Frequently Asked Questions about Obtaining a California Real Estate Broker License and Preparing to Pass the State Exam

Q. What are the experience requirements to obtain a Broker’s License? You must document employment as a licensed salesperson on a full-time basis for two consecutive years within the past five years (or consecutive part time for the equivalent of two years, full time). Form RE226 (Employment Verification) must be used. Q. Are there any other definitions of the experience requirements? Full time salesperson is at least 40 hours per week. Part time activity will be given credit on a prorated basis (20 hours per week would necessitate four years of experience). No credit for 10 hours or less per week. Full time employees in another industry will normally not be credited in excess of 20 hours per week. Q. Can education qualify for the experience requirement? An applicant with a four-year degree from an accredited college is exempt from the two-year salesperson experience requirement. This may be verified by submitting either a copy of the diploma or a transcript showing the degree earned. Members of the bar of any state in the United States will generally qualify on the basis of their education and experience, and are statutorily exempt from the college-level course requirements. Graduates of law schools recognized by the California State Bar, who are not members of the State Bar, will generally qualify on the basis of education, but are required to successfully complete a college-level course in Real Estate Finance and one in Real Estate Appraisal. You may qualify with one year of full time employment as a licensed salesperson in California, within the last five years prior to filing the application, plus graduation from an accredited college with an AA degree. Q. Do any other professions qualify as equivalent experience requirements? Experience as an appraiser, escrow title officer, loan officer or loan underwriter in a capacity directly related to the financing or conveying of real property. Experience as a subdivider, contractor or speculative builder, during which time comprehensive duties were performed relating to the purchase, finance, development and sale or lease of real property. Q. Which courses need to be completed to qualify for the exam? Eight college-level courses must be completed. There are five required courses including Real Estate Practice, Real Estate Finance, Real Estate Appraisal, Legal Aspects of Real Estate and either Real Estate Economics or Accounting. The three remaining elective courses can be from the following: Real Estate Principles, Business Law, Property Management, Escrows, Real Estate Office Administration, Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending, Advanced Legal Aspects of Real Estate, Advanced Real Estate Finance, Advanced Real Estate Appraisal or Computer Applications. If you complete both Accounting and Economics, one would count as a required course and one as an elective. Continuing Education courses never qualify for Broker requirements. Q. Would any courses taken years ago in college still be valid? Yes. Also, graduates with business degrees or MBAs normally get credit for Economics, Accounting and Business Law. Q. Will the DRE allow me to confirm qualification of completed courses by phone? No. DRE will only evaluate your transcripts if you send in a Broker Examination Application Form (Form RE400B) and the proper fee ($50.00). This should be done as soon as possible. Q. Can I get an opinion from anyone on my requirements? Yes. Fax or mail copies of your transcripts to our office, and we will give you an educated opinion as soon as possible. Q. How much time do I have for qualification? If you do not qualify for the exam, you may submit any additionally needed requirements within two years of the date your application was received, without an additional fee. Failure to qualify and pass the examination within two years of the date your application was received will require a new application and fee. Applicants may also be required to submit additional qualification documentation. Q. How long is the average wait for an exam appointment? Approximately four weeks. If you don't receive a reply within four weeks, you can call (916) 227-0900 to check on your application. Q. What if I can't make the exam date? You can reschedule for a fee: the first rescheduling fee is $15.00; subsequent rescheduling costs $25.00. Q. Can I send cash? No. Q. Where are the exams given? San Diego, Los Angeles, Fresno, Oakland and Sacramento. Q. Where can I get more information about the exam? Form RE400B (Broker Examination Application), RE206 (Exam & Licensing Fees) and the booklet, Instructions to License Applicants. These items can be obtained by calling, faxing or e-mailing our office. Q. How long is the average wait for the exam results? Results are normally mailed within five working days. However, if you have a touch-tone phone, you can obtain your results by calling (916) 227-0900 after three working days. Q. What if I fail the exam? We don't discuss that possibility at Duane Gomer Seminars! If, by a remote possibility you should fail the exam, we will discuss options at that time, based upon your exam results. DRE sends a breakdown with your scores for each section of the exam. Q. What are the sections of the exams and the percentage of questions devoted to each section? Real Property and Laws Relating to Ownership (approx. 9% of exam) Ownership of real property, encumbrances, and public power over real property. Tax Implications of Real Estate Ownership (approx. 8% of exam) Knowledge of current tax laws affecting real estate ownership. Valuation/Appraisal of Real Property (approx. 15% of exam) Methods of appraising and valuing property; factors which may influence value estimate. Financing Real Estate (approx. 16% of exam) Sources of financing; common clauses in mortgage instruments; types of loans, terms and conditions. Transfer of Property (approx. 9% of exam) Titles, escrows and reports. Real Estate Practice (approx. 21% of exam) Listing of real property, sales contracts nd marketing. Brokerage: Responsibilities and Functions of Salespersons (approx. 22% of exam) State real estate laws and regulations; laws relating to fair practices; knowledge of trends and developments; knowledge of commonly uses real estate forms and math calculations. Q. What other specifics are there about the exam? There are 200 multiple-choice questions, with a time limit of five hours. The passing grade is 75% or better. Approximately 50% of the applicants pass the exam the first time. Q. Are any calculators or laptop computers allowed to be used during the exam? You are only permitted to bring a slide rule and a silent, battery-operated, electronic, pocket-size calculator that does not have print capability or an alphabetic keyboard. Q. Why should I choose Duane Gomer Seminars for this course? Our exams are open-book, with a passing grade of only 60%. You can also test on the Internet. No time-consuming essays or practice questions to be submitted. If you don't pass our Broker course, your money is refunded. Full-time staff; toll-free number, fax service; orders by noon shipped that day; no phone menus. Well-established company with an excellent reputation (check us out with brokers, California Department of Real Estate (916-227-0894) and association & title companies. Our fees vary, depending upon how many courses are taken. Our fees are very reasonable and we pride ourselves on outstanding service. Q. What are your fees? Our course fee includes all books, exams, shipping, handling, taxes, testing, certificates, etc. For one course, the cost is currently $79.50. If you order more courses, the price per course decreases.   Two courses: $118.50   Three courses: $177.75   Four courses: $237.00   Five courses: $296.25   Six courses: $355.50   Seven courses: $414.75   Eight courses: $474.00 Q. What does your company recommend? For all Southern California applicants, we can offer you the John Henderson LLC Live Crash Course for $150.00. The materials include 600+ practice exam questions, 3 audio CD's, a course outline, Final Briefing and Math Workbook. The live seminar is conducted every Sunday in Orange County, and one Saturday per month in San Diego, West Los Angeles, and San Fernando Valley. Call our office so that we can get you registered for the live seminar and get the materials shipped to you immediately. Northern California applicants should contact our office for further assistance. Q. What is the percentage of applicants who pass? In a recent month, 577 people took the exam and 49% of those passed. On average, approximately 50% of applicants pass the exam. Q. Is this method successful? It is so thorough, that John Henderson LLB, who designed this program, offers a money-back guarantee. If you take the course and fail, you can attend again at no cost. If you fail a second time, your money is refunded and you keep all the materials. Q. How do I order these materials? Call us at (800) 439-4909 or (949) 457-8930. You can also fax (949-455-9931) or e-mail your credit card number, a check can be mailed to: Duane Gomer, Inc. 23312 Madero, Ste. J Mission Viejo, CA  92691. Please note: Our office hours are 9:00am - 3:00pm, Monday through Friday.