This week, I got this same question from two different aspiring NFL agents. I’ve included one of them verbatim (or mostly verbatim):

“I’m . . . interested in figuring out when I should start reviewing (exam) materials, when I should hop on the zooms, and when I should start doing the deep dive? Is it too early to start looking at things now for the sake of at least getting a general understanding? Let me know your thoughts.”

My response is different from the one I used to give.

With the exam less than two months away, we’re starting to get our usual surge of study guide, video and practice exam purchases. I think that used to be the right amount of time. Not long ago, if you studied hard for two months, you were pretty much golden. It wasn’t long ago that the passing rate for the exam was, well, pretty reasonable. However, starting in 2015, the pass rate got a lot harder.

I remember the responses from people who had barely failed a pretty passable exam in 2014, then came back excited and optimistic in 2015, only to find a test that was appreciably harder. I felt terrible for the ones who came up short that year, earning themselves a five-year waiting period until they could try again. Most never did. However, since 2015, the NFLPA has doubled down. I tell test-takers these days that there’s about a 25-percent chance of passing for first-timers, and maybe 50-50 on the second try. That’s not based on hard numbers, but I think it’s pretty accurate.

As a result of this, when people approach me about taking the exam next year, I tell them it’s not a bad idea to get started now. I recommend they pick up the study guide and start getting familiar with the terms. Maybe they order the videos if they are more visual learners. Bottom line, if you think you can just wait until a few weeks before the exam to get started, like it’s an algebra test, you’re sorely mistaken.

I mean, it’s possible to pass in less time, but you’re looking at a major investment of time and money. It just makes no sense to take that kind of risk, especially when the amount of money you’re spending is absolute peanuts in the face of the costs associated with representing players in the modern era. 

If you’re reading this, and you’re taking the exam in the summer of 2024, get started on the CBA now. You’ll thank me later. If you’re taking it in 46 days, start now. NOW. You cannot procrastinate and expect to pass an exam that 75 percent of test-takers (all of them with a secondary degree, most of them attorneys) routinely fail.

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