Maryland real estate exam
Maryland is one of the shortest routes to a licence in this set: a 60-hour course, an 80-item national portion and a 30-item state portion, both passed at 70 percent, for a $44 examination fee. The detail worth knowing is that the statute writes the sixty hours as a ceiling — a course “that does not require more than 60 clock hours” — not a floor.
The two portions
Two portions at one sitting: 80 national items in 90 minutes and 30 Maryland items in 30 minutes, 110 items in a two-hour appointment. Each portion is scored on its own and a failed portion is retaken alone, at the same $44. The clock that matters is the course: both portions must be passed within one year of completing the pre-licensing programme, or the coursework and any passing score expire together.
| Exam | Items | Time | To pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salesperson — national portion | 80 | 90 min | 56 of 80 (70%) |
| Salesperson — Maryland portion | 30 | 30 min | 21 of 30 (70%) |
| Broker — national portion | 75 | 90 min | 56 of 80 points (70%) |
| Broker — Maryland portion | 40 | 30 min | 28 of 40 (70%) |
Delivered by PSI, under contract to the Commission. Every figure here comes from the documents listed at the foot of this page, with the date each was read.
Requirements and fees
- Minimum age
- 18
- Qualifying education
- A Commission-approved basic course of no more than 60 clock hours, including a 3-hour ethics course
- Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 17-303(d). The statute caps the course rather than setting a minimum, and lets it be delivered in a classroom, online, by home study or by any system the Commission approves. The broker course is 135 hours.
- Eligibility window
- One year from completing the course, for both portions
- Your school uploads your eligibility to PSI; paper applications are returned. Miss the year and a new pre-licensing programme is required — prior scores expire with the prior coursework.
- Examination fee
- $44 per registration, paid to PSI
- The same whether you sit one portion or both, first time or retake. Non-refundable, non-transferable, and valid for one year from payment.
- Original licence fee
- $98, of which $20 is the Guaranty Fund payment
- Effective 27 April 2026. Renewal is $78. Fees are set by law and regulation, and the Commission’s page says they change with public notice.
- Broker affiliation
- A commitment from a licensed Maryland broker to affiliate you on licensure
- § 17-303(f). The application asks for the broker’s registration number; an inactive licence can be requested without one, but no licensed activity may be performed on it.
- Window to apply
- One year from passing, or the score expires
- Applications are electronic. A criminal offence or prior real estate discipline routes you to a manual application through the Commission, not PSI.
- Retakes
- No limit, at $44 each, inside the one-year eligibility
- Only the failed portion is retaken. A passing score on the other portion stands until the course-completion deadline.
- Experimental questions
- One to ten per examination, roughly 10 percent of the count
- Unscored and unidentified. The bulletin advises budgeting time for them.
- Cancellation
- Two days’ notice to PSI, or the fee is forfeited
- A voicemail or email does not count; the cancellation has to be made on PSI’s site or with a representative.
Practice the material this exam is built on
These questions cover the general real estate principles every state tests — the eight content areas of the national outline. They do not cover Maryland statute and commission rule, which no national bank does; for that, the state’s own published material is the source.
Which of the following is NOT an element required for a valid contract?
Sixty hours — and the statute writes it as a maximum
Section 17-303(d) of the Business Occupations and Professions article requires “a basic course in real estate approved by the Commission that does not require more than 60 clock hours” of instruction, including a three-clock-hour ethics course. That is the reverse of how most states write the requirement, which is a minimum; here the legislature capped what a school may demand, and PSI’s bulletin reports the programme at exactly sixty.
The course may be delivered in a classroom or by remote access, video, computer, home study or any other system the Commission approves, and a college real estate course can be substituted with approval. Whichever route, the completion date starts the one-year clock inside which both portions of the examination must be passed.
Two portions, one fee, and a clock that runs from the course
PSI’s summary table gives the salesperson examination as 80 national items in 90 minutes and 30 Maryland items in 30 minutes; the passing scores are 56 and 21, which the Commission’s page states as 70 percent. The fee is $44 per registration whether you sit both portions or one, and the Commission is careful to say it goes to PSI, not to the Commission.
The retake rule is generous — no limit — but the eligibility is not. A passing score on one portion is valid only until the deadline set by your course-completion date, and if both are not passed inside it the coursework has to be repeated. After the second pass you have a further year to apply before the score expires.
What is in the 30-item Maryland portion
Item counts rather than percentages: brokerage relationships 7, business conduct 6, supervision 5, duties and powers of the Commission 4, licensing requirements 4, and ethics 4. The brokerage seven covers listing agreements and the disclosure of brokerage relationships and of any interest in the property; the business-conduct six covers offers, commissions including rebates, advertising and signs, fair housing and summary suspensions.
Supervision is where the Maryland-specific law sits: handling of trust monies, electronic recordkeeping, and “knowledge of other Maryland State laws” — short sales, home improvements and the Protection of Homeowners in Foreclosure Act. The Guaranty Fund, which the $20 in your licence fee pays into, is asked under the Commission’s duties and powers.
Frequently asked
- How many questions are on the Maryland real estate exam?
- A salesperson sits 110 scored items at one two-hour appointment: 80 on the national portion in 90 minutes and 30 on the Maryland portion in 30 minutes. One to ten unscored experimental questions may be mixed in. The broker examination is 75 national items scored to 80 points plus 40 Maryland items.
- What score do you need to pass the Maryland real estate exam?
- 70 percent on each portion — 56 of the 80 national items and 21 of the 30 Maryland items. PSI prints the raw passing scores and the Commission’s page states the percentage.
- How many hours of real estate classes do you need in Maryland?
- A Commission-approved basic course of no more than 60 clock hours that includes a three-hour ethics course — the statute caps the course rather than setting a minimum. It can be taken in a classroom, online or by home study. The broker pre-licensing programme is 135 hours.
- How much does the Maryland real estate exam cost?
- $44 per registration, paid to PSI, whether you take one portion or both and whether it is a first attempt or a retake. The original salesperson licence is a separate $98, of which $20 goes to the Guaranty Fund.
- How long do I have to pass both portions of the Maryland exam?
- One year from completing your pre-licensing course. A passing score on one portion is valid until that deadline; if both are not passed by then, the coursework must be repeated and the prior scores expire with it. Once both are passed you have a further year to apply for the licence.
- Do I need a broker before I apply for a Maryland licence?
- For an active licence, yes — § 17-303(f) requires a commitment from a licensed Maryland broker to affiliate you, and the online application asks for the broker’s registration number. You may instead request an inactive licence with no affiliation, on which no licensed activity may be performed.
Other states
Sources
Key factual claims on this page are grounded in the documents below, with the day each was read. Rules and requirements change — open the source if you need today's wording.
- PSI — Maryland Real Estate Commission, Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 15 August 2024) Read September 5, 2026
- Maryland Real Estate Commission — Taking the Exam Read September 5, 2026
- Maryland Real Estate Commission — Forms and Fees (effective 27 April 2026) Read September 5, 2026
- Md. Code, Bus. Occ. & Prof. § 17-303 — Qualifications of applicants for salesperson license Read September 5, 2026
Page facts last verified September 5, 2026.
Independent exam preparation. Real Estate Exam Bank is not a state-approved pre-licensing course and completing anything here does not satisfy any state education requirement. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by any state real estate commission, Pearson VUE, or PSI. Practice questions here are original study material, not the official exam.