When to Take an Indiana Real Estate Practice Exam
Are you interested in becoming a real estate agent in the state of Indiana, but don’t know where to start or when to take the practice test?
In this article, we’ll cover some of the difficulties faced by real estate agents and what some of the requirements are before you can start on the road toward earning your license. We’ll talk about what the pre-licensing course will cover and offer our recommendations on when to take the practice exam and the real test.
Read on for more information.
Being a Real Estate Agent Isn’t Easy
There is a lot that goes into earning and maintaining your Indiana real estate license.
If you heard that being a real estate agent is all about talking to people, shaking hands, and making a commission, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Being a real estate agent can be a tough job, and it’s important to know about the difficult aspects in addition to the glamorous ones.
Here are some of the things you’ll be doing as a real estate agent:
- Handling difficult or picky clients
- Keeping your license active while juggling other aspects of the job
- Maintaining compliance at a state and federal level
- Expediting the transaction process while looking ahead for potential obstacles
- Conducting market research
- Writing contracts (Listing agreements, etc)
- Familiarizing yourself with the local area: neighborhood amenities, HOAs, local schools
Becoming a Real Estate Agent in Indiana
Before you can become a real estate agent in Indiana, you must meet the pre-qualification requirements. Real estate broker license applicants are required to complete an approved 90-hour real estate pre-licensing course before they can take the test, and it’s wise to take a practice test once you’ve completed the pre-licensing course to be sure you’re ready for the actual real estate license exam.
Requirements To Become An Agent in Indiana
In order to begin the process to become a real estate agent in Indiana, you need only three qualifications:
- You must be a US citizen
- You must be 18 or older
- You must have a high school diploma or equivalent (GED)
If you’re able to check all of those boxes, it could also be helpful to learn if you have some of the core qualities that many successful real estate agents share:
- Self-motivated
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Organized and detail-oriented
- Focused and determined
- Confident and professional
- Flexible (willing to work nights and weekends)
- Thick-skinned (able to handle rejection)
- Problem solver
- Honest and reliable
- Helpful and a good teacher
- Team player
An Overview of the Pre-Licensing Course
The 90-hour pre-licensing course is broken down into three 30-hour sessions. It will cover real estate on both the national and state level so you will be fully equipped to become an Indiana real estate agent.
To give you a better idea of what will be covered, here are some of the topics you can expect from the national portion of the real estate exam:
- Financing
- Property management
- Disclosures
- Valuation and market analysis
- Title transfers
- How to practice real estate
- Property ownership laws
- Principles of agency
- Contracts
- Leasing
Some of the state-specific topics you can expect on the Indiana real estate exam are:
- Licensing at the state level
- Office procedures
- Regulatory requirements
- The Indiana Real Estate Commission
When Should You Take Your Practice Test?
As with many things in life, it’s best not to jump in too quickly. We recommend that you don’t take the practice test before you’ve completed a pre-licensing course. Can you take an early practice test? Yes. But that doesn’t mean you should.
Although there’s no hard and fast rule against it, it’s best to take your practice test after you’ve had the chance to become well acquainted with all the ins and outs of Indiana real estate. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the course material and have taken ample time to study, you should take an Indiana real estate practice exam.
Failing a practice test can be discouraging and may make you feel like you can’t do it when you just need to study some more. With careful diligence, you can learn enough about real estate to be confident going into the practice test. And if you fail the practice test, the great news is that you can study some more and take it again!
Once you’ve successfully passed the practice test, you have two options: move forward with the real one or devote extra time to study and sharpen your knowledge so you’ll do better on the real thing. If you passed the practice test with flying colors, you may not feel it’s necessary to prolong things. In that case, you can jump right into the actual test.
If you struggled to pass the Indiana real estate practice exam, that’s a good sign that you should re-evaluate your materials and spend some extra time to ensure you have an adequate understanding of them.
About the Indiana Real Estate Exam
The real estate exam in Indiana is comprehensive and features 130 multiple-choice questions about national and state real estate practices and laws. In total, you have 4 hours to complete the test. To pass and earn a certificate, you must get at least 75% of your answers correct on both the National and State portion of the exam. It costs $53 to take the exam.
Prepare for Success: Sign Up Today
The first step to obtaining an Indiana real estate license is to take pre-licensing classes. At Indiana Real Estate Institute, we do everything in our power to set you up for success.
Our classes are entertaining and educational, ensuring that you’ll be engaged and learn everything you need to know (and have fun doing it). We offer three different ways to learn: online, virtual, and in-person.
We have payment plans and discounts because we believe that everyone who wants to be a real estate agent should have the chance to do so – and even offer job placement services!
What are you waiting for? Sign up for your pre-licensing classes today!
