The DBPR publishes a booklet called the Candidate Information Booklet. There is a lot of useful information in that booklet. The most important thing I’ve found is that it tells you exactly what is on the state exam! That’s right. On page 4-6, there is a syllabus of what is on the exam and how many questions there are about each topic.
I teach from Florida Real Estate Principles, Practices, and Law so that’s what I’m referencing. If you used a different book in your class, check out pages 4-6 of the Candidate Information Booklet.
In Florida Real Estate Principles, Practices, and Law, here is the number of questions from each chapter:
Chapter 1 – The Real Estate Business (1 question)
Chapter 2 – Real Estate License Law and Qualifications (6 questions)
Chapter 3 – Real Estate License Law and Commission Rules (2 questions)
Chapter 4 – Authorized Relationships, Duties and Disclosure (7 questions)
Chapter 5 – Real Estate Brokerage Activities and Procedures (12 questions)
Chapter 6 – Violations of License Law, Penalties and Procedures (2 questions)
Chapter 7 – Federal and State Laws Pertaining to Real Estate (4 questions)
Chapter 8 – Property Rights (8 questions)
Chapter 9 – Titles, Deeds, and Ownership Restrictions (7 questions)
Chapter 10 – Legal Descriptions (5 questions)
Chapter 11 – Real Estate Contracts (12 questions)
Chapter 12 – Residential Mortgages (9 questions)
Chapter 13 – Types of Mortgages and Sources of Financing (4 questions)
Chapter 14 – Real Estate Related Computations and Closing of Transactions (6 questions)
Chapter 15 – The Real Estate Market and Analysis (1 question)
Chapter 16 – Real Estate Appraisal (8 questions)
Chapter 17 – Real Estate Investments and Business Opportunity Brokerage (2 questions)
Chapter 18 – Taxes Affecting Real Estate (3 questions)
Chapter 19 – Planning, Zoning, and Environmental Hazards (1 question)
Check out this list closely. It says that one-quarter of the Florida real estate exam comes from two chapters of your textbook! You need to spend a lot of study time focusing on chapters 5 and 11.
I tell my students these percentages on the first day of class. On the first Friday of class, I suggest that they spend all day Saturday studying Chapter 5 and all day Sunday on Chapter 11. On Monday, I ask them what they did over the weekend. There is always one person who says something like, “I read Chapter 1 four times.” When I ask that person how much time they spent on chapter 5 and 11, they tell me they haven’t gotten to it yet. Don’t be the person who spends a whole weekend studying the chapter with one question while ignoring the chapters with 12 questions each.
Focus your time on what is important. Chapter 5 and Chapter 11 constitute 24% of the state exam. Give those two chapters a little more than a cursory glance. But at the same time, don’t study only those two chapters – one question is the difference between a score of 74 and 75.
Please note that neither I, nor anyone in the Climer family, have any affiliation with Climer School of Real Estate. My father, Ron Climer, sold Climer School of Real Estate in 2014. You can find me at Demetree School of Real Estate.