Somerville, MA · Member since 2016 · 10 posts · 5 votes
Hey guys, I am preparing (well trying to prepare) and have been preparing for the last 4 weeks to re take my general exam! I failed it by 4 points and have to retake it again. Luckily I passed the state so I don't have to take that over. I studied the Pearson vue guide to passing the real estate exam and reviewed everything thoroughly along with doing chapter quizzes. Now I am doing the review tests in the back of the book.
Besides taking the practice exams, any advice for trying to pass the general exam with flying colors?
Real Estate Agent/Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 229 posts · 108 votes
10y
Here are a couple of tips that has helped me get my license In Michigan and currently preparing to get me Illinois license.
Look into Exam Smart it pulls questions for the actual exam or very similar questions. My thought process was this if I can pass this test 10 times in a row and get over a 85% then the test won't be nearly as hard. It also helps with confidence when you do take the exam which that alone is worth the cost of the program I think it's like $45-75 it was included in both of my classes so don't know the exact price.
After you finish the test if there are any questions you left for later answer those and then just submit the test. I found my self second guessing my answers after I was done and started to change my answers when reviewing them so I stopped myself changed my answers back to what they were and passed.
Chew a piece of gum helps you let some stress out without distracting yourself to much.
You can get it only a few points off so try not to stress over it and hopefully some of the ideals will help you out let us know how it goes.
West Des Moines, IA · Member since 2015 · 100 posts · 36 votes
10y
Hey, Fhanillia. Help us put it in perspective, OK? What will you do with your license, once you get it? Be an agent? Use it to support your investing career? Reason I say that is because a license is not required to be successful in investing. So if you never get it, you are not stopped in your goals. And if you get it, it is more of an expense than an asset for a while, and you can always try again. So keep the failure down in size, it's just a fact, doesn't define you. We all fail at stuff, it means we are trying.
Now, to passing: get a partner who cares about you, and is smart. Take the parts you struggle with, and (this is key) EXPLAIN them to someone else until you both share understanding of the small topic. That will re-wire your brain a bit, and you will sort it out. If you can't explain something, talk about it with the person, until you do. Go Google it for some other approach to the topic, if the text you're using isn't clear. Ask an agent friend for help understanding if you still don't get it. But teaching a topic is the best way to master it.
If you can't find a partner, then write out your own explanations, to yourself. You're still doing the same teaching, but not as effectively, since no feedback.
That's my tip. I almost always pass tests like these, my whole long life, and miss either none or just a couple, so I know what I am talking about! This works!
Real Estate Agent/Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 229 posts · 108 votes
10y
Here are a couple of tips that has helped me get my license In Michigan and currently preparing to get me Illinois license.
Look into Exam Smart it pulls questions for the actual exam or very similar questions. My thought process was this if I can pass this test 10 times in a row and get over a 85% then the test won't be nearly as hard. It also helps with confidence when you do take the exam which that alone is worth the cost of the program I think it's like $45-75 it was included in both of my classes so don't know the exact price.
After you finish the test if there are any questions you left for later answer those and then just submit the test. I found my self second guessing my answers after I was done and started to change my answers when reviewing them so I stopped myself changed my answers back to what they were and passed.
Chew a piece of gum helps you let some stress out without distracting yourself to much.
You can get it only a few points off so try not to stress over it and hopefully some of the ideals will help you out let us know how it goes.
Real Estate Investor · atlanta, GA · Member since 2013 · 456 posts · 237 votes
10y
Simply stop the stressing. Don't over prep for the test. Running through the practice test is great. Take your time on the test....if you catch a question you are unsure of...move onto the next question and double back for the harder ones. It's probably a computer exam now so I'm not sure if you can double back. If you can't, with multiple choice, you always eliminate a couple of answers right off the bat. At that point, you're narrowing the odds. With all of the prep you are doing....you will pass it just fine this time! so no worries.
Here are a couple of tips that has helped me get my license In Michigan and currently preparing to get me Illinois license.
Look into Exam Smart it pulls questions for the actual exam or very similar questions. My thought process was this if I can pass this test 10 times in a row and get over a 85% then the test won't be nearly as hard. It also helps with confidence when you do take the exam which that alone is worth the cost of the program I think it's like $45-75 it was included in both of my classes so don't know the exact price.
After you finish the test if there are any questions you left for later answer those and then just submit the test. I found my self second guessing my answers after I was done and started to change my answers when reviewing them so I stopped myself changed my answers back to what they were and passed.
Chew a piece of gum helps you let some stress out without distracting yourself to much.
You can get it only a few points off so try not to stress over it and hopefully some of the ideals will help you out let us know how it goes.
This. I can't tell you how many standardized tests I did really well on because of classes or other instructional courses that I did many practice tests over and over again. Make sure you have the timing down and are passing the practice tests. Review the questions you got wrong and figure out if you just didn't know the answer (and learn the right on) or you saw the question wrong (thought it was asking something different). It doesn't matter if you are repeating the same tests or not, the concepts they are testing will be same. You'll end up recognizing some of the questions and can quickly roll through and take more time on others not quickly recognized.
Any that you're not quite sure on, mark some how so at the end you can double check/answer them. Don't look at the ones you didn't mark or you're likely to change correct answers just because you over think the question.
If there's not a timing element, that just shows I haven't specifically taken this test but it's worked for me on everything from the SAT/ACT to the bar exam.
Real Estate Agent/Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 229 posts · 108 votes
10y
@Tom Olszewski It is a timed test how i have prepared has really made it possible for me to pass every test i have taken when i take the time to understand the knowledge vs memorizing it for a test.
Chicago, IL · Member since 2015 · 469 posts · 81 votes
10y
For me, it was about understanding the concept. I noticed that I was given more scenarios to see if I understood the concept of what was needed. My suggestion to is focus on the concept and purpose of each subject matter and how it manifests in real estate...
For me, it was about understanding the concept. I noticed that I was given more scenarios to see if I understood the concept of what was needed. My suggestion to is focus on the concept and purpose of each subject matter and how it manifests in real estate...
YES the concepts are key! I found some concepts for certain key facts on YouTube that have helped me tremendously! Thank you
Simply stop the stressing. Don't over prep for the test. Running through the practice test is great. Take your time on the test....if you catch a question you are unsure of...move onto the next question and double back for the harder ones. It's probably a computer exam now so I'm not sure if you can double back. If you can't, with multiple choice, you always eliminate a couple of answers right off the bat. At that point, you're narrowing the odds. With all of the prep you are doing....you will pass it just fine this time! so no worries.
You are so right! There's no point in stressing. I will review facts and take more practice tests all tonight and go to bed and just trust myself for the test tomm!
Hey, Fhanillia. Help us put it in perspective, OK? What will you do with your license, once you get it? Be an agent? Use it to support your investing career? Reason I say that is because a license is not required to be successful in investing. So if you never get it, you are not stopped in your goals. And if you get it, it is more of an expense than an asset for a while, and you can always try again. So keep the failure down in size, it's just a fact, doesn't define you. We all fail at stuff, it means we are trying.
Now, to passing: get a partner who cares about you, and is smart. Take the parts you struggle with, and (this is key) EXPLAIN them to someone else until you both share understanding of the small topic. That will re-wire your brain a bit, and you will sort it out. If you can't explain something, talk about it with the person, until you do. Go Google it for some other approach to the topic, if the text you're using isn't clear. Ask an agent friend for help understanding if you still don't get it. But teaching a topic is the best way to master it.
If you can't find a partner, then write out your own explanations, to yourself. You're still doing the same teaching, but not as effectively, since no feedback.
That's my tip. I almost always pass tests like these, my whole long life, and miss either none or just a couple, so I know what I am talking about! This works!
Hey mark! I plan to invest in real estate but this goal to get my license is key so I can put my whole hand in the real estate game!
Writing out explanations is a great idea, and yes standardized test can be a bummer! But I have faith in myself!
Lender · Ypsilanti, MI · Member since 2016 · 25 posts · 3 votes
10y
A broker told me to try the Exam Smart path when I was studying...made all the difference in the world. It doesn't just tell you your response is Correct or Incorrect, it explains why!
Realtor · Houston, TX · Member since 2011 · 916 posts · 296 votes
10y
Try to figure out the answer to the question before you read the choices. If your answer is not there, use process of elimination and pick the most similar one.
Firefighter · Hampshire, IL · Member since 2009 · 41 posts · 17 votes
10y
As mentioned it's well worth the 50$ for exam smart. That gives you three month access. Just keep going through all the questions until you are confident. Many questions are word for word with the test.