Get licensed and start earning, without the guesswork.
Your free, no-nonsense guide to getting your real estate license, passing the exam, and building a career. Step-by-step guides for all 50 states from a licensed pro with 25 years in the business.
Get Your License
Step-by-step pre-licensing requirements, costs, and timelines for all 50 states.
Start →Pass the Exam
Study plans, practice questions, and the prep tools that get you through on the first try.
Start →Continuing Education
CE hours, renewal deadlines, and approved providers to keep your license active.
Start →Build Your Career
Choose a brokerage, understand commission splits, and grow your income from day one.
Start →Popular guides & tools
Jump straight to what you came for. Every hub is built and maintained by a 25-year industry veteran.
Best Online Schools
Ranked, reviewed pre-licensing schools for every state by price, pass rate, and format.
Explore →School Reviews
Honest, hands-on reviews of CE Shop, Colibri, AceableAgent, Kaplan, and more.
Explore →How to Pass
Proven study strategies and exam-day tactics to pass your licensing exam the first time.
Explore →Agent Salary by State
What agents really earn by state and experience, not the inflated headline numbers.
Explore →Brokerages
Compare KW, eXp, RE/MAX, Compass and more on splits, training, and culture.
Explore →Commission Splits
Every major brokerage split, cap, and true cost, with the math already done for you.
Explore →Career Paths
Explore real estate specializations and niches, from luxury and commercial to property management.
Explore →Start Here
New to all this? Follow the step-by-step roadmap from curious to licensed and earning.
Explore →Built by someone who has actually done it
I'm Robert Earl. I've been a licensed real estate professional since 2000 and have guided more than 10,000 aspiring agents over 25 years in the business. Pass and Earn is the shortcut I wish I'd had: clear licensing steps, honest course reviews, and a straight path from interested to licensed and earning.
About Pass and Earn- ExperienceWritten by someone who has held a license, taken the exam, and worked in the field for 25+ years.
- Honest reviewsWe evaluate curriculum, pass rates, and real value, not just course catalogs.
- TransparentAffiliate-supported and clearly disclosed. Recommendations never change based on who pays more.
- SourcedWe cite state boards, ARELLO, and NMLS so you can verify everything yourself.
Career guides worth reading
Straight answers to the questions every aspiring and working agent asks.
Is Real Estate a Good Career?
The income data, the honest pros and cons, and who actually thrives, from 25 years of watching agents succeed and fail.
Getting StartedHow to Become a Real Estate Agent
The complete step-by-step path from interested to licensed and producing, with state-by-state requirements.
BrokerageBest Brokerages for New Agents
7 brokerages ranked with real commission math: what you actually keep after splits, caps, and fees in year one.
LicensingHow Long Does It Take to Get Licensed?
State-by-state timelines: pre-licensing hours, exam scheduling waits, and application processing times.
IncomeReal Estate Agent Salary: The Real Numbers
What agents actually earn by state, experience level, and market, not the inflated figures that get people in trouble.
First YearHow to Get Your First Real Estate Clients
Proven strategies for brand-new agents to land their first buyers and sellers without a reputation or a marketing budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Pass and Earn help with?
Four things: getting your real estate license with step-by-step pre-licensing requirements, costs, and timelines; passing the exam with study plans and prep tools; completing continuing education to keep your license active; and building your career by choosing a brokerage and understanding commission splits.
Who runs Pass and Earn?
Robert Earl, a licensed real estate professional since 2000 who has guided more than 10,000 aspiring agents over 25 years in the business. Pass and Earn is the shortcut he wishes he'd had when he started.
Is Pass and Earn free to use?
Yes. It is a free, no-nonsense guide to getting a real estate license, passing the exam, and building a career, with step-by-step guides for all 50 states.
Does Pass and Earn make money from the schools it recommends?
The site is affiliate-supported and that is clearly disclosed on every page. Recommendations are based on curriculum quality and pass rates, not on which school pays the highest commission.
Where do I start if I'm not sure what I need?
The Start Here hub is built for exactly that: a step-by-step roadmap from curious to licensed and earning, so you can jump to wherever you currently are in the process.