01-31-2012, 06:21 PM

I took it a couple of months ago voluntarily in an attempt to go to court with the completion certificate and get my speeding ticket dismissed (success!).
I couldn't fathom sitting in a classroom all day on a Saturday, so I did the online course. I opted for the one offered by AAA (I'm a member, but it's available to non-members at a different rate). It nearly put me to sleep a few times, the presentation was so dull, and their videos were impossibly slow to load. I'm not kidding, my eyes were closing more than once. But you can go through it at your own pace (more or less - the pages are timed so you cannot pass through without reading), and the test was quite easy and I passed easily. I even learned a thing or two in the course. If you take the online course you have to show up at a testing site to take the test. I printed the summary at the end of each module, and then reviewed them the night before I was going to take the test and again right before entering the testing site.
When I researched the options, online courses were cheaper than the in-person ones. I live in a different part of VA now but I'd assume that to be true in NOVA as well. There are multiple options available for both types of class.
When I went to court the following week, not only did I have my certificate in hand, but the DMV had already added the 5 points to my record.