At Inside the League, we get a lot of questions on how you work in football, and particularly, how you become an agent. Obviously, to become an NFLPA-licensed contract advisor, you must first pass a test. This year’s exam will be administered in less than two weeks. So how do you pass the exam? Based on our work with agent hopefuls over the last eight years, here’s what we think.

• Take the test seriously. Here’s a quote from one of our clients who emailed me immediately after taking it last year: “Like you predicted, there were several people in the lobby (seconds before the exam) seemingly reviewing materials for the first time and highlighting! All I could do was chuckle!” This happens every year, even though there’s a 55 percent chance of failing it. And oh, by the way, don’t misunderstand this tweet and think the passage rate is near 100 percent. The tweet refers to a continuing education exam veteran contract advisors were required to take last year.
• Know what accrued season, credited season and benefit credit language are. Atlanta-based agent Spencer Charles, who took the exam last summer, called them the “three pillars” that are “indirectly or directly . . . encoded in 60 to 75 percent of the exam.” I think he’s right.
• Put tabs on your notes, your copy of the CBA, and the ITL study guide (you can buy it here) before you go into the exam. Even though it’s an open-book test, seconds count. Really. You’ll thank me later.
• Use our materials. I know that sounds like a shameless plug, but I would say this even if they weren’t ours. Read about the successes of our clients, and why our materials are best, in last week’s Friday Wrap, which is here. For about $400 (if you’re not an ITL client), and about $300 (if you are), you can have the best resources on the market to get ready for the test. You’ll need them, and really, why would you take a risk? For more details on what we offer, click here.
• Read our daily newsletters aimed directly at the people taking the exam this summer. You can start by reading dozens of success stories from last year here. We’ve got a new edition from our series that hits the inboxes of agent hopefuls every morning at 6 a.m. CT, Monday through Thursday. If you order any of our materials, you’ll be added.

We’ll be back this week with more advice, more ideas, and more counsel on the business. In the meantime, if we can be of service, or if you have any questions, be sure to contact us.