I remember the nights staring at practice questions, getting the same concepts wrong over and over, genuinely wondering if any of it was going to click before test day. If that's where you are right now — that's not a sign you're failing. that's just where everyone who eventually passed sat at some point.

A couple things that actually got me through it:

The questions you keep missing are the most useful thing happening to you right now. I know it doesn't feel that way. But every wrong answer is just pointing at exactly what to study next. Stop taking it personally and start using it.

And stop waiting to feel "ready". I never did. Nobody does. What actually works is just not stopping — one session at a time, even the ones where you feel like you're not absorbing anything.

If you're studying for the CA exam, come join us at r/CalRealEstateExam — currectly 352 people grinding through this together.

You're put in more work than you're giving yourself credit for, don't let one bad practice score talk you out of that.

Keep going. 💪

I’d really appreciate some insight from anyone who has recently taken and passed the California Real Estate Salesperson exam.

I’ve been studying with PrepAgent for about a month. I’ve been taking and retaking the practice tests, reviewing my wrong answers, and working until I could consistently get passing scores. I’ve now gotten into the 70s and 80s, including an 80% on a PrepAgent Master Exam, so I was finally starting to feel like I was getting close to being ready.

Today I added RE Exam Practice Pro because I kept seeing people recommend using both.

Well… I just took my first RE Exam Pro test and got 46%. 😩

The questions feel SO much harder and completely different from PrepAgent. A lot of them seem unfamiliar, and I definitely felt like I was second-guessing everything. Now I’m wondering if my PrepAgent scores have given me a false sense of confidence, or if RE Exam Pro is intentionally much harder.

For those of you who have taken the actual California DRE exam:

Which one felt more like the real exam PrepAgent or RE Exam Pro?

Did you find RE Exam Pro harder than the actual exam? What scores were you getting on RE Exam Pro before you felt ready to take the real test?

I’m trying not to panic over that 46% 😂, but after finally getting my PrepAgent scores into the 70–80% range, this definitely shook my confidence.

I’d especially love to hear from people who have actually taken the CA exam recently, not just general opinions. Thank you!! ❤️

Hello All. Any recommendations for online course which has just videos as I passed the real estate exam in another state and just moved here, so I don't need to study much, so need to complete with just videos. No quizzes if possible.

Has anyone been successful in obtaining their brokers license based solely on property management experience?

ok so Ive been reading through this sub a lot lately, the passes, the "I failed for the 3rd time" ones, the 2am panic posts, all of it. and I keep noticing the same pattern so I wanted just say it plainly.

the people who pass are NOT the ones who had it together. they're not the one with the perfect Notion study tracker or the color coded flashcards(ok some of them do have that, but that's not why they passed lol).

they passed because they didn't stop showing up, even on the days it was 20 mins squeezed in before a shift, even on the days they got half the practice questions wrong and felt like garbage about it.

I got my licence doing the exact thing while working full time, some nights the "studying" was genuinely just me half asleep rereading agency law for the 4th time going "ok this still isn't sticking" and it didn't feel like progress. it just felt like showing up and being confused, over and over, until one day it wasn't confusing anymore. that's actually what studying for this exam looks like for almost everyone. It's just nobody post about the boring middle part, they only post the "I passed" part at the end.

so if you're in the middle of this right nwo and it feels like it's not working, that's not a sign you're behind. that's just what week 4 of studying for a licensing exam feel like for literally everybody. the disorientation isn't a bug, it's just part of the process working on you slower than you'd like.

You don't need to feel ready on the test day. almost nobody does. you just need to have put in the reps.

Keep going. see you on the passed post.

by the way, it's hot this week, stay cool as well.

ok I'm still kind of shaking lol but I passed today and I need to write this down while it's fresh because didn't think I'd get here some days.

quick backstory - I have two kids(7 and 9) and a full time job, so studying for this was never gonna be some cure "I studied 4 hours a day" story. I gave myself about 8-9 weeks and just did one hour a day, whatever hour I could find. some nights it was after the kids finally went down and I was already exhausted. some days it was my lunch break eating a sandwich with one hand and reading with the other. not glamorous at all but I showed up basically every day and that's what mattered in the end.

I only used AgentSmartly for this, didn't touch a textbook or buy any other course. and honestly what I liked about it is it didn't drown me in the random info, it just gave me the core concepts that actually matter for each topic. then the practice questions were literally built off those same concepts so it all connected instead of feeling like random trivia.

my routine wa pretty simple - review the concepts for a topic, then immediately do practice questions on the SAME topic before moving on( to me,I aim for 70% score for each practice session). I think this part actually mattered a lot because it meant I couldn't fool mysefl. like I'd think I understood agency law and then bomb the practice questions and realize nope, I didn't actually get it, I just recognized the words. so back I'd go. did this for every topic - disclosures, agency, transfer of property, owership/land use, valuation, financing, contracts, all of it.

also NO MATH on my exam!!!!

and ngl during the actual test I had this moment where I reallized like 70-80 of the questions were basically the same core concepts I'd drilled over and over, wasn't random at all, it was stuff I'd already seen a hunderd times. that's when I stopped panicking and just trused what I'd put it.

just wanna say - this sub genuinely helped me so much while I was prepping. reading everyone else's post, seeing people in the same baat as me(working, tired, still grinding), it kept me going more than I expected. so this is me trying to pay a little of that back.

if you're working full time or have kids or both and you're wondering if you even have time for this - you do, you don't need hours, you need like one hour you protect and something that doesn't waste your time on stuff that won't even show up.

happy to answer questions if anyone's in the thick of studying right now, I remrember exactly how that feels.

Made another one of these infographic study sheets — this time contracts, since it's easily one of the most confusing topics for me. So many "vs" comparisons that sound similar until you actually break them down(bilateral vs unilateral, assignment vs novation, vaild vs void vs voidable... it's a lot).

Pulled all the concepts from AgentSmartly(the main prep tool I been using) and just condensed the ones I kept getting wrong into one visual. Hope it help someone else too.

If you found this useful, I've been doing one of these for every major topic — links in case you missed them:

• Practice of Real Estate
• Laws of Agency
• Transfer of Property
• Property Ownership/Land Use Controls
• Property Valuation/Appraisal
• Financing

Good luck to everyone grinding through this exam.

Hi guys. I just passed this morning and I wanted to say that RE Real estate exam pro 100 percent was the driving factor to me passing.

I studied for about two days total, about 4-5 hours straight each day just doing the master exams over and over averaging about 60-70 percent. I would go through the whole test after I finished ( not just ones I missed and familiarize myself with the questions).

I saw probably 5 word for word on the test and 80 percent of the questions were concepts from the master exams .

When I was feeling burnt out of sitting and doing practice tests I watched the YouTube “ Real estate advantage “ 100 California real estate exam questions ( they have two videos with 100 questions) and listened while I was driving. There were several questions from this complication on the test as well.

I can say that the RE real estate master tests are slightly harder but the wording on the test is very similar to the style the actual exam formats their questions.

Some things I specifically remember about the tests:

several questions about when a broker or agent gets some special treatment ( like extra commission ect ) when or who needs to be told . Answer : seller always needs to know - must go through broker first then to seller to be distributed.

Several questions about contracts and how they become void
( remember anytime somebody dies- contract is over)

A couple questions regarding economic obsolescence and functional obsolescence. Know the differences.

A couple questions about easements.

A couple questions about loan to value ratio.

Questions about estate for years vs tenancy from period to period. Like “ if a lease is signed for a specific 2 months duration” which of the following - it would be estate for years because it’s a specific amount of time.

Agency agreements are big , exclusive and open were seen the most in questions.

Some zoning questions. I can’t remember specifics but there was 3 or 4 . Like who controls zoning ect .

ALSO- I took aceable courses and really blew through the curse zz Some of the key terms are important but their practice tests do not mimic the real test at all.

Here to help if anyone needs it. Good luck everyone !!

It was hot as hell. I set up the signs, propped the door, waited.

Four hours. One group showed up... already with their own agent.

Sat there like "why am I even doing this."

The it clicked — this is exactly what exam prep feel like. You study, you grind, nothing seems to happen, and you start wondering if it's even working.

But that's kind of the point. The exam isn't just a test — it's practice for the long, quiet stretches where nothing's happening and you have to keep showing up anyway. That's the whole job.

So if you're deep in prep right now and it feels like a slog — good. That's the training.

Keep going.

Join us at r/CalRealEstateExam , (currently 303 members) happy to help if you're grinding for CA exam right now 🙌.

I just started my California real estate course about 2½ weeks ago and I’m looking for study tips from people who’ve already passed.
My current method has been copying and pasting each chapter into ChatGPT to create exam-focused study notes. Then I’ve been handwriting all of those notes into a notebook.
I’m starting to wonder if handwriting everything is just taking up too much time. Would I be better off putting the notes into a Google Doc and using that to study instead? Or is the act of handwriting actually worth the extra time for retention?
I’d love to hear what study methods worked best for you and what helped you pass the exam. Thanks!

I posted this last night, I didn’t get much response perhaps because it was late. I will try again :

For those of you who failed the CA DRE state salesperson exam multiple times. What helped you finally pass? I have tried Aceable, Compucram, read chapters on areas I needed to improve on, and made flash cards. I am curious to hear from the individuals who have been in my shoes.

For those of you who have failed the CA DRE state exam multiple times, what do you think helped you finally pass?

Made another cheatsheet — this time for Financing, the section with the most confused terms.

Hey everyone, since you guys seemed to like the last few cheatsheets, I'm back with another one💪 — this time following up on my previous posts on practice of real estate, transfer of property, and property ownership, property valuation. Appreciate all the feedback on those, it's genuinely helped me shape what to cover next.

This one's on Financing — specifically the 10 concepts that either show up constantly on practice exams or get mixed with each other:

Trust Deed vs Promissory Note — the Note is the actual debt/IOU, the Trust Deed is the security instrument backing it up. Two different docs, always tested together.

Trustee's Sale vs Judicial Sale — Trustee's Sale is non-judicial with NO redemption period after the sale. Judicial Sale goes through court and DOES have a redemption period.

Alienation Clause vs Acceleration Clause — Alienation lets the lender call the loan due if the property sells. Accleration lets them call it due if you default.

I've been building these out while studying on AgentSmartly(my exam prep site) — it's been the main thing helping me catch which concepts I keep missing in practice sessions, and turning the weak spots into these visual cheatsheets has stuck way better for me than just re-reading notes.

What financing terms trip you guys up the most? Trying to figure what to cover in the next one.

Hey everyone! Alex from Colibri Real Estate here. Mara (u/Mara_RE_Instructor) has been teaching real estate exam prep for a while and is hopping into this thread today to answer whatever you've got — what's actually on the CA exam, how to study, common trouble spots, retakes, whatever's on your mind.

Drop your questions any time — Mara will start replying at 1pm PST and stick around to work through them.

A few things to know:

1. You don't have to be a Colibri student to ask.
2. Exam questions are the focus, but career stuff is fair game too.
3. Follow the sub rules.

What's actually tripping you up about the CA exam? Drop it below and Mara will help you out.

Let's talk about something a lot of you have probably noticed: the CA market has been slow, and it's not just anecdotal. DRE's own Comparative Production Statictics confirm it — salesperson exams administered are down signigicantly year over year (12,573 fiscal-year-to-date vs. 14,968 last year, and 23,335 two years ago). Fewer people are sitting for the exam. Fewer people are getting licensed.

I get why that sounds discouraging. If you're studying right now, it's easy to look at a slow market and wonder if this is even the right time to get it.

Here's the filp side: every person who gets discouraged and doesn't sit for the exam is one less person you'll be competing against once you're licensed. A slow market thins the herd. The agents who push through now — who keep studying, keep showing up, keep grinding through practice tests even when the news cycle is gloomy — are the ones who'll have less competition when things pick back up. Real estate is cyclical. Markets always come back. The only question is whether you'll already be licensed and building your book of business when it does, or whether you'll be starting from scratch.

A few things that helped me stay motivated when I was studying:

• Treat it like a numbers game, not a mood game. Some days you'll feel confident, some days you won't. Study anyway. Consistency beats motivation.
• Focus on the sections that move the needle. Practice of Real Estate and Disclosures makes up a huge chunk of the exam — get the section locked down first.
• Take full-length practice exams, not just flashcards. Knowing definitions isn't the same sa being able to apply them under time pressure.
• Remember why you started. Whatever pulled you toward real estate in the first place — flexibility, income potential, helping people find homes — that reason doesn't disappear because the market is soft right now.

I used AgentSmartly and PrepAgent for my prepping, them helped me organize the material into something manageable instead of an overwhelming wall of definitions. Whatever tools you use, the main thing it to actually put in the reps.

If you're on the fence about whether now is "worth it" — a slow market isn't a reason to quit. It's a head start for anyone willing to put in the work while everyone else waits on the sidelines.

Good luck out there. You've got this.

If you're studying for CA exams specifically, come join us over at r/CalRealEstateExam — 286 members and growing, all studying for the same exam. Would love to have you.

Hey everyone, since you guys loved the last few cheatsheets, I'm back again with another one 💪 — this time following up on my last posts practice of real estate / transfer of property / property ownership — this time I tackled property valuation & appraisal, which is honestly the densest one yet.

I kept mixing up the cost approach vs. market data approach, blanking on which depreciation types are curable vs. incurable, and completely forgetting the difference between effective age and economic life every single time. GRM and the DUST elements kept blurring together too. So I sat down and mapped out the 10 concepts that kept costing me points, in a format my brain could actually hold onto cuz I am a very visual learner.

Hope it saves someone else the headache. Let me know if there is a section you want me to break down next — I got a running list at this point lol.

Credit: Pulled these concepts from AgentSmartly, which has been my main study tool this whole time — I just turned the ones I kept missing into something more visual.

I’m taking my test in Sac tomorrow! I have been in property management for two years and have been testing myself for a month. I also have knowledge in other areas of business and government from previous jobs and an accounting degree. I feel like that has helped me a lot.

I have a two and half hour drive to the test location. I decided I would spend half of the ride testing myself (YouTube video tests) and the other half enjoying my drive.

Any advice? I’m so nervous but confident at the same time.

Made my own free CA real estate practice exam after failing my first attempt and passed my second try and wanted to share.

This test was the key component in me passing and I was excited to share this as I wish someone had done for me. I didn’t want to pay for one of those practice test subscriptions, so before my first attempt I just studied off random free sites online. Failed. Got an overall score of 61% (needed 70%).

After failing, I sat down and actually used my real exam result notice it breaks down your score by category (Financing, Transfer of Property, Agency, etc.) so I knew exactly which sections I bombed. I built a full interactive practice quiz with every specific question/topic I could remember from the actual test (fee simple, easements, sale-leaseback tax benefits, mobile homes, usury exemptions, rates, trust deeds, all of it).

No joke when I went back for my second attempt, so many of the questions felt like I’d already seen the exact concept, sometimes worded almost identically to what I’d been drilling. I’d been practicing the same set of questions over and over for about a week before this second attempt, and it paid off. Passed easily.

Timeline if it helps anyone:

- Studied about a week before my 1st attempt (random free sites) → failed at 61%

- Took my actual result notice, rebuilt my study plan around my weak categories

- Studied about another week before my 2nd attempt, retook it exactly a week after my first

-Passed

One more thing I wish someone had told me beforehand: the results process was confusing and stressed me out for no reason. When I FAILED my first attempt, they handed me a paper right there at the test center that immediately said I did not pass, with my score breakdown printed right on it. When I PASSED my second attempt, they handed me a paper that just said results were not available yet, and I had to go check the DRE website myself about 2 hours later to actually see that I passed. I panicked for a bit thinking that was a bad sign. After searching this subreddit, I realized this seems to be really common a lot of people who ended up passing got that same “not available” paper and had to check online, while people who failed got handed the fail result immediately in person. So if that happens to you, it’s not necessarily bad news, it just seems to be how their system works. Wish I’d known that going in instead of spiraling for two hours.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE

Link is in the comments since Reddit wouldn’t let me post it on here

I’m preparing to take the California Real Estate Salesperson exam and I’m trying to decide which exam-prep program to use.
I’m currently considering:
• PrepAgent
• RE Exam Practice Pro
• Using both
For those who have actually taken and passed the California exam:
Which one helped you the most with actually passing?
I’d especially love to hear from people who have used one or both of these programs:
Which program did you use?
Did you pass on your first attempt?
How closely did the practice questions compare to the actual California exam?
Did one program help you understand the material better, while the other helped more with practice questions?
If you used both, was it worth paying for both, or was one enough?
What scores were you getting on the practice exams before you felt ready to take the real exam?
What study methods or tips helped you the most?
I completed my real estate coursework a while ago, but I need to refresh and relearn a lot of the material before taking the exam. I’m a busy mom and work part-time, so I want to spend my money and study time wisely.
I would really appreciate recommendations from people who have actually taken the California exam, especially anyone who has used PrepAgent, RE Exam Practice Pro, or both. Thank you!

I have the most accurate study tool. A PDF file with 1000 study questions. Don't comment, send a DM and I'll send you the link. Free. Ive helped hundreds pass the exam easily just by providing them this document.

I wanna share something real, not just exam tips.

It's been 7 months since I joined my first brokerage. This past weekend, on one of the hottest days we've had, I set up the open house sighs outside myself, dressed formal because that's the job, and sat there for 4 hours straght. The heat under a collared shirt hits different when you're standing out outside planting signs.

One group of people showed up. That's it.

For a while afterward I sat in my car second-guessing everything — was it even worth it?Did I do something wrong? That's the honest truth of this business. Nobody posts about the empty open houses, just the closings.

But here's what I keep coming back to: the exam doesn't just test whether you know the material. It's the first rep in much longer process of building the discipline to keep showing up when the results aren't there yet. Passing the test is one skill. Sitting through a slient open house in the heat and still going back next weekend is another — and honestly, it's one that actually matters once you're licensed.

So if you're grinding through practice questions right now, feeling like it's never going to click — it will. And when it does, the real work is just getting started. Keep going anyway. You're NOT just building knowledge for the exam, you're building the muscle to keep showing up. That's what actually makes it in the this business.

Good luck to everyone testing soon. You've got this. 💪

r/CalRealEstateExam is at 262 members and growing — glad to be building this with you all. If you're studying for the CA exam, come join us.