What’s the Hardest Part of the Real Estate Exam?

What’s so hard about the real estate exam?‍

There’s a good reason why people think the exam is a challenge. But, don’t let that phase you when you take the big test yourself.

In fact, I’m going to show you WHY people find the exam so hard and what you can do to make it easier for you.

How Hard Is the Real Estate Exam?

The difficulty of the real estate exam largely hinges on your level of preparation. To stand a good chance of success, it's crucial to engage in thorough prep work before setting foot in the testing center. Self-study and preliminary research are foundational steps in this process. Numerous online platforms offer preparatory courses and insightful materials help you gauge the exam's nature. Many of these resources are available at no cost.

After you've acclimated yourself to the basics through these online resources, enrolling in a state-specific pre-licensing course is a wise move. This step, although more expensive and demanding, provides the requisite hours of study needed for the exam. Completion of this course leads you directly to the doorstep of the licensing exam.

It's important to note that passing the exam on the first try is a reality for about half of the candidates. However, some may need multiple attempts, which can be expensive and, in some cases, limited by state regulations. While preparation courses and pre-licensing programs offer no absolute guarantees of passing, they significantly improve your odds.

A strategic study schedule is equally important. Cramming at the last minute is far from ideal. Instead, absorbing the material gradually and methodically over time can make the exam seem less daunting when the day arrives and build confidence within you. The key is preparation and a methodical approach to your studies.

What Makes the Real Estate Exam Hard

There are both elements external and internal that will make the real estate exam hard. What I mean by that is you’ll find that the exam isn’t the only thing that tries to stop you from getting your real estate license. 

In some cases, your biggest obstacle is yourself!

Tricky Worded Questions

On the exam, the exam will give you tricky worded questions. These are questions that will use double negatives, confusing phrasing, or some other form of wordplay to trick you. Read each question carefully so you can outsmart the exam. Be on the lookout for the double negatives!

Questions with Unnecessary Information

Some questions give unnecessary information in the question to stump the test taker. The question might have you apply a concept to a specific scenario. While explaining the scenario, the question will give you too much information. This is information that is unnecessary to the solution.

The reason why the exam does this is to test you on how well you can apply concepts to real-life scenarios. Knowing what is valuable information and what isn’t is a great skill to have on the exam.

Memorizing Concepts and Terminology

Another reason why people find the exam hard is because they struggle with recalling terminology or concepts. While studying, someone may want to memorize as many terms as they can. By putting concepts and terms in your short-term memory doesn’t help. In fact, it can hurt you.

Learning and understanding terms and concepts for the real estate exam will help you mold what you know around the question. This will save you when you are given a tricky worded question or one with unnecessary information.

Time Limit Pressure

You have 3 hours on the real estate exam. That might seem like a long time. But, once you see all 150 questions and how confusing they can be, 3 hours might not seem long enough. So, people will let the time limit pressure them into an exam panic. It happens. When it does, take a few deep breaths, answer the easy questions first, and then tackle the hard ones.

Putting Pressure on Yourself to Pass

The hardest part might not even be the test, but overcoming your own pressure. People might feel unconfident or they might put pressure on themselves to pass. This only turns up the stress and will distract you from the exam.

The Atmosphere of the Testing Center

Lastly, the atmosphere you’re in is tense. Everyone wants to pass the real estate exam and become a real estate agent. But, not everyone will pass. The stakes are high and you can find the vibe is “tense.”

Get yourself in the right, can-do mindset before the exam. Enter strong, confident, and optimistic to pass the real estate exam. You just might find the exam is easier than what people say.

Math Section

While the math section can be a common source of anxiety for many, it primarily involves straightforward arithmetic, not complex calculus. The focus is on practical, real-world calculations relevant to real estate transactions.

To ease your apprehension and enhance your proficiency, our comprehensive math guide offers tailored strategies and examples, ensuring you're well-equipped to tackle this section with confidence.

Finance Section

The finance portion of the real estate exam often intimidates candidates, primarily due to a common apprehension toward math. However, as stated before, it's important to note that this section does not delve into complex areas like calculus, trigonometry, or advanced algebra. Instead, it focuses on basic mathematical concepts that are essential for everyday real estate operations which you’ll use during your real estate career.

A key strategy to conquering this part of the exam is familiarizing yourself with fundamental formulas typically covered in prep courses. For example, knowing simple facts like an acre being equivalent to 43,560 square feet can be incredibly useful for conversion-related questions. Understanding and remembering these basic formulas constitute a significant part of your preparation.

The rest involves practical application, such as working out problems on scratch paper or with a basic calculator. By overcoming the mental hurdle associated with math, you'll find yourself more capable and confident in handling the finance section of the exam.

Real Estate Vocabulary

A considerable segment of the real estate exam is dedicated to testing your grasp of real estate terminology. A robust understanding of this industry-specific vocabulary is not just beneficial, it's essential for your career success.

To effectively commit these terms to memory, employing tools such as flashcards can be exceptionally advantageous. They offer a proven and interactive way to reinforce your knowledge, ensuring that you're thoroughly prepared to navigate through the vocabulary-intensive portions of the exam with ease.

Repetition with flashcards will help you memorize the terms, especially when stress levels may be elevated as on exam day.

National vs. Local Questions

The real estate exam encompasses two distinct sections: one focused on national real estate principles and the other on state-specific laws and regulations. The difficulty of these sections varies based on your individual strengths and study habits.

The national portion tends to be broader, covering general concepts and principles that apply universally in real estate practice.

This section might be more approachable for those who excel in understanding and recalling overarching theories and widespread practices.

In contrast, the state-specific section delves into the minutiae of real estate laws and regulations unique to your state. This part can be more challenging if you find it difficult to memorize detailed, localized information.

However, for those who have a knack for absorbing specific facts and nuances, this section may actually appear less daunting.

Some may find the wide-ranging nature of national questions more complex due to the volume and variety of content, while others may struggle with the state section's demand for precision and detail.

Your preparation should be tailored to bolster your weaker areas, whether they lie in grasping broad concepts or in memorizing specific legalities.

How to Make Passing the Real Estate Exam Easy

Now, let’s talk about ways you can make the real estate exam easier for yourself. These tips and tricks were collected from CA Realty Training’s head trainer Robert Rico and a few of the staff of the school who had passed the exam on their first attempt.

Create Your Own Glossary of Concepts

When you put the concept into your own words, you can understand things so much easier than you would by memorizing the ideas. By doing this, you can push yourself to understand more concepts for the exam and it will help you mold the concepts around the scenarios the exam gives you.

Break Up Studying for the Real Estate Exam

Don’t burn out with cramming. Breaking up the study schedule helps you make a big, daunting task less stressful. You spend more time learning a wide range of information and you feel less pressured to understand the concepts in a short amount of time. 

Start studying early and put yourself on a simple study schedule. That’s why we recommend studying as soon as you apply for the real estate exam.

Create Mnemonics and Acronyms

Mnemonics and acronyms help you store information in a way that eases recall. For example, UPTEE is used to remember the bundle of rights. There’s a ton of acronyms you should know for the real estate exam, and you can make your very own!

Seek to Understand, Not Memorize Concepts

Speaking of remembering concepts. Concepts are recalled easier when you understand them and how they are applied practically in the industry. Memorizing concepts means you don’t actually learn the material. With tricky worded questions, this will throw you off and confuse you on test day.

Don’t Be Hard on Yourself

Don’t put pressure on yourself to be the best. Have confidence but beating yourself up for not understanding a concept right away will only make things worse for yourself. Remember to take breaks while studying and to take care of your health.

Answer the Easy Questions First

Beat the time limitations by answering the easy questions first. That way, a hard question won’t stop you from answering the easy questions first. If you spend the entire exam time on a few hard questions, you won’t have time to answer the easy questions, which would have boosted your test score. Remember you just need a 70% or higher.

Get Additional Help on the Real Estate Exam

The best way to study is often with guided help. Real estate exam prep gives you practice real estate exams that you can take as much time as you want. Real estate crash courses are also cram sessions that help you learn test-taking tips, concepts, terms, and other helpful material to get you ready for the exam.

Typical Structure of a Real Estate License Exam

Real estate license exams predominantly adopt a multiple-choice format, usually comprising 100 to 150 questions. A notable portion of the exam is dedicated to math, a section that often intimidates many test-takers, although it constitutes only about 20% of the entire assessment.

The bulk of the exam focuses on two primary knowledge areas: (1) national real estate principles and (2) state-specific real estate laws and regulations. These sections are critical in assessing your comprehensive understanding of the real estate field, both broadly and within your specific jurisdiction.

Final Thoughts on if the Real Estate Exam is Hard

The real estate exam can be hard if you make it hard. Some people will grasp the information easier than others. Some people will study longer and smarter than others. Some people will take our real estate crash course or state exam prep.

All of these elements will make the real estate exam easier. There is a proven study plan outlined in this article and in our real estate exam prep and crash courses that have helped thousands of students pass the exam and become real estate agents.

In short, you can do things right now to make the exam easier for you. Why wouldn’t you?

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