How long do you have to complete the real estate class?

AND THE STATE EXAM?

How much time is allowed to get a real estate license in the pre licensing requirements is far longer than the time that you should take to complete your course and pass the exam.  You are allowed to go at your own pace, but this does not always work for a wanna be real estate agent. 

That being said, there are guidelines and time frames to finish the class and pass the required test to start your real estate career. 

THERE ARE TWO PARTS TO THIS QUESTION.  

• One is the time frame allowed by the real estate schools to complete the pre-licensing course after you start it.
• The other has to do with the time frame allowed to take the state administered exam following the completion of the course. 

TIME ALLOWED FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE PRE-LICENSING COURSE:

There are usually 3 main time periods outlined in the real estate education requirements that you must follow when taking a course, passing the exams and getting your real estate license.  

• Time to complete the course
• Time to take and retake the course final exam
• Time to take and retake the state exam

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO TAKE THE REAL ESTATE COURSE BEFORE IT EXPIRES?

Schools usually allow a window of six to twelve months for you to complete the required course hours as determined by the state real estate license laws.  

If you do not complete the course in that period of time the course will expire.  Some schools, like The CE Shop will allow you to pay a fee to extend the period of time. 

Extensions and reactivations of the course can not be extended beyond an additional 12 months period.  Once this 12 month period passes, if you have not completed the course, then you will have to sign up for the course again and start from scratch. 

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO TAKE THE REAL ESTATE CLASS FINAL EXAM? 

Each state has requirements for how long you have to take the class final exam.  This varies from state to state.  Some allow the class final exam to be taken online while others require the test to be taken in the presence of an approved proctor.  Check here for your states details.  

FLORIDA TIME LIMITS ON FINAL EXAM

Some states like Florida have time limits set on the course final real estate licensing exam. 

Final exams in Florida must be passed with a minimum of 70%. Students failing the local real estate Commission-prescribed end-of-course examination must wait at least 30 days from the date of the original examination to retest. 

Within one year of the original examination, a student may retest a maximum of one time.

Otherwise, students failing the end-of-course examination must repeat the course prior to being eligible to take the end-of-course real estate licensing exam again and reapply with the state’s licensing office.

INDIANA FINAL EXAM

In Indiana, a student can take the course’s final exam as many times as necessary.  

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO TAKE THE STATE REAL ESTATE EXAM AND PASS IT?

Sticking with Indiana as an example, the state allows prospective agents 365 days to take the state exam following the completion of their per-licensing course.   

State final exams are usually delivered in two parts.  A general section and a state specific section.  

In Indiana, candidates who pass one portion of the exam and fail the other need retake only the portion they failed, as long as they retake and pass the failed portion within one (1) year of completing the required educational requirements. 

Also, if you fail an exam you have to wait a period of time before you can register for an appointment to retake the test.  In Florida this period is 24 hours. 

HOW LONG YOU SHOULD TAKE TO COMPLETE THE REAL ESTATE CLASS AND EXAMS

Why I don’t advise you taking the entire 12 month period for the course or the exam

Wouldn’t it be a waste of time to take the course and not be able to pass the real estate license exam?   It sure would.

Especially when a online real estate school charges an extension fee if you do not complete the real estate courses in a timely manner.

But I get contacted every week by someone that allowed their class to expire or completed the class and never passed the state exam. (Or worse, they never even took it.)

I have to break the bad news to them that they need to sign up for the course again and start the class over from scratch.  This is an expensive lesson that they make that you can learn from. 

I stress all the time for students to schedule time during the class to study for the state licensing exam and then to block off time after the completion of the class to study with the aid of an exam prep module.  

EXAM PREP MODULE IS KEY

Every pre license package that we recommend includes an exam prep module, no matter if it is Kaplan, Colibri Real Estate or The CE Shop. 

The online courses are even designed in such a way that they quiz you as you go to ensure that you learn the material.  This is why online courses lead to higher pass rates. 

Unit exam quizzes are presented at the conclusion of each chapter, with a varying number of questions depending on the amount of content contained in each section and chapter. These 

Unit exam quizzes can be retaken as many times as necessary.

Students will not be able to proceed to subsequent units in the course until the unit exam in each unit is successfully completed and passed.

Final exams are presented at the conclusion of each course, with a varying number of questions depending on the amount of content contained in the course.

Students may take the examination as many times as necessary to achieve a passing score and demonstrate understanding of the material, unless the jurisdiction or education type specifies otherwise. 

(Please refer to the state-specific catalog page(s) for information on the number of final exam attempts, passing percentage required, and proctoring requirements.)

If you take too long to complete the course or to take the exams, you will end up forgetting what you have learned in the beginning sections before you reach the end.  

Completing the course in a timely manner will be of a benefit to you and will allow you to pass the exams on the first attempt.

• Don’t take too much time selecting an online real estate school. How long does it take? (1 day)
• Don’t take too much time completing the course. How long does it take? (7 to 30 days)
• Don’t take too much time to pass the state real estate license exam. How long does it take? (7 to 30 days)
• Don’t take too much time to select a sponsoring broker. This will vary depending on if you have signed up for our mentorship opportunity or not. An exciting career is awaiting you if you select a real estate broker that is focused on training and helping its real estate agents learn lead generation the right way.

The theme

I am sure that you see a theme here.  To be a successful real estate professional requires you understanding the licensing application process outlined by the state’s real estate commission.

Your new career can get off to a good start if you plan ahead, complete the required educational requirements, the credit hours in the online real estate courses, pass the state licensing exam at the testing centers and make your license application with the background check and application fees.

It doesn’t happen overnight

It doesn’t happen overnight, but you can get on the fast track and become a real estate agent in less time than the state requires for you to be a licensed real estate agent.

Let me know if you need any help.