Free eight-week study schedule
Use eight weeks to make earlier topics keep coming back
A comfortable calendar can still fail if Week 1 disappears by Week 5. This plan reserves cumulative review and correction from the start.
Last updated: August 1, 2026
The resource first
Direct answer: The free eight-week Illinois broker exam plan uses a sustainable 5 to 8 focused hours and at least three study contacts per week after required education. Each week begins with a 60 percent current-topic block, preserves 25 percent for cumulative retrieval, and reserves 15 percent for mistake correction and delayed retesting. Weeks 1 to 4 cover diagnostics, ownership, land use, Contracts, Agency, financing, valuation, and calculations. Weeks 5 to 8 deepen Illinois License Act practice, fair housing, disclosures, title, deeds, closing, property management, additional state laws, weak-topic repair, separate timed national and Illinois rehearsals, and exam logistics. A Week 4 reset reallocates later hours using actual results.
Download the eight-week study plan
3 pages, cumulative weekly structure, no email required
Weekly workload
About 5 to 8 focused hours
Current focus
60% of weekly time
Cumulative review
25% of weekly time
Correction and retest
15% of weekly time
Keep the weekly split visible
Current-topic study gets the largest share, but it cannot consume the whole week. Cumulative review tests whether earlier material remains retrievable, while the correction block repairs the decisions that failed.
The 60/25/15 split is a starting structure rather than a law of learning. Repeated misses can change the allocation, but eliminating cumulative review or correction makes the longer runway less valuable.
Use Week 4 as a genuine reset
The first four weeks move from ownership and land use through Contracts, Agency, financing, valuation, and calculations. Every new week mixes the completed topics back into practice.
At the midpoint, compare unseen national and Illinois results with the baseline by topic and portion. Confirm that recurring misses can be explained and pass a delayed retest, then move Weeks 5 to 7 hours toward the evidence.
- A familiar question is not a valid delayed retest.
- A correct guess remains an unfinished correction.
- National strength cannot offset an Illinois failure.
- Smaller official topics stay in cumulative rotation.
Finish with depth, then integration
Weeks 5 and 6 concentrate on Illinois practice and independent disclosure tracks while still retrieving national foundations. Week 7 connects deeds, title, closing, management, taxes, additional state laws, and the three weakest logged topics.
Week 8 is for separate timed rehearsals, targeted repair, formulas, and logistics. The goal is stable unseen performance with a buffer, controlled pacing, explainable misses, and a verified appointment process.
Quick questions
How many hours per week does the plan use?
It is designed for about 5 to 8 focused hours per week, including cumulative retrieval, correction, and retesting.
What does 60/25/15 mean?
Start with 60 percent for the current focus, 25 percent for cumulative review, and 15 percent for diagnosing, repairing, and retesting mistakes.
Why review old topics every week?
Delayed retrieval shows whether learning remains available after the original study context has faded and reduces the need for a final full-content restart.
What happens at the Week 4 reset?
Compare new results with the baseline, inspect recurring errors, and revise the later topic allocation without dropping cumulative review.
Is the plan free?
Yes. The three-page PDF downloads directly without payment, an account, or an email address.
Primary sources and review status
Checked through August 1, 2026. The downloadable resource also displays its source and review date. The current official source controls if a rule, outline, or procedure changes.