My Exam is Tomorrow? Eeek!

You have one day to cram for the real estate exam. What do you do? A lot has been written about effective exam prep strategies, but many of them require advance planning. What if your exam is tomorrow? Don’t freak out—we’ve got some tips for you.

First: Take a deep breath and relax. Don’t waste your energy worrying about what you don’t have time for; that will only distract you. Instead, focus on what you can do and how you will do it.

Second: Prioritize. Look at the contents of each chapter in your real estate textbook and note your weak areas. These are the areas you’ll tackle first. Once you get a firm grasp on what you need to concentrate on, your anxiety should decrease.

Third: Read the chapter outlines and skim the key terms at the end of each chapter. Naturally, you’ll be tackling the chapters containing your ‘priority’ material first. Take your time here, and focus on what’s in front of you. Write out study notes by hand, copying the lists and key formulas that you need to memorize. (Many experts agree that writing out lists and formulas by hand is the best way to memorize material).

Finally: Get a good night’s sleep. Research has repeatedly shown that the brain continues to organize newly learned information during sleep, so you should consider sleep an integral part of your learning process.

If you have more than one day to study, consider taking Rockwell's cram course. The cram contains the information you’ll be tested on in condensed form, together with several mock exams that are designed to help you ace the real estate exam!