A Realistic 21-Day Plan to Pass the Arkansas Exam

Mistake 1: Missing the 90-day application deadline

Arkansas gives you 90 calendar days after passing to submit your score report, fee, and application to AREC — no extensions, by statute.

The fix: Have your application paperwork ready to go before you sit for the exam, not after.

Mistake 2: Scheduling the general and state portions separately without a reason

Splitting the two exam components doubles your cost from $75 to $150 for no benefit unless you have a specific scheduling constraint.

The fix: Schedule both together unless you have a real reason to split them.

Mistake 3: Underestimating Statutory Requirements Governing Licensee Activities

This single category is 14 of the state exam's 30 questions — nearly half — covering trust funds, broker responsibilities, self-dealing, and record handling.

The fix: Give this category proportionally more study time than its generic-sounding name suggests.

Mistake 4: Forgetting post-licensing education

Arkansas requires post-licensing education within 6 months of initial licensure to keep your license active — a real deadline candidates focused only on the exam sometimes miss.

The fix: Schedule your post-licensing course as soon as you're licensed, not months later.

Mistake 5: Not knowing the dual agency and disclosure rules cold

Agency Relationships and Disclosures is 8 of 30 state questions, and dual agency/consent rules are a common trap.

The fix: Know exactly what disclosure and consent Arkansas requires before dual agency is permitted.

What separates pass from fail

Pass: had application paperwork ready before the 90-day clock started, gave real weight to the statutory-activities category, scheduled post-licensing education immediately.

Fail: let the 90-day deadline slip, treated all state topics as equally weighted, assumed passing the exam was the finish line.

Week 1: National foundation

Day 1-2: Cold practice exam. Day 3-7: Real estate contracts and agency (16 items, the largest national category), then property value/appraisal and ownership/title.

Week 2: Arkansas-specific deep dive

Day 8-12: Statutory requirements governing licensee activities (14 of 30 state questions) — trust funds, broker responsibilities, self-dealing, advertising. Day 13-14: Agency relationships and disclosures, Commission powers and the Recovery Fund.

Week 3: Simulation

Day 15-17: Financing, settlement, and math calculations. Day 18-19: Full timed practice exam covering both portions together. Day 20: Targeted review of your weakest category. Day 21: Light review, exam day.

Three things every plan should include

1. At least one full timed practice exam covering both the national and state portions together, matching how you'll actually schedule the real thing.
2. At least 30 practice questions specifically on statutory requirements governing licensee activities.
3. At least 40 math problems from the national calculations category.