MDMaryland

Real estate exam prep

At a glance

The exam, in numbers.

Questions: 110 multiple-choice (80 national + 30 state)
Time: 120 minutes (2 hours), the shortest state real estate exam by time in the United States
Passing score: 70% on EACH section (56/80 national AND 21/30 state), scored independently
Pre-license education: 60 hours, MREC-approved
License type: Salesperson (entry-level; brokers and associate brokers take separate exams under different prerequisites)
Administered by: PSI Services LLC on behalf of MREC
Format: computer-based testing at PSI centers across Maryland (in-person)
Result: issued at the testing center; pass/fail per section with numeric score per section
Exam fee: $44 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 12 months while you retake the other
Sponsorship: an MREC-licensed broker must employ the salesperson before the license issues

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

Maryland gives 120 minutes for 110 multiple-choice questions on the salesperson exam. Two hours. The Maryland Real Estate Commission's pacing math comes out to roughly 65 seconds per question, which is the shortest per-item budget on any state real estate exam in the United States. By comparison, a typical state exam allots between 1.5 and 2.5 minutes per question. Maryland's posture is that the questions are short and the candidate should be prepared to read, decide, and move. There's no built-in margin for re-reading every fact pattern. Candidates who flagged twenty questions for review in their first pass on a Texas or Florida exam (where pacing is more generous) often run out the clock in Maryland before getting back to them.

The exam is administered by PSI Services LLC on behalf of the Maryland Real Estate Commission (MREC), which sits within the Maryland Department of Labor. The format is 110 multiple-choice questions, scored as 80 national + 30 state. The passing standard is 70% on each section, scored independently (you need 56 correct of 80 national items AND 21 correct of 30 state items). The state portion at 30 items is one of the smaller in the country, which means each item carries more weight per question.

This guide walks through the MREC content outline, how to study for the brutal pacing, and what exam day looks like at a PSI center.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 8, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

Maryland runs the exam in two scored sections, with the national portion (80 items) covering general real estate principles and the state portion (30 items) covering Maryland-specific licensing law and regulations. The state portion at 30 items is unusually small.

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. Maryland candidates should know the state operates under a title-theory model with mortgages and deeds of trust both in use, and the Maryland Residential Property Disclosure or Disclaimer overlays national disclosure content.

State portion (30 scored items)

The state portion is anchored on the Maryland Business Occupations and Professions Article, Title 17, and the MREC regulations at COMAR 09.11. The major topic areas:

License Law and MREC. BOP Title 17, MREC's structure and powers, the salesperson / associate broker / broker tier structure, license issuance and renewal, continuing education requirements, and the standards for license suspension and revocation.
Agency in Maryland. Maryland recognizes seller agency, buyer agency, dual agency (with informed consent), and intra-company agency. The Understanding Whom Real Estate Agents Represent disclosure must be presented at the first scheduled face-to-face contact. The exam tests the disclosure timing and the duties owed under each relationship.
Maryland Residential Property Disclosure or Disclaimer Statement. Maryland gives the seller a choice: deliver the Disclosure (affirmative warranties on the property's condition) OR deliver the Disclaimer (an "as-is" notice). The exam tests when each form is appropriate, the buyer's recourse for late or omitted delivery, and the statutory exemptions.
Trust accounts and brokerage operations. MREC's trust account rules, escrow handling, advertising compliance, the broker's supervisory responsibilities for affiliated salespersons, and recordkeeping standards.
Maryland Real Estate Guaranty Fund. Maryland operates a state-administered fund that compensates consumers harmed by licensee fraud or misappropriation when the licensee can't pay the judgment. The exam tests the claim mechanics, the per-transaction and per-licensee caps, and the licensee consequences when a payout occurs.
Fair housing. Federal Fair Housing layered with the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights' protected classes (sexual orientation, marital status, source of income, gender identity).

Standout state-specific content

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

The Disclosure-or-Disclaimer choice. Most states have a single mandatory residential property disclosure form. Maryland gives the seller a binary choice: an affirmative Disclosure with warranties or an "as-is" Disclaimer with limited obligations. The exam tests scenarios where the wrong choice (or the right choice executed incorrectly) creates liability.
The Maryland Real Estate Guaranty Fund. The Fund's claim mechanics, the per-transaction and per-licensee caps, and the auto-suspension of the licensee whose conduct triggers a payout are all testable. Most states have similar funds; Maryland's caps and procedures are specific.

§ 03 How to study

Maryland's 60-hour pre-license course covers the national and state outlines, but the exam tests applied judgment in scenario questions that pull from Title 17, the agency disclosure rules, and the Disclosure-or-Disclaimer mechanics simultaneously. The course teaches each topic in isolation; the exam wants integration under tight time pressure.

What works in Maryland is volume on practice questions tied to both the national outline and the MD state outline, with extra reps on the Disclosure-or-Disclaimer distinction, the Guaranty Fund mechanics, and the Understanding Whom Real Estate Agents Represent disclosure timing. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of practice questions before sitting.

Passd's Maryland question bank is organized by both national and state content areas, with per-area accuracy tracked so you know whether your weak spot is the Disclosure-or-Disclaimer rules, agency, the Guaranty Fund, 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 Maryland:

Build pacing around the 65-second-per-question budget. Practice timed mocks at the actual 110-questions-in-120-minutes pace. Most candidates underestimate how fast that is until they sit for it.
Read both the Maryland Disclosure form and the Disclaimer form. MREC publishes both. Knowing when each applies (and when the seller's choice is constrained) matters more than memorizing definitions.
Memorize the Guaranty Fund caps. The per-transaction cap, the per-licensee aggregate cap, and the auto-suspension rule are testable in their specifics.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

The Maryland salesperson exam is administered at PSI testing centers across Maryland (Baltimore, Hagerstown, Salisbury, and additional locations). Maryland requires in-person testing; remote online proctoring is not currently offered. You schedule directly through PSI after MREC 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 MREC 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: MREC 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

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

Pacing for a 3-hour or 4-hour exam. Most state real estate exams give 180-240 minutes. Maryland gives 120. Candidates who imported pacing habits from longer-state practice mocks ran out the clock.
Confusing the Disclosure with the Disclaimer. Maryland's binary seller-choice between an affirmative Disclosure and an "as-is" Disclaimer is testable in detail. Candidates who treat them as interchangeable miss the scenario questions that turn on the choice.
Skimming the Guaranty Fund mechanics. The per-transaction and per-licensee caps and the auto-suspension consequence are testable. Knowing the Fund exists isn't enough.
Missing the small state portion's outsized per-item weight. 30 items at 70% threshold means each item is proportionally more important than in 40-item state portions. Skimming any topic loses recoverable points fast.
Underestimating the Maryland fair housing protected classes. State-level protections include sexual orientation, marital status, source of income, and gender identity beyond the federal list.
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 MREC application exactly.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

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

110 multiple-choice questions: 80 on the national portion and 30 on the Maryland state portion.

How is the exam scored?

70% required on EACH section, scored independently. You need 56 correct of 80 national items AND 21 correct of 30 state items. Failing one section means failing the exam.

How long is the exam?

120 minutes (2 hours) total. That's the shortest state real estate exam by time in the United States.

Where do I take the exam?

At a PSI testing center in Maryland. Maryland requires in-person testing; remote online proctoring is not currently offered.

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

60 hours of MREC-approved coursework, completed at an approved school before submitting the salesperson application.

What's the Disclosure-or-Disclaimer choice?

Maryland gives the seller a binary choice for the residential property disclosure obligation: an affirmative Disclosure (with statements about the property's condition) OR a Disclaimer (an "as-is" notice with limited affirmative obligations). Each form has different downstream consequences for the seller and the buyer; the exam tests when each is appropriate.

What's the Maryland Real Estate Guaranty Fund?

A state-administered fund financed by license fees that compensates consumers harmed by licensee fraud or misappropriation when the licensee can't pay the judgment. The Fund has per-transaction and per-licensee caps and auto-suspends the licensee whose conduct triggers a payout.

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 Maryland exam fee?

$44 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 Maryland. 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 12 months. If you pass national but fail state (or vice versa), you have 12 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 Maryland-specific Passd Score plus which MREC content areas need work. Free, no credit card.

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