The following is a list of general questions we have received from students in the past.

In simple terms, how do I get credit?
Can I get a copy of an invoice?
Can I get a refund?
What if I fail a course, or don't finish in the allotted time?
When is the latest I can complete my MCE courses?
Can I go back and review a course once it's completed?
What if I need technical support?
What if I need help with course content?
What if I find an error in or disagree with certain course content?
Do I have to take a test?
What if I lose my Internet connection in the middle of a course?
What kind of computer do I need to take your online courses?
How do I pay for a group of brokers in a single order?
Can I pay by cash, check, or money order?
Can I get a discounted price on a course?
Do you offer financial aid for students?
What if the courses I want add up to more hours than I need?
How long do courses take?
Do you offer courses in my state?
Do you, or will you, offer Canadian courses?
Who writes your course material?
Can I write a course for Commercial Institute?
How do I know I have received credit?
Do I need to submit my application for credit directly to the State?
Can I get a printable copy of the course material?
Can someone else take the course for me?
Is your course material State approved?
Why should I consider online courses instead of regular in-person classes?
How do your courses work?
Why don’t you use fancy web pages using Flash, ActiveX, and Java?
Where do I get answers to questions regarding my home state?
Do you have a school policy?


In simple terms, how do I get credit?

You first select and order one or more courses. You then enter enrollment data required to validate your identity and receive credit . You then go to the My Account page to take your course. Taking a course is very straightforward. You can stop whenever you like. To resume a course, just click on the My Account link at the top of any page on our web site. Once you have finished the course and a short evaluation form, you will be given instructions on receiving continuing education credit from your state regulator.

Can I get a copy of an invoice?

Yes. Go to the My Account page by clicking on the My Account link at the top of any page on our web site. You will find a link to your invoices here. We purge this information from time to time, so please contact us if you are looking for a really old invoice. You may also have a copy of an invoice in your archived email messages because we automatically email a copy of an invoice when an order is placed.

Can I get a refund?

Yes. We will gladly refund your money in full if you are unsatisfied with any of our courses.

What if I fail a course, or fail to complete a course in the allotted time?

Don't panic! We will re-enroll you in the course at no cost, so you can take the course again.

When is the latest I can complete my MCE?

TREC considers the deadline for license renewal and completion of continuing education requirements to be the last day of a licensees expiration month at or before midnight Central Standard Time. For example if your license expires 12/31/2009, you must complete all MCE courses on or before 11:59pm CST 12/31/2009. TREC rules won't allow you to get credit if you wait to sign up and complete a course on the last day of your expiration month (known as the 24-hour rule).

Can I go back and review a course once it's completed?

Yes. Go to the My Account page by clicking on the My Account link at the top of any page on our web site. You will find a link to your previously completed courses here. We created this feature for students wanting to apply some of what they had learned in a course to their own real estate practices. The course material will not be available indefinitely but it will normally be available for at least 90 days. Please be aware that quiz and exam questions, if required, cannot be reviewed once a course has been completed.

What if I need technical support?

Commercial Institute has limited technical computer support capabilities and is of little help with all but the most basic of technical questions. Therefore, we ask that questions regarding the configuration of your software or hardware be directed to your own support specialists and network administrators. In general:

Contact us if you need help:

1. Logging into our system
2. Navigating or using our web site
3. Navigating or using our continuing education courses

1. Establishing a connection to the Internet
2. Installing or updating your web browser
3. Configuring your cookies or other browser settings
4. Printing material from our site
5. Sending or retrieving email
6. Sending or retrieving a fax

All questions are presented in True/False or multiple-choice format. You will not be required to write narrative answers or perform lengthy mathematical calculations. Quizzes and exams are graded immediately upon completion so there’s not wait to receive your grade.

If you do not pass a course because you fail the exam, don't worry. We will gladly re-enroll you at no cost.

What if I lose my Internet connection in the middle of a course?

Your work is automatically saved every time you flip between pages in a course. So don't worry if you lose a connection. Just get back onto the Internet when the problem is resolved and go to the My Account link on any page on our web site. Select the course you want to resume and you'll be right back where your were last working -- even if you were taking an quiz or exam.

What kind of computer do I need to take your online courses?

Our web site and courses are designed to be as simple and undemanding as possible, so almost any personal computer with a stable Internet connection will work just fine. We support most current operating system, browser, and hardware configurations -- and many older ones. We have not designed our system for small devices like phones and PDA's so these are probably unsuitable unless they have the ability to easily view standard web pages. We require no technologies that require you to install additional "plug-in" applications, or configure special network or security settings. Please see our requirements for more details.

How do I pay for a group of brokers in a single order?

Please contact us by phone if you would like to make a single payment to enroll several brokers at once. We will process your payment then assign you a code that can be used by your brokers to access their courses without having to pay themselves. If you have a significant number of brokers in your company or organization please talk to us about our special promotional programs for real estate companies and professional organizations.

Can I pay by cash, check, or money order?

Yes. But you will have to contact us by phone to pay. Once you have paid, we will provide a code that will allow you to access your course without having to pay by credit card. (By the way, most debit cards issued by banks will work just like a normal credit card, so give them a try before you go cut a check or get a money order!)

Do you offer financial aid for students?

Sorry, but we do not offer financial aid to students seeking continuing education credit.

What if the courses I want add up to more hours than I need?

Depending on the state in which you are licensed, these additional hours may or may not carry over to your next renewal period. Please consult your state real estate regulator's guidelines to understand how you can use these additional credit hours.

How long do courses take?

Each real estate course represents a stated number of hours of continuing education credit. The number of hours of credit is generally how long the course will take -- as estimated by state regulators and our own internal testers. However, different students read and learn at different levels so some students may finish the course much quicker than others.

Do you offer courses in my state?

We currently offer continuing education courses in Texas, but are in the process of seeking approval with real estate regulators in other states throughout the United States.

Do you, or will you, offer Canadian courses?

We do not plan to offer real estate continuing education courses outside the United State in the near future.

Who writes your course material?

Elliott P. Flick, the director of Commercial Institute, oversees the creation of our courses. In addition to drawing from his more than 25 years of brokerage experience, Mr. Flick consults a variety of human sources to compile his courses. He routinely relies on expert peer reviews before releasing his courses.

Can I write a course for Commercial Institute?

We prefer to create our course content in-house for quality control purposes. But if you believe you have good quality material that would be of use to us, please feel free to contact us.

How do I know I have received credit?

We do not track your state regulator's progress once we submit your course certification and application for credit. You will need to consult your state real estate regulator to determine if they have processed and accepted your credit.

Do I need to submit a paper form to get credit from the State?

For MCE, no. You simply need to click a link at the end of your course.

Commercial Institute worked directly with TREC to help create a new automated MCE credit submission process.  If you use Commercial Insitute, this new  process will replace the slower, error-prone paper system TREC has used for years.

Can I get a printable copy of the course material?

Yes, in most cases you can. Commercial Institute makes the text for most of its continuing education courses available on the My Account page. You can access this page by clicking the My Account link on the top of any page on our web site.

The printable course text has everything the online course has except for graphical images, quizzes, and exams. It is provided strictly as a convenience and does not need to be downloaded and read to receive course credit. All text is stored in a PDF file format so you will need to install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader utility if you want to view it. If you have ever viewed a PDF file on your computer you probably already have this viewer installed

Can someone else take the course for me?

No. State real estate regulators require all brokers and salespeople to earn their own continuing education credit. If it is found that someone has helped a broker or salesperson complete a course, credit will be denied, and other disciplinary action may be taken by your state regulator.

Is your course material State approved?

Yes. Commercial Institute is an approved educator for each state in which it provides continuing education.

Why should I consider online courses instead of regular in-person classes?

You can take online courses anywhere and at anytime provided you have a computer with an Internet connection. You don't need to take time off during business hours and you don't need to spend time and money traveling to another city. You can also take online continuing education courses at your own pace - stopping and starting whenever you want. Online courses also tend to save you money because the enrollment cost is generally lower than in-person classes and you don't have associated costs for materials, travel, meals, and lodging.

How do your courses work?

Our courses are provided entirely online, through the Internet. You don’t need any special software other than your web browser. We present our educational material in an easy-to-use "course window". You flip through "pages" in the course window using a back and forward button, or you can quickly traverse the course using an index located in each course window. See our screen shots to see how this works.

Courses are usually broken into several modules – each containing a number of related pages. Pages usually consistent of only one or two paragraphs of information relating to a single concept or idea. Our research has shown that splitting courses up into small "bite sizes" helps most students can get through material quickly and with little fatigue. Still, if you prefer to look at a printed copy of our course material as you navigate through the course window, you can download most of our courses in narrative format.

If required by your state regulators, you may encounter quizzes and exams throughout the course. Our quiz and exam questions are very straightforward and presented in a True/False or multiple-choice format. If you pass the quizzes and/or exam per your state’s guidelines you will receive continuing education credit for the course.

Why don’t you use fancy web pages using Flash, ActiveX, and Java?

Our research has shown that most brokers value their time and peace of mind more than a "rich multimedia experience". Many brokers see certain technologies like non-standard Flash interfaces taxing their time and patience with no significant benefit. Furthermore, the ubiquity of pop-up flash advertisements has led many brokers to remove this technology altogether. Our research has also shown that since the initial availability of the Internet, brokers have increasingly looked at the Internet as a tool -- valuing content, usability, and reliability over presentation. Brokers want access to sites that deliver what they need quickly and with as few compatibility issues as possible. And network administrators (particularly in large corporate environments) do not want to change network security policies and firewall settings to accommodate certain technologies like Active-X and third party applications.

Where do I get answers to questions regarding my home state?

If you still have questions you may also want to visit your state regulator's web site.

Do you have a school policy?

Yes. Click Here.