Everyone’s experience in writing an OREA Real Estate College exam will be unique and everyone’s perspective about the exam (e.g., the fairness of the questions) will be unique. Yet, as with anything that has the potential to cause anxiety, there are some misperceptions and misinformation about the exams so we would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight.
What you should know
The exams are not a piece of cake, as a student noted in one of our online forums, but they are fair. The multiple choice exams feature questions ranging from simple recall (remembering facts) to case studies (critical thinking), and all questions are based on material covered in the course (e.g., course exercises, assignments, required readings).
Exams are not meant to be an obstacle to be overcome but important check points. This is a service profession as you will be dealing with members of the public, and exams are one way to ensure you understand your duties and obligations, and all regulatory requirements when providing services to consumers. The content of exams is based on actual activities a real estate salesperson/ broker will be required to perform in the current real estate environment.
Each exam is unique. The exams are generated through the Automated Exam Administration System (AXIS), which means each student receives a unique set of questions from a database containing thousands of questions. Each exam features the same number of questions at each level of difficulty. More information about the level of difficulty is available in the Multiple Choice Examinations document, available in your My Portfolio account under “Announcements.” In addition, the order of the four answer options is automatically randomized each time AXIS selects a question.
The exams are three hours long. There are between 50 and 55 questions on each exam, depending on the course. The passing mark is 75 per cent. You are granted two opportunities to write and pass the exam. A failure on the second attempt will mean you will have to repeat the course (not the whole program).
How well you do on the exam reflects your successful study efforts. There is no pre-determined filtering. Because the exams are multiple choice, the subjectivity of an essay-style exam is gone. There is only one correct answer in a multiple choice question.
How to prepare
The textbooks have been purposely designed to prepare you for the exams. Review the many features, such as the learning outcomes, which outline your learning journey; the key terms; the curiosities and market memos, which provide additional information to enhance understanding of the topic; and the Notables section, which highlight key topics in each textbook chapter. More importantly, complete the chapter mini-reviews and active learning exercises.
If you require additional assistance, contact the Instructor Support Line (1-866-444-5557) and speak to a live instructor or post a question on the online education forums. The Instructor Support Line is staffed Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The education forums are moderated by College curriculum staff.
You can also purchase a study aid, such as Passit® or ExamTutor©. Go to http://bit.ly/1fBurUd for more information about our leaning tools.
Exam day reminders
Do not be late for your scheduled exam. We recommend you arrive at the examination centre 30 minutes before the scheduled exam time.
Bring a government issued photo I.D. (e.g., driver’s licence, passport). You will not be admitted to the exam without the proper I.D.
You may use a financial calculator that does not permit the saving of text material. No other devices (e.g., cell phones) or materials are permitted.
Please review the entire exam because there may be some resource material (e.g., conversion tables, formulates) at the end of some exams, depending on the course.
For more information about the exam protocol, go to http://bit.ly/1idtYZP.
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