FAQs

• 30-hours classroom instruction
• 12-hours behind-the-wheel driving
• 6-hours in the car observing another student
• 2-hour parent class, attended by at least one parent (parent certificate is valid for 5 years; if the student is 18 years of age or older the parent is welcome to attend the class, but not required to)
• Drivers Education in the State of MA was designed by the RMV to be completed in a 6-9-month timeframe, please plan accordingly.
• Upon completion of the driver's education program and obtaining their license, each student will receive a one-year AAA Basic Primary Membership or will be added as an Associate on a parent's membership (parents will be asked to approve the associate membership option) as a graduation gift from AAA

• The cost for AAA Members is $850; a deposit of $450 is required to sign up for class.
• The cost for Non-AAA Members is $950; a deposit of $550 is required to sign up for class.
• The balance can be paid weekly online in the student portal or by calling (413) 785-1381 ext. 2475.
• The balance is expected by completion of Classroom Instruction and no later than when the 1st in-car instruction is scheduled.
• All students can start booking driving lessons as soon as they attend the first class of the 30 hours classroom instruction, have a permit, the balance is paid in full and a parent class has been completed, if applicable.

Drivers Education in the State of MA is designed by the RMV to be completed in a 6-9-month timeframe.  There are several factors that may impact the length of time to complete the Driving School program, please plan accordingly:

• Your age: students must be 15.9 years of age to start class and 16 to obtain a permit.
• The length of time you have had your permit: For students under the age of 18, the minimum RMV requirement is 184 days and you must have completed all the driver education requirements.
• When you begin requesting your in-car lessons: Our on-road training availability fluctuates based on the number of permitted students active in our program.  Each student needs 9 in-car lessons (3 OBS and 6 Drives).  Our schedules typically run about three weeks in advance for in-car lessons. Students should expect to be in our program for at least 5 months from this point.
• Student availability: If you are busy with other obligations, it will take you longer to complete the Drivers Education program.

Newly permitted students will be required to spread out their lessons based on when they are eligible for a road test. 

Students who have already met the RMV minimum requirements; should expect to be in our program for at least 5 months.

Drivers Education in the State of MA was designed by the RMV to be completed in a 6-9-month timeframe.  Students must be at least 15 years, 9 months of age by the first day of classroom.  We recommend students start Drivers Education as early as possible to allow adequate time for AAA Driving School and the student to work together to become a skilled driver.

No, you do not need a learner's permit to begin classroom instruction, but you do need it to begin behind-the-wheel driving.

AAA Driving School offers driver's education classes at our AAA offices in Hadley, Springfield and West Springfield.

Five-week sessions are held on Saturdays. One-week accelerated classes are offered during school vacation weeks and during the summer. Parent classes are scheduled in conjunction with each 30-hour session and need to be completed prior to students scheduling in-car lessons.

There is a state-mandated two-hour Parent/Guardian Class for parents/guardians of students under the age of 18. The parent class must be taken prior to any in-car lessons being scheduled.  If a parent class has been attended at another school within the last 5 years, a copy of the certificate must be provided by the end of the student’s classroom session.  If the class was taken at AAA, current student must email the driving school supervisor, the prior student’s name; to have the credentials transferred to the current student.

The state mandates that Parents or Guardians are responsible for completing not less than 40 hours of supervised driving at home, regardless of age. The first 20 of these hours should be completed prior to the students first behind the wheel training with the driving school.  Student will be provided with a “supervised driving log” to keep track of the hours the student practices behind the wheel at home.

You would need to email the Driving School Coordinator at AAAdrivingschool@aaapv.com  to schedule your OBS lessons. Please include in your email: your full name and the best days/times for scheduling the lessons. The coordinator will then email you back a confirmed schedule. If this schedule does not work, you must email the coordinator at least 24 hours before the lesson begins.

In order to schedule in-car lessons, the following requirements must be met:

1. Students must complete the first day of the classroom portion.
2. State mandated 2-hour parent class must be completed
3. Student balance must be paid in full
4. Student must have a learner's permit and complete 20 hours of driving with a parent or guardian

Once the requirements above have been completed, you can begin to schedule your behind the wheel (BTW) driving lessons by using the student portal. Credentials are emailed to students within 24-48 hours of enrolling for the program. BTW lessons are offered during the day, after school, evenings or on weekends. All lessons are booked on a first come, first served basis. BTW lessons are typically booked three weeks in advance. You will not be able to book all six lessons at the same time. It is important for students and/or parents to check the student portal daily for available lessons. Please note: you must carry your learner's permit for all in-car lessons.

All lessons are geographically scheduled.  If your pickup location is in a remote or rural area or is located a distance that is deemed too far from a AAA Office, arrangements will be made to meet at a location suitable to the instructor and student.  We want to make sure every student is getting the most of his/her lesson. Driving long distances from student to student restricts the time we have to work on the more difficult skills needed to pass a road test.

Every driving and observation training is crucial to the balance of the behind the wheel training schedule.  If a student needs to cancel a behind the wheel training, they must give a minimum 24-hour notice to the school.  Additionally, if the behind the wheel training is scheduled Saturday - Monday, the cancellation notice must be made by 5 p.m. on the previous Friday.  If my student cancels a behind the wheel training without giving a 24-hour notice or does not appear for a lesson, the student will be charged a $40.00 fee.

You need to complete the drivers’ education course within 2 years of your classroom start date. On the second to last in-car lesson, students must go to their student portal to the purchase tab and pre-pay the $15 Drivers Education Certificate fee. Once the student officially completes all DOT requirements, AAA Driving School will mail your certificate of completion and payment to the RMV. The RMV will then electronically issue a Driver Education Certificate. The RMV no longer mails certificates.

You have three options for scheduling your road test:

1. AAA Driving School offers an Alternative Off Hours Road Test option at the AAA West Springfield office.

• AAA requests testing on the 2nd Saturday of every month. Students may pre-register in good faith, as long as their lesson schedule and permit eligibility meets the completion/submission dates listed in the student portal. 
• To qualify for a Saturday Road Test option: Students under 18 must complete all DE requirements by the cutoff dates listed in the portal and Students must go to their AAA student portal to pay $15 DE Certificate fee; a full 30 days in advance of the test date. Additionally, they must have their permit for 184 day by the submission date listed in the portal.
• Pre-registration is required. It is recommended you register a minimum of 30 days in advance. Click Here
• There is a $70 fee for sponsorship and use of the Driving School vehicle on the day of the test; fee must be paid at time of registration.
• Once the off hours request has been submitted to the RMV, no additions or cancellations can be made.
• The RMV charges a $35 examination fee each time you take a road test and a one-time fee of $50 for the License
• The road test date is not confirmed until the RMV has approved our requested test date (we could be moved or bumped)
• You may not be register for more than one road test at the same time.
• Priority seating will be given to students of the AAA driving school program.
• Please contact the Driving School at AAAdrivingschool@aaapv.com for additional information.

2. Call AAA Driving School to sponsor your road test at a local RMV location.

• The appointment must be booked by AAA Driving School. 
• There is a $100 fee payable to AAA for sponsorship and use of the AAA vehicle.
• The RMV charges a $35 examination fee each time you take a road test and a one-time fee of $50 for the License.
• Students under 18 must already have a DE certificate on file at the RMV, prior to scheduling a road test.
• Students must go to their AAA student portal to pay $15 DE Certificate fee; a full 30 days in advance of the test date.
• We cannot guarantee individual student road test availability. It depends on RMV testing appointments, AAA Instructor schedules and availability of our vehicles.
• Please contact the Driving School Supervisor for test availability  AAAdrivingschool@aaapv.com.
   

3. Call or go to the RMV website to schedule your test at a local RMV location.

• The RMV charges a $35 examination fee each time you take a road test and a one-time fee of $50 for the License.
• Students under 18 must already have a DE certificate on file at the RMV, to schedule
• Students must go to their AAA student portal to pay $15 DE Certificate fee; a full 30 days in advance of the test date.
• DE Certificates are mailed to the RMV after you complete all your lessons.  It typically takes the RMV 5-7 business days to process.
• You will be responsible for making the road test appointment and providing an RMV approved vehicle and sponsor.

Additional information may be found at https://www.mass.gov/service-details/road-test-for-passenger-motorcycle-and-commercial-licenses

Please notify AAA Driving School of your road test option by email us at AAAdrivingschool@aaapv.com    

If you want to obtain your driver's license before you turn 18 years old, you must complete a Driver Education program. You will receive a discount on your automobile insurance for completing Driver Education.  Drivers Education in the State of MA was designed by the RMV to be completed in a 6-9-month timeframe, please plan accordingly.

Register online at www.AAA.com/drivingschool or Call AAA Driving School at (413) 205-2475 

Permit test	$30
Driver Education Certificate	$15
Road test Exam Fee	$35
Driver’s License	$50

1. Eligible customers now have the opportunity to complete the Class D (passenger) or Class M (motorcycle) Learner’s Permit Exams online after they visit an RMV Service Center with application and identity documentation. The RMV created a job aid with detailed instructions on what applicants need to do to successfully schedule and complete an Online Learner’s Permit Exam.
2. Customers who need to complete an Online Learner’s Permit Exam must first visit an RMV Service Center to present their application. Customers must meet all existing requirements to be eligible to take the online permit exam. The RMV is prioritizing learner’s permit appointments for customers who turned 16 years old between March and April 2020.
3. Customers must make a reservation online to apply for a learner's permit at one of the open RMV Service Centers. Most available service centers offer permit appointments from 5:00 p.m. ‐ 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
4. Customers have 60 days to take and pass the exam after completing their application at the RMV Service Center.
5. The online exam is currently available in four languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin (Simplified).
6. Customers will have 25 minutes to correctly answer 18 of 25 total questions to pass the exam.
7. At the completion of the exam, customers will be notified if they passed or failed. If they pass the exam, they will need to print their official learner’s permit and keep it with them while driving. Note: A sample of this permit is included on the last page of the job aid. Customers will not receive anything in the mail.
8. If they fail the exam, they will have the ability to retake the online exam for a $30 fee.
9. Customers who are not currently eligible for an Online Learner’s Permit Exam and must take the exam in person at a Service Center must wear a mask and gloves and should bring their own headphones if possible.