You may be wondering - when can I take the final exam for my CE course(s) to receive credit. Great question!
The California DRE has two rules that dictate when you can start exams for each course. The good news - Empire Learning's system automatically applies the rules so you can finish your CE as quickly and easily as possible! The bad news? It's far more complicated than it needs to be (cough, cough).
In this guide, we will cover exactly when you can take final exams and provide some helpful tips so you can pass with ease!
📘Course Access and Study Materials (PDF)
Quick reminder - you can download the course material PDF at any time! Once you purchase, you have instant access to your courses and can start studying right away.
The DRE timing regulations only apply to when you can take the final exams.
⚖️ DRE Rules on Correspondence Exams
Here's the short version with details and examples below.
- Study Time Requirement | 8-Hour Daily Limit
You must accumulate a specific number of study hours (also called seat time) before you're allowed to access each final exam. DRE regulations limit your study credit to 8 hours per 24-hour period, regardless of how much longer you study. - Exam Credit Limit | 15-Hour Daily Exam Limit
You can only complete exams totaling a maximum of 15 credit hours within any 24-hour period.
1️⃣ Study Time Requirement (8-Hour Daily Limit)
The DRE's goal with the study time requirement is to prevent students from completing CE too quickly without looking at the actual materials. No matter how much time you actually spend learning, the DRE limits you to 8 hours of study time per day.
The best way to think of study time is as a currency - you accumulate it in 1 hour increments and then can spend it to take final exams. Having fun yet?
When you purchase one or more courses, you automatically start accumulating study time from the moment of purchase. You will accumulate 8 hours per day until you reach a maximum of 45 hours. We take care of all of this in the quickest manner allowed by law so you don't have to worry. You do not need to be logged in to your account to accumulate study time.
If you buy a 45-hour package at 9:32 AM today, you'll accumulate:
1 study hour at 10:32 AM
2 study hours at 11:32 AM
8 study hours at 5:32 PM
And that's all you get for Day 1! Study hours will start accumulating again at 9:32 AM tomorrow. So, assuming you have not actually taken any exams yet, you'll be up to:
9 study hours at 10:32 AM (Day 2)
10 study hours at 11:32 AM (Day 2)
16 study hours at 5:32 PM (Day 2)
2️⃣ Exam Credit Limit (15-Hours Per Day)
And now on to the second rule—the DRE additionally wants to limit the number of hours of credit you can get in a single day. So even after you have accumulated enough study hours in the bank, there are limits on how quickly you can spend them.
You can only complete exams totaling a maximum of 15 credit hours within any 24-hour period.
Let's continue from the previous example and say you have 16 study hours accumulated by 5:32PM on Day 2.
You could take exams for a 12-hour course plus another exam for a 3-hour course on the same day. Any additional exams exceeding the daily limit will need to wait until the next day.
By the next day, we mean 24 hours after you submitted the exam.
❔ Exam Format
To start, we write all exams to be as easy to pass as possible, while following all DRE rules. And even better, they are all OPEN BOOK.
Exams consist of multiple-choice questions with four possible answers (a, b, c, and d). They are also timed, but it shouldn't be too much of a concern.
You have one minute per question to complete each exam. Longer courses will have longer exams. Here's the breakdown by course length:
- 1-hour course: 5 questions, 5 minutes
- 3-hour course: 15 questions, 15 minutes
- 6-hour course: 20 questions, 20 minutes
- 9-hour course: 25 questions, 25 minutes
- 12-hour course: 30 questions, 30 minutes
Exams will be automatically submitted after the relevant time has transpired.
✅ Passing the Exam
You must achieve a 70% or higher score to pass. Once you pass, we will provide an immediate certificate of completion that you can download from your My Account page.
❌ If You Fail an Exam
First off - it happens, don't sweat it! You get one free retake, immediately available, with different questions. But before you retake, it may be worth taking a few minutes to review the material before taking again.
If you fail the retake, Empire Learning re-enrolls you in the course at no additional charge. We aren't here to nickel and dime you!
But, in the eyes of the DRE, it's as if you signed up for the course for the first time. You'll need to meet the study hours again before attempting another exam.
These waiting periods (along with re-accumulating the study hours) are designed to give you extra time to study up before your next attempt. Empire Learning will enforce these waits automatically – the exam will simply remain unavailable until the required time has passed and you’ve met the study hour requirements again. After the wait, you’ll have a fresh exam (with new questions) to attempt.
✏️ Tips for Passing the First Time
Our exams are designed to clearly test your knowledge of the course material without surprises or trick questions. Each exam question can be answered directly from your provided materials, here's a few tips to make it even easier:
- Focus on Key Points: As you study, pay close attention to the main ideas, important concepts, and highlighted definitions. These key points are most likely to appear on your exams.
- Open-Book Advantage: Exams are open book, meaning you can refer to your course materials during the exam. Be sure to have your PDF open before you begin.
- Quickly Locate Answers: Familiarize yourself thoroughly with your course content in advance. You can use the search feature (such as "Control + F" or "Command + F") to quickly locate relevant sections or key terms when you are stuck on a question.
Final Thoughts - Correspondence vs. Interactive Courses
If you are reading this, good for you! Maybe take a break and stretch your legs.
A common question we get is My friend was able to complete in just 3 days, what gives?
While that is possible, there is a major caveat. California allows two self-study formats for real estate licensees 1) Correspondence and 2) Interactive.
Empire Learning exclusively offers the Correspondence format because it provides a simpler, less rigorous learning experience. This allows us to provide study materials (PDFs) you can peruse at your leisure and take an online exam at your convenience to receive credit.
With interactive courses, you can actually complete all your CE in 3 days. However, this requires spending 15 hours a day with keystrokes being monitored on your computer to ensure you have spent 45 hours of time interacting with the course. This is far more demanding and complex.
We've chosen Correspondence to keep your CE easy and stress-free.