I was lucky as the course I was taking was a class from a local technical institute and was part of the scheduled cirriculum, passing included passing the written exam and the hands on firearms qualification. Imagine a college level course where you spend the class on the pistol range.
suwheeeet
The instructors were law enforcement officers and marksmanship instructors for the local sherriff's department. They were no nonsense kinda guys when it came to safety and following instructions. The good part of the class was you got the benefit of thier experience and knowledge in the laws for use of force including deadly force. They were able to make clear the written law and the practical application of it out on the street.