EDT explained

By the end of this topic you can

• You can explain who has to complete EDT and why
• You can plan your 12 lessons in an order the RSA allows
• You can keep your logbook up to date and check your progress on MyEDT
• You can choose an ADI and a sponsor who meet the rules
• You can tell whether reduced EDT might apply to you

What you need to know and understand

• EDT applies to anyone whose first category B learner permit was issued on or after 4 April 2011; code 991 on the permit shows this.
• Only an ADI registered with the RSA can deliver EDT lessons.
• Lesson 1 comes first, lessons 2 to 8 can be taken in any order, and lessons 9 to 12 come after 2 to 8 in any order.
• The RSA recommends about two weeks between lessons and spreading the course over roughly six months.
• Your ADI stamps and signs your logbook and uploads each lesson to MyEDT; allow about 10 working days for it to appear.
• There is no exam at the end of EDT.
• You cannot be given a test appointment until all 12 lessons are completed and uploaded, and you must have held your first learner permit for at least six months.
• Your accompanying driver must have held a full licence in the same category for at least two years.

How the 12 lessons fit together

Lesson 1 covers the car's controls and safety checks, so it always comes first. After that you work through the core skills in lessons 2 to 8, then move on to the more demanding lessons 9 to 12.

Each lesson lasts one hour. Between lessons the RSA suggests at least three hours of practice on what you just covered, plus reading the matching parts of the Rules of the Road. Many learners also take extra, non-EDT lessons.

• Lesson 1: Car controls and safety checks
• Lessons 2 to 8: positioning, changing direction, progression, anticipation, sharing the road and traffic
• Lessons 9 to 12: complex junctions, speed management, driving calmly and night driving

Your logbook, MyEDT and your ADI

Your ADI gives you a logbook at the start. Bring it to every lesson. At the end of each session the ADI signs, stamps and dates it and writes feedback and recommended actions. There is also a self-analysis page where you note what went well and what to work on.

You can switch ADI at any point, as long as your current ADI has signed off and uploaded the lessons you did with them. If you lose your logbook, report it to the Gardai using the RSA lost logbook form and get a new logbook from your ADI. ADIs set their own prices, so shop around.

Sponsors, reduced EDT and starting again

A sponsor is the person you practise with between lessons, often a parent or relative. They must have held a full licence for at least two years and should be calm, patient and a good example.

Reduced EDT is six lessons (1, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10) for some people who hold a full foreign licence from a country without a licence exchange agreement with Ireland. Since 1 November 2026, if you have to restart the learning to drive process, you must do all 12 lessons again and cannot use reduced EDT a second time.

Common mistakes

• Rushing lessons back to back with no practice between them. Leave time to practise so you can meet each lesson's outcomes.
• Forgetting to check MyEDT. Check after each lesson so missing uploads are fixed while your ADI is easy to reach.
• Assuming EDT alone is enough to pass. You will still need plenty of supervised practice.

Test yourself: EDT explained

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• EDT in Ireland