The COVID-19 pandemic has affected how business is transacted, from spending significantly less time in a brick-and-mortar office setting and conducing meetings virtually to showing homes to potential buyers one family at a time. At the Department of Real Estate (DRE) the greatest impact of the pandemic has been on our ability to administer licensing exams.
DRE exam centers were closed twice due to Stay-at-Home orders, most recently between December 7, 2020 and January 26, 2021, which affected thousands of examinees. In response, DRE embraced innovation, developed strategies, and deployed multiple resources to ensure that, even under these most challenging conditions, we would be able to administer exams at an unprecedented level once we could safely reopen.
As a result of these efforts, today DRE is administering more examinations than prior to the pandemic, all while adhering to safety protocols that only allow 50 percent capacity at exam centers. For example, in May 2019, pre-pandemic, DRE administered 3,956 individual examinations, compared to 5,570 during May 2021, a 41 percent increase.
DRE achieved these increased numbers by opening additional examination sessions throughout the state, including evening and Saturday sessions at the three largest exam locations in Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego, as well as creating an “auxiliary” exam center (an additional 23 seats) at its Sacramento headquarters.
To schedule an exam, please utilize eLicensing on DRE’s website to view real time availability and scheduling options.
For our students, we will help you fill out the application. Approximately 40 percent of all applications received by CalBRE include one or more deficiencies, which need to be addressed prior to the application being processed.
