Trainee License Exam Seemed Too Easy

[jenalleman]

I just took my trainee license exam online yesterday and passed with 94%. The entire test including reviewing my answers only took me an hour. I was slightly disappointed because I feel I overstudied. I was prepared to find value by over 10 different equations and I only needed one. Did anybody else out there feel the test was far too easy?

 

[David Bodtcher]

Jen,
What state did you take the exam in, and is this state one in which you must take the test before you can complete appraisals, or have you already completed the 2,000 hours?

 

[jenalleman]

Sorry, I forgot to mention....I took the test in california..and this is the first test before I start my 2000 hours.

 

[Dee Dee]

Jen,
I slam dunked my first time at the rookie exam too. I wasn't disappointed though....I figured that it meant I would breeze right through my training. Haaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha! Boy, was I ever mistaken. <_<
What they don't teach you in those study books and what you have yet to learn will be more than a little challenging. Sure hope your humble pie tastes better than mine did once I really started doing appraisal work.

Congratulations, and good luck on your new adventure into the appraisal biz.
Have you found a mentor yet?

 

[Em Tee]

Jen: You say you took your test online. Was it from the school (maybe Allied) you attended? It sounds exactly like what I took. If so, you now have to go take the California State test. The state test is much more difficult than the final class test :blink: , and they don't tell you your passing %, it's only a pass or fail.

Best of luck.

 

[David Bodtcher]

hehe, that must be it, Jen. You passed the class exam not the state exam? I thought you were talking about the state exam being easy. It is VERY hard and they don't let you know your percentage when you pass. My wife took the state exam 5 times and finally gave up. Take a lot of the mock exams if you have them to help you study. And good luck!

 

[Dee Dee]

Mary & David,
You may be onto something here.
The Colorado exam was only pass or fail....no percentages. I never took online classes so I assumed that California did their registered trainee exams differently.

 

[George Hatch]

Back when licensing was initiated, there were a lot of veteran appraisers who flunked that test, some more than once. Some of these folks had 10 or more years in the business. Seems they had a problem with the desired answers on the test being different than how the real world operates. You know, reading too much into the questions. Most of the appraisers I was working with at the time (commercial bank) hedged our bets and took a license test cram course. It worked pretty well. By the time I got done with it, my state test did take a little more than an hour (I double checked everything) but I knew I'd passed before the test was graded. Passing the test doesn't show that you know about appraising, it only shows that you know about the test.


George Hatch

 

[jenalleman]

I feel so retarded!! thank you so much to everyone for clearing things up for me!! yes, I only took the final exam from allied and NOW I need to sign up for the actual license exam. Everything is making sense now...THIS is what I have to wait the 90 days for ...and THIS is the test that is so hard. bummer deal that I will have to wait so long and then restudy..but that is what everyone else went through it sounds like..
As far as a mentor, I would like to work for a company for my 2000 hours and get a better feel for the work before I start doing my own appraisals. I also need to wait til I am financially able to take a 70% paycut before I change careers.
thanks to you all for opening my eyes!!!

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

Thank YOU, for reading and listening!

Good luck!!!