How I Got My Driver’s License Through a Driving Simulator Academy
I got my driver’s license through a driving simulator academy. Before signing up, I visited and consulted with several different branches, and I had two main criteria. First, it had to be close enough for me to go every day after work. Second, since I was planning to sign up for a three-month unlimited practice program, I wanted a place where I could come often without feeling awkward or pressured. In the end, I chose the Konkuk University branch of Gosu Driving License Academy because the staff had the friendliest and most comfortable vibe.
1. Why I Chose a Driving Simulator Academy
I wasn’t particularly afraid of taking a car out onto the road. My main difficulties were two things:
memorizing the routes, and
getting comfortable with operating the car, steering, and developing a good feel for the accelerator and brake.
I already knew that going out on the road for just a day or two at a conventional driving school probably wouldn’t be enough for me to develop that kind of familiarity. I thought that if I could first build up the basics through simulation and then move on to real-road driving, I would be able to learn much faster.
Since one of my goals is to drive in the U.S. soon, I wanted to learn properly, even if it took me longer than other people.
That was where the simulator academy worked really well for me. I could practice different road-test routes every day as many times as I wanted, until I personally felt ready. I could also adjust the sensitivity of the steering wheel, brake, and accelerator on different simulators, which helped me get used to slightly different driving conditions.
In the end, I passed the closed-course skills test after practicing only on the simulator. I was actually surprised by how similar the real test felt to what I had been practicing!
For the road test, however, I thought it might be a little too ambitious to go straight onto public roads without ever driving a real car. So I practiced once in my mom’s car. Surprisingly, it felt very similar to the simulator. By then, I was already familiar with changing lanes and steering, so I was able to drive around Yeongjongdo, where there was very little traffic, without too much difficulty.
2. Can You Really Memorize the Routes With a Simulator?
The simulator recreates the area around the actual testing center in 3D, including shops, roads, traffic lights, and other landmarks.
Still, when you actually go out onto the real road, your brain needs a little “loading time” to connect the simulated route with the real scenery.
So I rode in a car driven by someone I knew and went around each actual test route twice. At that point, I wasn’t really memorizing the route anymore. I was just matching what I had already learned on the simulator with the real world.
“Oh wow, there really is a Shinhan Bank here!”
“Ah, right! This is where I turn left at Starbucks!”
It was more like that.
If you are naturally better at remembering routes than I am, I honestly think you might be able to pass without visiting the actual route beforehand.
3. Can You Drive a Real Car After Practicing Only on a Simulator?
When you practice through a simulator academy, you can register for the driving test directly at the testing center instead of taking the test through a conventional driving school. The road-test fee was around 30,000 won per attempt when I took it. As far as I know, taking the test through a driving school usually costs around 50,000–60,000 won.
Because of that, I decided that even if I failed a few times, I could treat the test itself as an opportunity to get some real driving practice in the city.
I took my first road test after driving a real car only once in Yeongjongdo.
Even though I had become very comfortable with the simulator, driving that huge piece of machinery out onto busy city roads was definitely nerve-racking. I ended up making mistakes that I normally wouldn’t make.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—I had a fairly strict examiner. He explained in detail what I was still struggling with and what I needed to practice.
Afterward, I went back to the academy, told the instructors what the examiner had pointed out, and focused specifically on those areas.
By the time I took the test for the second time, I felt much more relaxed simply because I already had the experience of driving the actual test route once. I had also worked on the areas where I struggled during my first attempt, and I already knew the route well. That meant I could focus almost entirely on driving and making the right decisions moment by moment.
In the end, I passed with a score of 81 points and finally got my very first driver’s license!
Starting this month, I’m planning to sign up for real-car driving lessons and practice driving farther and farther on my own.
4. Total Cost
Here is how much I spent in total:
Three-month unlimited simulator program: 500,000 won
Closed-course skills test, 1 attempt: 25,000 won
Road test, 2 attempts: 60,000 won
Total: 585,000 won
(As of August 2026)
5. Gosu Driving License Academy – Konkuk University Branch
The owner and the two staff members here are all very responsible and friendly, so the academy has a really positive atmosphere.
Even when you’re driving the simulator alone and it seems like no one is watching, they are actually keeping an eye on you from behind and will immediately point something out if you are doing it wrong.
They also have an actual car inside the academy, so before the test I was able to practice things like operating the controls in a real vehicle.
I usually went quite late in the evening after work, and on quieter days there were fewer students around, so the instructors were sometimes able to give me even more detailed feedback.
They also made a lot of small talk with me while I was driving. As someone who is absolutely terrible at multitasking, talking and driving at the same time felt ridiculously difficult. But they told me that real driving is often like this anyway, so learning to handle both would actually help me improve faster. 😂
Oddly enough, going there after work became a little therapeutic for me.
I would arrive with my head full of work-related thoughts, but the moment I started driving, I had no choice but to focus completely on the road. Suddenly, all the work thoughts disappeared and my mind felt much calmer.
Maybe this is why people love going for drives?
The program also includes parking practice after passing the test, so I’ll be going back one last time soon to learn how to park before officially finishing the course.
6. Who I Would Recommend This To
I think this kind of simulator program is especially good for people who:
① Need lots of repetition before they feel confident
② Take a little longer to memorize routes
③ Want to become comfortable with basic car controls before starting real-car lessons
④ Want to reduce costs compared with a conventional driving school while still getting plenty of practice
On the other hand, if you naturally adapt to driving a real car very quickly and only need a few practice sessions, a three-month unlimited program may not be necessary.
And of course, a simulator cannot completely replace the experience of driving on real roads. Things like judging the actual size of the car, keeping an appropriate distance from other vehicles, and dealing with the tension of real traffic are things you can only become comfortable with through actual driving.
For me, the best approach turned out to be getting plenty of repetition on the simulator first, and then gradually adding real-car driving experience afterward. :)
