HIHawaii

Real estate exam prep

At a glance

The exam, in numbers.

Questions: 130 multiple-choice (80 national + 50 state)
Time: 240 minutes (4 hours)
Passing score: 70% on EACH section (56/80 national AND 35/50 state), scored independently
Pre-license education: 60 hours, Hawaii Real Estate Commission-approved
License type: Real Estate Salesperson (entry-level; brokers take a separate exam)
Administered by: PSI Services LLC on behalf of the Hawaii Real Estate Commission
Format: computer-based testing at PSI centers in Hawaii
Result: issued at the testing center; pass/fail per section with numeric score per section
Exam fee: $61 per attempt, paid to PSI at scheduling
Retake wait: none; reschedule with PSI as soon as a slot is available
Score validity: a passed section stays valid for 24 months while you retake the other
Sponsorship: a Hawaii-licensed broker must employ the salesperson before the license issues

Hawaii real estate exam: format, score, what to expect in 2026

A meaningful portion of Hawaii's residential property is held in leasehold rather than fee simple. The underlying land is often owned by a trust (the largest historically being the Bishop Estate, now Kamehameha Schools), an estate, or a major landowner; the structure on top is owned by the resident under a long-term ground lease that may run for decades and renew under specific statutory mechanisms. Buyers in Hawaii regularly purchase the building, the lease, and the lessee's right to occupy the underlying land, but not the underlying land itself. The legal layer doesn't exist in any other US state at the same scale, and it shapes how Hawaii real estate practice handles title, financing, valuation, and disclosure. Mortgages on leasehold property work differently. Title insurance handles leased fee versus leasehold differently. The Hawaii Real Estate Commission tests the leasehold concepts directly on the state portion of the salesperson exam, and a candidate who studied from generic national materials without the leasehold overlay misses substantial state-portion content.

The exam is administered by PSI Services LLC on behalf of the Hawaii Real Estate Commission, which sits within the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA). The format is 130 multiple-choice questions over 240 minutes, scored as 80 national + 50 state. The passing standard is 70% on each section, scored independently (you need 56 correct of 80 national items AND 35 correct of 50 state items). The state portion is heavier than typical at 50 items, reflecting the depth of Hawaii-specific content.

This guide walks through the Hawaii Real Estate Commission content outline, how to study for the leasehold and condominium-heavy state content, and what exam day looks like at a PSI center.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 9, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

Hawaii runs the exam in two scored sections, with the national portion (80 items) covering general real estate principles and the state portion (50 items) covering Hawaii-specific licensing law and the property-law concepts that govern Hawaii real estate. The state portion at 50 items is heavier than typical, reflecting the depth of state-specific content the Commission expects.

National portion (80 scored items)

The national portion follows PSI's standard national real estate outline. Topic areas: real property characteristics, ownership and title, value and appraisal, contracts and agency, real estate practice, disclosures and environmental issues, financing and settlement, and math. Hawaii candidates encounter an unusual challenge: the national portion's "fee simple" framing assumes property is owned in fee simple by the buyer, while Hawaii's leasehold market means many transactions involve a leasehold rather than fee. The candidate has to know the national framework and the leasehold-specific Hawaii adaptations.

State portion (50 scored items)

The state portion is anchored on Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 467 (Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons) and the Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 16-99. The major topic areas:

License Law and the Hawaii Real Estate Commission. HRS Chapter 467, the Commission's structure within DCCA, the Salesperson / Broker tier structure, license issuance and renewal cycles, continuing education requirements, and the standards for license suspension and revocation.
Hawaii leasehold and fee simple distinctions. The legal structure of leasehold residential property: the leased fee owner (the underlying land), the lessee (the resident with the lease), the maintenance fee, the lease rent renegotiation mechanism, the conversion-to-fee-simple options under specific Hawaii statutes (some properties have statutory or contractual conversion rights), and the title insurance treatment of leasehold versus leased fee. The exam tests these concepts in scenario form.
Hawaii Condominium Property Act. HRS Chapter 514B governs condominiums in Hawaii. Pre-purchase disclosure documents (the Public Report, the Condominium Project Documents, the Resale Certificate) are testable, as are the AOAO (Association of Apartment Owners) rules that govern condominium associations.
Hawaii agency rules and the Client Agreement. Hawaii recognizes seller agency, buyer agency, dual agency (with informed written consent), and exclusive client representation. The Client Agreement (a written agreement between the licensee and the client) must be in place before the licensee performs specific real estate services for the client.
Hawaii Seller's Real Property Disclosure Statement. HRS § 508D governs the seller's disclosure obligations for residential transfers. Statutory exemptions apply.
Trust accounts under DCCA supervision. Hawaii's trust account rules require brokers to maintain a separate clients' funds account at a federally insured Hawaii financial institution, with specific deposit-timing requirements under HAR Chapter 16-99.
Hawaii fair housing and the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission. Federal Fair Housing layered with HRS Chapter 489 and the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission's enforcement role.

Standout state-specific content

Two Hawaii content areas almost always confuse candidates who studied from generic national materials:

Leasehold versus fee simple in residential transactions. Hawaii's leasehold market means the buyer, the seller, the lender, the title company, and the lessor can all be different parties with different interests in the same property. The exam tests scenario questions where the leasehold structure changes the answer that a generic national question would have.
The Hawaii Condominium Property Act's disclosure cascade. HRS Chapter 514B creates a cascade of pre-purchase disclosures (Public Report, Project Documents, Resale Certificate, AOAO documents) that the seller and the AOAO must deliver to the buyer at specific points in the transaction. Generic national condominium study content doesn't cover the Hawaii-specific cascade.

§ 03 How to study

Hawaii's 60-hour pre-license course covers the national and state outlines, but the exam tests applied judgment in scenario questions that pull from HRS Chapter 467, the leasehold mechanics, the Condominium Property Act disclosure cascade, and the trust account compliance requirements simultaneously.

What works in Hawaii is volume on practice questions tied to both the national and state outlines, with extra reps on leasehold scenarios, the AOAO disclosure cascade, the Client Agreement timing, and the Seller's Disclosure Statement. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of practice questions before sitting.

Passd's Hawaii question bank is organized by both national and state content areas, with per-area accuracy tracked so you know whether your weak spot is leasehold mechanics, the Condominium Property Act, agency disclosure, or finance before booking the exam. Your Passd Score updates as you answer and gives a single read on whether the test is in reach yet. Tier details are on the pricing page.

A few specific things help in Hawaii:

Build a glossary of leasehold terminology. Leased fee, leasehold, lessor, lessee, ground lease, lease rent, renegotiation, surrender, fee conversion. The vocabulary is unfamiliar and tested directly.
Trace a leasehold transaction through closing. A leasehold sale involves the building owner, the leased fee owner, the title company, and often the lender, each with different interests. Walking through a sample transaction beats reading static definitions.
Read the Hawaii Condominium Property Act Resale Certificate requirements. The Commission and DCCA publish guidance. The cascade of pre-purchase disclosures has specific deadlines testable in scenario form.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

The Hawaii salesperson exam is administered at PSI testing centers in Hawaii (Honolulu, Kahului on Maui, Hilo and Kona on the Big Island, Lihue on Kauai). You schedule directly through PSI after the Hawaii Real Estate Commission has approved your pre-license course completion and authorized you to test.

On exam day:

Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment. Late arrivals can be turned away.
Bring two forms of valid signature identification, one of them government-issued with photo (driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID). Names must match the Commission application.
Personal items go in a locker. Phones, smart watches, study materials, food, and bound notes stay outside the testing room.
Calculators are permitted with restrictions: silent, battery-operated, non-printing, and without an alphabetic keypad.
The exam is closed-book.

Results print at the testing center after the exam, showing pass or fail per section plus your numeric score on each. Candidates who pass move into the licensure phase: Commission application, broker employment confirmation, fingerprinting, and the license fee. Candidates who fail one section can retake just that section, paying the per-section fee.

§ 05 Common mistakes

Hawaii candidates who fail the exam tend to fail in a handful of specific ways:

Skimming leasehold mechanics. Generic national materials assume fee simple. Hawaii's leasehold layer changes title, financing, and valuation answers. Candidates who studied national content without the leasehold overlay miss the state-portion scenario questions.
Underestimating the Condominium Property Act disclosure cascade. HRS Chapter 514B's pre-purchase disclosures (Public Report, Project Documents, Resale Certificate, AOAO documents) have specific delivery timing. Candidates who learned generic condo disclosure rules miss the Hawaii-specific cascade.
Confusing leased fee with leasehold. The leased fee owner owns the underlying land. The leasehold owner owns the building under a ground lease. Mixing the two terms in a scenario answer is a common error.
Missing the Client Agreement timing. Hawaii requires the Client Agreement before the licensee performs specific real estate services for a client. Late execution is testable misconduct.
Skipping the AOAO governance content. Association of Apartment Owners rules govern Hawaii condominiums. The exam tests AOAO authority, fees, and dispute mechanisms.
Showing up without an unexpired ID or with a name mismatch. PSI turns candidates away for ID problems. Names on the IDs must match the Commission application exactly.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the Hawaii real estate salesperson exam?

130 multiple-choice questions: 80 on the national portion and 50 on the Hawaii state portion.

How is the exam scored?

70% required on EACH section, scored independently. You need 56 correct of 80 national items AND 35 correct of 50 state items. Failing one section means failing the exam.

How long is the exam?

240 minutes (4 hours) total.

What's leasehold property in Hawaii?

A residential property structure where the resident owns the building (and often the lease) but not the underlying land. The underlying land is owned by a separate party (often a trust or estate) and leased to the resident under a long-term ground lease. The buyer purchases the building plus the lease, not the land.

Where do I take the exam?

At a PSI testing center in Hawaii: Honolulu, Kahului (Maui), Hilo or Kona (Big Island), Lihue (Kauai).

What pre-license education do I need before the exam?

60 hours of Hawaii Real Estate Commission-approved coursework, completed at an approved school before submitting the salesperson application.

What's an AOAO?

The Association of Apartment Owners. Hawaii condominiums are governed by an AOAO, which functions like the homeowner's association in mainland states but with Hawaii-specific authority under HRS Chapter 514B. The AOAO has rule-making, assessment, and dispute-resolution authority for the condominium project.

Can I retake just the section I failed?

Yes. PSI allows retakes of the failed section only, with a per-section fee.

How much is the Hawaii exam fee?

$61 per attempt, paid to PSI when you schedule. Each retake is the same amount.

How long must I wait between retakes?

There's no statutory waiting period in Hawaii. You can reschedule with PSI as soon as a slot is available.

How long is my passing score valid?

A passed section stays valid for 24 months. If you pass national but fail state (or vice versa), you have 24 months to pass the failed section before you have to re-test everything.

Ready to see how prepared you are?

The Passd diagnostic is 20 questions across every major topic, and shows your Hawaii-specific Passd Score plus which Real Estate Commission content areas need work. Free, no credit card.

Start the Hawaii diagnostic