How to Become a Real Estate Agent: Passing the Real Estate Classes

This last week, I passed the last of the three classes California requires as a prerequisite to taking the real estate licensing exam. I use the term "classes" loosely; they really involved reading a book then taking an open book test.

All in all, the coursework is pretty simple. I chose to do mine through Kaplan, mostly because their at-home study program was cheap and didn't require attending classes. I could read the books at my leisure, then take the tests afterward. There are three classes, two of which are required. Principles of Real Estate and Real Estate Practice are the two required; The Legal Aspects of Real Estate is the third, which was an elective.

The actual coursework is essentially a whole lot of terminology and concepts related to the real estate industry. Most of it is generalized to the entire industry, but some is specific to California. The coursework itself would be a very poor preparation for the career, but licensees are required to work under a real estate broker in an apprentice-like role.

The state requires eighteen days between classes, so that was mildly annoying. Given that they're open-book tests with 100 multiple choice answers and a two-and-a-half hour time limit, it's possible to simply look up every answer in the book if you're adept at using a glossary and index. I actually read most of the material because it was interesting and would eventually serve a utilitarian purpose, but most of it was pretty dry.

Regardless, I got through all classes in the minimum fifty-four day time frame. The next step? Apply to take the state licensing test. California uses a decidedly inefficient system that requires me to mail an application which will allow me to register for the test online, so that will add four to six weeks to a process that could be done in five minutes. 

In a future post, I'll explain exactly what I'm going to do to study for the test. Hint - I'll drop a few nuggets of wisdom on hacking multiple choice tests. It's one of the benefits of my psychology background. Stay tuned!

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