Is the Driving License Simulator Mandatory?
2 Answers
Simulator training (for logging practice hours) is a mandatory requirement. According to the "Road Traffic Law of the People's Republic of China," completing the specified duration of simulator training is necessary before taking the Subject 2 exam. Key points for logging practice hours at driving schools: 1. Theoretical study is limited to a maximum of 4 hours per day; any study time exceeding 4 hours will be counted as 4 hours. 2. For students enrolled after midnight on July 24, 2014, the system will prompt a verification code every 15 minutes and pause the timer. The timer resumes only after the correct code is entered. 3. To ensure active participation, if a student does not perform any operation within 5 minutes, the system will automatically log out and stop the timer. 4. After completing the training, students should click the "Exit" button at the bottom left of the pop-up window instead of closing it directly. Failure to do so may result in the account being locked for 10 minutes, preventing login.
I just got my driver's license last year, and our driving school mandated 8 hours of simulator training. It really depends on local policies—technically, there's no legal requirement, but many schools quietly include simulator hours in the total training time. From my experience, simulators are quite helpful for complete beginners who've never touched a steering wheel, especially for practicing spatial awareness and gear-shifting, plus there's no risk of real collisions. However, if you already have some driving experience, you can negotiate with the school to reduce simulator hours—it largely depends on how flexible the instructor is. Recently, our local DMV has required all training hours to be logged in the system, and insufficient hours mean no exam scheduling. I’d advise checking local policies before enrolling.
