This question is asked by many of our students. The long and the short answer is yes it is. The big question is what makes the exam so hard?
The first reason is because the exam paper is made up of multiple choice questions. Multiple choice questions are tricky as you can either be right or wrong and there are no part marks awarded for partially correct answers. This means that you need to be 100% certain of your answers and cannot go to the markers afterwards to argue why you deserve the additional marks. Multiple choice questions can easily filter between students who have studied hard and those who have underestimated the standard of the RE5 exam.
The second reason is that the pass mark is 66%. Such a high pass mark means that you need to get the majority of your answers correct. Historically, this exam has been one where students either pass first time or 4th time around. It demonstrates the difficulty students face in achieving the pass mark. This doesn’t help students as we come from an educational system that allows students to pass with a mark of 40% when completing Matric. As a result, students are forced to study harder to achieve the desired outcome in this exam.
The third reason is that the exam questions are very specific. Knowing the details of every topic will be the difference between a pass and a fail. Students cannot take their eyes off the detail of any topic. Every line stated in the study material needs to be carefully read, analysed, understood, and retained. To makes matters harder, there are questions in the exam where there are more than one correct answer and you need to choose from 2 to 3 correct answers. For example, the answer could be A only, A and B, A and C, or A, B, and C.
The fourth reason is students do not invest enough time to properly prepare for the exam. I always tell my students that at least a month is required to thoroughly study the material. This takes patience, dedication, and lots of discipline as large volumes of content needs to be consumed but more importantly retained. RE Exam Buddy can certainly help make the study process easier and more fun. We have curated a comprehensive study pack which includes the study content, slide pack, questions for each chapter, and 2 mock exam papers with answers. This is the only material required to successfully pass the RE5 exam. Please find the link to the study pack here.
This article is not intended to scare or discourage students in any way but rather to fully inform students of the task ahead. While the RE5 exam is challenging, students who put in the time and effort will be rewarded in the end.