How to pass the RES exam: a study plan that works

1. Learn each chapter in three steps

Most people read a chapter and jump straight to hard questions, then get discouraged. Build up instead:

1. Key terms and figures. Short questions on definitions and must-know numbers. Get these solid first; the hard questions are built on them.
2. Exam-style scenarios. Questions wrapped in a story, with details you have to sift through, like the real Section A.
3. Full exam standard. Long, wordy scenarios, (i)–(iv) combinations and a full case study, like the harder questions and Section B.

Move up a level once you are scoring comfortably above 60% on the one below.

2. Read the question before the story

In long scenarios, read the actual question (the last line) first, then read the story looking for the facts that matter. Some details are there to slow you down, such as names and backstory. Others decide the answer: ages, dates, prices, citizenship, how the property is held and who signed what. Underline those as you go.

3. Handle (i)–(iv) questions by elimination

For “Which of the following statements are correct?” questions, you rarely need to be sure of all four statements. Decide the one you are most certain about, then cross out every option that disagrees with it. Often one or two statements settle the answer.

4. Watch for NOT and EXCEPT

When a question asks which statement is not correct, three options are true and one is false. Under time pressure it is easy to pick the first true statement you recognise. Circle the NOT before you read the options.

5. Know your numbers cold

A lot of marks turn on figures: stamp duty rates, loan limits such as LTV, TDSR and MSR, HDB rules like the minimum occupation period, and deadlines in the rules for salespersons. Make a one-page list and test yourself until you can recall them without thinking. Learn the rules in force now, because they change often.

6. Fix mistakes properly

Re-reading the explanation for a wrong answer feels like learning, but it mostly isn’t. Keep a list of the questions you got wrong and retry them. Get each one right once, then once more a day later. The gap checks that you really remember it, not just that you recognise the answer.

7. Do full mock papers, timed

Two and a half hours is long. Do at least one full timed paper for each of Paper 1 and Paper 2 before the exam, in one sitting. A pace that leaves time to check:

Section A (60 questions)	About 75 minutes, a little over a minute each
Section B (20 questions)	About 60 minutes, including reading the case studies
Checking	About 15 minutes, including your answer sheet

If a question is taking too long, pick your best answer, mark it and move on. Every question is worth the same within its section.

8. On exam day

• The exam is on paper: bring 2B pencils and an eraser, and mark the answer sheet carefully.
• Bring a calculator that meets the rules (no wireless, text-editing, programming or printing function, no cover). Phone calculators are not allowed.
• Bring your physical NRIC, passport, driving licence or Employment Pass. Digital ID is not accepted.
• Aim to arrive an hour early. If you are 15 minutes or more late you cannot sit the paper and the fee is not refunded; if you are less late than that, you are let in 15 minutes after the start with no extra time.

9. If you pass only one paper

You only need to retake the paper you failed, as long as your course certificate is still valid (2 years from finishing the course). Focus on that paper’s chapters and do its mock paper again under timed conditions. Option to Pass sells Paper 1 only or Paper 2 only for exactly this.

Start practising

Try our free RES exam questions across our 16 chapters, each with answers and explanations.