The SAFE Mortgage Loan Originator National Exam Study Guide: Second Edition
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Updated September 2025! What's the secret to passing the SAFE Mortgage Loan Originator National Exam? If you answered "memorizing all the questions and answers you can find," you're wrong. You'll have a much better chance of passing the loan originator exam if you understand the material. This updated and enhanced loan originator exam manual includes the latest rulings by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Other topics include: Federal Mortgage- Related Laws, SAFE Act, Introduction to Mortgage Lending, General Mortgage Knowledge, Basic Concepts of Mortgage Financing, The Loan Application, Underwriting, Closing and the Secondary Market, Ethics and Fraud, and Mortgage Terminology. There are quizzes throughout the book and two practice final exams to help you test your knowledge. The author was a licensed mortgage broker for seven years and aced the national exam on her first attempt. Read more
Publisher : CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publication date : December 21, 2013
Edition : Study Guide
Language : English
Print length : 296 pages
ISBN-10 : 149446554X
ISBN-13 : 44
Item Weight : 1.7 pounds
Dimensions : 8.5 x 0.67 x 11 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #571,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #271 in Government & Business #309 in Business Finance #1,138 in Economics (Books)
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Top Amazon Reviews
I have worked in the mortgage industry for 10 years and as a Loan Officer for the last 5. I am licensed in multiple states but never took the National Exam as I earned all four of my licenses before it was introduced (I ended up paying four 4x SAFE tests, one for each state of licensure--very expensive!). This year I wanted to add a fifth state and needed to take the National Exam in order to do so. I did not want to pay hundreds of dollars through one of the online purveyors of LO training as I've been doing this long enough that it would be a waste of my time and money. What I did want was a refresher of applicable lending laws and guidelines. As any mortgage professional can attest, the content of government mandated tests doesn't have tremendous overlap with the daily tasks associated with writing mortgages. Patricia O'Connor's eBook was exactly what I wanted and needed. Broken down by sections covering every area of the National Exam, all of the information was clear and well-presented. As a hint for others who have been in the industry a while: the first thing I did was take one of the two practice tests located at the back of the book (passed by the skin of my teeth with a 76%). I then took note of my wrong answers and broken them down into areas of greatest need and studied those chapters specifically. That approach worked very well. I passed the National Exam with a 107 / 115 for 93%, far in excess of the required 75% What I liked best: 1) Chapters are laid out logically and progress from topic to topic in a seamless way 2) Each chapter concludes with a practice test 3) Each chapter also includes a summary of the main points of the chapter (these are very useful for study purposes) 4) The final exams were VERY similar to the actual National Exam I took 5) The book is FULL of hyperlinks to all applicable data sources for the content of the chapters; this book really is a dictionary for mortgage lending. The research that went into it was fantastic. What could have used improvement: 1) The "key" for scoring the tests doesn't play nicely with my kindle--the last answer to each string of twenty five questions (25, 50, 75, 100, and 125) appeared on a different page than the rest of the answer which made scoring the practice tests a bit more of a chore than it already is 2) It would be really nice to have a web-link to an online practice test that would allow for faster test taking as scoring I would not necessarily recommend this book to someone totally new to the industry looking to pass the National Exam for the first time. You may be better off taking a more comprehensive online or live class (at 15-20x the cost of this book!). That said, if you are already reasonably knowledgeable OR have very good study habits, you could absolutely pass the National Exam using only this book, especially if you take all the practice tests at the end of each chapter and the two final exams at the back of the book. If you can pass those, you can pass the national exam. This approach will require more from you, but its totally doable if you're dedicated and take notes as you read. For my particular purposes, the book was perfect. I did find a few small typos, but they were very rare indeed and did not take away from the quality of the book as a whole. I will be recommending this one to my fellow LOs at my office and have no problem recommending it here on Amazon as well. *****Update 01-09-2015***** As the author states in the comments section of this review, this book IS NOT a replacement for the NMLS mandated 20-hour course for those applying for a license for the first time. My situation was a little unique, and I overlooked that bit of information. Also, regarding the sole 1-star review of this book: I encountered NO questions with wrong answers in my reading of the book or in the practice tests I took. I would ignore any comments to the contrary.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015 by ConsumerAdvocate
Format: Paperback
I passed the exam on the first try with an 82%. Good enough! I will preface this review by saying that I have worked as a commercial RE underwriter for 6.5 years specializing in debt and structured financing products for multifamily investors. I say this to point out that I already had a strong foundational understanding of mortgage lending prior to studying for the MLO exam. I used Mortgage Educators and Compliance (MEC) to complete the pre-licensing 20 hour requirement along with their study materials / practice exams. I used this book as a supplemental resource to aid in my review. The practice quizzes and exams in this book were easier than the exams on the MEC, but they definitely help solidify the concepts in the chapters. The book is a very quick and easy read (you can read it in 1-2 days cover to cover). Its laid out in a way that is palatable and helps the reader connect the dots between all of the concepts. I especially valued the key concepts at the end of each chapter and the quizzes/exams. I definitely credit this book to helping me pass the exam, but its not the only piece of the puzzle. I studied for a couple of weeks (2-3 hours after work and sometimes full days on weekends or slower days at work). I used the MEC exams and quizzes, this book, and Microsoft CoPilot / AI to talk through concepts that weren't clicking. Once you think you know the material, take a blank notebook and start writing out all of the laws, governing bodies, loan programs, different disclosures, documents, etc. Don't take the exam until you can teach someone the concepts without having to reference the book or your notes. For someone who was feeling overwhelmed, this book brought structure and organization to my studies. It helped me connect the dots and reinforce ideas and concepts that I may have forgotten or misunderstood in my pre-licensing class. I absolutely recommend every aspiring loan officer to read this book. I plan to keep it in my desk to be able to reference it as needed professionally throughout my career. Good luck to all future exam takers!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2026 by Amazon Customer
Format: Paperback
The study guide is very well-done and you will learn lots of valuable information. I especially appreciated the "Important things to remember" section at the end of each chapter. I read through the entire guide and completed the tests initially, but my primary usage method was taking the tests over and over and over, and reviewing the "important things to remember" section periodically. I learn far better by doing, and seeing the concepts in practice rather than just reading about them. It helps that I am currently working in the industry, but I am brand new (under a year) and found this book to simplify and break down the concepts extremely well. With all this said, DO NOT ONLY use this book to prepare for the test. The actual NMLS test is FAR HARDER. I was consistently getting 95-100% on all the practice tests in this book, and I made sure it wasn't from simply memorizing the questions - I really had a good grasp of all the concepts referenced in the guide. I completed the NMLS test this past weekend and passed my first time with a 83%. I went through the Pro Schools 20 hour course in addition to this guide which helped me get over the top. If I had only used this Study Guide for the exam, I would estimate I would have received a 60-65%, and that's with working in the industry. Do yourself a favor and supplement your learning with other materials. And be sure to understand the concepts, because between the Pro Schools test and this Study Guide there were probably only 10% of directly correlated questions. The majority of questions were completely concept related and they purposely try to trick you so read the questions thoroughly. In short, buy this book, it is well worth the investment. I only advise to use other materials in addition to it to fill in the gaps.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2019 by Amazon Customer
Format: Paperback
Pretty good over view of what you will need to know to pass the NLMS SAFE exam. I’m not sure if you could pass the test with just this book. The test seemed a little more in depth than what the book provides. However, it is a great base. I did the 20 hour class which was almost entirely useless. Then I read this entire book and completed the test questions at the end of each chapter and the practice exams at the end. Then I did online practice exams for a few weeks until I was scoring consistently high on those test. I also would listen to some YouTube videos while driving that covered the material. I passed my test on the first try with an 86%. This book is a great resource. It’s a pretty good overview of what you need to know. It’s a useful tool but you will still need to get a little deeper in the material to be ready to take the real exam.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2026 by David T.
Format: Paperback
I was using CompuCram, and TrainingPro to study and twice, I failed the exam. I had one more shot when someone told me about this book. He had used it, and ended up passing on his FIRST try with absolutely NO mortgage experience or background in the industry. I decided why not, ill try anything! I loved all the chapters, and at the end of the chapters, it summarized everything into bulletin points, and then gave you a quiz. The quiz didn't have specifics like what you had just read, however, it made you think about RESPA or TILA, and how a certain scenario would unfold in the event of this or that....a lot like how the questions are worded on the actual exam. It was actually interesting! It drew me in, and the way it was worded, everything made sense. I wasn't confused, I didn't feel lost, and my confidence started to rise back up. It was a wealth of knowledge, and it was the best investment I made throughout this entire process (kinda wish I had found it earlier so I wouldn't have had to waste all this money for 'online study guides'). My first score was a 69%, my second was a 71%. I know, without a doubt, that this book helped me pass on the third try with an 80%. I felt incredibly confident during the test, and I just want to brag about this study guide from the rooftops!!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2017 by Ashley
Format: Paperback
This study guide has been a Godsend. I found the author’s exam prep videos on YouTube and decided to order her companion book. I wish that I had ordered the book sooner because I was taking notes during the videos and the book already has everything that you need. It would have saved me a lot of time. Kudos to Ms. Pat for this easy to follow guide that covers the NMLS test outline exactly. She’s a Realtor and MLO, so she has a great perspective of the industry and she keeps it simple.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024 by Tamara C
Format: Paperback
I will use the book, but definitely not as a primary source. I would have been willing to pay more for the book if she provided explanations with the answer key, and an alphabetical index in the back, referencing page numbers to topics (REALLY IMPORTANT). I have passed the Uniform CPA Exam, under the old school rules, Masters Degree...... and know a thing or two about test taking. Would be very equitable of the Author to pull up the data in the textbook which I am sure exists on her computer, hit the sort key, and compile an alphabetical index by topic, linked to the relative page numbers which were most likely laid out, when she formatted the book....... and give all of us purchasers a link to this EXTREMELY valuable tool....thank you
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Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2018 by Scott
Format: Paperback
I took a 20 hour prep course, studied those notes immensely and failed with a 71% on my first attempt at the SAFE Test. I read reviews for this book and decided to order it in hopes to pass the exam the second time around, and I did with an 86%! This book is organized in a way that helps you understand the concepts and grasp the laws/regulations with ease while still being very detailed. The UST Chapter was very helpful for me. The whole book gave me a better understanding of the Mortgage Industry in general. I noticed areas covered in this book that were not talked about in my prep course (specifically, questions and topics I remembered from my first attempt at the SAFE Exam) I recommend taking the 20 hour prep course, then ordering this book. Read, take notes, and take the practice quizzes/exams. I really believe this book helped me achieve the passing score. Don't just rely on the practice questions (don't memorize them) actually read the book and you will be surprised how much you learn! Thank you so much Patricia O'Connor!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2016 by Caroline