NHNew Hampshire

Real estate exam prep

At a glance

The exam, in numbers.

Questions: 120 multiple-choice (80 national + 40 state)
Time: 240 minutes (4 hours)
Passing score: 70% on EACH section (56/80 national AND 28/40 state), scored independently
Pre-license education: 40 hours, NH 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 NH Real Estate Commission
Format: computer-based testing at PSI centers in NH and the surrounding metro
Result: issued at the testing center; pass/fail per section with numeric score per section
Retake limit: 8 attempts in a 6-month window from initial application; reapplication required after the window or limit
Exam fee: $120 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

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

New Hampshire is one of the few US states whose real estate licensing rules explicitly cap the number of retake attempts a candidate can make within a defined window. The New Hampshire Real Estate Commission's exam policy under Rea 100-700 limits candidates to 8 attempts at the salesperson exam within a 6-month period running from the initial application date. After 8 attempts within the window, or after the 6-month window expires, the candidate must reapply, pay a new application fee, and complete additional remedial education before scheduling another attempt. Most state real estate exams either don't impose an explicit retake cap or rely on per-attempt fees as the soft limit. NH codifies the cap, and the structure shows up in license-law scenario questions on the exam.

The exam is administered by PSI Services LLC on behalf of the New Hampshire Real Estate Commission. The format is 120 multiple-choice questions over 240 minutes, scored as 80 national + 40 state. The passing standard is 70% on each section, scored independently (you need 56 correct of 80 national items AND 28 correct of 40 state items). The pre-license requirement is 40 hours, tied with Michigan and Massachusetts for one of the lowest in the country.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 9, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

NH runs the exam in two scored sections, with the national portion (80 items) covering general real estate principles and the state portion (40 items) covering NH-specific licensing law and regulations. The state portion is anchored on NH RSA Chapter 331-A and the Commission rules at Rea 100-700.

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. NH candidates should know the state operates under a title-theory model with mortgages as the standard instrument, and the NH Property Disclosure layers on top of national disclosure content.

State portion (40 scored items)

The state portion is anchored on NH RSA Chapter 331-A and Rea 100-700. The major topic areas:

License Law and the NH Real Estate Commission. RSA Chapter 331-A, the Commission's structure, the salesperson-broker affiliation rules, the 8-retake / 6-month window policy, license issuance and renewal cycles, continuing education requirements, and the standards for license suspension and revocation.
Agency in NH. New Hampshire recognizes seller agency, buyer agency, dual agency (with informed written consent), and disclosed dual agency. The Brokerage Relationships disclosure must be presented to a buyer or seller before specific real estate services are performed.
NH Property Disclosure. Required for most residential transfers under NH RSA 477:4-c, with statutory exemptions.
Trust accounts under Commission supervision. NH's escrow account rules require the broker to maintain a separate clients' funds account at an NH-chartered or federally chartered insured institution.
NH fair housing and the Law Against Discrimination. Federal Fair Housing layered with NH RSA Chapter 354-A (Law Against Discrimination), which adds protected classes including marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Standout state-specific content

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

The 8-retake / 6-month window policy. Most state exam policies don't cap retakes explicitly. NH does, and the structure shows up in license-law scenario questions on what happens when a candidate exhausts the cap (reapplication, additional remedial education, new fees).
The 40-hour pre-license depth question. NH's 40-hour requirement is one of the lowest in the country, and candidates often arrive at the exam with vocabulary but not depth. The exam tests integration that the short course can't drill thoroughly.

§ 03 How to study

NH's 40-hour pre-license course is short, which means it covers the content outline at a higher level of abstraction than longer-state pre-license courses. Candidates often arrive with vocabulary but not depth. The fix is volume on practice questions tied to both the national and state outlines, with extra reps on NH-specific content the short course can't drill in depth.

What works in NH is treating the 40-hour course as the introduction and the practice question bank as the actual study. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of practice questions before sitting, with concentrated reps on the Brokerage Relationships disclosure timing and the NH Law Against Discrimination protected classes.

Passd's New Hampshire 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 Brokerage Relationships disclosure, the Property Disclosure, fair housing, 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 New Hampshire:

Read the Brokerage Relationships disclosure form. The Commission publishes it. The before-specific-services timing rule is testable in scenario form.
Plan around the 8-retake cap. Eight attempts in a 6-month window is more generous than most candidates need, but the cap exists. Practice question volume up front reduces the chance of approaching it.
Study NH Law Against Discrimination protected classes. State-level protections include marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity beyond the federal list.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

The NH salesperson exam is administered at PSI testing centers in NH and the surrounding metro (Concord, Manchester, Portsmouth-area, plus Massachusetts centers near the border). You schedule directly through PSI after the 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, within the 8-retake / 6-month window.

§ 05 Common mistakes

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

Treating the 40-hour course as full preparation. NH's pre-license is one of the shortest in the country. The exam tests applied judgment that the short course can't drill in depth. Practice question volume bridges the gap.
Hitting the 8-retake cap unprepared. The cap exists in NH's rules. Candidates who burn attempts trying to read into the test format rather than studying lose retake credits and may approach the cap before passing.
Missing the Brokerage Relationships disclosure timing. The form must be presented before the licensee provides specific real estate services. Late delivery is testable misconduct.
Underestimating the NH Law Against Discrimination protected classes. State-level protections include marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity beyond the federal list.
Confusing dual agency with disclosed dual agency. NH recognizes both, with different consent rules. The exam tests the distinctions in scenario form.
Showing up without an unexpired ID or with a name mismatch. PSI turns candidates away for ID problems.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the New Hampshire real estate salesperson exam?

120 multiple-choice questions: 80 on the national portion and 40 on the New Hampshire state portion.

How is the exam scored?

70% required on EACH section, scored independently. You need 56 correct of 80 national items AND 28 correct of 40 state items.

How long is the exam?

240 minutes (4 hours) total.

What's the retake limit?

8 attempts within a 6-month window from the initial application date. After the limit or the window expires, candidates must reapply, pay a new application fee, and complete additional remedial education before scheduling another attempt.

Where do I take the exam?

At a PSI testing center in New Hampshire (Concord, Manchester, Portsmouth-area) or at PSI centers in nearby Massachusetts.

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

40 hours of New Hampshire Real Estate Commission-approved coursework, completed at an approved school before submitting the salesperson application.

Can I retake just the section I failed?

Yes. PSI allows retakes of the failed section only, with a per-section fee, within the 8-retake / 6-month window.

What happens if I exhaust the 8-retake window?

The application expires after the 8th attempt or the 6-month window's close, whichever comes first. To continue pursuing the license, the candidate must reapply through the New Hampshire Real Estate Commission, pay a new application fee, and complete additional remedial education at a Commission-approved school. The remedial requirement reflects the Commission's posture that repeated failures indicate a need for more substantive preparation, not just more attempts at the test.

Why does New Hampshire have such a low pre-license requirement?

The 40-hour requirement reflects the legislature's view that the exam itself is the gate, not seat-time. Tied with Michigan and Massachusetts for the lowest pre-license in the country, New Hampshire's framework expects candidates to combine the foundational coursework with substantial supplementary practice on their own. The 8-retake cap is the secondary discipline: candidates who haven't done the supplementary work tend to burn through retake attempts.

Can I take the exam in Massachusetts if I'm a New Hampshire candidate?

Yes. PSI's testing centers near the NH-Massachusetts border are reachable for NH candidates, and the New Hampshire Real Estate Commission accepts exam results from PSI's network. The exam itself is the same regardless of which PSI center the candidate uses; the result reports back to the Commission for licensure processing.

How much is the New Hampshire exam fee?

$120 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 New Hampshire. 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 New Hampshire-specific Passd Score plus which Real Estate Commission content areas need work. Free, no credit card.

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