By Paul Jager

My last article discussed the benefits of distance learning for busy property agents wanting to study for a property qualification.

One of the points highlighted was that this method of learning can be integrated into a busy work schedule. But what are the best ways to ensure that your study time is as effective as possible?

Here are the top ten:

1. Have a final goal. What is your reason for wanting a property qualification? Promotion, wage rise, opening a new business, competing with your peers? Whatever it is, make sure it is powerful enough to motivate you into action every time you study. If necessary, write it on Post-it notes and make sure they are always visible for those times you lack the ‘oomph’ to study and need to remind yourself why you’re working so hard.
2. Pick the most appropriate method of study for your lifestyle. Decide this at the start. If leaving the office and meeting people in a classroom setting is appealing, then workshop training is for you. But there is nothing worse than paying to attend workshops you unexpectedly can’t attend because of work commitments. In this case, consider distance learning.
3. Don’t ignore distance learning because you want tutor support. This method of learning can incorporate the use of remote tutors to give a more personal teaching experience, often on a one-to-one basis.
4. Study in a variety of ways. For example, a little reading, perhaps then the use of a mind map, putting your studies into practice to aid the memory, etc. It will make things more enjoyable and interesting.
5. Timetable your studies. Diarise these in advance because they then become more difficult to ignore and easier to plan around.
6. Take any opportunity to study, for example on your lunch break, a train journey, waiting for a viewing, etc. The more you study the quicker you’ll be ready to take your exams and move on to other things.
7. Discover how you learn best and use this to aid your studies. For example, how do you remember your journey to work? Did you learn it over time by repeatedly taking the journey? If so, then learning by repetition might be your preferred learning style. Or perhaps you planned the journey and made notes which you regularly referred to. In this case, make note-taking a priority for your studies.
8. There is nothing worse than being confronted with a large amount of material to study. It can be soul destroying. Instead do two things. Firstly, divide your material into smaller amounts to be studied over several sittings. Secondly, remove the remainder of the material from view when studying. It will stop you being distracted or concerned by it. Successful studying is as much about having your ‘head in the right place’ as it is about effort.
9. Struggling to remember a difficult property law or piece of industry jargon? Try explaining it to a friend without the aid of notes. It will help you make sense of it in your own mind: if you can verbalise it, you can remember it.
10. If possible, book the property qualification exams at the start of your studies. This can be a powerful motivator to your learning, knowing that you have to be ready to sit the exams by a certain date.

Studying for a property qualification can be a daunting prospect. But with the right preparation, execution and mind set it needn’t be.

For more details on how distance learning can help you, call MOL on 0161 203 2103 or go to the website

* Paul Jager is head of the property division at MOL