Q: So, you just moved to California from New York. You had a license there. Can you drive?

(Expect a lot of trivia questions like this on your test.)

A: Well, yes, at first. You have ten days to apply for a license if you're a new California resident.

How do they define "resident," though? Well, if you

• are registered to vote (doesn't affect minors),
• are paying university tuition (also likely doesn't affect minors),
• pay homeowners taxes (also, doesn't really affect minors),
• or you get some other privilege that you wouldn't normally get if you lived out of state

...then you're a resident.

For minors, you have to have a California driver license within ten days of showin' up, or you have to get yourself what's called a Nonresident Minor's Certificate. To get one, you have to "show financial responsibility," meaning that Mom and Dad agree to pay if you take out Old Man Caruthers' mailbox because you were plucking eyebrow hairs in the rearview mirror while driving.