Class 7 vs. Class 5 in Alberta: What's the Difference?
July 26, 2026 · 5 min read · Pass Your Learner's Team
"Class 7 test" and "Class 5 test" get used interchangeably by a lot of first-time searchers, but they're two different licences with two different tests, taken months or years apart. Here's exactly how they fit together under Alberta's Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program.
Class 7: the learner's licence
Class 7 is where everyone starts. To get it, you pass the knowledge test — 30 multiple-choice questions on signs, rules of the road, and safe driving, with 25 correct needed to pass. There's no driving component; it's entirely written. Once you have a Class 7, you can drive, but only with a fully licensed (non-GDL) supervisor aged 18 or older beside you, and not between midnight and 5 a.m.
Class 5-GDL: the probationary licence
After holding a Class 7 for at least one year, you're eligible to take the Class 5 road test — an in-vehicle test of your actual driving. Pass it and you become a Class 5-GDL (probationary) driver: you can now drive unsupervised, but you're still in the GDL program, with a lower demerit threshold than a fully licensed driver and some passenger restrictions depending on when you got your licence.
Full Class 5: graduating out of GDL
To leave the GDL program entirely and hold a full Class 5, you must be at least 18, have held your Class 5-GDL for at least two years, and have no licence suspensions in the previous 12 months. A probationary (Class 5-GDL) driver cannot act as the supervising driver for someone else's Class 7 — that job requires a fully licensed, non-GDL driver.
So which one are you studying for?
If you haven't driven before, you're studying for Class 7 — the knowledge test this whole site is built around. The Class 5 road test comes later and is a separate, in-person driving evaluation, not something you can practice with multiple-choice questions.