Demetree School Archives - Demetree School of Real Estate

What is the Pass Rate for the Florida Real Estate State Exam?

Every month, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) sends real estate schools the monthly state exam statistics. Here’s what we learned from the May 2023 statistics for the sales associate exam…

The pass rate among first-time takers is 56%. That means that most people pass the first time they take the exam.
The overall pass rate is up to 47%. Typically, it hovers around 42% so this is an improvement. We can ascertain that the test is getting easier or that people are studying more. I’m betting on the latter.
About twice as many people are choosing to take it at the Pearson Vue test center as opposed to the online proctored exam.
The pass rate is a little higher for the online proctored exam. I’m not sure why that is or what it means, but it has been true consistently with the online proctored exam.

So let’s look at the broker’s exam…

The overall pass rate for the broker’s exam is 46%.
The pass rate for first-time takers is 55%. Just like the sales associate exam, most people pass the first time they take it.
In terms of online vs. in-person, 192 took it online compared to 165 at the test center.

There are eight different exams on the stats list (appraiser exam are included as well). The only one where more people fail than pass the first time is the instructor exam. Not a single person passed the first time they took it. The overall pass rate when you include the first timers and the repeaters is 6%.

I believe that the top reason that people don’t pass the exam is that they don’t study enough (or they study the wrong things). If you want to be in the half that pass the first time they take it, check out our review classes at Demetree School of Real Estate. We offer state exam review classes that focus on what’s on the state exam.

Please note that neither Karen Climer nor Ron Climer are affiliated with Climer School of Real Estate or Gold Coast Schools. Ron Climer, (Karen’s father) sold the school in 2014. It has since been sold again to a large corporate education company. Karen Climer owns Demetree School of Real Estate in sunny Orlando, Florida.

By Karen Climer|2023-07-06T14:11:31-04:00July 5th, 2023|

Can Felons Get a Florida Real Estate License?

The short answer is yes, a felon may be able to a real estate license in Florida. The more accurate answer, like so many things, is “it depends.” When you fill out your state application, you are required to list your criminal history. This includes any crime – convictions (even if adjudication was withheld), no contest pleas, juvenile offenses, young and dumb offenses – everything.

The Florida Real Estate Commission, or FREC, will look at your situation and make a determination based on your individual situation. I have seen murderers and sex offenders get a license. I have also seen people with possession of marijuana or careless driving denied a license. What makes a difference?

FREC considers the crimes. They are more concerned about crimes of dishonesty, such as theft, fraud, or passing bad checks than they are other crimes.

FREC considers the circumstances. For example, someone who shoplifted baby formula will probably be viewed differently than someone who shoplifted lipstick.

They consider when it happened. If you received a DUI fifty years ago and have been to AA every day since then, that is treated differently than the person who was convicted of a DUI last year.

They consider what you have done since then. If you have become a contributing member of society, they treat that differently than someone who is just meandering along and taking up space.

They consider your level of remorse. If you get up there and say, “I punched the guy in the nose because he should not have been talking to my girl.” That will be treated differently than if you say, “You know, my anger overwhelmed me. It was a stupid mistake. I wish I could have a redo on that day.”

So to sum it up, felons can definitely get a Florida real estate license – it all depends on your situation.

If you are looking to get a Florida real estate license, please consider Demetree School of Real Estate in Orlando, Florida.

Note that neither I nor anyone in the Climer family is a part of Climer School of Real Estate. My father, Ron Climer, sold that school in 2014. It has sense been sold to Gold Coast Schools and sold again to a large corporate education company. I opened a school in 2019 called Demetree School of Real Estate.

By Karen Climer|2023-10-19T09:57:42-04:00June 27th, 2023|

How Much Do I Have To Study For The Florida Real Estate Exam?

I get that question a lot. Or another way people ask it is they’ll say, “If I do A, B, and C, is that enough to pass?” It is impossible for me to answer this.

This is like asking, “If I start walking 30 minutes a day, is that enough to get to my desired weight?”

There are so many variables… What is your desired weight? How much do you weigh right now? What is your diet like now? There is no doubt that adding a 30-minute daily walk will help you. Also, that is enough for some people. But I don’t know if that is enough for you.

It’s the same when people ask how much they need to study for the state exam. How much real estate knowledge do you already have? How quickly can you retain things? How quickly can you understand new material? When you say you study for an hour, what do you do during that hour? How effective are your study habits?

I know that I studied more for the Florida sales associate state exam than I had studied for anything else in my life. For me, though, it was very important to pass the first time. Here’s what I did to study…

I read every single word of the textbook, Florida Principles, Practice and Law
I did every single practice question in the textbook and the Florida Real Estate Exam Manual
I had a recording of Ron Climer’s weekend review class, which I listened to twice.

I know that was enough studying for me because I passed the state exam the first time I took it. Your mileage may vary.

By Karen Climer|2023-10-19T09:59:46-04:00June 26th, 2023|

Why Are There Two Choices for the Florida Real Estate Exam?

In Florida, there are two options for taking the real estate state exam – in-person at the test center or online proctored. In this article, I will explain how to schedule your exam for either option.

First, you need to be approved by the DBPR. If you don’t know what that means, read this article.

Once you apply for your license and are approved by the DBPR, you will receive an email from Pearson Vue. In that email is a number called the RE App ID. This is an ID number that Pearson Vue creates for you. Don’t lose this number.

If you have received the email, but lost your RE App ID, call Pearson Vue at 888-204-6289 to get it. They will look you up using your social security number or some other identification.

Once you have the RE App ID, you can register online or over the phone. To register over the phone, call Pearson Vue at 888-204-6289. They are open from 8am-11pm EST on weekdays, 8am-5pm Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sunday. When you call them, know that you are talking to someone who is not in Florida. The reason this is important is that if you say, “I want to take the test on July 28 anywhere near Orlando.” This person likely does not know that Lake Mary or Lakeland are near Orlando. You will have to tell them the exact cities.

If you schedule online, it will give you two options. The one that is called “FL Real Estate Sales Associate” is the online proctored exam. The one that is called “FL Sales Associate” is the in-person one. Basically, if it gives you a choice of testing center locations, it’s the in-person one at the testing center. If it doesn’t give you a location choice, you are looking at the online proctored one.

You will also have the option to take the exam in English or Castilian Spanish. If you want to take the real estate exam in Spanish, you will need to make that selection now. You can’t change it once you are at the test center.

Once you have your test scheduled, you will want to study every day. Study like you are preparing for the Olympics. You can’t overstudy for this exam any more than you can be overprepared for the Olympics.

If you want to register for the best state exam review class in Florida, you will find the information here. If you are looking for study materials, you can find that information here.

Please note that Karen Climer has no affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate, Gold Coast Schools or Colibri. My father, Ron Climer, owned Climer School of Real Estate until 2014. It is now owned by a large corporate education company.

By Karen Climer|2023-10-19T10:01:53-04:00June 8th, 2023|

If I Review The Florida Real Estate Exam, How Long Do I Have To Wait To Retake It?

If you fail your Florida Real Estate State Exam, you have the option to review it. This is where you schedule an appointment with Pearson Vue, pay the regular testing fee (currently $57.75), and they will show you all the questions that you answered incorrectly and tell you the correct answer.

You have three hours, just like the state exam. You can take notes while you are there, but you can’t take the notes with you when you leave, just like the state exam. The people who do this, say it is very effective.

There is a rumor that once you do this, you have to wait 30 days to retake the exam. This is incorrect. I’ll tell you why this rumor exists, then tell you what to do.

If you review the exam, you have 30 days to appeal a question. In other words, you can say, “For this question, they said the correct answer is ‘blockbusting.’ The correct answer is actually ‘steering.’” Because you have 30 days to do that, Pearson Vue doesn’t want you taking the exam during those 30 days, so you will not be able to register online for the exam.

However, if you call Pearson Vue and tell them that you waive your right to appeal the questions, they will allow you to reschedule the exam. You could take it the next day, next week or whenever they have a time slot. You have to call Pearson Vue to do this. You can’t do it online. I know some people are allergic to making phone calls, but this is one time that you have to pick up the phone and actually call them.

Another thought about reviewing the exam… if you review the exam, take the FULL THREE HOURS. Use that time to study the questions and, as much as possible, commit them to memory. You can’t take your notes with you, but once you leave, you can take notes in your car. You need to do that immediately after you leave. You won’t want to do that. You will be tired of studying. You will want to call someone, go get some coffee, or do something relaxing. You will tell yourself that you will take the notes later. You can’t do that. You have to do it right away or you will forget the questions. Write them down right away.

In conclusion, reviewing the exam is a worthwhile use of your time, especially if you have failed more than once. You will be able to call the next day and schedule your exam if you tell them that you waive the right to review.

Please note that Karen Climer does not have any affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate, Gold Coast Schools, or Colibri. Karen’s father, Ron Climer, owned Climer School of Real Estate. He sold the school in 2014. It is know owned by a large corporate education company. Karen owns Demetree School of Real Estate in Orlando.

By Karen Climer|2023-10-19T10:03:08-04:00June 6th, 2023|