A: Yes. Every 45-hour package includes 3 hours of DRE approved Ethics. Our 3-hour Ethics course fulfills both the board requirement and earns you 3 hours of DRE CE.

Q: How do I know which renewal course I need to take?

A: Any ONE (1) of our ten 45-hour packages meets all DRE CE requirements for renewal of any DRE license. You may choose whichever course package is of most interest to you.

Q: Can I repeat the same DRE renewal course I took in my previous renewal?

A: Yes. When you repeat a course from a prior renewal, you will still receive new material. All material is constantly updated to reflect current law and practice.

Q: What's the difference between the study methods?

A: All four study methods include online access to the entire course and satisfy the renewal requirement.

• The Online video study method (available for/exclusive to package #1001) includes 6 hours of cinematic video supported by online reading (no timer).
• Online & Printed book study method (available for packages #104, #305, #603, #802, and #901) includes hard copies of the books that are mailed to you along with online access to the PDF e-books (no timer). E-book study method includes online access to your PDF e-books (no timer).
• Online-timed study method (available for/exclusive to package #104) is completed from our website in your web browser (timed).
     - Note: Inactivity for 10 minutes in the online-timed will cause you to be automatically logged out.

• Each section has its own quizzes and exam(s).
• You may complete the Online video, Online & Printed book, or online course in as little as 6 days.
• You need to complete all quizzes for a section, and let two days of study time elapse before taking the final exam(s) for the section.

Q: Can I use someone else's books?

A: Yes, you need to call us to enroll and an online enrollment fee will be charged. Please have the books with you when you call to verify you have the current editions.

Q: How do I take my exams?

A: Exams and quizzes are taken online from our website. Alternatively, you may take the exam with a third-party test administrator when you enroll for online and pay an additional charge for handling the printed course materials.

Q: What happens when I fail my exams?

A: All exams are multiple choice and open book. The passing score is 70%. You have two attempts to pass each exam. On the second attempt, the exam contains different questions.

• When you fail both attempts to pass the final exam, you are automatically re-enrolled at no cost during your initial one-year enrollment period.
• On re-enrollment you retake the course with two attempts to pass the exam.
• A waiting period follows re-enrollment before you can re-attempt your exams.

Q: How do I renew my license?

A: Renew your license online at the DRE's eLicensing website, or by mailing in the renewal application, RE 251, and a check for the renewal fee to the DRE.

• To download the DRE forms, view our Renewing your Sales Agent License or Renewing your Broker License pages.

Q: Am I allowed to complete the course sections in any order?

A: No, sections are to be completed in chronological order.

A: To obtain a California Real Estate Sales Agent License, you need to enroll and successfully complete three courses; Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice and one elective course. You are then qualified to take the State Examination administered by the DRE.

Q: How do I get a California Real Estate Broker License?

A: To obtain a California Real Estate Broker License, you need:

• to take 8 college-level real estate courses and have either:
• 2 years full-time experience as a Real Estate Sales Agent; or
• a 4-year college degree with a major or minor in Real Estate.
• The courses you took to qualify for the Sales Agent license count toward the 8-course total, except for a Practice course completed which did not comply with 2024 rules for licensing applications.
• To determine the courses you need to complete to take the state exam, you may call the DRE and request your licensing course history.

Q: What applications do I need for the State Exam?

• EXAM AND LICENSE: RE 435 and RE 237 are mailed in with copies of the certificates of completion for the three required courses and a $305 exam and license fee.

• EXAM AND LICENSE: RE 436 and RE 237 are mailed in with copies of the certificates of completion for the 8 required courses and a $395 exam and license fee.

Q: What is the State Exam like?

A: The California Sales Agent exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions. An applicant has 3 hours to complete the examination. A passing score is 70% or higher (105 correct answers).

• The California Broker exam consists of 200 multiple-choice questions. The applicant is given a total of 4 hours to complete the examination. A passing score is 75% or higher (150 correct answers).

Q: What if I have already taken a Real Estate Principles course?

A: When you completed a full-semester (or equivalent) Real Estate Principles course in college, no matter how long ago, or a DRE approved Real Estate Principles course provided by a private vocational school, you need not re-take the course as the certificate of completion is valid forever.

• You also need to take a Real Estate Practice course which complies with 2024 DRE license application rules, and one elective course such as Legal Aspects.

Q: Is my Certificate of Completion still valid?

A: When the course was taken through a private vocational school in California, your Certificate of Completion is still valid since licensing Certificates of Completion, such as Principles and Legal Aspects, do not expire. When it was taken through a college, your transcripts will be valid.

• An exception to a valid certificate exists regarding the Practice course. The DRE will not accept Certificates of Completion for a Practice course not in compliance with 2024 license application rules.

Q: How can I find out which courses I've already completed towards obtaining a Broker license?

A: You may contact the school you completed your courses with, or you can contact the DRE. The DRE keeps your licensing courses on file.

Q: What is the cost for the courses?

A: For the Salesperson Licensing Package, the price is $194.50 for all 3 courses and printed books.

• You can also purchase our Licensing and Prep Package for $234.50, which includes all 3 courses and printed books, plus the State Exam Prep Book and ft Prep App.
• Or you can purchase our Licensing and Prep Plus Package for $284.50 which includes the 3 courses and printed books, the Prep Book, the ft Prep App and our Online Video Crash Course.

For the Broker Licensing Courses, the price for 3 courses with printed books is $194.50, 4 courses with printed books is $244.50, and 5 courses with printed books is $294.50.

Q: How does your program work?

A: Refer to our General Information — Licensing Course Instructions.

Q: Are firsttuesday's courses approved by the NMLS?

A: Yes. Our course provider number is 1400986. Course approval numbers are located on the NMLS order page. A list of all firsttuesday courses currently approved by the NMLS can be found here.

Q:Does firsttuesday offer a 20-hour pre-licensing course to obtain an NMLS license?

A: Yes, for your enrollment in the 20-hour course we partner with Mortgage Education. Click here.

Q: Is the 8-hour NMLS continuing education course offered only online, or will I receive books?

A: The 8-hour continuing education course consists of online reading and video. No printed books.

Q: Does firsttuesday report my completion to the NMLS? How quickly?

A: Yes. We bank your NMLS course completion directly with the NMLS and pay the $12 banking fee. During the peak NMLS renewal season of October through December, we bank course completions daily, and in other months, once weekly. We notify you by email when your course has been banked with NMLS.

Q: I heard you can't take the same course two years in a row. Can I still take firsttuesday's course when I have taken it before?

A: Yes, our courses are updated and reapproved every year to satisfy the two-year rule.

Q: How many quizzes and exams are involved?

A: There are eight total multiple-choice quizzes. One set of quiz is given online at the end of each module. One multiple-choice course exam is provided, which you take online at the end of the eight modules.

Q: Do I have to do all 8 hours in one sitting?

A: No. You may click "Student Homepage" at any time during the reading to save your progress.

Q: Do I have to pass the quizzes?

A: You must pass each quiz with a 70% or better grade. You are given unlimited attempts to pass each quiz.

Q: How many times can I take the exam? Will I have to pay again?

A: You have a total of four attempts to pass the exam and complete the course with a 70% or better. When you do not pass the exam in the four attempts, you are automatically given four more attempts to pass the exam following a 24-hour period for further study time. You incur no charge to retake the course prior to your December 31 course expiration.

Q: Can I print the reading?

A: After you complete a module you will be able to print a PDF version of the reading material.

Q: How does the computer know I spent 8 hours online?

A: Each page of material has a designated amount of time you must be engaged and actively reviewing before you can move on to the next page. NMLS guidelines require you be logged out when you are inactive for more than 6 minutes. When you are logged out of the course for failure to be active, you are sent to the beginning of the unit you were studying to start the unit again.

Q: Can I just leave my computer running idle?

A: No. You must be engaged and active on each page of course material for the designated amount of study time before you can move on to the next page. To achieve this, make sure you are actively clicking on the content.

Q: When I get timed out, why does it take me back to the beginning of the unit?

A: When you are inactivity of more than 6 minutes, you are automatically logged out of the reading and returned to the beginning of the unit you were studying.

Q: I passed my course. What do I do now?

A: We report your course completion directly to the NMLS within seven days of your completion and daily in October through December. We immediately notify you by email.

• The NMLS updates your NMLS status within 24 hours of receiving our course completion confirmation. After 24 hours, you log into your NMLS account online and follow the steps to renew your registration. You are eligible to process your renewal up to the December 31st deadline. The NMLS recommends submission of renewal by November 1st. Step-by-step walkthroughs are on the NMLS website.

Q: What happens when forget my BioSig ID from last year?

A: You reset the password by failing three concurrent attempts to log in. After the third attempt, you will receive an NMLS email with an authentication code you enter at the website to reset your BioSig ID.
Click here for a video tutorial for resetting your password.

Q: Why won't it allow me to do the same character on all boxes? (example: 1111)

A: You may not repeat any characters in your BioSig ID. For a correct example: XL1T

Q: Will I be required to do the BioSig each time I log in?

A: Yes. The BioSig ID is required each time you log in and when you begin modules 1,3, and 6.

Q: I drew the same password when it asked me to enter again. Why does it say it's not matching?

A: The authentication of BioSig is very sensitive. You have to be sure that the strokes in each character are identical to your previous attempt.

Q: What is the easiest way I can get through the BioSig?

A: We recommend using a simple code such as XL1T. The characters with straight lines in them are easier to draw compared to letters or number with curves and loops in them. Try to avoid characters such as S, C, G, R, 8, 6, etc.

Q: When I take courses from multiple providers, do I have to enroll using a new password for each provider?

A: No. Once you enroll using a Bio-Sig-ID password under your personal NMLS ID number your password will follow you across all providers.

Q: How do I update my email address?

A: You can update your email address from your student login with firsttuesday.us. Go to Student Services > Account Information > Update Your Information.

• Or call our offices and we'll be happy to update your email information. (951) 781-7300.