Exam Tips

TEST TAKING TIPS: Besides studying to know the content...

1. Be well rested having a good night's sleep before taking tests

2. Eat a nice filling but not too heavy breakfast

3. Get the bathroom trip out of the way in advance

4. Be prepared for in-person exams with a pen or pencil, sharpener, eraser, and calculator (none with memory or formulas, only numeric keys allowed). If test taking online, make sure your equipment is ready and that family members know not to disrupt you while testing as with many proctors this may be an automatic failure. You cannot speak to others while testing or leave the room until you are done. Remove all books, cell phones, and other potential distractions.

5. Get as comfortable as possible.

6. During your testing be sure to rest your eyes periodically by looking away from the computer screen or papers for a minute allowing your eyes to fixate and focus on something at a distance like a dot on the wall (just not someone else's test). This should solve the issue of getting a headache many people experience when taking tests.

7. Save the math for last, these problems usually take longer to answer and should not hold you back from answering other questions you could have answered correctly as they usually offer the same amount of points as the worded questions. Study the formulas, you are allowed to use a calculator so use it.

8. Watch out for absolute statements and double negative terms in questions or answers like MUST, ALWAYS, EXCEPT, OTHER THAN.  In those instances, it's usually asking for the opposite of what you're thinking if not careful.

9. Always go with the exception rather than the normal rule for answers, especially with government exams. For example, if there is a time you must be licensed for to get a benefit but there is an exception to the rule for honorably discharged veterans with service-connected wounds or disabilities allowing a lesser time, then that should be the answer used.

10. Try to redefine real estate industry lingo terms in questions to plain English you can understand so you get what the question is asking of you easier.

11. Ask yourself a question about the question, it seems weird but often your training will kick in of what you learned in class and the answers often become apparent. 

12. Use process of elimination rather than looking for the correct answer, this method is very useful in avoiding those trick questions and even when you get down to two options, one answer is usually more obvious than the other and if all else fails your odds are 50/50 if you guess.

13. More tips to come soon...