r/CalRealEstateExam

I’m thinking about applying to take my exam now that I feel like I am fully ready… I was curious what is the timeframe difference if you were to apply for exam only versus the license and exam. Say I pass my exam, how long will it take for my license to come after I apply for it right away? What do you guys recommend?

Hi all - Just took the Real Estate Salesperson exam yesterday for the first time and passed!

I wanted to give a feel for any upcoming exam takers on how I prepped and what it was like the day of.

PREP:

• I used Onlineed for getting the hours needed to take the exam
• RE Exam Practice Pro really helped me do practice questions
  • The reason I chose RE Exam Practice Pro was mainly the price, it was only $9.99/mo whereas other prep tools like PrepAgents were easily $70+/mo.
  • I was also reading other threads about RE Exam Practice Pro being harder than the actual exam (which I can attest to) so I thought - better safe than sorry
  • Honestly, the contents were pretty similar to the actual exam, some on the exam were basically the same questions
  • I completed all the quizzes by topic and aimed for getting 80%+ on each topic exams and completed the Master Exam several times few days before the exam
  • One caveat is that it gets pretty easy to memorize just the answers, but the key is to actually read the answer explanations and understand why a certain answer is correct over another
  • You can access RE Exam Practice Pro here: https://reexampracticepro.com
• I watched Real Estate Advantage on YouTube and watched all three of their California Real Estate Exam 100 Questions video. I think this one helped me get used to the wording of the questions similar to the actual exam.
• I also watched some of the PrepAgent YouTube videos on my way to the exam site, specifically their "75 Most Common Questions on the Real Estate Exam (2023)". I'm just now realizing that it was their 2023 version lol.

Exam Day:

• I took the exam at their La Palma location (P.S. to anyone driving in from Irvine/OC area, PLEASE be careful of the drivers in this area, they will cut you off, speed past you, etc. I'm an OC driver myself but the drivers here were ROUGH. So please drive safe!!)
• I got to the exam site and parked on the top floor of the parking structure, it will say "BRE Exams Only" so go to that parking structure and drive all the way to the top floor
  • I recommend printing 2 copies of your Schedule Notice from the ELicensing portal so you can leave one copy in your car on the dashboard and bring the other copy with you inside.
  • I got to the exam site about an hour early so I can do last minute review in the car, there were other people doing the same.
• When you get to the building, you take the elevator to the 3rd floor. You can actually head in 30 minutes before the official start time, so I did that.
• Once you are checked in, you leave your phone/keys/whatever else you bring into a locker and bring your state ID/passport along with your Schedule Notice inside.
• They check you in, give you a mouse for the computer and you may start once you are seated (I went in early so I got to start way earlier than everyone else, you still get the same time allocation but you can start early)
  • The only con about starting your exam earlier than everyone else is that there will be people walking around you and you may be distracted, but I don't regret going in early lol.
• The test is conducted on the computer and a mouse. You can also request a whiteboard and pen (which I HIGHLY recommend, so you can write down which questions you want to review for later)
• I recommend going through the exam once and answering everything you can, and leave the harder questions and review questions to your 2nd round or even 3rd round.
• Make sure you read the questions carefully, there weren't too much tricky questions, but a lot of the answers were VERY similar to each other so you just have to know the concepts instead of memorizing contents
• Another thing I noticed is that getting through all of the exam questions is tough, so building mental stamina by completing full practice exams really helps. You should also time your practice tests when you are doing the full 150 question exams.

Overall, the exam wasn't too bad. The exam room and the entrance points are all proctored and everyone else is just as focused as you so there weren't too many distractions while taking the exam.

My background is no where related to real estate, so if I can pass the exam, so can you. Good luck to everyone taking their exam and let me know if there are any questions that I can help with!

UPDATE / I’m scheduled!
Hi! I’m kind of freaking out right now because I planned to come to California to take my real estate salesperson exam for November. I’m coming from Florida and already booked a flight. Historically, I have been seeing the next month open dates a month and a half out. And now I’m not seeing November dates available at all in California! Do you think there will be November exam dates?! I mean, it is only October 2.

Alex here, I'm with Colibri Real Estate. We get a lot of "where do I even start in California?" questions, so here's the full process in order.

Short version: complete 135 hours of DRE-approved courses, apply and get fingerprinted ($450 combined application), pass the state exam, then start working under a licensed broker.

1. Make sure you're eligible. You need to be at least 18. If you live outside California, you'll also need to file a notarized Consent to Service of Process form (RE 234) with your application.

2. Finish your pre-licensing education. California requires three college-level courses, 45 hours each, for 135 hours total:

• Real Estate Principles
• Real Estate Practice
• One elective from the DRE's approved list, like finance, legal aspects, appraisal or property management

The courses have to come from a DRE-approved school.

3. Apply and get fingerprinted. There are two ways to apply:

• Combined exam and license application (RE 435): one form and $450 total. Most people go this route because there's no second application to file after you pass.
• Separate applications: $100 for the exam, then $350 for the license once you've passed.

Fingerprinting is required for everyone. California residents usually do Live Scan. Out-of-state applicants can use Live Scan or mail in fingerprint cards. Getting your fingerprints done early helps, because waiting on the background check is one of the most common reasons licenses get delayed.

4. Pass the state exam. Once your application is processed, you'll get to schedule the exam. Timed practice tests will help more than rereading your course notes.

5. Find a broker before you start working. The DRE can issue your license even if you don't have a broker yet, but you can't do any licensed activity until you're working under one. When you compare brokerages, look at the training and mentorship they offer, how commission splits work, and whether new agents there actually get support.

Fees are current as of October 2026. Check the DRE fee page before you pay in case anything changes.

More detail here if it's useful: https://www.colibrirealestate.com/real-estate/california/how-to-become-real-estate-agent/

For anyone recently licensed in CA, how long did it take you from submitting your application to passing the exam?