, alcohol or points breach

You start again at the beginning of Level 1, and the earlier course does not count. A licensed course that you pass after you start again can count.

Key takeaways

A driver training course is optional in New Brunswick.
A licensed course passed in the previous 2 years cuts the Level 1 wait from 12 months to 8.
The total stays at least 24 months. The 4 months move into Level 2.
Bring the green certificate to the road test as a physical copy.
A drug, alcohol or points breach sends you back to the start with no credit for the course.
Next step: practise the rules on the free New Brunswick Class 7 Level 1 practice test.

Driver training course in New Brunswick: common questions

Do I need a driving school certificate if I wait the full 12 months?

No. The road test list asks for a driving school certificate only if it applies to you. If you have held Level 1 for 12 or more calendar months without a break, you qualify for the Level 2 road test without a course. You still bring the other documents on the road test list.

How old do I have to be for Level 2 with a driver training course?

16 years and 8 months. The Government of New Brunswick lists that minimum age for Level 2 with a driver training course, and 17 without one. Level 1 starts at 16, and applicants under 18 need parental consent witnessed by a non-relative.

I was a learner driver in another province. Does that time count?

It can. Drivers 16 or older who transfer from another province get credit for their time in that province's graduated program. After you register as a driver in New Brunswick, you follow the New Brunswick program. Ask an SNB office how much of your time counts.

Which driving schools count for the 8-month rule?

Only schools with a driver training course licence from the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. Each business that offers a course needs this licence, and the licence allows the course only at the location named on it. Ask the school to show the licence for the place where you take the course.