Florida Real Estate Course Classroom vs Distance Learning

Should you take the Florida Real Estate Licensing Course Online at your pace and schedule or should you take the course with Live Classroom Instruction?  Does the value of having a State Licensed Real Estate Instructor outweigh the effort involved in adjusting to a classroom schedule?

The Florida Bureau of Education and Testing for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation began tracking the pass rates for both formats in the Spring of 2013.  A total of 6,422 candidates responded to the question of how they completed the required education.  The results were separated into First Time Testers and Retakers of the State Exams for the period from April 1-June 4, 2013.

Of the First Time Testers who responded, 2076 received classroom instruction and 646

took the course online.  The Pass Rate for classroom attendees was 35% vs the online candidates' pass rate of 51.9%.

For Retakers who responded, 2,541 received classroom instruction and 650 took the course online.  The Pass Rate for Classroom Attendees was 31.7% and for Online Candidates was 40.5%.

This was shocking to the Real Estate Instructors who attended the Continuing Education Seminar where this information was released. 

Some points to consider involving this information:

• Not all students are suited to the online format, so those who did choose this option were comfortable with the self taught format of an online class.  This may not make them representative of the overall student body polled.
• Without the advantage of an instructor to lecture and explain concepts, the online candidates may have a greater tendency to read the entire text very carefully, rather than rely on the instructor for information.
• There is no evidence to determine whether any additional resources were utilized, such as an Exam Preparation and Review Course for either segment.

At Nature Coast Real Estate School, I caution the students to read each chapter in advance of the class to maximize the classroom experience, to read the entire text before attempting to sit for the State Licensing Exam, and to download and read the Candidates Information Booklet for Sales Associates prepared by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.  The Florida Real Estate Exam Manual is a great resource for Candidates for both the Sales Associate and Broker Licenses, and is the manual used for Nature Coast Real Estates Weekend Exam Prep Course.

Read my Blog Post for Tips on How to Pass Your Real Estate Exam to maximize your chances of passing the State License Exam on the first try, no matter which format you choose to do your licensing course.  

Nature Coast Real Estate School offers Live Classroom Instruction for Sales Associate and Broker Courses and is conveniently located at the corner of County Line Road and US 19 to serve the Real Estate Licensing needs of Hernando and Pasco Counties.  You may call me at 352.650.1029 or email me at jmgavish@aol.com for more information regarding the licensing process.