I was talking to a student recently who asked, “I think I just need to study more.  If I fail again, then I’ll buy your app.”  I get why she said that, and why she didn’t want to purchase the app immediately.  Because when something isn’t working, the default is to do more of it.

More reading the chapters.  More practice questions.  More YouTube videos.  More time.

But you are already studying and not passing the exam.

So the right question isn’t, “Do I need to study more?”

It’s “How can I study better?”

The answer is simple… currently, you are studying the wrong thing in the wrong way.  It’s like throwing a football around to prepare for a basketball game.  It’s better than doing nothing, but not much better.

Studying The Right Material

The material on the Florida test is not the same material as what is on the test in other states.  As a school owner, I receive a lot of test prep material to review.  I reviewed material recently that asked about Lucas vs. South Carolina Coastal Council.  I don’t know what this case is, but I know it’s not on the Florida real estate exam.  Evidently, it is on the Texas exam because that was the other state that this company sold material for.  I review different material from a different company that talked about “fructus naturales.”  Again, not something that’s on the Florida state exam.  I saw material that referred to a salesmen’s license.  The license is a sales associate license.  It has not been called salesmen for at probably 30 years.  Do you think that material is up-to-date?

Be sure that the material is appropriate for Florida.

Here are two measures I use to determine whether the exam prep material is similar to the Florida real estate exam :

  • Does the school you are buying it from have a physical building in Florida? If it does, there is a good chance it’s Florida material.  Of course, some material is better than others, but at least the school is in Florida and probably knows what’s going on here.
  • Does the person who wrote the questions have a Florida real estate instructor license? If they won’t tell you who wrote the material, if they say “subject matter experts”, I’d steer clear.  But if John Smith wrote the questions and John Smith has a Florida real estate instructor license, that’s a good sign.

Of course, neither of those is a guarantee that it’s good material, but those are good indicators.

Studying the Right Way

I taught real estate for about 10 years before I realized that a lot of students don’t know how to study.  They never really had to study for anything difficult and never had to learn to study.  I can understand that.  I had mediocre study habits for much of my life.  But mediocre study habits are not going to help you on this test.  So how can you study?

  1. Flash cards – This is a great way to study simple things like vocabulary, the number of days allowed for certain things, and similar short items. But there are two things that make them work.  First, you need to make the flash cards yourself.  Making the flash cards is part of the studying.  Second, use them to test yourself.  On one side of the flash card, it says, “What are the colors of the American flag?”  On the other side it says, “Red, white, and blue.”  Read the question side.  Think about the answer.  Say it out loud.  Then turn it over to see if you are right.  That is way more effective than just reading side A, then flipping it over to read side B.
  2. Practice questions – If you memorized the book, but never did any practice questions, I don’t think you would pass. You would get to the test, read the question, then think, “Oh wow … I know this question … I know we talked about it in class … I know I learned it …”  The answer would be right on the tip of your tongue, so to speak, but you wouldn’t be able to find it.  You have to do practice questions.
  3. Read the book once – You should read the entire textbook one time, word-for-word. As you are reading it, make notes and flashcards.  You do not need to read the book five times.  But you should read it once.  If you bought material that does not have complete sentences, I’d buy a book with complete sentences.
  4. Videos – There is a right way and wrong way to use videos. If the videos are lectures, similar to a class lecture, get out a piece of paper and take notes the same way you would if you were in a classroom.  There is ample evidence that handwritten notes are better for learning.  If the video is math, do the video along with the instructor.  Get out your calculator and participate.  It’s not a show.

If you are failing by doing what you are doing, quit doing it.  Call me and I am happy to discuss with you what you are doing and what you need to change.  I’m happy to help you come up with a study plan that actually works.

 

Please note that Karen Climer has no affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate.  Her father, Ron Climer, sold Climer School of Real Estate in 2014.  It has since been involved in several mergers and acquisitions and is owned by a large investment company.  Karen owns Demetree School of Real Estate in Orlando, Florida.