At Tristar Academy, the Maryland prelicensing class takes two weeks in the daytime format or seven weeks in the evening format. Your full licensing timeline also includes exam preparation, the PSI exam and the MREC application process.

I earned my salesperson license at 18 and my broker license at 22, so I understand being eager to get started. As an instructor and the director of Tristar Academy, I want you to plan for the whole process, including the time you need to understand the material.

Maryland's approved salesperson prelicensing course is 60 hours. The class schedule tells you how quickly you can complete the instruction; it does not include every step between enrolling and beginning active practice.

Start with a course you can actually attend

Before choosing the fastest class, ask yourself: Can I actually give this schedule my attention? An intensive daytime course may work well if you can clear your days. An evening course may fit better around your job. I would rather help you choose a schedule you can complete than have you register for one that competes with every other responsibility in your life.

One of the most frequent complaints we hear is, "Too much material and not enough time." Students sometimes expect getting a license to be easy, then the terminology, concepts and amount of content take them by surprise.

I am sharing that because I want you to come prepared. A shorter class schedule still covers the required material. Give yourself time to read, ask questions and work through what you do not understand between meetings.

Put the class meetings in your calendar, but put your study time there too. When I am studying for another professional credential myself, I have to make room for it around teaching and running the Academy. Your schedule may look different, but the same question applies: When will you actually sit down and review?

Make room for exam preparation

Finishing the course deserves a celebration. Then I want you to ask a more useful question than “Did I read everything?” Ask, “Can I explain this without looking at my notes?” That is the kind of check I recommend before you move into exam preparation.

Try a fresh set of practice questions and record why you missed each one. Were you confusing vocabulary, applying the wrong rule or making a calculation error? Those patterns tell you how to spend your review time.

Avoid judging readiness by how familiar the textbook looks. You need to work through unfamiliar examples. A question about brokerage relationships may feel easy until it asks which disclosure belongs at a particular point in a transaction.

If you need help connecting the concepts, review Tristar's current exam prep options.

Plan for testing and the application stage

Appointment availability, required identification and application steps can affect your schedule. Leave room for an additional attempt rather than promising an employer or family member a fixed completion date.

Passing the exam is followed by the license application and a decision about brokerage affiliation. Active practice requires the appropriate license status and broker affiliation. Do not schedule client services simply because you completed the course or passed a practice test.

Build your timeline backward

Start with the month when you would like to be ready for the next stage. Choose a course you can attend, reserve study time and leave a buffer for testing and paperwork.

For example, a student choosing an intensive course could block daytime instruction first, add evening review and keep the following period available for exam preparation and an appointment. A student working full time could choose an evening cohort and use weekends for review.

Source: MREC licensing FAQs. Course formats: Tristar prelicensing listings.