OHOhio

Real estate exam prep

At a glance

The exam, in numbers.

Questions: 120 multiple-choice (80 national + 40 state)
Time: 180 minutes (3 hours)
Passing score: 70% on EACH section, scored independently
Pre-license education: 100 hours, Ohio Division of Real Estate-approved (reduced from 120 hours per HB 238, effective April 9, 2025)
License type: Salesperson (entry-level; brokers take a separate exam under different prerequisites)
Administered by: PSI Services LLC on behalf of the Ohio Division of Real Estate
Format: computer-based testing at PSI centers across Ohio, or remote online proctored
Result: issued at the testing center (or upon completion online); pass/fail per section with numeric score per section
Exam fee: $63 (combined Ohio and national)
Exam fee: $63 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

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

As of April 9, 2025, Ohio's pre-license education requirement for a salesperson dropped from 120 hours to 100 hours. The change came in House Bill 238, which the Ohio General Assembly passed to align Ohio's licensing curriculum with regulatory updates and to reduce the pre-license burden by twenty hours of coursework. Anyone who completed 120 hours under the old rule is grandfathered; anyone enrolling in pre-license coursework on or after the effective date follows the 100-hour curriculum. The exam itself didn't change in question count or scoring, but the curriculum the exam is built against did, which means study materials written before April 2025 may include topics that are no longer in the required course.

The Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing (part of the Ohio Department of Commerce) regulates the license. PSI administers the exam, with both in-person testing centers across Ohio and a remote-online-proctored option. The format is 120 multiple-choice questions over 180 minutes, scored as 80 national items + 40 state items. The passing score is 70%, and Ohio scores the national and state sections independently.

This guide walks through the Ohio exam content, how to study under the post-2025 curriculum, and what exam day looks like at a PSI center.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 8, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

Ohio's exam runs in two scored sections, with the national portion (80 items) covering general real estate principles and the state portion (40 items) covering Ohio-specific licensing law, agency, and regulations. The national portion follows PSI's standard national outline used in many other states; the state portion is anchored on Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4735 and the Ohio Administrative Code rules promulgated by the Ohio Real Estate Commission.

National portion (80 scored items)

The national portion tests general real estate principles candidates already encountered in the 100-hour pre-license curriculum: real property characteristics, ownership and title, value and appraisal, contracts and agency, real estate practice, disclosures and environmental issues, financing and settlement, and math. Ohio candidates often see national questions where the fact pattern includes Ohio-specific overlays (Ohio's lien-theory mechanics for mortgages, the Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form, Ohio Civil Rights protections layered on federal Fair Housing). Knowing the Ohio overlay is the difference between passing and failing the national side, even though the section is officially "national" content.

State portion (40 scored items)

The state portion is anchored on Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4735 and the related Ohio Administrative Code rules. The major topic areas:

Ohio license law and the Real Estate Commission. ORC Chapter 4735, the structure and powers of the Ohio Real Estate Commission, the Ohio Division of Real Estate's enforcement role, the salesperson-broker affiliation rules, and the standards for license issuance, renewal, suspension, and revocation.
Agency and the Ohio Agency Disclosure Statement. Ohio recognizes seller agency, buyer agency, and dual agency. The Ohio Agency Disclosure Statement (a form prescribed by the Division) must be presented at specific points in the transaction. Dual agency requires informed written consent from both parties. The exam tests the timing rules and the form mechanics in scenario questions.
Ohio-specific contracts and disclosures. The Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form (required for most residential transfers under ORC 5302.30) is the centerpiece. The exam tests when it's required, what's exempt (estate transfers, foreclosures, certain trustee transfers), and the buyer's rescission rights if the seller delivers the form late.
Brokerage operations and trust accounts. Trust account rules, escrow handling, advertising compliance, supervision of salespersons, and the standards for record retention. Ohio's trust account rules are detailed and tested directly.
Ohio Civil Rights and fair housing. State protected classes that go beyond the federal Fair Housing Act, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission's role, and how state and federal fair housing law layer in practice.
License law violations and disciplinary procedure. Grounds for suspension and revocation, the complaint and investigation process at the Division, and the Ohio Real Estate Recovery Fund (Ohio operates a recovery fund similar in concept to several other states', with statutory caps and procedural rules the exam can test).

§ 03 How to study

The Ohio post-2025 100-hour curriculum is the foundation, but it covers each topic in isolation. The exam tests integration: a single question can pull from agency, contracts, and ORC Chapter 4735 in the same fact pattern. Candidates who studied each course module without integrating tend to underperform.

What works in Ohio is volume on practice questions tied to the post-HB 238 curriculum, with extra reps on the Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form, the Ohio Agency Disclosure Statement, and ORC Chapter 4735 violations. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of Ohio-specific multiple-choice questions before sitting.

Passd's Ohio question bank is organized by Ohio Division of Real Estate content area, with per-area accuracy tracked so you know whether your weak spot is agency, the Disclosure Form, brokerage operations, 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 Ohio:

Read the Ohio Agency Disclosure Statement and the Ohio Residential Property Disclosure Form. Both are published by the Ohio Division of Real Estate. Reading them once with attention to the timing rules beats reading three different study guides that summarize them.
Know what HB 238 changed and what it didn't. The 100-hour curriculum dropped some topics that older study materials still cover, and Ohio test-prep books published before April 2025 are increasingly out of step with the current syllabus. Confirm any study guide you use was published or updated post-HB 238.
Decide between in-person and remote online proctored. PSI offers both in Ohio. Remote proctoring saves travel time but requires a quiet room with a webcam and a stable internet connection, plus a check-in process that adds time to the appointment. Pick the option that matches your test-environment tolerance.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

The Ohio salesperson exam is administered at PSI testing centers across Ohio (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and additional locations) and via PSI's remote online proctored option. You schedule directly through PSI after the Ohio Division of Real Estate has approved your pre-license course completion and authorized you to test.

On exam day:

Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled in-person appointment, or log in to the PSI remote proctoring platform with the lead time PSI specifies.
Bring two forms of valid signature identification, one of them government-issued with photo (driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID). The names must match your application.
Personal items go in a locker at PSI centers. Phones, smart watches, study materials, food, and bound notes stay outside the testing room. The remote proctoring rules cover the same items in the testing space.
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 immediately after the exam (or display on screen for remote proctoring). The report shows pass or fail per section (national and state separately) plus your numeric score on each. Passing scores remain valid within the Ohio Division of Real Estate's published licensure window; if you fail one section you can retake just that section, paying the per-section fee each time.

§ 05 Common mistakes

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

Studying from materials that predate HB 238. Ohio test-prep books and study guides published before April 2025 reflect the old 120-hour curriculum and may include topics that aren't tested anymore. Confirm publication date on every study resource.
Treating the state portion as a sidebar. 40 items on the state portion is one third of the scored exam, but it carries 50% of the pass weight because of the dual-section rule. A 90% national paired with a 65% state is a fail.
Skimming the Residential Property Disclosure Form. ORC 5302.30 requires the form for most residential transfers, with specific exemptions and a buyer-rescission right tied to delivery timing. The exam tests the exact mechanics: when delivery is required, what counts as delivery, what triggers rescission.
Confusing dual agency with designated agency. Ohio allows both, but the consent rules and the broker's role differ. Candidates who learned a national agency model without the Ohio variant miss the scenario questions.
Underestimating the Ohio Civil Rights overlay. Ohio adds protected classes and applies fair housing rules to additional transactions beyond the federal Fair Housing Act. Studying federal Fair Housing alone leaves state-specific points on the table.
Picking remote proctoring without a quiet room. PSI's remote option works well in a dedicated quiet space, less well in a shared apartment or office. Failing the environment check at log-in costs an appointment.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

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

120 multiple-choice questions: 80 on the national portion and 40 on the Ohio 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. Failing one section means failing the exam.

How long is the exam?

180 minutes (3 hours) total.

Did Ohio's pre-license requirement actually drop to 100 hours?

Yes. Ohio HB 238, effective April 9, 2025, reduced the salesperson pre-license requirement from 120 hours to 100 hours. The reduction applies to candidates enrolling in pre-license coursework on or after the effective date.

Where do I take the exam?

At a PSI testing center in Ohio (Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and additional locations), or via PSI's remote online proctored option. You select when you schedule.

What's the exam fee?

$63 for the combined Ohio and national exam. Retakes of a single section are billed per section.

Can I take the exam remotely?

Yes. The Ohio Division of Real Estate partnered with PSI to offer remote online proctored exams in addition to the traditional in-person testing centers. Both options score identically.

How much is the Ohio exam fee?

$63 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 Ohio. 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 Ohio-specific Passd Score plus which Division of Real Estate content areas need work. Free, no credit card.

Start the Ohio diagnostic