Is the real estate exam hard? (11 tips to pass)

Is it hard to pass the real estate exam?

A lot depends on the prospective real estate agent’s approach when preparing for the real estate exam. For some people, the real estate exam is one of the most challenging obstacles they will face in their professional careers. For others, they can pass the real estate licensing exam with a passing score on their first attempt. 

In this article, I will share with you why the real estate exam is challenging and how test takers can best prepare with a positive attitude to make the process as smooth as possible.

Everyone has an opinion about the real estate exam.

Some people say that the Real estate exams are designed to be challenging to pass, so the real estate board can weed out people who are not going to be skilled real estate agents, and this could not be further from the truth.

I might agree with this assessment if there were less than 1.6 million Realtors in the real estate business.

Plenty of poor real estate agents have been able to pass the state exam only to fail miserably in the real estate business, so it is not the test that is difficult. It is the approach recommended by the majority of the sponsoring brokers.

Is the real estate exam hard or are students not preparing the right way?

The exam is tricky because most people are not used to taking tests. Once you graduate from high school or college, the last thing you expect to see is a test.

Primarily a class like the real estate one that covers dry facts and terms not used in everyday life.

Students are not used to having to give the definition of fiduciary duties, property ownership, agency relationships, or financial analysis on rental properties.

They approach the required real estate course thinking it will teach them how to sell real estate when its primary objective is to create great test takers that stay positive on test day and pass on the first try.

Why is it so difficult?

The real estate exam is challenging since it is not something we are used to doing every day.

Once you figure out the right preparation approach and get used to it with practice tests and state exam prep courses, you will become a good test taker, but it takes time to get to that point.

You only need expert knowledge of some of the real estate industry. Just a solid study plan will do the trick. The best way to make the exam less difficult

The best way for an agent/broker to get into their real estate industry is to take an online course and pass the real estate examination.

There is no reason to take the course and skip the test.

What does it take to pass an estate exam?

The answers depend primarily upon the preparation you have done. Real estate tests require good practice. You must complete a qualifying state real estate license examination to get your real estate license. It’s essential to prepare properly.

My experience with the real estate exam

I have taken a real estate exam four different times in my life.

I was initially licensed in 2001 and made the mistake of selecting the wrong classroom-based real estate course that did not adequately prepare me for the exam.

The next time was getting an exam in another state.

The third time was getting my Broker License; the final time was retaking the course and exam in the other state because I had allowed the license to lapse.

The fourth time I took the course and passed the exam, it took me less than 30 days.

I finally learned the trick to the real estate exam. I am going to share them with you here.

11 Tips to Pass Your Real Estate Exam

1. Enroll in an Online Pre Licensing Course
2.  Time block for the course and study time
3.  Take note of what questions are asked in the section reviews
4.  2. Purchase a package with an Exam Prep Module
5.  Take a Practice Exams in the Exam Prep Module Multiple Times (Or Two or Three)
6.  Understand how the questions are written
7.  Review the section you got wrong
8.  Review the Flash Cards
9.  Don’t stress out
10.  Develop a strategy for skipping questions
11.  Don’t wait too long to take the final exam

Why these tips work

Some of these tips are common sense. Others only apply to the process of taking the real estate course and passing the state-required exam.

None of these have anything to do with the real estate broker that you select. They help you after you pass the test.

With these tips in mind, let’s look at each and provide more details so that your real estate exam is easy and the real estate class is not so difficult.

Enroll in an Online Pre Licensing Course

A pre-licensing course is required in 99% of the scenarios when someone is looking to get their real estate license and pass the real estate exam.

This course will be critical in preparing you for the state portion and the national portion of the real estate exam.

The Virginia Real Estate License Exam differs from the Florida Real Estate License Exam. The state principles and practices can vary between the national and state portions of the exam. 

These differences can make it seem daunting depending on who you speak with about the course.

Online real estate schools can be a good choice for preparing for a real estate exam because they are state approved and delivered in a format that ensures that you are quizzed on a section and pass the practice exam before you can move on to the next section.

Only about half of the people who take a state licensing exam pass the exam and go on to become real estate agents. Though the pass rate varies based on the state real estate exam from state to state, the number usually hovers around 50% across the country. The online schools we recommend have shown 90% plus passing rates on the first attempt, showing that the selected school matters.

Time block for the course and study time

Too many students only spend time reading the materials in the course and finishing the state-required hours.

A better approach is to block off time, not just for the course but also for a review of study materials.

Both deserve your attention during the time that you are taking the course. Don’t wait until the class is over and then expect to be able to cram for the exam.

As you can see from the low passing rates, this approach does not work.

Take note of what questions are asked in the section reviews.

Understanding the section quizzes is more important than getting a highlighter and turning your book yellow. The online course is designed to provide practice tests on the information you need for the real estate school exam and the final exam.

Purchase a package with an Examination Prep Module

This module is designed to allow you to take a multiple-choice practice test and receive feedback on the topics you’ve aced and the ones that you need to study more. 

Reviews are grouped by topic; you can improve your score and track it on a real-time dashboard. You can take unlimited simulated practice exams to prepare for your state exam.

Take a Practice Exams in the Exam Prep Module Multiple Times (Or Two or Three)

Practice makes perfect. Some of the multiple-choice questions are written with double negatives, so you have to learn how to read the question carefully.

The answer depends on the way the test question was asked. The dynamic practice exams with unique questions also provide solutions so that you know what topics to improve upon.

Understand how the questions are written

Take math questions, for example. You will learn how to calculate and come up with an answer, but you will find yourself questioning your answer because the multiple-choice answers will also look correct.

Plus, some of the questions are written as double negatives. Reading the question carefully will be a skill you can only develop using a great tool like the practice test.

Review the section you got wrong

Improve your practice exam scores by studying individual lessons on topics outlined in your state’s Candidate Handbook. This structure is invaluable for knowing what you must remember and recall for the test day.

Review the Flash Cards

There will be some terms you need help understanding the first or second time it is presented. Flashcards can provide valuable information. Property ownership and agency relationships are two areas that only sometimes make common sense when you see the information. The flashcards can help you understand how the term is applied in real estate.

Don’t stress out

Get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam. Stay positive and understand that many others have passed this exam, so it is not impossible. The real estate exam cost is reasonable, so if you have difficulty, you can retake the real estate exam.

Develop a strategy for skipping questions

There is a national and state portion of the final real estate exam, and both require a passing score. In some states, you can pass one portion and fail the other.

You will be faced with questions you think you know the answer to, but because you are nervous, you will begin to doubt if it is correct.

Having a strategy for how you will deal with these questions is helpful.

The exam allows you to mark a question for review.

The review marking allows you to return to it after completing the other questions. In most cases, another question will prompt you to remember the answer to a question that you marked, or it will solidify your answer.

Decide if you will go with your gut or mark for review.

Don’t wait too long to take the final exam.

After completing the course, you must schedule the final exam as soon as possible. Any delay will cause more stress and time needed to review and relearn the information. Human nature is that you will start to forget the information you learned in the course.

You will be excited to start your real estate career with a sponsoring broker. Still, you can only begin once you have passed your real estate exam.

Don’t make the exam harder than it has to be

Let me put some of this into perspective for you. You are going to be in the real estate course and preparing for the real estate exam for a total of no more than 30-60 days if you follow the tips I have provided for you.

If you plan to be an agent for ten years, this represents 1.6% of your real estate career. Yet the real estate exam is a necessary hurdle that you must overcome. Students make the real estate class too hard and the exam too tricky, which gets their careers off to a shaky start.

Finish the course, pass the exam and quickly sign up with an agent-centric real estate brokerage company. You will be on the right track to becoming a future millionaire real estate agent.