Is the Louisiana Real Estate Exam Hard and How to Pass It the First Time?
This article breaks down all the information you need to pass the Louisiana real estate license exam.
We will talk about the topics you need to study on and how you should prepare for them to get the real estate exam results you want.
We will also touch on the cost of taking the exam and the score you should be aiming for. In the final section of this article, we will discuss the steps you can take should you fail the test.
Keep reading to learn all you need to know about the Louisiana real estate exam to ensure that you pass it the first time around.
Best Way to Pass the Louisiana Real Estate Exam
How to Study for the Louisiana Real Estate Exam
Real estate exam difficulty is directly related to how much you study for the test itself. The more you prepare, the easier the test should feel.
That said, how you study does matter, and the process should begin with collecting your materials.
The first place to do this is in the classroom. Getting a real estate license in Louisiana has a pre-licensing education requirement.
For a salesperson license, that requirement is 90 hours, and for a broker license, that requirement is 150 hours. All classes must be approved by the Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC).
Between your class notes and the resource suggestions of your instructor, you should compile a nice amount of study materials, whether you’re learning in person or remotely.
Choose the best mode of instruction that suits you by reading our A-to-Z guide on real estate school online vs classroom courses.
Start by converting your class notes into outlines and flashcards. Then, set aside plenty of time to review them either alone or with a study group.
To test your knowledge, on at least a portion of the exam before taking it, you can purchase a real estate practice test online through Pearson VUE.
Survey of Experts
Did you take your pre-licensing real estate course online or in person?
Do you think taking a real estate pre-licensing course online can save students time compared to in-person courses?
What is the name of the school where you completed your pre-licensing course?
Expert Insight
Do you see any advantages of taking an online course over the in-person class?
The course I signed up for was considered a hybrid. I went to the first night of class and realized it was too slow. I took it upon myself to get through the content and take notes on my own.
When I didn’t understand a concept, I wrote it down. Once I got through the chapter I was in, if I still had questions, I sought out other sources of information to help explain the concept.
YouTube was a tremendous help in my learning because hearing the concept explained differently helped me understand it.
I made sure to screenshot any questions I didn’t get correct after each chapter review to build a study guide. That was a game changer because it identified the little tricky concepts or principles for me.
For me the advantage was being able to go through the content on my own time. I was working full time and running the household. Any free time I had was spent on coursework.
What to Study for the Louisiana Real Estate Exam
Once studying is underway, you may worry that you’re reviewing too much. To streamline the process, it’s best to know what’s on the actual exam.
The best place where to get an idea of what is on the real estate exam is in the Pearson VUE candidate handbook.
This is where you’ll find in-depth outlines for each section of both the salesperson exam and the broker exam.
Since each exam will have a general section and one that’s state-specific, seeing outlines for both can really help you focus your studying on the right topics.
National portion topics include:
- Property ownership
- Land use controls and regulation
- Valuation and market analysis
- Financing
- General principles of agency
- Property disclosures
- Contracts
- Leasing and property management
- Transfer of title
- Practice of real estate
- Calculations
State-specific questions cover topics including:
- The Real Estate Commission
- Licensing requirements
- Statutory requirements governing licensee activities
- Louisiana Civil Law System
- Louisiana Law of Agency
Each bigger topic is also broken down into subtopics and the handbook lists the percentage of questions to expect within each category.
6 Tips for Passing the Louisiana Real Estate Exam
With so much to cover to prepare for the exam, having a study plan in place is essential to ensure you use your time wisely.
This won’t be an easy test, so make sure you dedicate enough time to prepare, and take studying seriously by incorporating all or some of these helpful tips.
1. Be a Good Notetaker
Paying attention in class, and taking solid notes, gives you a strong foundation when it’s time to start studying.
2. Quiz Yourself with Flashcards
Not all the information you need to know will fit on a flashcard, but for dates, law codes, and any other hard facts, this is a great tool for self-study.
3. Transform Your Notes into Outlines
To make it easier to study your notes, organize them into topic-specific outlines. It will help streamline your review process and keep you on task.
4. Join a Study Group
Even in a remote class, there’s an opportunity to gather together some classmates and form a study group. This can help keep you motivated and ensure you study regularly.
5. Factor in Downtime
It’s easy to devote all your free time to studying, but your brain will need some breaks. Make sure to schedule in time to rest and decompress each day.
6. Test Smart
To best use all that information you just finished studying, have a test-taking strategy in place that will make the process more efficient for you.
- Start by reading all the questions carefully and slowly.
- Answer the questions from easiest to hardest. You don’t have to go in order.
- Even if you know the answer right away, always read all the answer choices first.
- When you get to the harder questions, use a process of elimination to narrow down your choices. After that, guessing is totally okay.
Get more tips on studying for the real estate exam from my other article on the topic.
Expert Insight
Tips to help future agents pass the real estate exam.
Seek out resources at your local library for real estate exam study guides and free practice tests. I found a few free ones in the career development section of the library website.
I also used other free exam resources offered around the internet. Many of these websites would give a few questions for free and require payment for the other questions.
I just put all the free questions together, along with my practice workbook from the library, the screenshots from the questions I missed on chapter learning quizzes, and free practice tests to really digest the content.
Anything I missed on a practice test is what I went back and focused on for review. I did not try any of the games or other paid resources available.
The most helpful study tip I have is to take the exams and quizzes over and over until you are able to answer all the questions confidently.
I felt like the exam questions were made to make you second-guess yourself. Stick with your gut answers.
What Is the Cost of Taking the Louisiana Real Estate Exam?
You’ll pay an exam fee once you’ve registered for the Louisiana real estate license exam. To schedule your exam, you can set up an online account with Pearson VUE.
The fee for both the salesperson and broker exams in Louisiana is $78, and you’ll have four hours to complete both sections of each test.
While this cost is relatively low, it’s only one of the many expenses you’ll pay to get your real estate license.
Other costs include your pre-licensing education, application fee, and the cost of getting Errors & Omissions insurance.
Read our article on how much it costs to get a real estate license in Louisiana for all the fees associated with getting licensed in the state.
You will also be charged for the fingerprint fee, and there is a comprehensive background check process involved to ensure you are eligible for a license.
Know what to do to pass this background check by reading our article — Can You Get a Louisiana Real Estate License with Violations?
How Hard Is It to Pass the Louisiana Real Estate Exam?
What Is the Louisiana Real Estate Exam Pass Rate?
Is the Louisiana real estate exam hard? The real estate salesperson exam and the broker exam in the state are considered one of the hardest real estate exams out there.
Louisiana does not post pass rates, but nationally, only about 60 percent of those who attempt this type of exam pass the first time.
How many people will pass the real estate exam the first time in Louisiana is highly dependent on where the pre-licensing coursework is completed.
Certain Louisiana real estate agent schools will sell you a guaranteed pass rate with their package, so going with the most comprehensive class and highest pass rate may be the way to go.
How Many Questions Are on the Louisiana Real Estate Exam?
Even though it can feel like you’re there all day, taking the real estate exam in Louisiana only lasts a few hours.
For both sections of the salesperson exam, you have 240 minutes to answer 135 questions. The broker exam takes the same amount of time and also has the same number of questions.
Those extra five questions on the salesperson exam are pre-test questions that are not graded. However, they’re mixed in so you never know which they are.
How Many Math Questions Are on the Louisiana Real Estate Exam?
There are exactly seven math questions on the Louisiana salesperson real estate exam, and eight math questions on the broker exam.
The topics covered on both tests include basic math concepts, as they relate to real estate, and calculations for transactions.
Louisiana real estate agents taking the broker exam will also have to address calculations for valuation and rate of return within their math questions.
What Score Do You Need to Pass the Louisiana Real Estate Exam?
To pass the real estate license exam in Louisiana you need to get a certain number of questions right within each section.
For the salesperson exam that means getting 56 questions right in the national section, and 40 questions right in the state-specific section.
For the broker exam, you must get 60 national questions right, and 40 state-specific ones correct.
Survey of Experts
How difficult was it for you to study and pass the Louisiana real estate license exam?
How many attempts did it take you to pass your real estate license exam?
Expert Insight
What would you recommend real estate students to invest extra in to ensure passing the exam on the first try?
If you are worried about not passing the exam the first time, there is a website where you can take exam prep. It is called nightbeforetheexam.com.
You can practice until you are confident enough to take the exam.
I would invest in study guides and practice tests. Those helped me tremendously.
There are lots of options available, some being free even! Those are the ones I utilized. I was able to pass the test on the first try.
What Happens if You Fail the Real Estate Exam in Louisiana?
How Many Times Can You Fail and Retake the Louisiana Real Estate Exam?
Although you have an unlimited amount of times to fail and retake the Louisiana real estate exam, you only have a year total to pass the test.
If you haven’t passed both portions of the exam within a year from the initial date you fail, you lose examination eligibility.
How Long Do You Have to Wait to Retake the Louisiana Real Estate Exam?
After each exam failure, you must reapply for exam eligibility with the LREC.
To apply to retake the real estate license exam, log into your MyLREC Portal and follow the directions. Once that’s done, you can contact Pearson VUE and schedule your retake.
For the hours you need to allot to complete all the steps in the licensing process, read our guide on how long it takes to get a real estate license in Louisiana.
Do You Have to Pay to Retake the Louisiana Real Estate Exam?
Yes. Pearson VUE charges $39 when taking one portion of the exam, and $93 if you’re taking both national and state-specific sections. You will also have to pay the exam eligibility fee of $15.
We hope this guide helps you pass the Louisiana real estate exam with flying colors. Once you do, you’re ready for the next step in the licensing process: getting a licensed broker to sponsor you.
Use our directory of top real estate brokerage firms in Louisiana to find one with the best credentials. You need an accredited broker that can guide your first steps in the business.
Take advantage of our article on choosing the right real estate broker to work for to know what to look for in a good real estate company.
As you build your real estate career in the state, these resources can help you make a great start:
- Formulate an effective action plan that details what happens after you pass your real estate exam.
- Meet experienced agents by being a part of a real estate team. Learn how to join a real estate team to get this step done.
- Know what it’s like to be a realtor by weighing the pros and cons of being a real estate agent.
To help you build and grow your real estate career quickly, we at Real Estate Bees created a directory for real estate professionals.
It’s designed to help you get more exposure for your business, including receiving leads. Create a free profile by signing up here.
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About the Author
Kristina Morales is a REALTOR® with over 20 years of professional experience. She actively practices real estate in Ohio but also has practiced real estate in California and Texas. Conducting her real estate business in three states has allowed her to gain unique experiences that make her a well-rounded realtor. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Business Management and her MBA with a concentration in Banking and Finance. Prior to real estate, Kristina had an extensive corporate career in banking and treasury. She ended her finance career as an Assistant Treasurer at a publicly traded oil & gas company in Houston, TX.