In high school, you probably learned that “all of the above” or “none of the above” are usually the right answers.  That may have been an effective strategy in high school, but it’s not an effective strategy on the Florida real estate state exam.  Why not?  If you see “all of the above” or “none of the above” on the state exam, you are taking the wrong test.

In the guide the DBPR gives to their question writers, one of their rules is to avoid the use of “all of the above” and “none of the above.”  Basically, that is considered a lazy man’s question.

Let’s say a question was:

What are the colors of the American flag?

      1. red
      2. white
      3. blue
      4. all of the above

If you knew red and white were on the flag, but were unsure about blue, you could still get this answer correct.  So it’s doesn’t completely test your knowledge.  Or, in the state’s words, it doesn’t ensure minimal competence.

On the state exam, they would ask it this way:

What are the colors of the American flag?

      1. Red, white, and blue
      2. Red, white, and purple
      3. Green, white, and black
      4. Green, white, and yellow

This ensures that you know all three colors.

You will see multiple choice questions on practice exams that are created by people from other states because not all states have this rule.  But any real estate instructor in Florida who is schooled in the psychometrics and research that go into creating the state exam (which does not mean all real estate instructors) will tell you that you will never see “all of the above” or “none of the above” on the Florida real estate state exam.