20 Tips – How To Top The Real Estate Brokers’ Licensure Exam Why aim for the top? You may argue that there’s no special treatment for topnotchers of the real estate broker’s exam – unlike the bar topnotchers who law firms “fight over”. This is true. I placed fourth in the 2011Real Estate Brokers Exam and I never got any of that sort of thing ( bitter?). But seriously, if you really think about it, performance in one exam (and this holds true for all exams) is not really a deter minant of how good a pract itioner you are going to be. Once you are a licen sed real estate broker, nobody will ask you what your grade was or whether you were a topnotcher – the playing field is wide open and fair to all. H owever, I believe that being a topnotcher helps boost your confidence, as it is a sign that you know the technical aspects of your profession. If you continue your diligence in studying, not only from books but also from mentors, it is very likely that you will be able to achieve success at a faster rate. Most importantly, if you aim for the top and miss it, it is likely that you will still pass the exam and get your real estate broker’s license. If you only aim for a passing grade, and you miss it, then you have obviously failed – I am sure no one wants to be in that position. So, there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain if you aim for the top!
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You may argue that there’s no special treatment for topnotchers of the real estate broker’s exam
– unlike the bar topnotchers who law firms “fight over”. This is true. I placed fourth in the 2011
Real Estate Brokers Exam and I never got any of that sort of thing ( bitter?). But seriously, if youreally think about it, performance in one exam (and this holds true for all exams) is not really a
determinant of how good a practitioner you are going to be. Once you are a licensed real estate
broker, nobody will ask you what your grade was or whether you were a topnotcher – the playingfield is wide open and fair to all.
However, I believe that being a topnotcher helps boost your confidence, as it is a sign that you
know the technical aspects of your profession. If you continue your diligence in studying, not
only from books but also from mentors, it is very likely that you will be able to achieve successat a faster rate.
Most importantly, if you aim for the top and miss it, it is likely that you will still pass the exam
and get your real estate broker’s license. If you only aim for a passing grade, and you miss it,
then you have obviously failed – I am sure no one wants to be in that position. So, there’snothing to lose and everything to gain if you aim for the top!
Why aim to pass the Real Estate Brokers’ Licensure Exam
in the first place?
Without a real estate broker’s license, a person may not engage in the real estate service practice.
This is a practice which gives financial rewards in proportion to a person’s efforts. Since 2011,the Real Estate Brokers’ Exam has been administered by the (PRC) and thus a Real Estate
Broker is a full-fledged professional on the same level as Certified Public Accountants (CPA’s),doctors, among others.
20 Tips - How To Top The 2013 Real Estate Brokers’
Licensure Exam
1. Ask guidance from God. Have good intentions and pray always. When you are at peace
and confident, I truly believe you will perform better.
2. Follow PRC’s general instructions as written on the Program for the 2013 Real Estate Brokers Licensure Exam, which I have quoted below:
General Instructions
1. Your school/building assignment will be posted at the PRC premises two to three
working days before the examination. Bring your NOTICE OF ADMISSION when you
verify your School / building assignment. Visit your school/building assignment prior tothe day of the examination.
2. Report to the schoollbuilding assignment before 6:30 a.m. on the first day of
examination to verify your room and seat number. Be punctual, late examinees will not be admitted. Examination Fee of ABSENT examinees will be forfeited.
3. Examinees are required to wear the following attire every examination day:
Male Examinees – White polo shirts or t-shirts with collar, tucked-in
Female Examinees-White blouses or t-shirts with collar
4. Bring the following on examination day:
a. Notice of Admission
b. Official Receipt c. One (1) piece metered-stamped Window Mailing Envelope
d. Two or more pencils (No.2)
e. Ballpen with BLACK INK ONLY f. One (1) piece Long Brown Envelope
g. One (1) piece Long Transparent (non-colored) Plastic Envelope (for keeping
*Take note that as you have limited time, be conscious of the number of questions per subject and budget your study time accordingly. You cannot read everything that comes
your way as you will only get confused. As the exam date draws near, so many “tips”
will come out and you will be tempted to photocopy all of them but you will end up not being able to read any. Select what you will read carefully.
Special and Technical Knowledge (25%); 11am to 1pm
o Subdivision Development (incl. PD 957, BP 220, RA 7279, etc.)
PD 957 - Subdivision and Condominium buyer’s Protective Decree)
PD 957 IRR
BP 220 - Socialized and Economic Housing
BP 220 IRR
RA 7279 - Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992
IRR Sec 18 of RA 7279
Etc.
o Condominium Concept and Other Types of Real Estate Holdings
RA 4726 - The Condominium Act
RA 7899 - An act amending The Condominium Act
o Legal Aspect of Sale, Mortgage, and Lease
Sales Outline by Atty. Cesar Villanueva
RA 6552 (Maceda Law)/Realty Installment Buyer Protection Act
o Documentation and Registration
PD 1529 - Property Registration Decree
RA 26 - An Act Providing a Special Procedure for the Reconstitution of
7. Pace yourself . It would be good to follow a calendar with the subjects you need to study
for each day so you can be sure that you are able to read all topics at least thrice. (I got
this style from the bar review at Ateneo Law School.)
8. Read the laws and regulations in their original form (full text). Make and study your
own reviewers many times. If you are going to top the exam, you must know somethingthat others do not. If you read the original, you will know some ideas which were not
included in the reviewers, which most examinees rely on exclusively.
9. Practice answering sample real estate brokers exam questions. We suggest that you
compile sample questions and then take a “practice exam” without looking at any of
your notes, AFTER you have reviewed, to help you know what to expect, and also to
gauge your preparedness for the exam. CPA exam takers call this the “pre-board exam”while bar examinees call this the “mock bar exam”. This helps take away some of the
jitters. If you perform well, then you are ready. If your performance is in the average
level, then double or triple your efforts.
10. Practice answering problems and time yourself while doing so. Strive to answer asfast (yet still as carefully) as you can.
11. This might come a bit late but you should have enrolled in a good review school, where
the teachers are knowledgeable about real estate, and Do not hesitate to ask questions.(In case you want to know, my husband and I are products of Engr. Enrico Cruz’s Urban
Institute).
12. Visit the exam room days before the exam . Check where the comfort room is locatedas well as the fire exits.
13. If you will be commuting, know the route and which vehicles to ride. If you will
bring a car, know where the parking area is.
14. If you can, stay overnight at a place near the venue so you can walk and have no problem with traffic, much better (though you may have trouble sleeping if you are not
used to the bed).
15. Prepare all the stuff you need early, like your exam documents, sharpened pencils,calculator (make sure you understand how to use it!), food and drinks (do not bring food
that can cause stomachaches or farting!), clothes and sweater, etc. the day before the
exam.
16. Have a good sleep the night before the exam. If you don’t have enough sleep, you will
be sleepy during the exam. [True story: A friend of mine couldn’t sleep the night beforeour first bar exam day, so she slept during the exam (!). Don't worry, she passed.]
17. Wake up early and pray for guidance. A little bit of exercise would help “wake up”your muscles and brain.
18. Take a bath and eat a good breakfast. Never take a test on an empty stomach – you
will be thinking of food instead of the right answer.
19. Arrive early at the test site. Have a big “allowance” for traffic. You will be so much
more relaxed if you are just waiting for the test to begin at the exam room, compared to
when you are running around like a headless chicken and thinking that you might notmake it on time.
20. If you are guessing, choose the one that is not like the others , the one “sticking out”so to speak. Take note of the words “always”, “never”, or “except” – they can give you
clues to the answer.
I hope these tips will help all of you who are taking the real estate brokers’ licensure exam on
March 17, 2013. I wish you all the best and I pray that all of you shall become licensed realestate brokers soon!