CA Broker Exam Prep Questions

[David Avetisyan]

Currently studying for the CA Broker Exam. No previous sales experience so I am taking all 8 classes required.

I did read the breakdown of the test on the CA website and I can see what the focus is on, but how relevant is the material that I am currently studying?

I ask this because someone from the company I am signed up with said that  I shouldn’t take the classes whole heartedly as the exam is more about understanding how to answer the questions and the prep material is what I should focus on when I get there.

This leads me to my other questions for referrals to any prep companies people have had success with studying for the CA brokers exam - I would love to hear stories.

And lastly, I know the exam has changed this year, so things will be structured a little differently, but if anyone can shed light on strategies or information that may help me better prepare, I would be grateful.

Thanks in advance!

[Nicholas Smith]

I have been a practicing broker for over 13 years. The short answer to your question regarding the study material and test questions as it relates to the real world is that the CA test is a broad test against many facets of selling all types of real estate in CA. So most of the info you will never see again nor really need to know (such as some of the obscure title issues and deeds). I would just focus on the info that has relevance on what you will be focusing on (such residential sales). With that being said, there is a ton of base information within those courses that I would like all agents to have background knowledge on in the off chance that it comes up.

I like KaplanRE for the prep courses. They have a good online test taking site and accompanying videos. Either way it is tedious. My advise is after you have read the source material, take the practice test questions constantly until you are able to consistently get a passing score.

Once you have your license, CAR.org is a font of relevant information regarding real estate, most importantly I would focus on the Legal Live Webinars (there is a back cataloged in there). Also note that my "day job" is that I run operations for a team, so I tend to favor that side of the business. What the test does not teach you is how to actually sell real estate (prospecting, showing houses and such). For that, I would search for a good mentor.