PassProfessor’s Maryland program. The 19,999-question Maryland 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 Maryland salesperson exam, in one paragraph
The Maryland real estate salesperson exam is the licensing exam for Maryland’s entry-level real estate license, administered by PSI Services LLC under contract with the Maryland Real Estate Commission (MREC). It has two separately scored portions taken at PSI examination centers: a national portion of 80 questions in 90 minutes, covering real estate principles and practices, and a Maryland portion of 30 questions in 30 minutes, covering Commission laws, rules, and regulations. The PSI Candidate Information Bulletin publishes the passing scores as counts — 56 on the national portion and 21 on the Maryland portion — and you must reach the passing score on each portion; passing one does not excuse the other. Before any of that, you complete a 60-hour Commission-approved pre-licensing course, and your school sends your eligibility to PSI so you can pay and schedule.
Who can take the Maryland salesperson exam?
PSI’s bulletin lists the prerequisites for examination applicants, and the Commission’s licensing pages fill in what happens around them. To sit for the salesperson exam, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Be of good character and reputation, in the bulletin’s wording.
- Complete a current 60-hour salesperson pre-licensing program from an approved education provider. This is a required qualifying course, separate from exam preparation — a prep program like ours does not count toward it.
- Have your eligibility sent to PSI by your education provider. On successful completion of the course, your provider supplies your eligibility to PSI electronically; paper applications are returned. PSI then emails you a confirmation with instructions on how to pay and schedule.
- Test inside the eligibility window. Your eligibility expires one year to the day from the date it is issued, and you must pass both portions of the exam within one year of completing the course.
Two clarifications candidates often need:
- A conviction is not an automatic bar at the application stage. The Commission’s licensing FAQ states that a felony or misdemeanor conviction does not automatically make you ineligible for a real estate license; each conviction is weighed case by case, you may appeal a denial, and if a criminal offense or prior disciplinary action is involved, a manual license application is required — the bulletin directs those applicants to contact the Commission, not PSI.
- You do not apply for the license before the exam. The sequence is course first, then exam, then license application. After you pass both portions, the Commission’s FAQ says you will receive an email within 5–7 business days with your registration/license number and the steps to apply for the license online.
The exam, piece by piece
The exam is administered by computer at PSI examination centers. You may sit for both portions in one registration or take a single portion; the fee is the same either way (see the fees section). The examination summary in PSI’s bulletin gives the salesperson structure:
| Portion | Scored questions | Time allowed | Passing score (as published) |
|---|---|---|---|
| National — Real Estate Principles and Practices | 80 | 90 minutes | 56 |
| Maryland State — Commission Laws, Rules, and Regulations | 30 | 30 minutes | 21 |
| Both | 110 | 120 minutes | Each portion separately |
Experimental questions. PSI’s bulletin notes that a small number of experimental questions — 5 to 10 — may be administered during the examination. They are not scored, and the time taken to answer them does not count against your testing time. They exist so PSI can develop future licensing exams; there is nothing to game, and no way to identify them.
The national portion outline (80 questions)
The national outline is weighted by percentage for salesperson candidates. Contracts dominates; property management is a small slice. The weights below are PSI’s published salesperson percentages, with the approximate question counts they produce on an 80-question portion.
| National outline area | Salesperson weight | Approx. questions |
|---|---|---|
| I. Property Ownership | 10% | 8 |
| II. Land Use Controls | 5% | 4 |
| III. Valuation | 8% | 6–7 |
| IV. Financing | 10% | 8 |
| V. Contracts | 19% | 15 |
| VI. Agency | 13% | 10 |
| VII. Property Disclosures | 7% | 5–6 |
| VIII. Property Management | 3% | 2–3 |
| IX. Transfer of Title | 6% | 5 |
| X. Practice of Real Estate | 12% | 9–10 |
| XI. Real Estate Calculations | 7% | 5–6 |
In outline terms: Property Ownership runs from real versus personal property and legal descriptions through encumbrances, ownership forms, and life estates. Contracts — the single biggest block — covers general contract law, purchase and lease contracts, multiple offers and counteroffers, breach remedies, and termination. Agency covers how agency is created and ended, fiduciary duties, and agency disclosures. Practice of Real Estate carries the fair-housing and antidiscrimination material, antitrust, advertising rules, and handling the funds of others. Calculations covers transaction math: seller’s net, buyer funds at closing, prorations, transfer fees, PITI estimates, equity, cap rate, loan-to-value, and points.
The Maryland portion outline (30 questions)
The Maryland outline is published as exact item counts per area, and they add to 30:
| Maryland outline area | Questions |
|---|---|
| Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission | 4 |
| Licensing Requirements | 4 |
| Brokerage Relationships | 7 |
| Supervision | 5 |
| Business Conduct | 6 |
| Ethics | 4 |
| Total | 30 |
Brokerage Relationships is the largest Maryland block: listing agreements, disclosure of the brokerage relationship, disclosure of a licensee’s interest in a property or a conflict of interest, and related disclosures. Business Conduct covers offers, commissions including rebates, advertising and signs, Maryland fair housing law, and summary suspensions and convictions. Supervision covers handling money including trust money, recordkeeping including electronic records, supervision requirements, and knowledge of other Maryland laws the outline names — short sales, home improvements, and the Protection of Homeowners in Foreclosure Act. Duties and Powers covers the Commission’s general powers, investigations, hearings and appeals, suspensions, revocations and penalties, and the Real Estate Guaranty Fund.
Three structural facts that shape how you should prepare:
- Each portion stands alone. The bulletin requires you to achieve the minimum score on each part. A candidate can clear the national portion comfortably and still leave unlicensed because the Maryland portion fell short — 30 questions, 21 needed.
- The Maryland portion is fast. Thirty questions in 30 minutes is a minute a question, the same pace as the national portion, but with far less room for a slow start. Candidates who have only ever practiced untimed Maryland questions discover the pace on test day.
- Contracts and agency decide the national portion. Together they are 25 of the 80 national questions — nearly a third — before property ownership and financing add another 16. Weight your study time the way the outline weights the exam.
The passing standard, explained
PSI’s bulletin states it plainly: “In order to pass the examination, you must achieve the minimum score shown on each part of the examination.” For salesperson candidates, the published minimums are 56 on the national portion and 21 on the Maryland portion.
Read that standard exactly as it is published, because it is easy to misread from secondary sources:
- It is a count of questions, not a scaled score. Unlike licensing exams in some other states, the current Maryland bulletin does not convert your result to a scaled score. The number you need is a number of questions on each portion.
- The bulletin does not publish it as a percentage either. Study sites variously restate the Maryland standard as a percentage or combine the portions into a single total. Neither restatement is PSI’s. The official statement is per portion, in counts: 56 and 21.
- There is no averaging across portions. Seventy correct national answers do not lend points to the Maryland portion. Each portion’s count is judged against its own minimum.
What you receive depends on the outcome. Candidates who pass all required portions receive a Confirmation Notice at the examination site, with the steps for license application — the notice itself is not a license. Candidates who do not pass receive a failing score report that includes a diagnostic report indicating strengths and weaknesses by exam topic. That diagnostic is the starting point for a retake plan: it tells you which outline areas cost you the portion, in the outline’s own terms.
A practical calibration follows from the counts: because each portion must clear its own line, your preparation target is not a single overall score. It is two separate margins — practice results comfortably above 56-equivalent performance on national material, and comfortably above 21-equivalent performance on Maryland material, measured separately.
Fees and registration, step by step
Keep the payments separate — they go to different places at different times.
| Payment | Amount | Paid to | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examination fee | $44 per registration | PSI | When you pay and schedule, after PSI emails your eligibility confirmation |
| Original salesperson license — biennial fee | $78 | Maryland Real Estate Commission | With your license application, after you pass |
| Guaranty Fund fee | $20 (one-time, if not previously paid in this category) | Maryland Real Estate Commission | With your license application, after you pass |
The Commission’s original salesperson application form lists the license total as $98 (or $78 if the Guaranty Fund fee was previously paid in this category). The PSI bulletin adds that license fees are posted on the Commission’s web page, and that acceptance of your application fee does not itself indicate approval of your application or eligibility for a license.
The sequence, in order:
- Complete the 60-hour pre-licensing program with a Commission-approved provider. Keep your completion in view of the calendar: your eligibility, and your deadline to pass both portions, both run from this course.
- Wait for PSI’s email. Your provider sends your eligibility to PSI electronically; PSI emails you a confirmation with instructions on how to pay and schedule. If PSI does not have your record, the bulletin directs you to contact your education provider.
- Create your PSI account and schedule. Register online through PSI’s Maryland program site — PSI describes internet registration as available 24 hours a day — or call PSI at (855) 744-0318. Register under your legal first and last name, exactly as it appears on your government-issued identification; the registration name and the ID must match. Enter your zip code, choose the examination center and date, and pay the $44 fee.
- Protect the appointment. You may cancel and reschedule without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received 2 days before the scheduled examination date — by the PSI website or by phone with a representative; a voicemail or email is not an acceptable cancellation. If you miss the appointment, arrive after the start time, or arrive without proper identification, you forfeit the fee.
- Take the exam (see the test day section).
- Apply for the license after passing both portions. PSI gives you a Confirmation Notice at the site. License applications are submitted electronically; per the Commission’s FAQ, you will receive an email within 5–7 business days with your registration/license number and the steps to apply online. For active licensure you must affiliate with a licensed Maryland real estate broker — you will need your intended broker’s registration number, and your branch office location if applicable. An inactive license may be requested instead, with no affiliation, but no licensed activities may be performed under it.
- Do not perform licensed activities until the license is issued and reflected on the Commission’s license search. Passing the exam is not itself a license.
Retakes and score validity
Maryland’s retake rules are unusually permissive on attempts and unusually strict on the calendar. Both halves matter.
- Retake only what you failed. If you do not pass, you must retake and pass the portion or portions you failed before you can be licensed. Submit a new registration to PSI with the fee — $44 per registration, the same whether the sitting is one portion or both — and schedule a new appointment.
- No limit on the number of retakes. The bulletin states there is no limit to the number of times a qualified candidate can retake the examination.
- But not the same day. It is not possible to make a new examination appointment on the same day you have taken an examination, because scores must be processed and reported. PSI’s example: a candidate who tests unsuccessfully on a Wednesday can call on Thursday and retest as soon as Friday, depending on space availability.
- The course-completion deadline governs everything. A passing score on a portion is valid until the deadline based on your course completion date. You must pass both portions within one year of completing your pre-licensing course. If you fail to do so, the bulletin requires you to complete a new pre-licensing program to be eligible to take or retake the exam — and prior scores expire with the prior coursework. Unlimited retakes inside a one-year window is the real rule; plan your first attempt early enough to use it.
- After passing, one year to apply. You must apply for your license within one year of passing or your score expires — the bulletin and the Commission’s FAQ agree on this. Start the application promptly; the Confirmation Notice you receive at the site lays out the steps.
Test day
- Arrive 30 minutes early. Plan to arrive before your scheduled start time to allow for sign-in, identification check, and becoming familiar with the process. If you are not checked in by your scheduled start time, you will not be allowed to test and you will forfeit your examination fee. Companions may not wait in the examination center or on the building’s property.
- Bring the right identification. You must bring one form of valid, unexpired, signature-bearing identification bearing your photo — the bulletin lists, among its primary options, a state-issued driver’s license or identification card, a US government-issued passport, US military identification, a US alien registration card, or Canadian government-issued ID. The name on it must match the legal name you registered under.
- The exam is by computer. You will use a mouse and keyboard; one question appears on the screen at a time, with minutes remaining displayed and updated as you record answers. Before the exam begins, an introductory tutorial — up to 15 minutes — is provided on screen, and that time does not count as part of your examination time. Sample questions follow the tutorial so you can practice answering and reviewing. After you have entered responses, you may return to questions and change answers provided your examination time has not run out.
- Calculators are restricted, not banned. Only non-programmable calculators that are silent, battery-operated, and have neither paper-tape printing capability nor a keyboard containing the alphabet are allowed in the examination site.
- Everything else stays out. Personal belongings go into the secure storage provided before you enter the examination room: electronic devices of any type, smart watches, cameras, recording devices, purses, wallets, notebooks and reference material, pens and pencils, food and drinks, and bulky outerwear or hats not worn for religious reasons are all prohibited in the room. Proctors may inspect eyeglass frames and ask you to empty and turn out your pockets. Possessing prohibited items in the examination room, or giving or receiving assistance, can invalidate your results on the spot.
- Examination centers. The bulletin lists centers in Baltimore, College Park, Crofton, Hagerstown, Laurel, Rockville, Salisbury, and Waldorf, and notes that PSI also has limited examination centers meeting Commission standards in other regions of the United States, which you may request through the process in the bulletin.
- Results at the site. Examination results are confidential and reported only to you and the Commission. Passing candidates receive the Confirmation Notice at the site; failing candidates receive the diagnostic score report described in the passing-standard section. You may request a duplicate score report afterward through PSI.
How to study for this exam
PSI’s own bulletin gives candidates a study method in its preparation tips: use the examination content outline as the basis of your study, learn the major points of each topic, select materials that cover all the topics in the outline, take notes, check each topic off when you understand it, and study frequently in shorter sessions — PSI suggests about 45 to 60 minutes — rather than rarely in long ones. A plan built on that advice, and on the outline weights above:
- Sequence around the course clock, not around your motivation. Your one-year window to pass both portions starts at course completion. Schedule a first attempt with enough window left to retake — a first attempt in month eleven leaves almost no room to use Maryland’s unlimited-retake rule.
- Give contracts and agency their combined weight. At 15 and 10 of the 80 national questions, these two areas are the national portion’s center of gravity. Learn contract formation, enforceability, purchase and lease terms, and breach remedies alongside agency creation, fiduciary duties, and disclosures — the exam tests them in scenario form, not as definitions.
- Study the Maryland portion as its own subject. Brokerage relationships (7), business conduct (6), and supervision (5) are 18 of the 30 Maryland questions. This is concrete, Maryland-specific material — trust-money handling, recordkeeping, advertising and signs, Maryland fair housing, the Guaranty Fund, Commission discipline — that general real estate study does not cover. It is also the portion with its own independent passing count.
- Do the calculations on paper until they are boring. Real Estate Calculations is 7% of the national portion, and its topics — prorations, seller’s net, buyer funds, cap rate, loan-to-value, points — reward drilled procedure over recognition. Remember the test-day calculator rule: practice with a basic, non-programmable calculator, because that is what the room allows.
- Practice each portion at its own pace. Ninety minutes for 80 national questions and 30 minutes for 30 Maryland questions are both one-minute-plus rhythms. Timed, portion-by-portion practice is the only way the second portion’s pace stops being a surprise.
- Use a failing diagnostic properly, if you get one. PSI’s failing score report breaks your performance down by exam topic. A retake plan that re-studies everything wastes the report; a plan that rebuilds the two or three areas it names is what the report is for.
This program’s Maryland practice bank (19,999 questions — 14,566 national and 5,433 Maryland) is built area-by-area on this same outline, with portions tracked separately the way PSI scores them. The Maryland Real Estate Exam Prep program page shows the full coverage table and enrollment.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Maryland real estate exam? 110 scored questions in two portions: 80 national questions and 30 Maryland questions. A small number of experimental questions — 5 to 10, per PSI’s bulletin — may also be administered; they are unscored and their answering time does not count against your testing time.
How long do I have to take the Maryland exam? 90 minutes for the national portion and 30 minutes for the Maryland portion — 120 minutes for both. A computer tutorial of up to 15 minutes is provided before the exam and does not count as examination time.
What is the passing score for the Maryland real estate exam? Per PSI’s Candidate Information Bulletin, the salesperson passing scores are 56 on the national portion and 21 on the Maryland portion, and you must achieve the minimum on each part. The bulletin publishes these as question counts; it does not publish a scaled score or a percentage standard for this exam.
How much does the Maryland real estate exam cost? The examination fee is $44 per registration, paid to PSI — the same for a first attempt or a repeat, and the same whether you sit for one portion or both. The fee is not refundable or transferable and is valid for one year from the date of payment. After you pass, the license application carries a $78 biennial fee plus a $20 Guaranty Fund fee if not previously paid in that category — $98 total on the Commission’s original salesperson application form.
How do I register for the Maryland real estate exam? First complete the 60-hour pre-licensing program; your education provider sends your eligibility to PSI electronically, and PSI emails you pay-and-schedule instructions. Then create an account on PSI’s Maryland program site or call (855) 744-0318, register under your legal name exactly as it appears on your government ID, choose a center and date, and pay the $44 fee.
What education do I need before the Maryland exam? A 60-hour salesperson pre-licensing program from a Commission-approved provider. It is required qualifying education, and exam preparation — including this program — is not a substitute for it and earns no credit toward it.
Can I take the Maryland real estate exam online? PSI’s bulletin describes this examination as given at established examination centers and administered by computer at the site, and its registration process is built around choosing a test site. The bulletin does not offer an at-home option for this exam; plan to test at a PSI center.
What happens if I fail one portion of the Maryland exam? You retake only the portion you failed, with a new registration and the $44 fee. You cannot book the retake on the same day you tested, but there is no limit on the number of retakes for a qualified candidate — provided both portions are passed within one year of your course completion.
How long are my Maryland exam scores valid? A passing portion score is valid until the deadline based on your course completion date: both portions must be passed within one year of completing the course, or you must complete a new pre-licensing program and prior scores expire. Once both portions are passed, you have one year from passing to apply for your license before the score expires.
Do I need a broker to get my Maryland license? For active licensure, yes: the bulletin states that affiliation with a licensed Maryland real estate broker is required for salespersons, and you will need your intended broker’s registration number when you apply. You may instead request an inactive license with no affiliation, but no licensed activities may be performed under an inactive license.
What do I bring on Maryland exam day? One valid, unexpired, signature-bearing photo identification from PSI’s list — such as a state driver’s license or ID card, a US passport, or US military ID — matching the legal name you registered under. Arrive 30 minutes early. Personal items, phones, and study materials stay in secure storage outside the examination room; only a basic non-programmable calculator meeting PSI’s specifications may be brought in.
What Maryland-specific topics does the state portion cover? Six areas: Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission (4 questions), Licensing Requirements (4), Brokerage Relationships (7), Supervision (5), Business Conduct (6), and Ethics (4) — including the Guaranty Fund, trust money and recordkeeping, brokerage-relationship disclosures, Maryland advertising rules, and Maryland fair housing law.
Are the PassProfessor questions the actual exam questions? No. They are original practice questions written to PSI’s published Maryland content outlines and Maryland license law. Actual exam questions are never published, and PSI’s candidate rules prohibit copying or communicating examination content.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider and is not affiliated with the Maryland Real Estate Commission, the Maryland Department of Labor, or PSI Services LLC. This guide is general information about the Maryland salesperson licensing exam, current as of October 2026; Maryland Real Estate Commission and PSI publications govern if anything here differs from them. This guide and the PassProfessor Maryland program are exam preparation only, provide no pre-licensing education credit, and are not a substitute for the required 60-hour pre-licensing course.