SCSouth Carolina

Real estate exam prep

At a glance

The exam, in numbers.

Questions: 120 multiple-choice (80 national + 40 state)
Time: 200 minutes (3 hours 20 minutes)
Passing score: 70% on EACH section (56/80 national AND 28/40 state), scored independently
Pre-license education before exam: 60 hours, Real Estate Unit I (Principles), SCREC-approved
Post-exam education before license: 30 hours, Real Estate Unit II (Advanced Principles), SCREC-approved (within six months of passing the exam)
License type: Real Estate Salesperson (entry-level; brokers take a separate exam)
Administered by: PSI Services LLC on behalf of SCREC
Format: computer-based testing at PSI centers across South Carolina
Result: issued at the testing center; pass/fail per section with numeric score per section
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

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

South Carolina splits the salesperson education requirement into a 60-hour Real Estate Unit I (Principles) course taken before the exam, and a 30-hour Real Estate Unit II (Advanced Principles) course taken after the candidate passes the exam but before the South Carolina Real Estate Commission issues the license. Total seat-time is 90 hours, but the order is fixed: Unit I first, then the exam, then Unit II, then licensure. The two-phase pathway has practical consequences. A candidate who passes the exam after Unit I has six months under SCREC's published rules to complete Unit II and submit the license application, otherwise the passing score expires and the candidate has to retake the exam. The 30-hour Unit II is therefore not optional follow-on coursework; it's an active deadline against the score's validity.

The exam is administered by PSI Services LLC on behalf of the South Carolina Real Estate Commission (SCREC), which sits within the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The format is 120 multiple-choice questions over 200 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).

This guide walks through the SCREC content outline, how to study under the two-phase structure, and what exam day looks like at a PSI center.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 9, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

South Carolina 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 South Carolina-specific licensing law and regulations. The state portion is anchored on S.C. Code of Laws Title 40 Chapter 57 and the SCREC regulations at S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 105.

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. South Carolina candidates should know the state operates under a title-theory model with mortgages as the standard instrument, and the SC Residential Property Condition Disclosure Statement layers on top of national disclosure content in many scenario questions.

State portion (40 scored items)

The state portion is anchored on S.C. Code Title 40 Chapter 57 and S.C. Code of Regulations Chapter 105. The major topic areas:

License Law and SCREC. Title 40 Chapter 57, the Commission's structure and powers, the Salesperson / Broker-Associate / Broker / Broker-in-Charge tier structure (South Carolina has a four-tier framework), license issuance and renewal cycles, continuing education requirements, and the standards for license suspension and revocation.
Agency in South Carolina. South Carolina recognizes seller agency, buyer agency, dual agency (with informed written consent), and designated agency. The Agency Disclosure Brochure must be presented at the first practical opportunity, and signed before the customer becomes a client. The exam tests the disclosure timing and the duties owed under each relationship.
South Carolina Residential Property Condition Disclosure. Required under S.C. Code § 27-50-30 for most residential transfers. Statutory exemptions apply (estate transfers, foreclosures, certain trustee transfers). The exam tests when delivery is required and the buyer's recourse for late or omitted delivery.
Trust accounts under SCREC supervision. South Carolina requires that broker-in-charge maintain trust accounts at federally insured institutions, with specific deposit-timing rules under SCREC regulations. The interest on trust accounts is governed by SC's Interest on Real Estate Trust Accounts (IORETA) program, which directs interest to a fund that supports affordable housing and consumer protection. The exam tests the IORETA mechanics directly.
South Carolina fair housing. Federal Fair Housing layered with the South Carolina Fair Housing Law (S.C. Code § 31-21), which adds protected classes consistent with the federal list and includes specific enforcement mechanisms through the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission.
Vacation rental and timeshare regulation. South Carolina has a robust coastal vacation market (Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, Charleston). The Vacation Time Sharing Plans Act and the Vacation Rental Act create specific disclosure and registration requirements. The exam tests the basics for licensees handling these transactions.

Standout state-specific content

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

The four-tier licensee structure. South Carolina has Salesperson, Broker-Associate, Broker, and Broker-in-Charge as distinct tiers, with the Broker-in-Charge designation carrying specific firm-level responsibilities for trust account compliance and supervision. Most states have two or three tiers; SC's four-tier framework is testable in detail.
The IORETA program and trust account interest. South Carolina directs the interest earned on broker trust accounts to the IORETA fund, which supports affordable housing and consumer protection programs. The mechanics of which accounts are subject to IORETA, how the interest is calculated and remitted, and the broker's reporting obligations are testable.

§ 03 How to study

South Carolina's 60-hour Unit I covers the national and state outlines at the level the exam tests. Unit II (30 hours, post-exam) covers applied South Carolina practice and prepares the new licensee for actual transactions; it doesn't help with passing the exam. The study focus before the exam is Unit I plus supplementary practice on the state-specific content the course can't drill in depth.

What works in South Carolina is volume on practice questions tied to both the national outline and the SC state outline, with extra reps on the four-tier licensee structure, the Agency Disclosure Brochure timing, the IORETA trust account mechanics, and the Vacation Rental Act. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of practice questions before sitting.

Passd's South Carolina 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 four-tier structure, IORETA, 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 South Carolina:

Read the Agency Disclosure Brochure end-to-end. SCREC publishes it. The first-practical-opportunity timing rule is testable in scenario form.
Memorize the IORETA mechanics. Which accounts qualify, the interest treatment, the remittance schedule, and the broker reporting obligations are all testable. Generic trust account study materials don't cover IORETA.
Plan around the six-month Unit II deadline. Passing the exam without Unit II in progress puts the score on a six-month clock. Schedule Unit II before sitting for the exam if possible, so the post-exam deadline doesn't catch you between the test and the license application.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

The South Carolina salesperson exam is administered at PSI testing centers across South Carolina (Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, and additional locations). You schedule directly through PSI after SCREC has approved your Unit I 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 SCREC 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 start the six-month Unit II clock; the license issues after Unit II completion plus SCREC application, broker-in-charge 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

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

Treating Unit II as separate from the exam timeline. Passing the exam without a plan for Unit II completion within six months means losing the score. Many candidates pass and then encounter the deadline before Unit II is scheduled.
Missing the four-tier structure. South Carolina has Salesperson, Broker-Associate, Broker, and Broker-in-Charge tiers. The Broker-in-Charge carries supervisory and trust-account responsibilities the other tiers don't. Candidates who imported a two-tier (salesperson/broker) mental model from another state miss the tier-specific scenario questions.
Skimming IORETA. South Carolina's Interest on Real Estate Trust Accounts program is testable in detail. Generic national trust account study materials don't cover it.
Underestimating the Vacation Rental Act and Time Sharing Plans Act. South Carolina's coastal market produces a meaningful share of vacation-rental and timeshare transactions. The disclosure and registration mechanics are testable.
Confusing dual agency and designated agency. SC permits both, but the consent rules and the broker-in-charge's role differ. 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. Names on the IDs must match the SCREC application exactly.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the South Carolina real estate salesperson exam?

120 multiple-choice questions: 80 on the national portion and 40 on the South Carolina 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?

200 minutes (3 hours 20 minutes) total.

What's the difference between Unit I and Unit II?

Unit I (60 hours) is the foundational pre-license course required before sitting for the exam. Unit II (30 hours) covers Advanced Real Estate Principles and is required after passing the exam but before the license can issue. The exam tests Unit I content; Unit II prepares you for practice.

Where do I take the exam?

At a PSI testing center in South Carolina (Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, and additional locations).

How long is my passing score valid?

Six months from the exam date for purposes of completing Unit II and filing the salesperson license application with SCREC.

What's IORETA?

The Interest on Real Estate Trust Accounts program. Interest earned on broker trust accounts is directed to a state fund that supports affordable housing and consumer protection programs. The exam tests the mechanics directly.

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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina. You can reschedule with PSI as soon as a slot is available.

Ready to see how prepared you are?

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

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