NBA Agent Exam: What’s Actually on It & How to Study Smart

What the Exam Really Covers

The NBPA Agent Exam is 50 multiple-choice questions, open-book, and based on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). That means about 3 1/2 minutes per question. But don’t panic you do not need to memorize the entire CBA. You just need to know which Articles and Exhibits to focus on and how to find information quickly when the clock is running.

Here’s whats important that consistently appears on the exam. If you have a good grasp on these topics you have a good chance of passing.

• Free Agency & Bird Rights (Bird, Early Bird, Non-Bird)

• Trades & Sign & Trades, Trade Kickers

• Rookie Scale Contracts

• Agent Regulations

• Exceptions (All of them)

• How the salary cap, luxury tax and aprons work

• Two-Way & G League Rules

• Key Computations like escrow, trade bonus (kicker), stretch & set-off, player advances

Key Computations to Master

Computations tend to make people nervous, but they’re some of the most predictable questions on the exam. Year after year, you’ll see:

• Escrow: EASY POINTS!!

• Trade Bonus (Kicker): Calculating the bonus when a player is traded

• Stretch Provision: Spreading guaranteed salary over additional years

• Set-Off: Applying income from a new team against what an old team owes

• Player Advances: Maximum and Minimum

• Agent Commissions: EASY POINTS!

• Rookie Scale Contract: a bit nuanced the excess over 80% really gets people

Being comfortable with these will save you valuable time and build confidence. If the thought of math or any of these topics just made you nervous, check out my Computations Bundle. It's a step by step guide of how to approach all of the calculations I mentioned and a quiz to test your application.

How to Study the Right Way

You don’t have to study for 20 hours a week you just have to study with a plan. Here are some things I did back in 2020 when there were no outside resources (besides Larry Coon which is now outdated) to help me prepare

• Print EVERYTHING OUT!: The test is in person this year and you CANNOT USE NOTES ON YOUR LAPTOP! Familiarity with your binder is super important. I studied with my binder and tabbed and highlighted specific topics and areas. When test day rolled around I knew my binder like the back of my hand and didnt waste time aimlessly flipping through pages.

• Create a study outline: I have outlined what is important, take this information add in what you see on SBC and create a study outline/plan each week conquer a topic or two to make sure you are allocating enough time to each subject.

• Focus on What Matters: There are entire sections of the CBA that never appear on the exam. Don’t get stuck in the weeds. If you need a more detailed breakdown of what to study in each Article check out my Study Guide and Binder Organizations Guide.

If you have not done so already check out the FREE RESOURCES I have on my site. I have videos, cheat sheets and more!