CAR Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the CAR exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 CAR Exam Format at a Glance
📚 CAR Topics to Study (69)
✍️ Sample CAR Questions & Answers
1. Under USPAP's Standards Rule 3-2, a reviewer must identify the work under review. What is the primary risk if this step is inadequately performed?
Failing to properly identify the appraisal being reviewed can cause the reviewer to critique or rely on the wrong report, undermining the review's validity.
2. Which of the following is a key risk indicator when reviewing an appraisal that uses the income approach for a small residential rental property?
Using a below-market vacancy rate inflates the effective gross income and resulting value, overstating collateral and increasing lender risk.
3. Which approach best supports quality outcomes in Foundational Concepts & Principles for Certified Appraisal Reviewer?
Evidence-based methods provide a reliable foundation for achieving consistent, high-quality outcomes.
4. A lender submits additional comparable sales to an appraiser and requests reconsideration of value. Under AIR and USPAP, the appraiser should:
A reconsideration of value request is permissible when it provides legitimate market data; the appraiser must objectively evaluate the information and document their response.
5. When reviewing an appraisal that references an AVM as a reasonableness check, the appraisal reviewer should verify that the appraiser:
If an AVM materially influences a value conclusion, USPAP may require it to be disclosed as an extraordinary assumption, since AVM accuracy cannot be personally verified by the appraiser.
6. When a reviewer identifies a potential USPAP violation in an appraisal, what is their first professional obligation?
The reviewer's primary obligation is to document findings in the review report and fulfill reporting obligations to the client; state board referrals may follow based on the client's direction or the reviewer's judgment about severity.