Don’t get complacent now that you’ve finished your real estate pre-licensing course.
Your next goal? You have to pass the California Real Estate Exam.
One thing that can help you retain everything you’ve learned and prepare you for your upcoming test is an exam prep course.
Fortunately, you have more than enough providers in California to help you with this. But when you’ve got so many to choose from, how do you know which one to get?
That’s where we come in.
We’ve done a little digging and came up with the essential information regarding what the best real estate exam prep providers in California can offer.
So let’s begin!
What are the Best Real Estate Exam Prep Providers in California?
Preparing for the California Real Estate Exam isn’t about memorizing everything you learned from your pre-licensing courses. You must know what to do with all that knowledge in your head.
The worst possible thing to happen is you freeze during the actual test. If that happens, say goodbye to everything you have in your head.
A great way to prevent that is to simulate the testing environment. An exam prep course can do this for you.
We’ve come up with a list of the best real estate exam prep providers in California. These are:
If you’re curious about what’s on their menu, read on!
Colibri Real Estate
Next on our list is Colibri Real Estate. It’s one of the best-known brands in online real estate education.
And good news, they offer exam prep courses in California, too.
Colibri Real Estate only offers one exam prep option in California for $99. If you avail of it, you can expect the following tools:
- Flashcards. You can filter these by chapters. Use them for learning terminologies.
- Progress exams. These contain 45 questions each. You’ll get 10 of these in your exam prep package.
- Final exams. You get 5 of these (3 state exams with 40 questions each and 2 national exams containing 90 questions each).
The best way to prepare for the California Real Estate Exam is to go through as many questions as possible. And it’s not just about what the questions asked, but also the phrasing. The actual exam asks items in a specific way — the more familiar you are with this, the better off you’ll be.
And to be sure, with Real Estat Express, you will familiarize yourself with the question AND the phrasing.
PrepAgent
Let’s go through the various review tools PrepAgent provides.
You can focus your study efforts with PrepAgent since they group practice exams by subject. You can choose the number of questions you want to answer. Plus, if you can’t answer them all at the moment, the tool saves your progress automatically, so you can pick up where you left off.
PrepAgent’s exam prep videos help you understand real estate concepts. You’ll also find a transcript, so you can refer to it if you didn’t catch some things.
You can take advantage of the audio lessons if you prefer to learn by listening.
What’s more, you get digital flashcards. These are at random, though — going back to a specific definition may be challenging.
What you can do is to use it with the vocabulary worksheet. It’ll help you keep track of the terminologies you encounter.
PrepAgent also includes an exam prep E-book containing all the real estate concepts. It presents them in a digestible and easy-to-understand manner.
Lastly, you get access to live webinars. You can check the schedules online. You can even access recordings of previously-delivered webinars.
Now, PrepAgent offers 3 exam prep plans. The main differences between them are the duration of your access and the number of features you get.
If you want to go the whole 9 yards, it’s a good idea to invest in their Premium plan. It may be the most expensive ($99), but you’ll get all the tools and a years’ worth of access.
Here’s a full PrepAgent review – take a look inside the course!
The CE Shop
The CE Shops’ priority is helping aspiring real estate professionals pass the California Real Estate Exam on their first try. 75% of those who used Exam Prep Edge achieved just that.
With The CE Shop, you’ll begin the process with an initial assessment, which shows your baseline performance. This way, you’ll know where you need to focus and where you can ease up a little.
Once you know your worry areas, use the individual lessons to improve your knowledge. Their tool does 2 things as you go through the practice exams.
First, it gives you a breakdown of your score. Second, it tracks your cumulative performance. It keeps a record of your improvement over time.
You have unlimited practice tests, so you can take as many of them as you want. Exam Prep Edge pulls unique questions from its extensive question bank, so don’t expect to go through an identical exam time and time again.
Kaplan Real Estate
Kaplan is regarded as one of the highly recommended accredited online real estate schools.
They offer pre-licensing, license renewal, continuing education, and exam prep courses for aspiring real estate professionals.
Courses are designed to guide you all the way through, so you know you’re in good hands with Kaplan.
Kaplan caters to students with different learning strategies and styles. Aside from offering in-person classroom programs, they provide flexibility with the on-demand, live online class, and home study options.
The exam prep includes everything that will be covered in the California Real Estate Exam that are divided into test topics and subtopics, so you won’t take in the information all at once.
You have the option to study each topic in sections, to really get a focus on what you’re studying.
Multiple-choice review questions will also be provided. These questions are written by experts in the industry and include thorough explanations for you to understand.
There is also a performance tracker that lets you know which topics you’ve already mastered and which topics you need to improve and work on. This ensures you will get the best results on the actual exam.
Kaplan’s California Real Estate Exam Prep comes in two different packages:
- OnDemand California Real Estate Exam Prep Solution – $199
- Live Online California Real Estate Exam Prep Solution – $199
Or you can also purchase the following individual courses:
- Online California Real Estate Broker Drill and Practice QBank – $69
- Online California Real Estate Salesperson Drill and Practice QBank – $69
- Home Study California Real Estate Flashcards – $42
- Home Study California Real Estate Terms and Definitions Audio MP3 – $29.50
- OnDemand Real Estate Broker Math Course – $29
- OnDemand Real Estate Agent Math Course – $35
- Real Estate Study Package – $99
Modern Real Estate Practice Flashcard Review – $42
CA Realty Training
Last on our list is CA Realty Training. You can purchase its online exam prep course as a stand-alone or in combination with other preparatory resources.
If we’re talking about the exam prep in itself, you can expect to get the following:
- Terminology Flashcards — helps you learn various terms and definitions used in the industry. You can organize these alphabetically, by category, or randomly.
- Unlimited Practice State Exams — tests your knowledge on the different areas the California Real Estate Exam covers.
These remain accessible to you for 6 months from the date of purchase. If you need more time, you have an option to extend, but it won’t come for free.
A different option is to purchase the exam prep with their Crash Course Videos. These are recordings of in-person classes totaling 16 hours’ worth of content.
You’ll be able to access these videos for 2 months from the date of purchase. There are PowerPoint slides you can review and unit quizzes to take.
If you’re looking for more engagement, you can go for their Live Crash Course + Exam Prep package. It adds an intensive 2-day course done over a weekend. Presently, CA Realty Training delivers its Live Crash Course through Zoom.
Frequently Asked Questions About Exam Prep in California
There’s more to exam prep than where to get them. Here are questions we usually get about it.
Do I Need Real Estate Exam Prep?
If you studied the pre-licensing course well, you may think you don’t need to spend an additional amount on an exam prep course. And you may be right — but do you really want to take that chance?
An exam prep program may require you to shell a bit more, but there are a lot of schools that offer value-for-money products. The California Real Estate Exam costs $60 each time you attempt to take it. Even if you pass on your second try, you would have spent $120.
An exam prep course usually costs less than $100. Don’t you think that’s pretty cost-effective?
How Do I Take the Real Estate Exam in California?
You’ll have to apply to take the California Real Estate Exam. The fastest way to do this is through the state’s eLicensing portal. It’s the same site you’ll use to schedule your exam.
Before doing any of that, make sure you’ve completed California’s required 135-hour pre-licensing course and passed a criminal background check.
Can I Take the Exam Online?
You can take the California Real Estate Exam through an online format in the following locations:
- Fresno
- San Diego
- Lost Angeles Vicinity
- Oakland
- Sacramento
Note, however, only the format is online (meaning you don’t have to use a pen and paper). You still have to go to the testing center to take it.
All exams are subject to cancellation. If the center has to be closed due to unforeseen circumstances, you do not have to pay another $60 to take it on another day.
What can I expect from the California Real Estate Exam?
You’ll have 3 hours to answer 150 multiple-choice questions. It covers 7 subjects:
- 25% — Practice of Real Estate and Disclosures
- 17% — Laws of Agency and Fiduciary Duty
- 15% — Property Ownership and Land Use Controls and Regulations
- 14% — Property Valuation and Financial Analysis
- 12% — Contracts
- 9% — Financing
- 8% — Transfer of Property
If you’re taking the exam in a center offering an online format, you’ll know your score before you leave (you need a score of 70% or higher). For pen-and-paper exams, you’ll receive your results through the mail after about a week.
Conclusion
The days leading to your exam date can be nerve-wracking. We don’t blame you, but that amount of stress doesn’t help in the least.
Instead of worrying about it too much, increasing your chances of passing on your first try by going through an exam prep course is a better option.
Don’t let the opportunity pass you by — take advantage of the many exam prep courses available in California. Choose a provider that gives resources in a way that works best for you.
Good luck!
