Driver's License Test

I got my license about 7 years ago. I’ve been reading how some of you had to take the test to get your license. When I got mine I just remember having to get an eye exam, showing my US drivers license and passport and they gave me a Taiwan DL. I wonder if the rules changed…

My ID number starts with a ‘*’ whereas Taiwanese’s IDs start with a letter depending on which county they were born (?).