California Broker Exam

[James Park]

I will be taking my broker exam in two weeks. The exam has 200 multiple choice questions (5 hours long), and I have heard the Calfornia broker exam is tough. I will be flying out from Chicago to take the test so i need to make sure i pass on my first try.

I took the retrainerca weekend crash course in Santa Ana and worked through all 2700 questions in that thick book they give you. I will be taking the crash course again on Sat and Sun and have scheduled my exam on the following Monday. Trying to memorize as much as i can through index cards. For you California brokers who have recently passed the exam, any advice or strategies you can give me on how to pass on your first try?

[Chris H.]

Hello James,

I am still waiting on the results of the exam I took last Thursday, 11/17/2010. That test was honestly one of the more harder tests I took. In fact, I was there with a lawyer who mentioned that it was harder than passing the BAR!

The questions are really tricky, and a lot don't have full answers. You have to really read the question SLOWLY and ACCURATELY, since there are double negatives and little words like "not", "except", etc that can change the whole meaning of the question.

They give you pencils and a calculator, and divide the test into 100 question blocks where you have 2.5 hours per section. There is no going back!

I used an 'exam cram' booklet and instructional DVD and DO NOT recommend it. I think the way that you have went about studying is superior with the booklet of questions. You are already familiar with the minutia that is involved.

I do recommend initially skipping all math questions, and the questions you don't know right away. Do all the one's you know for sure. When you go back through the test, then you can do the math and look over the difficult ones. Sometimes rereading it makes that difficult question very easy!

Best of luck, but be prepared because that was one of the most difficult tests of my life. Keep us updated!