For the longest time, if a student failed their learner’s permit test, they were allowed to retake the test as early as the next day. As of Nov. 13, 2018, students must now wait seven days before heading back to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to retest. This new rule also applies to those acquiring a Class C license, which is a type of commercial license.

“The DMV is finding that students are not studying,” Tanya Shook, a driving instructor at West Henderson, said. “That’s because it’s real easy for students to think, ‘Oh, I only missed three questions. I’ll just go take it tomorrow since I know what they’ll be asking.’ But what they don’t realize is it’s out of a pool of around 250 questions. So they may not get the same questions that they got the day before. This new wait period between tests allows [the drivers] to prepare and hopefully pass the first time and not just think that they’ll go back and retest the next day.”

Lead Teacher Emily Young also approves of the rule change.

“If you go into something knowing that you can just come back the next day and retake it until you pass, you may not study as much as you probably should to make sure you pass it the first time,” Young said. “Most students won’t want to wait another week to take their test, so hopefully this will push them to put a little bit more effort in it the first time. And of course, if we’ve got students studying more and passing this test the first time, that’s hopefully going to make our roads a little safer.”

Sophomore Ashley Witte did not pass her permit test the first time she took it. Instead of retaking it the next day, Witte waited longer due to a trip she was taking, and also so she could study more.

“You need more time to fully understand the material,” Witte said. “ I would do the practice tests online every night for a few weeks and that helped a lot. I passed the test on my second try.”

By: Sarah Monoson, Feature Writer