The state exam pass rate is skyrocketing! The DBPR issued the monthly statistics for the state exam. The pass rate for first time test takers is increasing. Check out this chart of the pass rate for people who took the Florida real estate sales associate state exam for their first time in 2020. Keep reading for my theory about why the pass rate is increasing…
January and February were pretty typical months. The pass rate for first-time test takers hovers around 50-51% most of the time. In March, the number of test takers began dropping because this is when the statewide shutdown went into effect. Many exams were canceled.
In April, our pass rate went up a lot. You could argue that it was because the sample size was so small. There were only 73 people who took the exam.
In May, our pass rate jumped significantly. The number of test takers was not that different from March, but the pass rate was much higher.
Why is that? Did they just issue an easy version of the state exam? We’ll never for sure, but if I were a betting person, I’d say that is not the case. Did we have a slew of very smart people take the exam in May? Again, we don’t have any way to compare the IQs of everyone who took the exam, but I’m going to rule that out as a possibility. So what is my theory? I believe people are taking the test more seriously and studying more. Why do I say that? Because right now it is difficult to get a test date.
I have long said that the primary reason that people fail the state exam is that they either don’t study enough or they don’t study the right things.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, everyone in the state had to come to Orlando once a month to take the state exam. Many people traveled here on Friday to take the weekend state exam review offered by Demetree School of Real Estate. The state exam was given on Monday. Back in the good old days, people studied a lot more for the state exam because the consequences of failing were more severe – you had to wait a month to retake it and come back to Orlando, which could be costly depending on your situation.
Once computer exams were invented, the consequences of failing were less severe. You could take the exam a few days later in your local city. It cost an extra $57.75 and you had to spend another half day of your life, but it wasn’t as bad driving from Pensacola to Orlando and staying in a hotel.
Fast forward to this unusual pandemic we have. Right now, it is difficult to schedule a state exam. If you fail your exam today, you are unlikely to be able to take it again next week. I believe that people are studying more. They are taking the exam more seriously. They are studying as if their new career depends on their passing (because it does).
Since the very first class I taught in 2003, I have always said that I have never met anyone who is incapable of passing the Florida real estate state exam. However, I have met dozens of people who don’t study enough to pass the exam. Sometimes they don’t know how to study. Sometimes they aren’t interested in studying. Sometimes they study the wrong things.
If you don’t know how to study, I’ve written a post about how to study and how your brain works.
If you don’t want to study, I can’t help you. Real estate is a field that requires hard work.
If you don’t know what to study, you need to be in Karen Climer’s weekend review class. You will learn what you need to know to pass the Florida real estate exam.
Please note that Karen Climer does not have any affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate. Karen is proudly Ron Climer’s daughter. He sold the school in 2014. Neither Karen nor her family have any current affiliation with that school.