Friday, October 09, 2009

Good Read

Foreworded.. from http://activerain.com/blogsview/522062/orea-phase-1-exam-orea-phase-2-exam-orea-phase-3-exam-etc

Since OREA switched to closed book exams, Yahoo! Answers has seen a 6-fold increase in questions relating to the pre-registration exams. If you search for these phrases on Google, you'll see among the top search results: warez sites (suggestive that you can download the exam questions and answers) and tutoring services.
Note: I was going to post a warning about avoiding warez sites, but I figure it's karma if anyone loses money, gets their identity phished, or suffers a virus/worm attack on their computer as a result of signing up for warez.
If life-long learning doesn't appeal to you, perhaps this isn't the profession for you. There are other ways to make a quick buck.
For serious students going through the pre-registration or articling courses, here are some tips:
Use the online forums provided by OREA. Your posts are anonymous and college staff answer your questions. It's a far cry from the community of ActiveRain, but there are others who have gone through these courses and who lurk on the forums offering peer support.
If you're seeking a tutor, make sure he/she is qualified. Various brokerages host study groups, tutorial, and/or review sessions. Some are free. Some have a nominal fee. While not entirely altruistic, I'd say this is preferable to some of the alternatives, i.e., there's no shortage of unlicensed individuals promising a real estate license in as little as 3 months. (Caveat emptor.)
Do the workbook exercises and assignments. These really do prepare you for the exam. And if you went the e-learning route, you might want to order the optional workbook so you have a physical hardcopy. Once the course is over, you lose access to the online course material.
Study. Review. Revise. Know the material. Real life is closed book. In practice, you won't be carrying around your Real Estate Encyclopedia or Provincial Reference Manual (nevermind that these books are heavy and bulky).
Failure is an option. Don't be discouraged if you don't pass the first time. There's ample time within the pre-registration period to rewrite or retake a course. Others have rewritten the exam (or retook the course), passed, and gone on to become registered (licenced).
Ethics and knowledge are cornerstones of our profession. Many go above and beyond the minimum continuing education credits -- we pursue certifications, designations, broker registration, and accumulate more CEUs than we can ever carry forward in a registration period.

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