Careers Business Ownership Top 5 Tips to Help You Study Real Estate Proven study methods aimed at helping you pass the real estate license exam Print Business Ownership Industries Real Estate Retail Small Business Restauranting Nonprofit Organizations Landlords Import/Export Business Freelancing & Consulting Franchises Food & Beverage Event Planning eBay E-commerce Construction Operations & Success Becoming an Owner By James Kimmons James Kimmons Jim Kimmons is a real estate broker and author of multiple books on the topic. He has written hundreds of articles about how real estate works and how to use it as an investment and small business. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 11/20/19 You will gain a lot of real-world, practical knowledge from your broker and mentor agents once you start working as a real estate agent. But to get your license, you will need to complete a real estate course, pass the end-of-course exam administered by the course provider and pass your state's licensing exam. Real estate licensing exams have two parts: national and state. Real estate licensing exam pass rates vary among the states, however, it is common for people seeking their licenses to fail the test one time or more before passing it. Failure to pass the exam on the first try often is the result of failing to prepare for it effectively. To get your license in the shortest amount of time, focus on study materials and methods designed to help you pass the test. 01 of 05 Be Selective in Taking Advice You can ask other real estate agents what they remember of the licensing exam. For the most reliable information, ask those agents who took their real estate license exams in the past few months. Memories falter and tests change based on changes in real estate law. 02 of 05 Check Exam Training Book Dates Again, tests change over time with business practices and legal revisions, which makes sharing information about test questions and answers more challenging. When shopping for study guides, look for those that have been recently published. You might also consider buying study guides from publishers with digital versions of such publications since digital publications can be updated more easily than print editions. 03 of 05 Study for the Test You'll have lots of time after you have your license to expand your knowledge and expertise. Focus now on locating study materials or courses that are designed to help you pass the licensing exam. If you're considering an exam prep course, find out the course provider's first-time pass rate. Some offer free re-training if you fail the first time around. 04 of 05 Read It, Know It, or Skip It A good test-taking skill is to answer the questions you know first, while not getting bogged down on those that you're not sure about. Real estate licensing exams are computerized, and the software makes it easy to mark and come back to, skipped questions. As a rule of thumb, if you know it, answer it. If you're not sure, move on. It may surprise you how a related question further along in the test can help you to answer the ones you skip. 05 of 05 The Old Stand-By Advice Still Works The tried-and-true advice to get a good night's sleep and arrive early and fresh still applies. It is rare that burning the midnight oil helps if it is the midnight before the exam. Consider advice such as limiting your caffeine, sugar and alcohol intake in the hours leading up to your exam. If you're unfamiliar with the location where the exam will be administered, it's a good idea to plan a drive-by a few days before your test date so that the anxiety of getting lost doesn't hinder your chances of passing the exam.