Signs Online Studying Is Right for You

Hi there everyone! I'm jumping on the blog again to talk study strategies for aspiring real estate agents. As you may remember, I chose to study for my real estate licensing exam entirely online. But you also have the option of taking a live class. Both are legitimate. Both have impressive exam pass rates to recommend them. So, how do you know which one is right for you? Here are a few signs that online is best choice for you.

You Know how to design an effective study schedule and you know you will stick to it without outside supervision/structure. You can break down the large amount of content into manageable pieces, without getting overwhelmed by the whole. You are confident that you can accurately estimate how long each piece will take and then extrapolate that to determine a realistic target exam date.

You will show up for your studying shifts even if no one else knows you did. You know how to dig deeper on concepts or terms that you don't understand, and find the information you need online or in your textbooks. But you also know when you need to ask for help from an expert, how to do that, and aren't afraid to do so.

You Want to Go at Your Own Pace. Which, by the way, could be quicker or more slowly than an in-person class is likely to go. You don't want to be rushed through lessons that challenge you (for me that was Real Estate Math!), and you don't want to be held back on sections that you find easier. It would frustrate you equally to sit in a class and have to listen to concepts you already understand explained multiple times; or to feel like the only person in the room who was struggling with a concept and have the instructor move on before you were ready.

You Have an Accountability Partner Already. You have someone who has agreed to check-in with you regularly. Someone who knows the study goals (hours and exam date) you've set for yourself. Someone to whom you will have to confess if you don't reach them. Someone who will call you on it if your target exam date comes and goes and you're still re-reading lesson 5 from the Fundamentals course.

You Need Flexibility. Whether it's because of your work schedule, family or other obligations, you can't commit to being in a classroom on the same night every week for an extended period of time.

You're Comfortable with Technology. You're comfortable with computers and navigating online course formats. You know how to pace yourself so that you give your eyes a break from the screen. The idea of sitting in front of a computer for 90 hours over the course of a couple of months studying this stuff doesn't make you shudder.

You Don't Need Face-to-Face Time. It doesn't help you to discuss concepts with classmates, and/or you have people in your life who are happy to listen to you talk about what you're learning so that you can cement the concepts in your brain. You are okay with hours of independent work and you don't crave a sense of camaraderie in this process.

There Aren't Any Live Courses Available/The Timeframe of Live Courses Isn't Convenient. This one is pretty self-explanatory.

I want to close by saying that none of the qualities I've listed above are objectively better or worse than their opposites. They're just different. Different people work best in different environments, but it's not a value judgement. The idea really is to be honest with yourself about yourself and then pick strategies that will set you up for success.

If you have study tips or if you have questions please share them in the space below and we'll do our best to respond. Thanks!