Category Archives: Exam

Check That Your Real Estate License Courses Are Approved

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Real Estate License and Discounted DRE Approved Courses

You want to sell properties and you need a license. Quick real estate license solutions exist that will guarantee you will pass the state exam after the eighteen day “study” requirement and still be approved by the DRE.

Department of Real Estate

It is important to be sure that the courses you choose are accepted by the state and are DRE approved. In 1917, the law was established that regulated license requirements. The DRE was formed with this law and is currently regulating realtors. It monitors the market and protects transactions that occur with regard to buying and selling properties in the state.

Whether you are studying for a new license, renewing your current license or are active in buying/selling, the Department of Real Estate monitors and regulates the activities, courses, schools and continuing education.

Therefore, when looking for a real estate license school for your pre-licensing education, the DRE will let you know whether or not the school and the courses are approved.

Discounted Courses

Keep in mind, that in today’s online education system, there are many schools with satellite websites that offer the courses of approved schools. Sometimes these websites offer courses at a discount.

Many times you will not find the discount websites with the DRE. However, you will find the courses they offer to be registered and approved by the DRE. They very well can be a legitimate source for your pre-licensing material without paying excessive prices. In fact, many of the well known schools are marketing online through various vendors or discount venues.

According to the DRE website, the law requires that salesperson license applicants demonstrate the following:

  • Knowledge of the English language and mathematical computations required when working with property evaluations.
  • Understanding of the principles associated with transactions including mortgages, contracts, leases and appraisals.
  • Understanding of the law pertaining to real estate.

Other subjects that may be covered in the state exam include:

  • Financing
  • Laws
  • Property Ownership
  • Land Regulations
  • Contracts

Studying for the Real Estate Exam

When studying for the exam it is important to study one subject at a time and take the exam for that specific subject. This will allow you to retain more information without bombarding your memory with multiple subjects at one time. Think of each course in terms of flash cards where you break the subjects down into sections.

Each course will have its own exam and if you receive a low score, begin the course again. Do not move to another course until you pass the course exam with a passing grade of 85% or higher.

Once you complete each exam and pass accordingly, it is important to find and take an exam-prep. The exam-prep allows a simulation of the state exam. There are several styles of the exam and you may run into timed and untimed exam-preps. The important thing to keep in mind is to be able to pass the exam-prep with a high score before worrying about the time it takes to complete the exam. Again, it is wise to pass with a high score before you decide to register and sit for the state exam.

Study Tips

I find it best to study for any exam by writing the difficult questions on a piece of paper with the answers next to them. Write as small as you can and look at the paper as a whole and mentally take a picture of it. In addition, you can carry the paper around with you and read the questions and answers each day until you are comfortable with answering them correctly.

Study in a quiet area without any distractions. You must focus on the material and mentally picture what the question is asking.

Study before you fall asleep. I find that studying at night will sometimes allow your brain to process the information as you sleep. Therefore, you retain the information more effectively than studying in the morning before day to day events cloud your focus.

In conclusion, you do not have to purchase expensive courses to get your license. Look for discounted course packages as long as you check to see if the courses you are purchasing are approved by the DRE before studying for your real estate license exam. That way you will know that the information provided will cover the exam material correctly and your chances of passing will be enhanced.

Be sure to study one course at a time and use the proper studying techniques before sitting for the state exam.

How to Study and Pass the CPC Exam to Become a Certified Medical Coder

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If you’re looking for help on how to study and pass the CPC exam to get certified as a medical coder, you have many options. There are a lot of programs out there designed to help you out in different areas, with also the same variability in price. The presentation and format of these self-help or CPC prep course also varies so you should select one that will help you to best absorb all the information. These are among some of the options you have.

Online or classroom CPC prep course

The AAPC recommends that you take a medical terminology and anatomy course, then enroll in a CPC prep course before taking the exam. This is to make sure you are fully prepared before going for the CPC exam. So you have a choice of preparing in an online or classroom setting. Depending on your work and schedule you may go for either one, as they’re both excellent ways to get started. Either way you need the official CPC certification study guide for the current year of the exam.

Training camp

There are training camps available to help you review the topics and exam techniques before you go for the CPC exam. These are usually intensive preparatory courses that feature an expert and may include other speakers that last a few days. Some are specialized but most are to help you cover everything such as principles of ICD-9 coding, HCPCS coding, CPT coding, medical terminology, and others. You’ll find that these training camps are scheduled quite regularly throughout the year and nationwide to facilitate you. While they are intensive and feature great experts, these training camp prep courses are expensive. And if they are not available in your local area, you’ll need to shell out more for lodging and travel expenses.

Personal coach

If you can’t make it to a training camp, you could have the expert instructor come directly to you instead. You can approach a training company such as those that organizes the training camp and get a quote for on-site training. This option is of course more expensive but if you could try to get a bunch of people together then the cost could be reasonable. Otherwise you can directly contact the expert instructor you’re interested in to arrange a one-to-one consultation. The great advantage of having a personal coach is that you have their full attention. The prep course can be customized to work on your problem areas.

Webinars

There are a lot of resources online for you attend an online webinar conducted by an expert instructor. Usually webinars are included as part of an online CPC exam prep course to give exam takers further support. Webinars are excellent as you can attend in the comfort of your own home but interact with the instructor to ask questions.

Practice exams

You can also find plenty of practice exams. They are usually online practice exams so you can check your score instantly. But for true authenticity, you could also get paper versions as well. These are designed to simulate the CPC exam, where you’re given 150 questions to answer in 5 hours and 40 minutes. The questions are meant to be as close to the actual exam questions as much as possible, and some may be modeled after past exam questions. The CPC exam is a test of your time management skill as well as your coding skill as a lot of exam takers simply can’t finish answering all questions within the time. By doing online practice exams, you’ll be able to learn how to manage your time during the exam, which can determine whether you pass or fail.

Local AAPC chapters

Don’t forget your local AAPC chapter. They routinely organize CPC review classes conducted by expert instructors. You should attend if given the chance as the instructors could be your future exam proctors in your area. Their tips and advice will be suitably localized for your area where you just can’t get from elsewhere. Here you also have a chance to meet and mingle with other exam-takers to exchange ideas and learn from one another. CPC review classes organized by your local AAPC chapter are usually very cheap and very convenient for you.