PassProfessor’s Ohio program. The 16,514-question Ohio practice bank is built to PSI’s current content outlines, and enrollment is open. Use this guide to plan your path to the exam.
The Ohio salesperson exam, in one paragraph
The Ohio real estate salesperson exam is a two-portion, computer-based licensing exam administered by PSI Services LLC for the Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing. In a single session you take an 80-question national portion in 120 minutes and a 40-question Ohio portion in 60 minutes — 120 scored questions and three hours in total. Each portion is scored separately, and you must reach 70% on each portion — 56 of 80 nationally, 28 of 40 on Ohio law — to pass. You become eligible by completing 100 hours of pre-licensing education, securing a sponsoring Ohio broker, applying to the Division online, and completing a fingerprint-based criminal records check; both portions must then be passed within 12 months of the date on your initial Candidate Information Bulletin.
Who can take the Ohio salesperson exam?
Ohio law (Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4735) sets the qualifications. To be licensed as a salesperson, and to sit for the exam, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Be a United States citizen or a legal alien (legal aliens must provide proof of status).
- Be honest and truthful — the Division’s character standard, applied through the application and background check.
- Have no disqualifying criminal offense, as determined under Ohio Revised Code section 9.79.
- Have no un-remedied civil-rights adjudication: if a court has finally adjudged you to have violated municipal, state, or federal civil rights laws protecting purchasers or sellers of real estate, at least two years must have passed and the superintendent must have disregarded the adjudication on proof of honesty and truthfulness.
- Have no un-remedied violation of Ohio’s license law from any period when you were previously licensed, unless the superintendent is satisfied you will not violate it again.
- Hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, as recognized by the Ohio Department of Education, if you were born after 1950.
- Be sponsored by an Ohio broker. A salesperson license is held under a broker; the sponsorship is part of the application.
- Complete 100 hours of pre-licensing education (detailed below) before applying.
- Submit fingerprints for a criminal records check covering both Ohio (BCI) and federal (FBI) records, and complete that background check within 10 days of submitting your application. The fingerprint fee is paid by the applicant.
The 100 hours, exactly. Ohio reduced salesperson pre-licensing education from 120 hours to 100 hours effective April 9, 2025. The current requirement, per PSI’s current candidate bulletin, is:
| Required course | Hours |
|---|---|
| Real Estate Principles and Practices | 40 |
| Ohio Real Estate Law, including instruction in civil rights, housing discrimination, and desegregation problems | 40 |
| Real Estate Appraisal | 10 |
| Real Estate Finance | 10 |
| Total | 100 |
One exception is printed in the bulletin itself: the Ohio Real Estate Law course is not required of an applicant admitted to the practice of law before the Supreme Court of Ohio. Older guides that still describe 120 hours — or 20-hour appraisal and finance courses — are describing the pre-April-2025 requirement. (Certificates for 20-hour finance and appraisal courses completed before April 9, 2025 remain valid.)
PassProfessor note: our program is exam preparation only. It provides none of the 100 hours of pre-licensing education credit — those courses are taken from an approved education provider before you apply.
The exam, piece by piece
Both portions are built from the content outlines in PSI’s Ohio Candidate Information Bulletin (copyright 2026, revision dated 7/1/2026). The outlines name every topic the exam can test and the weight each carries. Salesperson candidates are tested on the salesperson outline; a few subtopics in the bulletin are marked broker-only and do not appear on the salesperson exam.
The national portion (80 scored questions, 120 minutes)
| Outline area | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| I. Property Ownership | 10% (about 8 questions) | Real and personal property; land characteristics and legal descriptions (metes and bounds, lot and block, government survey); encumbrances — liens, easements, encroachments; types of ownership, from severalty and joint tenancy to condominiums, trusts, and life estates |
| II. Land Use Controls | 5% (about 4) | Government rights in land (taxation, eminent domain, escheat); zoning, building codes, subdivision and environmental controls; private controls — deed restrictions, CC&Rs, association rules |
| III. Valuation | 8% (about 6) | Appraisals and when a licensed or certified appraiser is required; the sales comparison, cost, and income approaches; comparative market analysis, BPOs, and automated valuation models |
| IV. Financing | 10% (about 8) | Points, LTV, PMI, and PITI; underwriting; loan types from conventional and ARM to FHA, VA, and USDA; RESPA, Regulation Z, TRID, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act |
| V. Contracts | 19% (about 15) | The largest national area: contract formation and enforceability, the Statute of Frauds, options, purchase and lease agreements, contingencies, and the handling of multiple offers and counteroffers |
| VI. Agency | 13% (about 10) | How agency is created, listing and buyer-brokerage agreements, fiduciary duties, duties to customers, and agency and conflict-of-interest disclosures |
| VII. Property Disclosures | 7% (about 6) | Seller property-condition disclosure, inspection red flags, environmental issues, and disclosure of material facts and defects |
| VIII. Property Management | 3% (about 2) | Tenant procurement and qualification, fair housing and ADA compliance in management, rent analysis, and landlord–tenant rights and obligations (several trust-account and contract subtopics are broker-only) |
| IX. Transfer of Title | 6% (about 5) | Deeds, title insurance and searches, marketable title, the closing process and recordation, and foreclosure, short-sale, and probate transfers |
| X. Practice of Real Estate | 12% (about 10) | Federal fair housing law and prohibited conduct, antitrust, Do-Not-Call, employee vs. independent contractor status, handling funds of others, and protection of confidential information (supervisory duties are broker-only) |
| XI. Real Estate Calculations | 7% (about 6) | Seller’s net, buyer funds at closing, prorations, transfer fees, PITI estimates, equity, capitalization rate, loan-to-value, discount points and origination fees |
The Ohio state portion (40 scored questions, 60 minutes)
| Outline area | Questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| State Governance of the Real Estate Profession | 4 | The governing bodies’ powers and structure, audits of records, investigations, hearings and appeals, violations and penalties, and the Real Estate Recovery Fund |
| Licensing Requirements | 6 | Activities requiring a license, renewal and maintenance, license-status changes (military, retired, inactive), post-license education, and continuing education |
| License Law and Rules of the Ohio Real Estate Commission | 16 | The largest Ohio area: advertising and business-name rules, broker/salesperson agreements, commissions paid through the broker only, document handling and record keeping, handling of money and items of value, listing types and rules, offers and counteroffers including electronic documents, inducements, property management and rentals, and Ohio fair housing (trust/special accounts, the broker lien law, ancillary trustee, and license display are broker-only) |
| Brokerage Relationships (Agency Law) | 14 | Creating agency, licensee duties to clients and customers, termination, confidentiality, agency disclosure, dealing in your own property, unauthorized practice of law, false representations of status or expertise, and the Canon of Ethics |
| Total scored | 40 |
Three structural facts that shape how you should prepare:
- Contracts and agency dominate the national portion. Contracts alone is 19% — about 15 questions — and contracts plus agency is roughly a third of the national score.
- The Ohio portion is two subjects wearing four labels. License Law and Rules (16) plus Brokerage Relationships (14) are 30 of the 40 Ohio questions. Ohio advertising rules, commission handling, agency disclosure, and the Canon of Ethics are where the Ohio score is won or lost — and none of it appears in a national textbook.
- There are two scores, not one. Each portion must reach 70% on its own. A 90% national performance does not rescue a 65% Ohio performance; you retake the Ohio portion.
Experimental questions. In addition to the scored items, PSI may administer a small number — 5 to 10 — of unscored “experimental” questions during the exam. They are tryout questions for future exams, they are not identified, they do not affect your score, and they do count against your examination time. The only correct strategy is to treat every question as scored and keep your pace.
One best answer. PSI’s instruction is explicit: some options may be appropriate, but only one is the BEST answer — the most complete resolution of the situation presented. Questions that feel like they have two defensible answers are usually testing whether you can rank them.
The passing standard, explained
The passing standard is 70% on each portion: at least 56 of the 80 national questions and 28 of the 40 Ohio questions, per the Examination Summary Table in PSI’s current bulletin and Ohio Administrative Code 1301:5-1-05(E).
Four consequences follow from how Ohio structures it:
- The portions do not average. Passing is portion by portion. Your study plan needs two readiness checks — one per portion — not one blended score.
- Both passes must land inside one 12-month window, counted from the date on the label of your initial Candidate Information Bulletin. Pass the national portion early and let the window close before you pass the Ohio portion, and the earlier pass is lost with the file.
- Your result is immediate. Your score is displayed on screen at the end of the examination, and a score report is emailed to you. If you do not pass, the emailed report includes diagnostic information showing your strengths and weaknesses by examination type — the starting point for a retake plan.
- Practice above the line, not on it. Because 70% of 40 Ohio questions leaves a margin of only 12 questions, small weaknesses in one Ohio area — advertising rules, say — can decide the portion. Aim for practice performance comfortably above 70% in every area of both portions before you sit.
Fees and registration, step by step
Keep the payments separate — they go to different places at different times.
| Payment | Amount | Paid to | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salesperson Examination Application | $81 | Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing | When you apply for exam eligibility (before scheduling) |
| Exam fee — both portions in one session | $66 | PSI | When you schedule |
| Exam fee — national portion only | $46 | PSI | When you schedule a single-portion sitting |
| Exam fee — Ohio portion only | $43 | PSI | When you schedule a single-portion sitting |
| Fingerprint criminal records check | Fee set by the fingerprint provider, paid by the applicant | The BCI-approved fingerprint provider | Within 10 days of submitting your application |
Exam fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable, and PSI will forfeit your fee if you do not test within one year of the date PSI receives it.
The sequence, in order:
- Complete your 100 hours of pre-licensing education with an approved provider, and line up your sponsoring Ohio broker.
- Apply to the Division online. Submit the License Exam Application through the eLicense portal (lpi.elicense.ohio.gov) with the $81 fee and proof of your completed education. Paper applications are not accepted.
- Get fingerprinted within 10 days of submitting the application — a complete set of fingerprint impressions for the BCI and FBI criminal records check, sent as the application instructs. Do not leave this step for later; the 10-day clock is part of the eligibility process.
- Wait for the Division to process your eligibility. If approved, PSI mails you the Candidate Information Bulletin identifying the examinations you are eligible for, with registration and scheduling instructions.
- Schedule with PSI — online at test-takers.psiexams.com/ohre or by phone at (855) 834-8749 — choosing a test center or remote online proctoring, and pay the exam fee. The first and last name on your PSI account must match your government-issued ID exactly. Book both portions for the same session: Ohio requires both portions in one examination session unless you have previously passed one of them, and the combined $66 fee is cheaper than booking the portions separately.
- Take the exam. Arrive 30 minutes early with the required identification. Your score appears on screen when you finish, and your score report is emailed to you.
- After passing both portions, complete the licensing steps with the Division and your sponsoring broker. Then watch the next clock: within 12 months after your license is issued, you must complete 20 hours of post-licensure instruction covering practical subjects including commercial real estate, property management, land contracts, contract law, and fiduciary responsibility.
Changing an appointment. You may cancel and reschedule without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice reaches PSI 2 days before the scheduled examination date — by the PSI website or by speaking with a customer service representative (a voicemail message is not an acceptable cancellation). Miss the appointment, arrive late, arrive without proper identification, or cancel inside the 2-day window, and the fee is forfeited.
Retakes and score validity
- Retake only the portion you failed. Passing one portion and failing the other does not mean retaking both — but the retake follows a specific procedure, below.
- You re-apply to the Division first. Submit a retake application service request and the appropriate fee to the Division online (paper applications are not accepted). Only after the Division notifies PSI of your renewed eligibility can you register and schedule the retake with PSI. You will receive your failing score report at the examination site; its diagnostic information is your study plan for the attempt.
- The 12-month window keeps running. Your retake — and your pass — must fall within the 12 months that began with the date on your initial Candidate Information Bulletin. If you are over your eligibility period, you start the process over with a new Sales Exam Application, new fees, and both portions.
- Ohio law sets no cap on the number of retakes inside the window (Ohio Revised Code 4735.09(C)) — the binding limit is the calendar, not an attempt count. Each attempt still requires the retake application and fee, and the failed portion’s exam fee applies per sitting.
- A passed portion cannot be banked past the window. There is no separate multi-year score-validity period to rely on: the 12-month eligibility window is the validity period. Plan your first attempt early enough in the window to leave room for a retake.
Test day
- Arrive 30 minutes early. The extra time is for sign-in, identification, and orientation. Arrive after the examination start time and you may not be admitted — and the fee is forfeited.
- Bring one form of identification. It must bear your signature and photograph, be valid and unexpired, and match the name you scheduled with. The bulletin lists acceptable forms: a state-issued driver’s license, a state-issued identification card, a U.S. government-issued passport, U.S. government-issued military identification, a U.S. government-issued alien registration card, or Canadian government-issued ID. Arriving without proper documentation invalidates your registration and forfeits the fee.
- At a test center, PSI provides scratch paper and a pencil, which you return at check-out. Almost everything else is prohibited in the testing room: reference materials, phones and all other electronic devices (including handheld calculators and smart watches), hats and headgear not worn for religious reasons, bulky outerwear, bags, food, drinks, and personal items. Expect check-in inspections — pockets emptied, sleeves and pant legs checked, eyeglass frames inspected — and secure storage for anything you brought. Companions may not wait inside the examination center.
- Testing remotely instead? Remote online proctoring carries its own rules: run PSI’s compatibility check (audio, video, webcam, system) before your appointment; you may launch the test within 30 minutes of the booked time, and not starting within 15 minutes after the booked time forfeits the fee; no scratch paper is permitted; breaks are not allowed during remotely proctored examinations; you must stay in the camera’s view, keep your eyes on the screen, and not talk, whisper, or mouth words. If you cannot complete three hours without a break, the bulletin advises against registering for remote testing.
- During the exam, questions appear one at a time. You can enter comments on individual questions through the Comments link on the question screen; PSI reviews substantive comments but does not respond to individuals. Once seated at a test center, you may leave the room only for the restroom with the proctor’s permission, and the clock does not stop.
- Results are immediate. Your score is displayed on screen at the end, and your score report is emailed to you (and printable from your online account). Failing reports include diagnostics by examination type.
How to study for this exam
The outline is the syllabus — PSI publishes exactly what the exam covers, area by area, with weights. A plan built on that structure:
- Split your plan by portion from day one. Two portions, two 70% bars, one 12-month window. Track national readiness and Ohio readiness separately; a blended average will lie to you about the portion that is actually at risk.
- Give contracts its 19%. It is the single largest area on either portion — about 15 national questions on formation, enforceability, purchase and lease agreements, contingencies, and multiple-offer handling. It rewards worked examples, not skimming.
- Build the Ohio portion from Ohio sources. Thirty of its 40 questions sit in License Law and Rules and Brokerage Relationships: advertising and team-advertising rules, commissions paid through the broker only, document handling, handling money and items of value, agency creation and disclosure, confidentiality, and the Canon of Ethics. These are Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4735 and Ohio Administrative Code 1301:5 subjects — learn them as Ohio rules, not as national principles with Ohio names pasted on.
- Do the math until the setup is automatic. Real Estate Calculations (about 6 questions) plus the calculation threads inside Financing and Valuation mean prorations, PITI estimates, loan-to-value, discount points, and capitalization rates appear across the exam. The skill is setting the problem up correctly under time pressure.
- Practice at full length, in one sitting, against both clocks. 80 questions in 120 minutes, then 40 in 60 — with 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions mixed somewhere into your time. Full simulations teach pacing and the portion switch; short quizzes teach neither.
- Schedule inside your window with room to spare. Book your first attempt early enough in the 12-month eligibility window that a failed portion can be re-applied for, re-approved, and retaken before the window closes. The retake procedure runs through the Division first — it is not a same-week rebooking.
This program’s Ohio practice bank (16,514 questions — 11,075 national and 5,439 Ohio) is built area-by-area on this same outline, with fresh blueprint-weighted practice exams and drills for every outline area. The Ohio Real Estate Exam Prep program page shows the full coverage table and enrollment.
Verified questions
Every question in this program is original — written for PassProfessor from the official exam blueprint, never copied from a test bank or another provider’s materials. Before enrollment opened, each answer key was independently verified: reviewers re-answered sampled questions blind, disagreements were settled against the primary sources, and every numeric answer was recomputed from first principles. Questions whose facts could not be confirmed were removed, and the bank passed a text-overlap screen. Practice exams draw a fresh, blueprint-weighted set from the full bank on every attempt, so no two practice exams are the same.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Ohio real estate exam? 120 scored questions in one session: 80 on the national portion (120 minutes) and 40 on the Ohio portion (60 minutes). PSI may add 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions, which do not affect your score but do use your time.
What is the passing score for the Ohio real estate exam? 70% on each portion, separately — 56 of 80 on the national portion and 28 of 40 on the Ohio portion, per PSI’s current candidate bulletin and Ohio Administrative Code 1301:5-1-05(E). The portions do not average together.
How many hours of education does Ohio require before the exam? 100 hours, since April 9, 2025: Real Estate Principles and Practices (40), Ohio Real Estate Law including civil rights and housing discrimination (40), Real Estate Appraisal (10), and Real Estate Finance (10). The previous requirement was 120 hours; guides still showing 120 — or 20-hour appraisal and finance courses — are out of date.
How much does the Ohio real estate exam cost? The exam fee is $66 for both portions taken together in one session, paid to PSI ($46 national-only or $43 state-only if you sit one portion). Before that, the Division’s Salesperson Examination Application costs $81. The fingerprint criminal records check carries a separate fee, set by the fingerprint provider and paid by the applicant. Exam fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable.
How do I register for the Ohio real estate exam? In order: complete the 100 hours, secure a sponsoring broker, submit the License Exam Application to the Division through the eLicense portal with the $81 fee, get fingerprinted within 10 days, and — once the Division approves your eligibility and PSI sends your Candidate Information Bulletin — schedule with PSI online or at (855) 834-8749 and pay the exam fee.
Can I take the Ohio real estate exam online? Yes. PSI offers remote online proctoring as well as Ohio test centers. Remote testing has stricter rules — a pre-appointment compatibility check, no scratch paper, no breaks, and forfeiture if you do not start within 15 minutes of your booked time — so compare the bulletin’s remote rules with the test-center rules before choosing.
Do I have to take both portions on the same day? Yes, on a first attempt: Ohio requires both portions in the same examination session unless you have previously passed one of them. You cannot split a first attempt across two sittings.
What if I pass one portion and fail the other? You retake only the portion you failed. Submit a retake application service request and fee to the Division online; when the Division notifies PSI of your renewed eligibility, you schedule the retake. It must be completed within the original 12-month window.
How long do I have to pass both portions? Twelve months from the date on the label of your initial Candidate Information Bulletin from PSI. If the window closes with a portion still unpassed, the file closes and you start over with a new application, new fees, and both portions.
How many times can I retake the Ohio exam? Ohio law sets no limit on the number of retakes, but every retake must fit inside the 12-month eligibility window, requires a new retake application and fee to the Division, and is limited to the portion you failed.
What ID do I need at the test center? One form of identification with your signature and photograph, valid and unexpired, matching the name you scheduled with — for example, a state driver’s license or ID card, a U.S. passport, U.S. military ID, or a U.S. alien registration card.
When do I get my score? Immediately: your score is displayed on screen at the end of the exam, and a score report is emailed to you. If you fail, the report includes diagnostic information on your strengths and weaknesses by examination type.
Do I need a sponsoring broker before I test? Yes — sponsorship by an Ohio broker is one of the qualifications for the salesperson license and part of the application the Division approves before you schedule.
What do I owe after I get licensed? Within 12 months after your license is issued, you must complete 20 hours of post-licensure instruction. It is a first-year obligation separate from the regular continuing-education cycle that follows.
Does PassProfessor’s program satisfy the 100-hour education requirement? No. PassProfessor is exam preparation only and provides no pre-licensing education credit. The 100 hours must be completed with an approved provider before you apply to the Division.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider and is not affiliated with the Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing, the Ohio Department of Commerce, PSI Services LLC, or any state agency or exam vendor. This guide is general information about the Ohio salesperson licensing exam, current as of October 2026; the Division’s and PSI’s publications govern if anything here differs from them.