Georgia Real Estate License: How to Pass the Exam
If you’re preparing for the Georgia real estate licensing exam, it can feel intimidating. It’s the last major obstacle to achieving your dream job and becoming a real estate agent in Georgia.
We’re here to make the overwhelming process a little less so by giving you everything you need to know to pass your Georgia real estate test on the first try. This article breaks down what to expect, how to study effectively, and how online exam prep can help set yourself up for success.
How to Get a Real Estate License in Georgia
To become a real estate agent in Georgia and represent buyers and sellers in real property transactions, you need to earn a Georgia real estate salesperson license.
Before you begin the process, make sure you fulfill the following prerequisites:
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.
If you meet those qualifications, the Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) requires you to complete the following six steps:
- Complete 75 hours of approved pre-license education like ours
- Pass the course’s final exam
- Submit fingerprints & pass a criminal background check
- Pass the Georgia Real Estate License Exam
- Find a sponsoring broker to work under
- Complete the licensing application
Georgia also has a post-license education requirement in the first year of licensure to keep your license active.
Everything You Need To Know About The Georgia Real Estate Test
Before we get to tips on how to pass the Georgia real estate exam, we’ll lay out everything you need to know ahead of time for a good experience.
When and Where Do I Take the Georgia Real Estate Test?
You can schedule your real estate licensing exam at one of the six PSI testing locations scattered throughout the state.
You should plan to arrive 30 minutes before your appointment because you won’t be admitted if you arrive late. You’ll need to bring a form of valid, unexpired ID with your signature and photo on it. You won’t be allowed to bring any other personal items into the exam, including a calculator.
You’ll have four hours to complete the exam. It’s a computer-based test, but you can take your exam without having any computer experience or typing skills.
How Much Does It Cost to Take the Georgia Real Estate Exam?
You’ll have to pay a $119 examination fee each time you take the Georgia real estate test.
The fee is due in full when scheduling the exam online, and exam fees are nonrefundable. You can use a credit card but be aware that there is also a $25 handling fee applied in case of a declined credit card transaction. Cashier's checks are also another payment option.
You forfeit your exam fee if you cancel your appointment within 2 days of the scheduled exam date or if you fail to appear, show up late, or forget to bring proper identification.
What Types of Questions Are On The Georgia Real Estate Test?
You can expect to see three types of questions on your real estate licensing exam:
- Recall Questions, intended to test memory on specific facts and information.
- Application Questions, intended to test how well you apply the information you know to different situations.
- Analysis Questions, intended to examine how well you analyze information and develop solutions.
Thankfully, all answers are multiple-choice, but the options you can choose from will include common mistakes or misconceptions. In other cases, multiple answers will be correct, but you’ll need to determine the best answer, which they define as the optimal solution or most complete resolution to a scenario.
How Many Questions Are On The Georgia Real Estate Exam?
The Georgia salesperson exam consists of 152 multiple-choice questions, broken up into two distinct sections. There are 100 questions on the National Portion and 52 questions on the State-Specific portion.
Students are required to pass both the National and State portions to pass the exam.
Each real estate exam also includes 5-10 experimental questions that don’t count toward your score, so don’t panic if you come across a question that you didn’t expect to see on the exam. Give it your best shot, and you’ll be helping the exam developers try new types of questions.
What’s on the National Real Estate Exam?
The national portion of the Georgia real estate test covers general real estate principles and practices.
Each question will test you on one of eleven topics:
- Contracts (19%)
- Agency (13%)
- Practice of Real Estate (12%)
- Property Ownership (10%)
- Financing (10%)
- Valuation (8%)
- Property Disclosures (7%)
- Real Estate Calculations (7%)
- Transfer of Title (6%)
- Land Use Controls (5%)
- Property Management (3%)
All the questions on the national portion will be mixed together, but the percentages above give you an idea of which topics will be emphasized the most.
What’s on the State-Specific Georgia Real Estate Exam?
The state-specific portion of your real estate exam focuses on Georgia license laws and regulations.
The Georgia real estate test questions will cover:
- State Laws and Rules (16 questions)
- Real Estate Practice in Georgia (21 questions)
- Finance and Closing (15 questions)
How Hard Is the Real Estate Exam in Georgia?
The exam can be difficult, but if you put in the necessary effort, you have a good chance of passing on your first attempt. And the good news is that there’s no wait before you learn your score – you’ll walk out of the facility knowing whether or not you’ve passed.
To pass the Georgia real estate license exam, you must answer at least 75% of the questions correctly in each portion.
It’s not uncommon for candidates to need to take the Georgia real estate exam more than once until they pass. If you fail one or both portions of the exam, you’ll only need to retake the portion(s) you failed – any portion with a passing score will stand. You’ll be able to make a new exam appointment within a few days, but each attempt will require you to pay the exam fee again, so you should give yourself time to better prepare before your second run.
How to Pass the Georgia Real Estate Exam
Passing the Georgia real estate test on the first try is achievable with enough preparation. We’ll offer some general guidance below on passing the Georgia real estate exam, but be sure to read our article on licensing exam study tips for more specific advice.
How to Prepare Before The Exam
The amount of work you put into your preparation will directly correlate with how difficult the exam will be for you.
During your pre-license training, pay close attention and take studying seriously. That said, not everything in the pre-license courses will be on the test. You should use the detailed content outline in the GREC Candidate Information Bulletin during your exam prep, making sure you’re knowledgeable on each topic. Create flashcards to help you memorize terms, dates, and formulas.
One of the best investments you can make for exam preparation is buying a solid exam prep course like ours. You’ll get a condensed study guide that focuses solely on the relevant material, but more importantly, you’ll gain access to an endless number of practice exams to test your knowledge. At the end of each practice exam, you’ll be able to review question-by-question feedback explaining why the correct answer is the best choice.
Practice exams are a great way to identify which areas require more study, but they’re also a great way to practice test-taking strategies so you’ll be able to tackle anything that comes your way.
Tips for During the Exam
First and most importantly, make the most of exam day by showing up to the test rested, fed, and on time with a form of unexpired photo ID. Leave everything else at home or in your car because you won’t be allowed to take personal items into the test. They’ll provide you with an online calculator.
As you begin the exam, try to maintain a good pace. You want to read each question carefully without getting caught up in a single question. Skipping difficult or unexpected questions to return to later is a good pacing strategy.
After you have chosen the best answer, it can be helpful to reread the question for any information you may have missed. Keep an eye out for terms like "must" and "always." If the correct answer doesn’t stand out right away, use the process of elimination to determine the best answer.
Take care when selecting your answer to avoid accidentally clicking the wrong one.
What To Know After You Pass
When you pass the Georgia real estate test, you’ll receive the Certification of Accuracy Statement that’s required to apply for a real estate license.
It’s possible to obtain an active real estate license the same day if you’ve passed your background check and have a sponsoring broker lined up. You just need to present your Certificate of Accuracy Statement to the test center, along with all other required documentation, and pay the $170 license fee. Then you’re on to the hard work of building your real estate practice!
If you don’t have all the necessary information for completing your license application when you pass the exam, you’ll apply for an inactive license and return to the test center later with everything you need.
You must finish your application within 12 months of the passing date. If you miss this deadline, you’ll need to retake the exam.
Prepare To Pass the Georgia Real Estate Test Online With Us!
We’re a GREC-approved training provider with over twenty years of experience in helping adults with their job-related learning. We can help with everything from your pre-license education to exam prep, post-license, and continuing education.
Our courses are online and self-paced to give you the flexibility you need to succeed. Enroll today!
