tl,dr: Let my driver's license expire, needed a new one, plus a car to use for the driving test…read more Nova Driving School was fantastic. I moved back to Chicago after 14 years in SF and finally needed to get my license again, mainly so I could help my aging folks in Southern Indiana if I needed to. I don't own a car, and I didn't want to borrow one from friends, so I looked for a driving school that also provides a vehicle for the test. Nova kept coming up in the ads, searches, and on Reddit. But I still needed an instructional permit to drive for the driving test. I went to the downtown DMV, took the written and vision tests, and got my instructional permit. I bought Nova's "2HR BTW + ROAD TEST" package on their site, which included 2 hours with an instructor and the use of the car on the day of the DMV. Called a coordinator, and they got me set up for a Friday morning. I'd show up at 6am at the Elston DMV (closest to me), practice the route in their car, then take the driving test. I arrived at the DMV at 6 AM, where I met an instructor named Jamie. He provided an overview of the driving test, explaining what the examiners look for and what questions they might ask. After that, we switched sides, and I got behind the wheel for the first time in 20 years. I was relieved to find that everything came back to me. Jamie took me through the two variations of the route used for the test. The route was very short, consisting of about four to five turns. There was no parallel parking or interstate driving involved. (Please note that this is specific to the Elston DMV; other branches may have different procedures.) Another student arrived, so we picked him up, and I sat in the back while that student drove the route a few times. Then, two more students joined us, making it three in the back and one in the driver's seat, with the instructor in the front. Each of us drove the route 2-3 times, and we had the opportunity to ask questions. As my appointment time approached, I returned to the front seat and went for another round of the two main route variations. Got into the DMV showing my text confirmation of my appointment. They won't let you enter without revealing either the email or the text proof of your appointment. And this branch doesn't take walk-ins. Stood in the first line to get the paperwork reviewed. I went to the camera line to get a photo, then waited, went to a counter, had everything reviewed, filled out more paperwork, signed more things, went over to pay at the cashier, came back, and got my paperwork for my driving test. Went outside to wait to take the driving test. Note that you can't stay inside the building so dress warm if it's winter. The other guys had less complicated paperwork, so one was in line for the driving test. The other one was in front of me. Then I was next. But this is mixed in with all the different people taking the written test. I waited an hour for the car to come back from the other guy and then got in. The instructor drove me around to the back parking lot. He stepped out, I took the driver's side, and got in line, the line of cars. I waited about 40 minutes in the car in line to get my assigned examiner. They had about 4-5 working that day across 3 lines of vehicles. I was finally at the front; the examiner who was the same woman who had helped me with the paperwork got in. We went exactly the route that Nova had reviewed with me several times. At the end, you have to park in a wide test parking space, then after that you park in angled parking with the rest of the other cars, with completed driving tests, but awaiting results. I choked on the question about which way your wheels point if you are facing uphill/downhill, and which side of the road you are on. Overthinking myself. But still passed thankfully. Examiner gets up, out, and leaves, and goes on to another driving test. 10 minutes later, another person comes out with my temporary driver's license and hands it to me, and I'm done. The real one arrives in 2-3 weeks. The $245 fee was definitely worth it for having a car provided, receiving two hours of driving experience on the exact test routes, and having them handle the appointment scheduling. And Jamie the instructor was clear, patient, and at ease in explaining and repeating all things we needed to keep in mind. I procrastinated on this for a long time and felt foolish when I realized how simple and straightforward the process was. If you're in a similar situation, make getting a new driver's license one of your goals for 2026 and call Nova.

My daughter used them 6 years ago and the program was great. We naturally decided to use them for…read moremy next daughter and it has been a shit show. Save your $. It is so poorly run now. No one calls u back if you do get someone they put u on hold for long periods. Arghhhhh I believe They take on too many students now so trying to get driving time is a nightmare. Plus they change times and you either have to take the adjusted time or lose appointment. Will not be using them for the next two kids. Save your headaches and frustration. Tooooo much $$$$$$ for such chaos. Has to be better program.

I'm a local New Yorker that has been living in Chicago for the past 6months. At the time of finding…read moreNova driving school, I was looking to reach a goal that most transplants already have achieved: getting a drivers license. Now, I mentioned this earlier but New Yorkers are hard to win over- we don't trust easily, we're not kind, we're weary mostly of anyone who is too kind to us. I bought the ultimate beginners package- and I read the fine print, almost begrudgingly: 2 hours per session. So here I was: in an awkward yet expected predicament. I knew I wanted to win- New Yorkers Win, and I was getting my license. But to sit in a car with another human who was going to tell me what to do- jeez. They had to be good. They had to meet my standard. They had to be the best. Edgar- I never knew your last name but I credit this achievement to you. Your professional, direct and welcoming demeanor won me over as one of the most patient teachers. You're up there with my high school English teacher, and my elementary Spanish teacher. I was behind the wheel with very basic experience- ready to be a passenger princess for the rest of my life. But your guidance and tenacity helped me achieve my "passion project". I appreciate Nova for hiring instructors like him. They care about their craft, they want their students to win, and of course hold them accountable with the skip fees (). Our car lessons were nothing short of professional and honestly as a new person to the Chicago area, it was another way for me to discover this beautiful vast city. I currently work at an organization where we promote job readiness skills, an essential for any new worker is to have their license. I will be counseling many newcomers as they make their transition into careers- and for those that don't have a license, I will recommend Nova Driving School Instructor Edgar (last name unknown) to be their instructor. Should Nova ever decide to remove Edgar as an instructor, they would be experiencing a loss. You rock man! Thank you. Mil Gracias

*update* I was given a refund for the lessons I had taken with the teacher who was inappropriate…read more Even though it took a while, we did come to a resolution, and the situation has been handled.

The best school to get your CDL I pass my final test today 7/3/2024 and I want to say thanks to my…read moreteachers Claudia & Yessenia for helping me with everything thank you guys so much

I know the other reviews are bad but I'm a recent graduated student from this Cdl school and I can…read moretell u right now there the best school in my opinion they help u a lot and will put there effort in to make sure u pass your test got my cdl 1/10/24 and the whole process was good and easy the teacher Claudia helps u to the fullest the other review is either lying or I don't know but when I was there she would always be pushing u making sure u are good for the pretrip she is the main reason I stayed pushing through great teacher Go see for your self don't let these reviews stop u from seeing how good this school is really recommend this school especially if u major in Spanish they will help u pronounce everything word by word In English I seen it happen with my own eyes Good luck to anyone getting there CDL noting is impossible just put in the work and your going see how that pays off

Horrible place they only want ur money ...won't teach you and if Dey do it's from you tube videos…read morelol ...stay away there's better schools

Great school great instructors they want you to succeed. Listen to them and you will pass.read more

Hello, my name is Sylvillia Smith I am a recent graduate from progressive driving school in Cicero…read more I would like to thank all the staff for their support in this learning process and a special shout out to Gabe, one of the best instructors on all levels of training pre-trip skills and driving . Thank You S.Smith

I attended a truck driving school 12 years ago in another state. All classes were taught on the…read moretruck, whether in the yard and on the road. We learned how to couple and uncouple the trucks. We learned how to put chains on in the event of snow and basically leaned the entire truck as well as completed many hours of street and highway driving. I was able to take the CDL state test withing four weeks and passed!. At Progressive there is a lot of wasted time in the classroom with very little contact with trucks. I know the state requires a certain amount of classroom hours but much of this was just wasted time with very little learning. The teacher is a nice person and clearly understands trucking as she has years of experience. I think she was given very little to work with. I do not blame her at all for the classroom portion, it is on the school. The skills portion taught in the yard was also a huge time waster. Progressive is interested in enrolling the maximum number of students to make a profit. What that translates to is that in a nine hour day, you might get 30 minutes in total to be in the truck and there are not enough instructors to show you what to do. A stand out teacher is a gentleman named Gabe. He does his best to teach but he has too many students. There is another teacher named Lloyd who just wants to flirt with female students or watch videos in his car. He will not help and just says "Read the paper". The paper is a tool but you must see and perform the maneuvers. to get them right. Sitting for 8 1/2 hours waiting to get to attempt skills is a complete waste of time. It seems it takes most students four months to finish and the pass rate on the CDL test is low. The road teachers are good. They have different styles but then again you might actually get 20 minutes total during nine hours of school. I tested and passed on the first try very recently. 40% of the people who tested with me failed, one for the second time. This school does not prepare you to test. They do not teach practical skills such as coupling the truck, even though this is part of the CDL test, nor do they teach how to use chains or other things drivers need to know. The steer you to Werner Enterprises. I did not get good vibes from them at all and actually had a very negative experience with them. I was hired by another company less that 24 hours after applying. I do not feel my training from Progressive is sufficient although I will be getting trained by my new employer. That said, with a 40%-50% failure rate, this is not the school to go to.

I enjoy learn everything to know about becoming a truck driver. Shelly is amazing at help us get…read moreour goals done. Ray is very serious but that's shows how much he really wants to get our license. Victor was very helpful when it comes to info about safety and parts. Tom really made it a lot easily to shift for me his skills got me where I am now passing the course. Remember one thing listen to the teachers and never give up. Thanks Stars.

As there is basically zero history of reviewing the Drivers Ed program here let me be the first…read more It's run out of a trailer tucked behind the building by a couple of guys who appear to have walked in off the set of the Sopranos. They pretend to remember who your child is from the online class and get you setup with the permit application then schedule you to return to pick up the permit and schedule your first behind the wheel session. Heaven forbid you need to get in touch with them during that stretch though. You'll probably have to call about 30 times before someone answers. Even then there's only about a 20% chance they'll be at all helpful. and forget E-Mailing them. Thats even worse. They don't notify you when the permit arrives so that's kind of luck of the draw. Best to just show up on your own. Whether or not the place is actually open and following the hours posted on their website is a pot-luck too. So maybe you finally get the permit, and finally get the date for the first session... Well buddy have I got news for you! The date and time they gave you aren't real. They're also closed when you show up. Then after another 30 phone calls you'll get someone to tell you when you can really for real show up for a class. But they'll make sure to tell you that none of the communication problems were their fault, and that the card they gave you wasn't from them, and that they have forgotten who you are anyways. This is what qualifies as school sponsored drivers' education in Chicago. Best of luck.

This school is filled with gangbangers and the school is crowded and under staff. No cellphones…read moreallowed many student in danger with no cellphones because of the neighborhood. Its very dirty! Filled with roaches and rats. Nasty food and very rude staff. This school needs help and to improve fast!!

Curriculum is very outdated and barley apply to Class and test taking , hiring knowledge of staff…read moreon subjects that pertain to the class and teaching capabilities , they say 95% of the class is leaned on the book at home on ur time

Worse maintenance school in Chicago right now. They have mediocre instructors. you or your child…read morewill not get the quality education they need to become an A&P. you will be wasting 51,000. the school just hires anyone to be an instructor. I would go to another trade school.