Free Real Estate Practice Exam

Q: How hard is the real estate exam?

Hard enough that many first-time candidates fail. In Florida, 48% of first-time sales associate candidates passed in May 2026. In Texas, 56.12% of sales agent candidates passed both portions on the first attempt between December 2023 and November 2025.

Q: What score do you need to pass the real estate exam?

Usually 70 to 75 percent, but several states report a scaled score that only looks like a percentage. There is no national passing score, and in most states each portion is scored separately.

Q: How should you study for the real estate exam?

With a test date set, take one full-length timed test first to find your weakest area, then drill that area with its topic quiz and read every explanation, including the ones you got right. Finish with timed full-length tests in the last week.

Q: Can you retake only the portion you failed?

In most states, yes: the national and state portions are scored separately and you resit only the one you failed, usually within a deadline set by the state. California has a single exam with no portions, and Maine makes you resit both.

Q: How many questions are on the real estate exam?

Most states test you in two portions at one appointment: a national portion of 80 scored questions and a state portion of roughly 30 to 50 questions on your state's licence law. The exact count depends on your state.

Q: How long is the real estate exam?

Across the 48 states where we have verified the figure, you get 2 to 5 hours to finish.

Q: Where do you take the real estate exam?

At a test centre run by your state's exam provider. Of the 50 states listed here, 25 use PSI and 23 use Pearson VUE; the rest run their own exam.

Q: Can you take the real estate exam online?

In 22 of 51 jurisdictions (the 50 states and DC) you can sit it online with a live remote proctor. The other 29 require a test centre. Checked in September 2026.

Q: How much does the real estate exam cost?

$15 to $294 per attempt, across the 50 states where we have verified the fee. Licence application and fingerprinting fees are extra.

Q: Are these practice tests free?

Yes. The practice exam on this page and the explained sample questions on every page are free and need no account. Full timed tests are free too: one a week without an account, three a week with a free account, or unlimited with a pass.

Question 1

Which statement best describes when legal title passes under a properly performed contract for deed?

Accepted Answer

When the vendor delivers the deed after the vendee completes the payments

Answer

When the contract for deed is first recorded in the county's public records

Answer

When the contract is signed by both parties

Answer

When the vendee takes possession of the property

Question 2

A purchase agreement says a lender's appraisal is not a home inspection. Which assumption should the buyer avoid?

Accepted Answer

That the appraisal replaces a condition inspection

Answer

That an appraisal can address collateral value

Answer

That an inspector can evaluate building systems

Answer

That separate professionals have different scopes

Question 3

Under a land contract, also called a contract for deed, during the payment period:

Accepted Answer

the seller keeps legal title while the buyer takes possession and equitable title.

Answer

neither party holds any interest until the final payment is made.

Answer

title is held by a neutral trustee until the contract is paid in full.

Answer

the buyer holds legal title and the seller holds a mortgage lien.

Question 4

The doctrine of equitable conversion generally holds that once a valid purchase contract is signed:

Accepted Answer

The buyer acquires equitable title while the seller holds legal title in trust pending closing

Answer

The escrow agent becomes the owner of record

Answer

Neither party holds any interest in the property until the deed has been signed, delivered, and recorded

Answer

The seller becomes the equitable owner and the buyer holds legal title

Question 5

Under an open listing, a seller may:

Accepted Answer

Engage multiple brokers and owe a commission only to the one who procures the buyer

Answer

Refuse to pay any commission at all

Answer

Owe a full commission to every broker who showed the property during the listing term

Answer

Cancel only with the written consent of all brokers

Question 6

A contract to sell real estate signed by a person who has been formally adjudicated mentally incompetent by a court is best described as:

Accepted Answer

Void

Answer

Unenforceable but valid

Answer

Voidable by the incompetent party

Answer

Valid and fully binding

Question 7

In a land contract, also called a contract for deed, during the payment period the buyer typically holds:

Accepted Answer

Equitable title, with the seller retaining legal title until the price is paid

Answer

Legal title, with the seller holding equitable title

Answer

A leasehold estate only

Answer

No interest at all in the property until the final installment payment has been made

Question 8

A home sale contingency stated that the buyer's existing home must close by May 15 or the seller could cancel on written notice. The buyer's home closed May 20, and on May 22 the seller signed an addendum extending closing to June 5. The seller then tried to cancel on May 25 citing the missed May 15 date. The seller's cancellation will most likely:

Accepted Answer

Fail, because signing the extension addendum waived the right to cancel for that lapse

Answer

Succeed, because the deadline was clearly missed

Answer

Fail, because home sale contingencies are unenforceable

Answer

Succeed, because an expired contingency can never be revived by a later signed written addendum

Question 9

In a state that authorizes designated agency, what is typically true of the managing broker who makes the appointments?

Accepted Answer

She occupies a dual position and must remain neutral

Answer

She must resign from the transaction entirely

Answer

She becomes the buyer's agent only

Answer

She has no relationship with either party

Question 10

A buyer's agent knows the buyer wants a legal duplex, but the listing describes an unpermitted conversion. What best serves reasonable care?

Accepted Answer

Flag the issue and help verify lawful use

Answer

Treat separate utility meters as conclusive proof of permitted duplex use

Answer

Rely solely on the listing label despite the contrary conversion information

Answer

Assume the current owner occupancy automatically legalizes the conversion

Question 11

A buyer working with a transaction broker asks, "What should I offer to get this house for the least money?" The transaction broker may properly:

Accepted Answer

Provide comparable sales data and let the buyer decide the number

Answer

Negotiate on the buyer's behalf as an advocate for the lowest price

Answer

Recommend the lowest offer likely to be accepted by that seller

Answer

Reveal what the seller told the listing side about needing a quick sale

Question 12

The clearest difference between a disclosed dual agent and a transaction broker is that the dual agent:

Accepted Answer

Owes fiduciary duties to both parties

Answer

May be paid by both parties

Answer

Need not disclose the arrangement in writing

Answer

May disclose each party's confidential information to the other

Question 13

The fiduciary duty most fundamentally compromised by dual agency is:

Accepted Answer

Undivided loyalty

Answer

Reasonable care

Answer

Obedience to lawful instructions

Answer

Accounting

Question 14

How many protected classes does the federal Fair Housing Act currently recognize?

Accepted Answer

Seven

Answer

Four

Answer

Five

Answer

Nine

Question 15

A listing closes but the brokerage keeps running the advertisement to attract additional buyer calls. The objection to this is that:

Accepted Answer

the advertisement is now misleading about what is actually available

Answer

the multiple listing service imposes a fee for carrying stale listing data

Answer

the seller has stopped paying for any part of the marketing campaign

Answer

the listing photographs remain the property of the photographer who took them

Question 16

A brokerage maintains two distinct trust bank accounts. Why should each have a corresponding set of beneficiary records?

Accepted Answer

So each bank account can be reconciled with its own liabilities

Answer

So one accounts shortages can be hidden by the others excess

Answer

So the broker can dispense with all transaction identifiers

Answer

So both accounts can report the same cash twice

Question 17

Two brokerages agree that one will serve only the north side of the city and the other only the south. This violation is called:

Accepted Answer

Market allocation

Answer

Blockbusting

Answer

Redlining

Answer

Steering

Question 18

An owner of a single-family home sells it privately without an agent and refuses an offer solely because the buyer is Black. Which statement is correct?

Accepted Answer

A violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which has no exemptions

Answer

No violation, because the sale qualifies for an exemption

Answer

A violation only if the property was advertised

Answer

A violation of RESPA

Question 19

A standard township contains 36 sections. How does a section relate to the township?

Accepted Answer

It is one of the township's square-mile divisions

Answer

It is the entire six-mile-square township

Answer

It is one-quarter of the township

Answer

It is always an irregular government lot

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT part of the bundle of rights?

Accepted Answer

The right to violate zoning ordinances

Answer

The right of disposition

Answer

The right of possession

Answer

The right to exclude others from the property

Question 21

Which statement correctly contrasts freehold and leasehold estates?

Accepted Answer

Freeholds are of indefinite duration; leaseholds have a measurable duration

Answer

Freeholds always require rent payments; leaseholds never do

Answer

Freeholds are personal property; leaseholds are real property

Answer

Freeholds can be inherited; leaseholds are automatically void at the death of the tenant

Question 22

Zoning allows a 35-foot building height, but the recorded CC&Rs for the subdivision limit height to 25 feet. What governs the lot?

Accepted Answer

The 25-foot restriction, because the stricter limitation controls

Answer

The 35-foot zoning limit, because public law always preempts private agreements

Answer

Neither limit, because they conflict and cancel each other

Answer

The buyer may choose either limit at closing

Question 23

Under traditional conventional qualifying guidelines written as 28/36, the second number refers to:

Accepted Answer

Total monthly debt including housing as a percentage of gross monthly income

Answer

Housing expense as a percentage of gross monthly income

Answer

The maximum loan term expressed in years

Answer

The maximum loan-to-value ratio permitted without mortgage insurance

Question 24

At each adjustment on an adjustable-rate mortgage, the new interest rate is determined by:

Accepted Answer

Adding the margin to the current index

Answer

The index alone

Answer

Averaging the original note rate with the current index

Answer

The margin alone

Question 25

A note requires level monthly payments computed on a 30-year schedule, with the entire remaining balance due at the end of year seven. This loan is:

Accepted Answer

Partially amortized with a balloon payment

Answer

A growing-equity mortgage

Answer

A fully amortized loan

Answer

A straight (term) loan calling for interest only

Question 26

In a lien theory state, during the life of a mortgage loan:

Accepted Answer

The borrower retains legal title and the lender holds only a lien

Answer

The lender holds legal title until the debt is paid

Answer

Neither party holds title until a foreclosure sale occurs

Answer

Legal title is held by the county recorder as custodian

Question 27

Market value differs from price in that market value is:

Accepted Answer

What the property should bring under typical conditions

Answer

The amount actually paid

Answer

Set by the county assessor

Answer

Always higher than price

Question 28

External obsolescence is generally regarded as incurable because:

Accepted Answer

The cause lies outside the property and beyond the owner's control

Answer

It affects only the site and never the improvements

Answer

It can be corrected only by having the parcel rezoned

Answer

The cost to cure always exceeds half of the value of the building

Question 29

An appraiser estimates the cost of an exact replica of an ornate historic building. Which cost concept fits?

Accepted Answer

Reproduction cost

Answer

Replacement cost using equivalent modern utility

Answer

Original historic construction cost

Answer

Market extraction of land value

Question 30

A property manager is leasing a unit in a 1962 building to a family with young children. Regarding the lead-based paint rule, the manager must:

Accepted Answer

give the lead disclosure and pamphlet, but need not offer a 10-day inspection period

Answer

obtain from the tenant a signed written waiver of all future lead-related claims and liability

Answer

give the tenant a 10-day period to inspect for lead before the lease is signed

Answer

do nothing, because the rule applies only to sales

Question 31

A licensee tells a prospect, "This is the most charming kitchen on the whole street." This statement is best characterized as:

Accepted Answer

puffing, a non-factual opinion that is generally not actionable

Answer

an implied warranty of habitability

Answer

actionable fraud, because the comparison to other homes on the street cannot be objectively proven

Answer

a latent defect disclosure

Question 32

A local real estate board refuses to admit a broker to its multiple listing service because of the broker’s religion. Under the federal Fair Housing Act this is:

Accepted Answer

unlawful, because the Act separately bars discrimination in brokerage services

Answer

lawful, because no dwelling was actually sold or rented

Answer

unlawful only after the broker exhausts the board’s internal appeal

Answer

lawful, because the board is a private membership organization

Question 33

Taxes of $5,475 for the year are unpaid. Closing is 10 March. Using a 365-day year and charging the seller through the day before closing, the seller owes:

Accepted Answer

$1,020

Answer

$1,035

Answer

$4,440

Answer

$4,455

Question 34

An investor pays $680,000 for a building with net operating income of $54,400. What is the capitalization rate?

Accepted Answer

8%

Answer

6%

Answer

10%

Answer

12.5%

Question 35

An ARM has a 3% index, a 2.25% margin and no binding cap at adjustment. What is its fully indexed rate?

Accepted Answer

5.25%

Answer

0.75%

Answer

3%

Answer

6.75%

Question 36

The clause in a deed containing the actual words of conveyance, such as convey and warrant, is the:

Accepted Answer

Granting clause

Answer

Reddendum clause

Answer

Defeasance clause

Answer

Habendum clause

Question 37

A buyer records a deed after closing. What should be checked in the recorded copy?

Accepted Answer

Correct parties, legal description and recording information

Answer

Only the index date without reviewing the recorded instrument

Answer

Only the receipt showing that a recording fee was paid

Answer

Only the seller signature without checking the described parcel

Question 38

A city builds a pumping station whose vibration and flooding make the adjoining home unusable, yet the city never files a taking action. What claim should the owner bring?

Accepted Answer

Inverse condemnation

Answer

Novation

Answer

Constructive eviction

Answer

Quiet title

Question 39

Which feature most distinguishes a planned unit development from conventional lot-by-lot zoning?

Accepted Answer

Density is computed for the entire tract rather than lot by lot

Answer

Every dwelling must satisfy the same setbacks as a detached house

Answer

The tract is exempt from building codes and permit review

Answer

Only industrial uses may be mixed within the boundary

Question 40

Hoping long-time tenants will not renew so units can be upgraded, an owner tells them minority families are moving in and the area is going downhill. This conduct is:

Accepted Answer

Blockbusting, prohibited by federal fair housing law

Answer

Legal, because no sale is involved

Answer

Legal, because the statements are opinions

Answer

Steering, but lawful for rentals

Free Real Estate Exam Prep

The real estate exam at a glance

Free real estate practice exam

Full-length practice exams

11 quizzes, one for every area of the exam

Failed one portion? Practise just that one

Your state's exam, your state's rules

What decides whether you pass

What is free, and what needs an account

Real estate exam questions, answered

How hard is the real estate exam?

What score do you need to pass the real estate exam?

How should you study for the real estate exam?

Can you retake only the portion you failed?

How many questions are on the real estate exam?

How long is the real estate exam?

Where do you take the real estate exam?

Can you take the real estate exam online?

How much does the real estate exam cost?

Are these practice tests free?

Are these the real exam questions?

How we check every answer

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