Have you read horror stories about the difficulty of passing your real estate license exam?
If we’re being totally honest with ourselves, the reason so many people struggle with the real estate license exam is that they simply haven’t done the work to be prepared for the exam.
It’s the same reason so many people struggle in the real estate field in general! They think it will be fairly easy, so they don’t put in the time and effort required to achieve the desired results.
But it doesn’t have to be that way for you!
If you go into your exam with the support of hours of strategic studying (and the expectation that the exam will be difficult, but entirely passable!), you’ll be just fine.
Today we’re diving into that strategic studying process, as well as other tips for passing your real estate license exam on the first try.
How to Pass Your Real Estate License Exam on the First Try
There are 4 distinct processes for passing your real estate license exam:
- Choosing the Right Real Estate School
- Studying for the Real Estate License Exam
- Performing on the Day of Your Real Estate License Exam
- Hacking the Real Estate License Exam
And we’re going to cover each of them in order.
1. How to Choose the Right Real Estate School
Your goal is to pass your real estate exam so you can get your license and launch your new real estate career, right?
So you need a real estate school that can get you there.
You could have the most affordable school, the school with the nicest teachers, the school with the most fun curriculum…but if they don’t prepare you to pass your real estate licensing exam, they’re a waste of time and money.
Look for the school that has the best exam pass rates in your state.
Your Real Estate Commission should publish exam pass rates by school. Here’s an example from the Texas Real Estate Commission. You can see what percentage of students from any given school pass their real estate exam, as well as the number of students from that school who’ve taken the exam (so you can tell how big the sample size is).
If you’re lucky enough to live in Texas or New York, check out AceableAgent. They’re fairly new, but they have a stellar track record of exam pass rates, and they still somehow offer some of the most affordable programs available. For all other states, I recommend Real Estate Express. They’re one of the most reputable real estate schools in the US, and they offer engaging curriculum, affordable rates, and comparatively high exam pass rates.
2. How to Study for the Real Estate Exam
With your formal real estate education underway, it’s time to start studying for your real estate license exam.
Here are some tips to help you make your study sessions productive.
Decide on a study schedule
If it isn’t in your calendar, it won’t happen. Open your calendar and set aside time for your daily studying sessions.
You need to choose a time and location when you’ll be completely distraction-free. Studying with the kids during after-dinner homework hour might sound like a good idea, but you’re just going to be sucked into their homework drama. You need true alone time. Maybe you need to get up an hour before everyone else when you can have the dining room table to yourself. Or maybe you can head to the library on your lunch break. Do whatever works for you as long as you get some quality time with zero interruptions.
Visit your state Commission’s website
Your state Real Estate Commission will provide useful real estate license exam tips. Generally, you’ll be able to find out which broad topics will be covered on the exam. You might even be able to find out how many questions will come from each topic so you’ll know where to focus your efforts.
And they’ll likely provide links to free study guides and other exam prep resources.
Take practice exams
Practice exams are the single best way to prepare for your real estate license exam. Not only do they give you a review of the material covered by the exam, but they also give you valuable test-taking practice.
For many of us, the real estate license exam is the first test we’ve taken in years. Maybe decades! For this reason alone, the idea of taking an exam can seem intimidating. By taking the practice exams, you’ll give yourself a chance to get comfortable with the process of test-taking.
To make the most of your practice exams:
- Don’t check your answers until the end. It’s tempting to check each answer as you go, but for the real exam experience, wait until you complete the exam, then score yourself.
- Decide on your answer before you even read the multiple-choice answers. The multiple-choice options are tricky. They’re designed to confuse you and make you doubt yourself. By knowing your answer before reading the multiple-choice answers, you’re less likely to be swayed by them.
- Take as many practice exams as you can!
Quick side note: You may see companies offering practice exams with the “real” exam questions. The fact is, the Real Estate Commission has thousands of exam questions in rotation at any given time, and they’re always changing. So no one can offer a practice exam with the questions you’ll actually see on your exam. No matter where you get your practice exams, be prepared to see lots of familiar questions, as well as lots of brand new questions, on your actual real estate license exam.
Chew peppermint gum
I know this sounds crazy, but there is some evidence to suggest that chewing peppermint gum keeps you alert and helps boost memory retention. So chew peppermint gum during each study session. Then, take that same peppermint gum to your actual exam. Experiencing the same taste during the exam as you experienced during your study sessions might just help with recall.
Even if this research ends up being bogus, it’s worth a try, right? There’s no downside to chewing some peppermint gum, and there’s a potential upside. Why not do everything possible to give yourself a little edge?
Do a cram session
Cram sessions get a bad rap because people try to use them as a substitute for long-term study sessions. But when they’re used in conjunction with regular study sessions, they’re awesome!
As you know, there is a lot of information covered in your pre-licensure courses. Over the several months it takes to complete the course work, you’re bound to forget some of the early concepts. So take the 2 days leading up to your exam to do a couple cram sessions as refreshers. You want as much of the info as possible fresh in your mind for test day. And cram sessions are a great tool for that purpose.
How to Perform on the Day of the Real Estate License Exam
By the time you reach test day, the hardest work is behind you. You’ve invested hours and hours studying the material, so you know it inside-out. Consider the exam your chance to show your State Real Estate Commission how much you know!
Here are some tips to help you perform at the top of your abilities on test day.
Get plenty of sleep the night before
It may be difficult to settle your brain enough to sleep the night before test day. But a good night’s sleep is crucial to having a clear mind for your exam.
If you’re nervous about being able to sleep, try to exhaust yourself the day before the exam. A strong cardio workout 3-5 hours before bedtime can help relax your body and mind and help you wake feeling refreshed and ready for the day.
Eat some brain food for breakfast
Certain foods have been proven to aid in memory and critical thinking: walnuts, avocado, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, berries, leafy greens, and whole grains.
So enjoy a quick and easy brain-boosting breakfast the morning of your real estate license exam. Peanut butter toast with a side of berries? Yes, please!
Leave the house early
Give yourself plenty of time to get to your testing site. And enjoy some upbeat music on the way to help keep you relaxed and positive!
Leave extra time for unexpected traffic or getting lost. And if you arrive early, great! You can use that time for one last review session to make sure the most difficult concepts are fresh in your mind for the exam.
How to Hack the Real Estate Exam
We’ve discussed choosing your real estate school, studying for the real estate license exam, and prepping for the big day. But what can you do during the exam to increase your chances of passing successfully?
Here are some test-taking hacks to help you through the exam. They’re certainly not a substitute for doing the hard work beforehand, but they might just give you an added boost.
Decide on your answer before reading the multiple-choice answers
As we already mentioned, multiple choice answers are written in a way that can easily confuse you and make you doubt yourself. By having your answer in your mind before even reading the multiple choice answers, you’ll be less likely to be mixed up by the tricky options.
Skip the hard questions
Start your tests by handling all the easy questions first. Slow test-takers often spend too much time on difficult test questions and run out of time before they can complete the exam. Which means they’re not able to get credit for the easy questions at the end of the exam that they would have been able to answer correctly.
So skip the difficult questions and save them for last.
This especially applies to math questions. When I sat my CA real estate license exam, I didn’t even read the math questions on my first run through. If I saw it was a math question, I immediately skipped it. Because even simple math problems can be time-consuming.
Use the process of elimination
If you can eliminate just 2 of the multiple-choice options, you’re able to give yourself a 50/50 chance at guessing the correct answer. Not bad odds!
It’s ok to have no idea on some questions
What happens when you have to make a wild guess on a question? Do you feel ok about it? Or do you panic and dive into an existential fear spiral?
Here’s a trick I used during my exam to keep from panicking about those left-field questions:
Before the exam, I calculated how many questions I could miss and still pass. The exact number will vary state-to-state. Just take the score you need times the number of questions, then subtract that number from the number of questions.
For example, say you need a 70% to pass, and the test is 200 questions. .70 x 200 = 140. You need to get 140 questions right. Subtract that from 200, and you can miss 60 questions and still pass. That’s a lot of questions you can miss!
So if you get a question that you swear isn’t even in any of your study materials, it’s ok. You might miss that question, but who cares? You’re allowed to miss lots of questions. No need to let it get you down!
Now, What Are You Going to Do With Your Real Estate License?
Make sure you’re ready to roll once you pass your exam and get your license!
Here are a few next steps to consider:
- Plan for Success! Grab this downloadable real estate business plan template from Etsy to help you plan your new business.
- Start building a real estate empire. You don’t have to limit your income to your commission checks. Check out these 55 ways to make money in real estate.
- Launch your website to establish your credibility, demonstrate your market knowledge, and generate new leads. Check out How to Build a Real Estate Website for completely free step-by-step instructions on building your own website. It’s easier than you might expect, and DYI-ing your site will save you thousands of dollars!
Your real estate license exam is just the first step. Your new career and new life are waiting for you!
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