MOMissouri

Real estate exam prep

At a glance

The exam, in numbers.

Questions: 140 multiple-choice (100 national + 40 state)
Time: 240 minutes (4 hours)
Passing score: 70% national (70/100) AND 75% state (30/40), scored independently
Pre-license education: 48 hours, Missouri Real Estate Commission-approved (taken before the exam)
Post-exam education: 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice course (MREP), required after passing the exam but before the license issues
License type: Real Estate Salesperson (entry-level; brokers take a separate exam)
Administered by: PSI Services LLC on behalf of the Missouri Real Estate Commission
Format: computer-based testing at PSI centers across Missouri
Result: issued at the testing center; pass/fail per section with numeric score per section
Exam fee: $62 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 6 months while you retake the other

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

Missouri splits the salesperson licensure curriculum into two phases. Phase one is a 48-hour Salesperson Pre-License course, completed before the candidate can sit for the exam. Phase two is a 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice course (MREP), completed after the candidate passes the exam but before the Missouri Real Estate Commission issues the license. Total seat-time is 72 hours, but the order matters: the MREP can't substitute for any of the 48 pre-license hours, and the 48 pre-license hours can't satisfy the MREP requirement. The Commission's posture is that the 48-hour pre-license course covers the foundational content the exam tests, while the MREP focuses on applied Missouri-specific practice that prepares the new licensee for actual transactions. A candidate who passes the exam but doesn't complete the MREP within the Commission's published window forfeits the passing score and has to retake.

The exam is administered by PSI Services LLC on behalf of the Missouri Real Estate Commission. The format is 140 multiple-choice questions over 240 minutes, scored as 100 national + 40 state. The passing standard is 70% on the national portion and 75% on the state portion, scored independently. Missouri uses the asymmetric thresholds with a higher state-portion bar that several other states (Virginia, Pennsylvania) also use, but with a different national/state ratio.

This guide walks through the Missouri Real Estate Commission content outline, how to study for both the exam and the MREP follow-on, and what exam day looks like at a PSI center.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 9, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

Missouri runs the exam in two scored sections, with the national portion (100 items) covering general real estate principles and the state portion (40 items) covering Missouri-specific licensing law and regulations. The state portion is anchored on Mo. Rev. Stat. Chapter 339 (Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons) and the Missouri Real Estate Commission rules at 20 CSR 2250.

National portion (100 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. Missouri candidates should know the state operates under a title-theory model with deeds of trust as the standard mortgage instrument, and the Missouri Seller's Disclosure Statement layers on top of national disclosure content in many scenario questions.

State portion (40 scored items)

The state portion is anchored on Mo. Rev. Stat. Chapter 339 and the MREC rules at 20 CSR 2250. The major topic areas:

License Law and the Missouri Real Estate Commission. Chapter 339, the Commission's structure and powers, the broker-salesperson affiliation rules, license issuance and renewal, the post-exam MREP requirement, continuing education requirements, and the standards for license suspension and revocation.
Agency and the Missouri Broker Disclosure Form. Missouri recognizes seller agency, buyer agency, dual agency (with informed consent), designated agency, and transaction brokerage. The Missouri Broker Disclosure Form must be presented to a buyer or seller before specific real estate services are performed. The exam tests the disclosure timing and the duties owed under each relationship.
Missouri Seller's Disclosure Statement. A state-required residential property disclosure with statutory exemptions and buyer-rescission rights tied to delivery timing. The exam tests the mechanics in scenario form.
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.
Missouri fair housing. Federal Fair Housing layered with the Missouri Human Rights Act (Mo. Rev. Stat. Chapter 213), which includes ancestry and disability protections beyond the federal list.
Missouri Merchandising Practices Act applied to real estate. Chapter 407 of the Missouri Revised Statutes is the state's general consumer protection statute. Real estate transactions can fall within its scope, creating private causes of action with the potential for attorney's fees. The exam tests the basics for licensees.

Standout state-specific content

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

The two-phase licensure pathway. Most states have one pre-license course before the exam. Missouri has a 48-hour course before plus a 24-hour MREP course after the exam, with both required for license issuance. The structure shows up in license-law scenario questions on the exam.
The 70/75 asymmetric thresholds with the 100/40 ratio. The state portion at 75% threshold on 40 items requires 30 correct, while the national at 70% on 100 items requires 70 correct. The state side is proportionally tougher on a per-item basis. Candidates who allocate study time evenly across sections (the obvious instinct given the 100 vs 40 ratio) tend to underperform on the state side.

§ 03 How to study

Missouri's 48-hour pre-license course covers the national and state outlines at introductory depth. The course is short enough that candidates often arrive at the exam with vocabulary but not depth on the state-specific content. The MREP course (taken after the exam) doesn't help with passing the exam; it prepares the new licensee for practice.

What works in Missouri is volume on practice questions tied to both the national outline and the MO state outline, with extra reps on the state portion to compensate for the higher 75% threshold. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of practice questions before sitting.

Passd's Missouri question bank is organized by both national and state content areas, with per-area accuracy tracked so you know whether your weak spot is agency disclosure, the Seller's Disclosure Statement, the Merchandising Practices Act, 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 Missouri:

Read the Missouri Broker Disclosure Form. MREC publishes it. The before-specific-services timing rule is testable in scenario form.
Drill the state portion at 75% intensity. Most candidates split study time roughly proportional to question count (so 100/40 implies more national study). Missouri's 75% state threshold means the state portion deserves disproportionate study time relative to its question share.
Skip MREP material in your exam prep. The 24-hour MREP course is required after passing the exam, not before. It teaches applied Missouri practice. Studying its content for the exam is wasted effort; the exam tests the 48-hour pre-license content plus integration.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

The Missouri salesperson exam is administered at PSI testing centers across Missouri (St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia, and additional locations). You schedule directly through PSI after the Missouri 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 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 post-exam phase: completing the 24-hour MREP, 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. A passing score expires if the MREP and the license application aren't completed within the Commission's published window.

§ 05 Common mistakes

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

Treating the 48-hour course as the entire study plan. The course covers vocabulary; the exam tests applied judgment. Candidates who don't supplement with practice question volume tend to underperform.
Splitting study time proportional to question count. 100 national + 40 state suggests 70/30 study time allocation. The 75% state threshold pushes the right allocation closer to 60/40 or even 55/45 in favor of the state side.
Confusing the MREP with pre-license preparation. The 24-hour MREP is post-exam and doesn't help with passing the exam. Candidates who studied MREP content thinking it would prepare them tend to be over-studied on practice topics and under-studied on the law and disclosure topics the exam tests.
Skimming the Missouri Broker Disclosure Form timing. The form must be presented before specific real estate services are performed. Late delivery is testable misconduct.
Underestimating the Merchandising Practices Act overlap. Chapter 407 applies to real estate transactions in some scenarios. The exam tests the basics; candidates who skipped it lose points.
Letting the passing score expire. A passing score expires if the MREP and the license application aren't completed within the Commission's published window. Candidates who pass and then delay can lose the score and have to retake.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

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

140 multiple-choice questions: 100 on the national portion and 40 on the Missouri state portion.

How is the exam scored?

70% required on the national portion (70/100) AND 75% required on the state portion (30/40), scored independently. Failing one section means failing the exam.

How long is the exam?

240 minutes (4 hours) total.

What's the MREP and when do I take it?

The Missouri Real Estate Practice (MREP) course is a 24-hour applied-practice course required after passing the salesperson exam but before the license issues. It's separate from the 48-hour pre-license course. The MREP does not help with passing the exam.

Where do I take the exam?

At a PSI testing center in Missouri (St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Columbia, and additional locations).

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

48 hours of Missouri Real Estate Commission-approved Salesperson Pre-License coursework, completed at an approved school before submitting the salesperson application and scheduling the exam.

What's the total seat time before licensure?

72 hours total: 48 hours of pre-license education before the exam, plus 24 hours of MREP after passing the exam.

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 Missouri exam fee?

$62 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 Missouri. 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 6 months. If you pass national but fail state (or vice versa), you have 6 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 Missouri-specific Passd Score plus which MREC content areas need work. Free, no credit card.

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