We recently connected with J Marshall Schoonover and have shared our conversation below.
J Marshall, appreciate you joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
I am an innovator and pioneer in the field of real estate exam prep. I have made an important change in the usual way of teaching real estate exam prep! I have replaced the traditional way of teaching it with a new, different and improved way of teaching it! I teach students how to pass the California real estate salesperson and broker state exam in California without taking notes, highlighting notes, or receiving any handouts.
My method of teaching is a paradigm shift in education. I have taught thousands of students over the past 26 years how to pass the California real estate salesperson or broker exam without taking notes or receiving any handouts in advance or during the program. Furthermore, during my programs, students are not allowed to write anything down. They are not allowed to have any sort of writing device, cell phone, or smartwatch in their accessible possession during my program.
To my knowledge, I am the only person, company, or school in California (or anywhere else for that matter) that is offering this type of paradigm shift in education or method of teaching. I am self-taught, and I learned how to do this on my own over the last 57 years of my life experiences. I did not borrow this paradigm shift in education from someone else’s method of teaching. I am at the forefront of real estate education.
My competitors that also claim to help students pass the California real estate salesperson or broker state exam have their students take hundreds of notes or give them an outline and have them highlight hundreds of notes during their programs. Or, they have them watch videos or review cue cards!
I realize that my claim to teach the program without taking notes is a bold claim! However, the proof is in the pudding. My business is now and always has been a 100% referred business. I have never marketed my program! All of my students throughout the years have been referred to me by someone else! My students would not refer me if it did not work. I would’ve been out of business years ago if it did not work!
As a result of my method of teaching, most of my students pass the salesperson or broker exam in California the first time they take it. My approach is more efficient and effective than the traditional approach. My approach to teaching the California real estate exam preparation for the salesperson and broker exam is unique and innovative!
There are multiple benefits to not taking notes. For example, it allows my students to focus on listening and understanding the material, rather than trying to write everything down. It also helps my students to develop their critical thinking skills and to learn how to synthesize information on the spot.
Some students who have come to me have taken the state exam multiple times before taking my program. Some students who failed the exam twice or more times using a traditional prep program were able to pass on their next try after taking my program using my method. They said that my approach helped them to finally understand the material and to feel confident on the day of the exam.
The questions on the state exam are written and designed to be rigorous and ambiguous! I have discovered over the years that the more a student knows about a certain subject in the real world, the more difficulty they may have answering questions about that subject on the state exam. For example, appraisers may have trouble answering appraisal questions because they know too much about appraisal. Lenders may have difficulty passing the state exam because they know too much about finances. Because the questions on the state exam are written and designed to be rigorous and ambiguous, they are forcing a student to use their own knowledge to fill in the blanks, and it is easy to fill in the wrong blanks (so to speak)!
Paradoxically, when you have real-world knowledge regarding a subject, you are more likely to select what I call a “decoy answer.” Because you think too deeply and second guess yourself! Because the questions are written ambiguously by design they’re forcing you to use your own knowledge to fill in the blanks. (It’s this if, or it is that if!) If you fill in the blanks the wrong way based upon your knowledge from the real world, more often than not, you will select what I call the decoy answer or sucker answer! As a result of the deliberately ambiguously written state exam questions and the student’s real world knowledge a knowledgeable student immediately after taking the state exam will believe in their minds eye that they passed the state exam! Only to learn later that they failed the state exam by one to three questions. Not even knowing what hit them! Not even knowing why!
Students who learn without taking notes are more likely to retain the information and to be able to apply it to the state exam. My students are more likely to pass the exam on the first try.
Not taking notes helps my students to focus on listening and understanding the material, to develop their critical thinking skills, and to learn how to synthesize information on the spot. Being able to take the exam without having to rely on notes reduces stress and increases confidence!
I would also like to point out that my program saves students a lot of time and effort, as they do not have to spend hours taking and reviewing notes.
Does my program work for students with learning disorders?
Yes, my program works for students with learning disorders, including dyslexia. I have found that my no-note-taking method is particularly effective for students with these disorders. In fact, most of my students with learning disorders pass the California state exam the first time they take it after taking my one-day Boot Camp..
PS: Here are some testimonials.
The following emails have not been edited, they are word for word emails including there typo errors!
Read what some of our satisfied clients have said about us! Each of these students passed their exams without taking one single note! It is a paradigm shift in education! Someone probably referred you to me. Ask them if they took any notes!
“J Marshall I passed my Brokers State Exam! And the best part is it was almost effortless. What do I mean you might ask? Well if you can listen and pay attention then you are likely to learn and pass. After taking J Marshalls Boot Camp, I learned that taking notes can be counter productive, and listing is key. I was able to learn and effectively take the exam and pass all without writing one thing down! That’s right, NO TAKING NOTES WHAT SO EVER. At first I was skeptical butmy friend strongly recommended the class, so I did it. And it was the best thing I did. Even throughout the class I felt like I needed to take notes to learn the subject we were covering. I now know that I only wanted to take notes not because I needed the notes to learn but becauseI was preprogram from institutional teachings that taking notes islearning, which is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Take the course if you want to learn and pass. Don’t worry about the rest, J Marshall has it in the bag. Trust me, it’s the best investment of my career. Thanks J. Sincerely Michae”
“J Marshall, It was easy. I think I got 145 questions out of 150 right. THANK YOU 
. You are
amazing and the best!!! FREDRIK.” (Fredrick is quite well-known, he is one of the stars from the New York version of the Bravo TV program called “The Million Dollar Listing” (He played the bad guy). (He is already licensed in New York & Florida.) Fredrik is one of my two New Yorker students that flew in from New York for private tutoring on Saturday & Sunday, August 11 & 12th 2018 to prepare them for the California real estate exam on Monday, August 13, 2018.) (Frederick was a pleasure to work with. It Is because of students like Frederick that I still enjoy doing my onn day tutor Boot Camp sense 1988 (after more than 34 years)!
“J Marshall it me, Chinese lady. I pass exam. I see ‘Celery’! Thank you. You the best. Martha”. The Chinese lady was a delight to work with, however, she can hardly speak English. I told her that she saw the words “desk cost” a question she should look for the word “salary” in the answer. She thought I meant “Celery” (the kind that you eat or put in your Bloody Mary. Without understanding many of the questions, the Chinese lady passed her exam the very first time she took it!
“I recently took J Marshall’s one day prep course for the Salesperson Real Estate Exam. It was money well spent as I passed! The one day course was helpful beyond my expectations. What I liked about the course was that we took no notes, it was like magic as J Marshall taught us ways to remember the information. I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive at first and felt that I was never going to pass the test. There was so much information to absorb and yet through his course I was able to remember what I needed. During the exam I could hear J. Marshall’s words of wisdom and mnemonic devices ringing in my ears. I felt completely at ease during the exam and when I received the wonderful news that I passed, I screamed for Joy! Donald“
“Mr. J Marshall your a miracle worker. I passed and I have you to thank. Thank you so much for everything. The first time I took my sales persons real estate test was before I met J Marshall. I spent two hours a day, five days a week for two months studying questions that I purchased online. I typed every question over and over again until I memorized each one of them, and I failed the test. I am the type of person that learns best visually not orally. I was referred to J. Marshall from a friend who had taken his Boot Camp a month prior and passed on his first try. I was aware that there would be no note taking, and that was a concern for me. I was apprehensive in the beginning of the class and even after the first hour or two. But third hour I noticed that I had retained a lot of information from the prior two hours session. My apprehension started to wane and I started to gain the confidence that this class was going to get me to the goal I was trying to reach which was passing my salesman real estate agent exam. I am truly thankful for J. Marshall and his teachings. Thank you J. Marshall for everything. Justin”
“J Marshall I passed the Broker’s exam thanks to your weekend Bootcamp. I felt unusually confident during my exam occasionally hearing your voice direct me in the right direction! Who would of thought that not taking notes would lead to passing the exam- all I can say is INCREDIBLE!!! Thanks again for successfully helping me pass both the Salesperson and Broker’s exams!! Joseph”
The following student (Rubin) took the exam 6 times before taking my Boot Camp.“Dear Professor, I want to take your course for the brokers exam and i have signed up for my brokers exam and it will be my seventh time taking it. RUBIN” This is what happened after Ruben took my Boot Camp one time! “Dear Professor, I PASSED!!! UR THE REASON Y AND I THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!! I COULDNT HAVE DONT IT WITHOUT UR HELP!! BEST REGARDS, RUBIN”
“Hi J. Marshall!I passed the Broker’s exam!!! Whoohoo! Thanks again for your help J. Marshall!!! I’ll continue to refer business to you…it’s time to go celebrate!!! Joseph”
“Hi Mr. Marshall, I just found out I PASSED!! I’m so happy, thank you for all of your help, you’re a great coach and I couldn’t have done it without your help 
I hope you have a Merry Christmas and Wonderful New Year! Jennifer”
“Marshall, I passed! VanessaI PASSED !!!!!”
“J Marshall, thanks to your weekend boot camp, a private tutoring session, and one morning of studying off of your book, I passed my exam. Your methods really worked for me and I would not have passed without your help. See you soon for the Brokers.
Best, Nate”
“J MARSHALL I PASSED. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT BROTHER. Isaac”
“J Marshall I passed my exam …. thank you so much. What do i do from here ? please help me!!!!!!!!! Alexander”
“Hey J Marshall, just wanted to tell you know that I passed in the first round and again I am thankful for all of your help. Thanks again and all the best. See you when I go fo rmy broker’s license. Ian”
“Hi Mr. Marshall, good news I passed my exam. Thank you for everything, Mr. Marshall I passed your website onto my co-workers they will call you in week or two. I told them that I PASSED!!!!!” Noem
“I passed! Thank you sooooooo much!! You really are the best!! Erica.”
“J Marshall I passed!!!!!!!!! Sarah”
“I passed!!!! Thank you very much!!!!!! I recommended you to friends, they will be calling you! Susan”
“Hay Marshall I passed my broker exam. Thank you for everything. All the best. I passed by Brooker exam first on my took it! Raffi”
“Hello Mr. Schoonover, I passed the Broker Test. There were about 15 new questions on the test which I had not seen before and we did not go over. Thank you, Raffi”
“J Marshall glad to say both wifey and I passed the salesperson exam and I wanted to thank you again for your impeccable teaching….Sincerely, Ramin”
J Marshall, thank you so much for the knowledge you have instilled in me….i passed my test with flying colors and will definately be sending people to your classyour student, Jamie”
“J Marshall I took my exam on Tuesday and passed, it was amazing how straight forward it was after participating in your crash course. Thank you again. Dustin”
“J. I took my sales person exam and I Passed. I took your boot camp. Thank you so much for your help! Katie”
“J Marshall I passed! According to the DRE website…thank you for all your (patient) help. Alex”
“J, I just wanted to let you know that I passed the broker exam. Thanks for all the help. Regards, Nicholas”
“Mr. Marshall just wanted to let you know that I passed my salesperson exam!!! I used up the entire time but I used the method you taught me by scanning the questions I knew and didn’t know and it seemed to have worked to my advantage! Thank you so very much for your time and tutelage! Candice”
“Hi Marshall, I finally passed my broker exam, thanks for your help.
Rosie”
“Marshall got the results! I PASSED!!!!! I could not be happier, what a relief! Book burning ceremony is right on schedule lol. Thank you for all of your patience, could not have done it without u! Rosemarie”
“Hi J. I PASSED!! i’m so sorry it took me so long to respond, but i really wanted to thank you for everything, you’re an incredible teacher and i couldn’t have done it without you…i apologize for being a pain in the butt and asking too many questions, and you’re right, when i stopped asking ‘why’ and just memorized the answers, i retained the information better…i took the test on tuesday the 1st with 3 other women from the class, and i know at least 2 out of the 3 passed as well, i’m still waiting to hear back from the last girl.i will refer you to anyone and everyone that comes my way! Ashley”
“J M, I Passed. Thank You. Michael”
November 4th, 2023.
J Marshall Schoonover
J Marshall, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a real estate innovator and educator with over 46 years of experience. I specialize in helping individuals pass the California real estate salesperson or broker state exam the first time they take it without taking notes. I have developed a unique and effective method for teaching students how to pass the real estate exam without taking notes unlike competing programs. This is a clear differentiator between my program and my competitors’ programs. My approach is more efficient & effective than the traditional approach. It allows students to learn more effectively and retain information better.
My program is revolutionizing the way that people learn for the real estate exam. I am making the exam more accessible to people who have difficulty learning from traditional note-taking methods! I am a thought leader in the real estate exam prep industry. I am helping students to learn more effectively and efficiently. It allows students to focus on listening and understanding the concepts, rather than trying to write everything down. It helps students to develop their critical thinking skills and to learn how to synthesize information on the spot. It is more efficient and effective than the traditional approach. My approach is more engaging and motivating for students. My students for the California real estate exam ideally take my program the weekend right before their state exam.
I first started specializing in helping students to pass the California real estate exam in March of 1988. From 1988 through 1997, I conducted the program the traditional way of taking notes or sometimes by giving them an outline in advance, & having them highlight hundreds of notes during the program. During that time I conducted a two day program from 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM over 500 times. During those years I subcontracted my students (as a subcontractor) from a well established California real estate school). During those years, my passing ratio was approximately 86 to 88%.
In 1998 through June 2000, I began to experiment! Teaching some of my classes the traditional way of taking notes or highlighting hundreds of notes and some of my classes without taking notes and without highlighting any notes. On July first of 2000, I compared the passing ratios of the two distinct methods of teaching & found that my passing ratio improved with the classes where no one was allowed to take notes to 89% to 91%. Information on the spot. It helps students to focus on listening and understanding the material, to develop their critical thinking skills, and to learn how to synthesize information on the spot. Instead of teaching my students to read and memorize hundreds of facts and figures regarding real world subject matter, I teach them keywords and underlying concepts of the real estate sales person and broker state exam. This helps them to better retain the information and to apply it to the state exam while taking the state exam.
On July 1st of 2000, I discontinued subcontracting the students from a California pre-license prerequisite school. At that time I started teaching the program to only students that have been referred to me. Since July 1 of 2000 to the present day I have conducted the program without taking notes over 600 times. I have never marketed for students at any time during my sojourn! Since July first of 2000, 100% all of my students are referred to me. I use a different methodology or approach than the traditional methods of teaching.
This is what I have learned regarding the California real estate sales person and broker exam. When you are taking the California real estate exam you can know too much and you can know too little! You can know too much about the real world end as a result fail the state exam miserably! A good example of this is real estate attorneys. I have had several dozen attorneys in my classes (and one judge) over the years. Attorney’s sometimes take the California real estate salesperson or broker state exam on their own and fail it! This is because they are extremely knowledgeable regarding the real world knowledge subject matter! Subsequently they come to me and take my one day Boot Camp and pass it the first time they take it after taking my class!
I use acronyms, reframes, mnemonic devices, repetition, silly things, shocking things, catch them off guard things, funny things, sad things, and silly stories to help my students remember key words and concepts. For example I found over the years that silly things are easier for most of us (not necessarily all of us) to remember than the technical textbook definitions and the legal jargon of the material. For example, on the state exam, they talk about a female individual that acquired title to a property prior to getting married, and then sells the properly after getting married. They want to know what this can cause on the chain of title. The textbook explanation is quite complicated and somewhat dry, and perhaps boring to some. The way I teach it is I tell my students “if you see a story about a single woman getting married”, select the word “cloud” in the answer. And then I tell them that “she got married on a cloudy day”!
As previously mentioned, I use mnemonic reframes to aid in retention. What are mnemonic techniques? Mnemonic reframes techniques are ways to help you memorize a word, question, answer, phrase or idea without necessarily understand the true legal definition or meaning and without memorizing the legal definitions. For instants, what do you think of when you hear “da da da da da”? Think about it for a few moments and McDonald’s should come to the surface of your conscious mind! Old Spice: “Smell like a man, man.” Apple: “The future of computing is here.” Some of the mnemonic reframes and phrases that I use to help my students remember the correct answer to a question without writing it down our. For example, I tell my students, “by the way, at home for self-defense I have 1-38. If you see $138 on your exam, select it!” “Alcohol equals defeasible”. I tell my students if you see alcohol in a question and the word defeasible in one of the four selection choice’s select defeasible and move on to the next question! Additional mnemonic reframes that I use to help my students pass their California real estate exam are. “Zoning” equals “police power”, “Eminent domain” equals “condemnation”. “Hubby and wifey” equals “community property” and so on and so forth. And then I tell my students, whatever you do, don’t go back at the end of the exam and change answers. When you do that more often than not, you are changing a correct answer to an incorrect answer. The reason being that when you answered the first time you selected it because I planted the answer into your subconscious mind. If you go back and reread the question and four selection choices several minutes later and ponder on it you will come up with a logical reason to change the correct answer to an incorrect answer based of on your real world magic and knowledge!
I teach my students to look for keywords in the questions and keywords in the answers and how to match the keywords in the questions to the keywords in the answers. This teaches my students how to learn and synthesize and helps my students to focus on passing the state exam the first time they take it! Not necessarily learning about the real world. Prioritizes passing the exam over learning about the real world. They can learn about the real world after they are licensed!
My classes are interactive and engaging, with a focus on hands-on learning. This helps my students to learn more effectively & to retain the information better. I offer my students individualized attention and support.
As mentioned previously, on July 1 of 2001, I switched over to teaching 100% of my two day programs without taking notes and also without giving them any sort of outline to highlight during the program. In March 2019, I upgraded my program and perfected it to a one day program as opposed to a two day program without taking notes. As a result, my passing racial has not changed! With my one day program without taking notes, approximately 89% to 91% of my students pass their California real estate exam the first time they take it. My program is more efficient and effective, that it is more engaging and motivating for students, and that your students are more likely to pass the exam on the first try.
November 4th, 2023.
J Marshall Schoonover
PS: Here is some additional information about myself..
The first job I ever had in my life at age 16, was during the summer working for a landscaping company in Frankenmuth, Michigan. It was a hard way to make a living. The second job I ever had in my life was at age 17, I was a teenage drywaller. I started out as a drywall hanger and then graduated up to being a drywall finisher. I eventually started to contract my own jobs. I did this from age 17 to age 25. I found that I was developing a strong back however a weak mind! I started searching for something to where I could use my mind and my voice to make a living and not just my back. I tried several things to satisfy my goal in those early years when I was in my 20s. First I started selling for the Paymaster Corporation in Detroit, Michigan. We sold check protection machines and insurance to merchants to protect them from someone forging their checks and stealing their money. The manager at that time bragged about having sold 7 Paymaster machines in one week, therefore, I sold 12 in my first week. I only stayed with that company for a few weeks. The reason I left them is that in my opinion we were selling check protection machines and check protection insurance to make a profit to small business merchants that really didn’t need check protection!
In 1977, I was invited by a friend that was in real estate to attend a real estate Career Night in Flint, Michigan. The speaker that evening was Floyd Wickman. The goal of the real estate brokers that sponsored the Career Night was to recruit new real estate sales people. As I listen to the speaker, (Floyd Wickman), as he was trying to convince all of us to make real estate our career I came up with a different goal as a result of his performance. I decided that I wanted to do something similar to what he was doing for a living. Something to where I could use my mind and my voice to make a living. Shortly afterwards, I had a discussion with Floyd regarding that goal. His advice was that I needed to earn the right to do that.
As a result, I took Floyd’s pre-license school class’s in Detroit, Michigan and got licensed as a full-time real estate sales person at age 25.
In my early years I established myself as a real estate professional. I quickly became a top producer. I was the top real estate sales agent and listing agent during most of my first 12 months as a licensed real estate agent in the my entire state where I resided at that time. I brought in 49 listings in my first six months and 89 listings in his first year in real estate, all in a seller’s market.
I also won a Top International Award for a listing presentation that I gave at an international convention that was held in New Orleans in my eighth month of being a licensed real estate agent. I was awarded first prize! I received a five-day vacation for two in the Bahamas. I was in competition with more than 850 independent real estate offices, located in 19 regions in the United States and Canada at their International convention that was conducted that year in New Orleans.
One year to the day, from when I first entered real estate, I was offered three different regional training Director jobs in three different states in the United States. Over the next five years, I was a regional training Director and marketing Director and 10 different states in the United States.
Over the next several years I also managed both residential and commercial real estate offices & worked as a real estate recruiter and trainer in several different states.
In 1988 I started specializing in helping individuals pass their California real estate salesperson or broker state exam the first time they take it without taking one single note! It is a live in person instruction (not zoom) program! I have been an independent real estate educator for over 35 years, & I have helped thousands of students pass the California real estate sales person, or broker exam on the first try.
November 4th, 2023.
J Marshall Schoonover
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One lesson I had to unlearn is that everyone thinks you should keep doing things the same way and not question anything. I had to learn that it’s important to challenge the status quo and experiment with new methods, even if they seem unconventional. This lesson was particularly important for me in my work as a real estate exam prep instructor. For many years, I taught my students to take notes during class. This was the traditional approach, and it’s what everyone else was doing. But I started to wonder if there was a better way.
I experimented with teaching my students without notes. To my surprise, they learned more effectively and retained the information better. This is because they were forced to focus on listening and understanding the material, rather than trying to write everything down.
I also found that my students were more engaged and motivated when they weren’t taking notes. They were able to ask questions and participate in class discussions more actively.
Today, I teach all of my classes without notes. My students have a passing rate of approximately approximately 89% to 91%, which is significantly higher than the state average. I’m proud to have challenged the status quo and found a better way to teach my students.
November 4th, 2023.
J Marshall Schoonover
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I have built my reputation and grown my business by teaching my students how to pass the California real estate exam without taking notes. This is a unique and effective method that is different from anything else on the market. My students have a passing rate of approximately 89% to 91%, which is significantly higher than the state average.
My business is 100% referral-based. This means that all of my students come to me because they have been referred by someone else. This is a testament to the quality of my program and the success of my students.
I have been conducting my programs for several decades, and I have never once solicited for business. I have never marketed or advertised for business. My reputation has grown solely through word-of-mouth.
I believe that my success is due to the following factors:
* My program is effective. My students have a high passing rate, which is the most important thing to them.
* My program is unique. I am the only one who teaches the California real estate exam without taking notes. This makes me stand out from my competitors.
* I am passionate about my work. I am committed to helping my students succeed.
* I have a good reputation. My students are happy with my program and refer me to their friends and family.
I am proud to have built a successful business by teaching my students how to pass the California real estate exam without taking notes. I am grateful to my students and their referrals for allowing me to do what I love.
November 4th, 2023.
J Marshall Schoonover
Contact Info:
- Website: passyourtestnow.com
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/MhmnUpThHTA?si=Giq97Sw2dS_h6bFL
- Other: YouTube address of my video. Feel free to share. https://youtu.be/MhmnUpThHTA?si=Giq97Sw2dS_h6bFL