PassProfessor’s Hawaii program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog. The 19,996-question Hawaii practice bank is built — 12,214 questions on the uniform material and 7,782 on Hawaii law and practice — and enrollment opens soon. Join the notify list and we will email you when enrollment opens — then use this guide to plan your path to the exam.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
The Hawaii salesperson exam, in one paragraph
The Hawaii real estate salesperson examination is a two-portion, computer-based test administered by PSI Services LLC for the Hawaii Real Estate Commission, part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA). The uniform (general) portion has 80 scored questions in 150 minutes; the Hawaii state portion has 50 scored questions in 90 minutes — 130 scored questions and 240 minutes if you take both portions together. The bulletin lists the passing score for salespersons as 70%, and the two sections are passed separately. You become eligible by completing a Commission-approved prelicensing course (a minimum of 60 class hours for salesperson candidates) and uploading your Hawaii School Completion Certificate to PSI for approval before you schedule, and after passing you apply for your license to the Commission within two years of your exam date.
Who can take the Hawaii salesperson exam?
The Candidate Information Bulletin is direct about the front door: candidates must meet all education requirements before they may apply for an examination. To sit for the salesperson examination you must:
- Be eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of examination.
- Be a United States citizen, a United States national, or an alien authorized to work in the United States.
- Hold a high school diploma, or its equivalent.
- Have satisfactorily completed a Commission-approved prelicensing course for real estate salesperson candidates — under Hawaii Administrative Rules §16-99-36, a curriculum in real estate at an accredited institution consisting of a minimum of sixty (60) class hours and conforming to the approved curriculum adopted by the Commission — or an equivalent as determined by the Commission. (The statute behind these prerequisites is HRS §467-9.5; a score earned by a candidate who sat without satisfying the prerequisites is void.)
- Hold the certificate that proves it. You provide an unexpired Hawaii School Completion Certificate — certificates issued electronically must be printed on white paper no smaller than 8½ × 11 inches — or an original Prelicensing Education Equivalency Certificate for Real Estate License Examination. Candidates who hold an equivalency to the uniform section also upload their original Equivalency to Uniform Section of Examination Certificate.
One process change matters if you studied older guides: effective December 10, 2025, you upload your certificate(s) to PSI before testing. PSI reviews the upload and approves or denies testing within three business days. If you are approved, you receive a “Welcome to PSI” eligibility email that assists you in scheduling your examination; if you are denied, a message in your online account outlines the missing information. Once approved, you no longer need to show the documentation at check-in.
Two clocks run from early in the process, and both matter:
- Your exam fee is valid for one year from the date of payment (see the fees section below).
- Once you pass, your license application window is two years from the date of examination — and the retake window for a failed section is also two years from the date you passed the first section, and it requires an unexpired School Completion Certificate, so an expiring certificate can shorten your practical retake window.
PassProfessor note: our program is exam preparation only. It does not provide any of the 60 class hours of pre-licensing education credit — you take that course from a Commission-approved school.
The exam, piece by piece
The examination is divided into two sections: uniform (general) and state. You may take both portions together as a combo (130 items, 240 minutes) or take a portion on its own (uniform: 80 items, 150 minutes; state: 50 items, 90 minutes). Both portions are built from the content outlines printed in PSI’s Candidate Information Bulletin (effective January 16, 2026) — the same outlines our practice bank is organized around.
The uniform (general) portion — 80 scored questions, 150 minutes
PSI publishes this outline as percentages of the salesperson uniform portion:
| Area | Share of the uniform portion | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| I. Property Ownership | 10% | Real and personal property; land characteristics and legal descriptions (metes and bounds, lot and block, government survey); encumbrances — liens, easements, encroachments, probate, mineral/air/water rights; types of ownership, from severalty and tenancy in common to condominiums, timeshares, trusts, and life estates |
| II. Land Use Controls | 5% | Government rights (taxation, eminent domain, escheat); government controls on land use; private controls — deed restrictions, subdivision CC&Rs, condominium and association bylaws |
| III. Valuation | 8% | Appraisals and when a licensed or certified appraiser is required; estimating value — principles, sales comparison, cost, and income approaches; CMA, BPO, and AVM distinctions |
| IV. Financing | 10% | Concepts (points, LTV, PMI, PITI, underwriting); loan types — conventional, amortized and balloon, ARM, FHA/VA/USDA, owner financing, reverse, construction; lending law — RESPA, TILA/Regulation Z and TRID, ECOA; risky loan features |
| V. Contracts | 19% | General contract law — elements, Statute of Frauds, enforceability, breach remedies, termination; purchase and lease contracts, addenda, contingencies; multiple offers and counteroffers. The single largest area on the uniform portion |
| VI. Agency | 13% | Agency and non-agency relationships, listing and buyer-brokerage contracts, transaction brokers; fiduciary duties and duties to customers; agency and conflict-of-interest disclosures |
| VII. Property Disclosures | 7% | Seller disclosure requirements; property conditions warranting inspection or survey; environmental and government disclosures; material facts and material defects |
| VIII. Property Management | 3% | Tenant procurement and qualification, fair housing and ADA compliance, rent-setting analysis, maintenance and risk management; landlord and tenant rights and obligations (broker-only items on trust accounts and management contracts are marked as such in the outline) |
| IX. Transfer of Title | 6% | Deed types; title insurance and searches, marketable vs. insurable title; the closing process and recordation; foreclosure, short sale, and probate transfers |
| X. Practice of Real Estate | 12% | Antidiscrimination — Fair Housing principles, protected classes, prohibited conduct (redlining, blockbusting, steering), ADA; legislation and regulations — employee vs. independent contractor, antitrust, Do-Not-Call, internet advertising; duties — confidentiality, handling others’ funds, due diligence |
| XI. Real Estate Calculations | 7% | Transaction calculations — seller’s net proceeds, buyer funds needed, prorations, transfer fees, PITI estimates; general concepts — equity, capitalization rate, loan-to-value, discount points and origination fees |
The Hawaii state portion — 50 scored questions, 90 minutes
PSI publishes this outline as item counts for salesperson candidates:
| Area | Scored questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Ascertaining and Disclosing Material Facts | 8 | Bureau of Conveyances / Land Court — documents, indexes, conveyance tax; the tax office — tax maps, real property taxes, HARPTA and GET; statutory disclosures — the Seller Disclosure Law, leasehold disclosures, planned community associations, distressed property and short sales; environmental conditions; Hawaii land history and property rights |
| Types of Ownership | 4 | Condominiums; cooperatives; time sharing plans; land trust; planned unit development |
| Property Management | 5 | The Residential Landlord-Tenant Code (commercial management is broker-only) |
| Land Utilization | 3 | Planning, land use, and zoning under county ordinance; restrictive covenants; state land use districts; Special Management Areas |
| Title and Conveyances | 6 | Estates and interests, including leaseholds; tenancy; liens; recording systems; boundary issues; foreclosure |
| Contracts | 5 | Timing; contingencies, including inspections; validity; provisions |
| Financing | 2 | Seller financing — the Agreement of Sale and the purchase money mortgage (PMM); Hawaii-specific institutional financing |
| Escrow Process and Closing Statements | 3 | Escrow responsibilities; closing responsibilities; closing statements |
| Professional Practices and Conduct | 14 | Office management and supervision; trust accounts and handling of funds; advertising; licensing laws and rules, including the Professional and Vocational Licensing Act; grounds for disciplinary action; agency relationships and disclosure of agency. The largest area on either portion relative to its size |
Three structural facts that shape how you should prepare:
- Contracts and Agency together carry 32% of the uniform portion (19% + 13%). Contract law — formation, contingencies, breach, leases — is the uniform exam’s center of gravity.
- Professional Practices and Conduct is 14 of the 50 state questions — 28% of the state portion. Licensing law, trust funds, advertising, and discipline are concrete, rule-based material, and they reward direct study of Hawaii’s rules more than any other block on the exam.
- The Hawaii portion tests institutions that exist nowhere else. Leasehold tenure, the Land Court (Torrens) system alongside the Bureau of Conveyances, conveyance tax, HARPTA withholding, the general excise tax, state land use districts, and Special Management Areas have no mainland equivalent — a national textbook cannot prepare you for them.
Experimental questions. In addition to the items in the outlines, PSI may administer a small number — 5 to 10 — of “experimental” questions during the examination. They are not scored, but they do count against your examination time, and they are not identified. PSI uses them to develop future examinations. Treat every question as scored; there is no way to tell the difference, and pacing for the extra questions inside the same 240 minutes is the right mindset.
PSI’s own practice exams. The bulletin points candidates to PSI’s online practice exams, which may be taken an unlimited number of times for a fee each time. PSI’s own caution is worth quoting in spirit: practice exams help you become familiar with the general types of questions on a licensing examination, they are not a substitute for proper education and study, and scoring well on one does not guarantee a positive outcome on the actual examination.
The passing standard, explained
The bulletin’s score-reporting section lists the passing scores (percentages) as follows: Salespersons 70% (brokers 75%; instructors 85%).
Read that exactly as PSI publishes it:
- It is a percentage, not a scaled score. Unlike licensing exams in many other states, the Hawaii bulletin states the salesperson standard directly as a percentage — 70%. Copy elsewhere that converts Hawaii’s standard into a “scaled score of 70” is importing another state’s system; do not study to it.
- The sections are passed separately. The examination is divided into a uniform section and a state section, and PSI’s retake rule is built section by section: pass one section and fail the other, and you retake only the failed section. A strong uniform result does not carry a state result below the line, or the reverse — prepare and measure the two portions separately.
- Your result is immediate. Your score is displayed on screen at the end of the examination, and a score report is emailed to you; you may also print the score report from your online account. If you fail, the emailed score report includes a diagnostic report indicating your strengths and weaknesses — the starting point for a retake plan, because it shows which portion, and which material, cost you the attempt.
Fees and registration, step by step
Keep the payments separate in your mind — the exam fee and the license fee go to different places at different times, and only one of them has a published amount in the bulletin.
| Payment | Amount | Paid to | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Examination fee | $61 — the same whether you take one portion or both | PSI | When you schedule; valid for one year from the date of payment |
| License fee | The amount is printed on the score report issued to passing applicants; the bulletin publishes no figure | Hawaii Real Estate Commission | With your license application, after you pass |
Examination fees are not refundable or transferable.
The sequence, in order:
- Finish your prelicensing course with a Commission-approved school and receive your Hawaii School Completion Certificate (or obtain a Prelicensing Education Equivalency Certificate from the Commission).
- Create your PSI account and upload your certificate(s). Go to PSI’s Hawaii page (test-takers.psiexams.com/hire) and sign in or create an account — the first and last name on the account must match your current, valid, government-issued ID exactly. Upload your unexpired School Completion Certificate and/or the certificate(s) issued by the Commission. PSI reviews the upload and approves or denies testing within three business days; approval arrives as a “Welcome to PSI” eligibility email.
- Choose your format and schedule. Once approved, select your test format — Test Center or Remote Proctored — then pick a date and time and pay the $61 fee. By phone, PSI registrars are available at (855) 579-4640. Hawaii test sites listed in the bulletin are in Honolulu, Kapaa, Kahului, and Kailua Kona; candidates may also test at PSI centers in many other U.S. regions, but out-of-state testing requires PSI’s alternative-arrangements form, and you must contact PSI to pay and schedule — online payment and scheduling are not available for that route.
- If you choose remote proctoring, run the compatibility check first — audio, video, webcam, and system — and note that you must click the launch button within 30 minutes of your booked test time or you will be considered absent, with fees and eligibility non-refundable. Remote candidates select Hawaii Time (Pacific/Honolulu) when booking.
- Take the examination. Arrive at your test site 15 minutes before your appointment (see the test-day section below). Your score is displayed on screen when you finish.
- Apply for your license — after passing. Submit the proper forms and fees to the Hawaii Real Estate Commission, using the application and fee information printed on your passing score report. Your complete application must be submitted within two years of the date of examination — incomplete or deficient applications must also be completed inside that two-year limit. Your application must disclose any criminal convictions, disciplinary actions, complaints, unpaid judgments, pending lawsuits, outstanding tax obligations, and liens; any “yes” answer requires explanation and review before a decision is made on licensure. Note the calendar quirk the bulletin flags: all Hawaii real estate licenses expire on December 31 of even-numbered years and are subject to renewal by November 30 of the even-numbered year, and license fees are not prorated.
Changing or canceling. You may cancel and reschedule without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received two (2) days before the scheduled examination date — for a Monday appointment, notice must be received the previous Saturday. Use the PSI website or call and speak directly to a customer service representative: a voice mail or email message is not an acceptable form of cancellation. If you do not cancel in time, do not appear, arrive after the start time, or cannot present proper identification, your registration is invalid and the fee is forfeited, subject to the bulletin’s excused-absence provisions (illness, death in the immediate family, disabling traffic accident, court appearance or jury duty, military duty, or weather emergency — written verification and supporting documentation must be submitted to PSI).
Retakes and score validity
- Retake only the section you failed. Candidates who pass one section but fail the other need retake only the failed section — as long as they retake it within two (2) years of the date of the first passed section and hold an unexpired Hawaii School Completion Certificate or Prelicensing Education Equivalency Certificate (broker candidates also need an unexpired Experience Certificate).
- Miss the window and you retake everything. Candidates who have not passed both sections within two years of the first passed section must retake both sections.
- The bulletin’s own example: a candidate who takes the examination on June 15 and passes the state section but fails the uniform section must pass the uniform section on or before June 15 two years later; if not, the entire examination — uniform and state — must be retaken.
- No same-day rebooking. It is not possible to make a new examination appointment on the same day you have taken an examination, because of score processing and reporting. PSI’s example: a candidate who tests unsuccessfully on a Wednesday can call on Thursday and retest as early as Friday, depending on space availability. Schedule online or call (855) 579-4640.
- Your passing result feeds a two-year application window. A complete license application must reach the Commission within two years of the date of examination, as described in the fees and registration section — passing is not the end of the process, and the application (with its disclosure questions answered in full) is what converts a pass into a license.
- Equivalency candidates who hold an Equivalency to the Uniform Section certificate must upload that unexpired certificate, in addition to the other required documents, in order to take the state section.
Test day
- Arrive 15 minutes early. That is the bulletin’s instruction for reporting to the examination site — build in more time for parking and check-in than the minimum, because arriving after the examination start time is treated as a missed appointment and the fee is forfeited.
- Bring one form of identification. It must contain your signature and photo, be valid and unexpired, and match the name you scheduled with. The bulletin lists government-issued driver’s licenses, U.S. Department of State driver’s licenses, plastic learner’s permits with photo and signature, national/state/country identification cards, passports and passport cards, military IDs, and alien registration cards — with one remote-testing exception: military IDs are not accepted for remote testing. If you cannot provide the required identification, call PSI at least three weeks before your scheduled appointment to arrange a way to meet the requirement.
- Everything is closed book, and almost nothing comes in with you. Reference materials and electronic devices of any type — phones, cameras, laptops and tablets, earbuds, smart watches, handheld calculators, headsets, recording devices — are prohibited, as are hats not worn for religious reasons, bulky outerwear, backpacks, purses, wallets, food and drinks, and your own pens, pencils, and paper. Proctors may ask you to empty and turn out your pockets and will inspect eyeglass frames and similar items. At a test site you are given scratch paper and a pencil, which you return at check-out.
- During the exam: questions appear one at a time on screen, and a pre-exam tutorial is available. You may leave the examination room only to use the restroom and only with the proctor’s permission, and you receive no extra time for it. While testing, you can click the Comments link on the question screen to comment on any question — PSI reviews substantive comments, and this is the only review of examination materials available to candidates.
- Remote proctoring is stricter, not looser. No scratch paper is allowed, breaks are not allowed during a remote examination (PSI’s advice: if you cannot complete the examination without a break, do not register for remote testing), the testing environment must be clear, quiet, and free of unauthorized persons, your webcam must give the proctor an ideal view, and you may not change computers or spaces, cover your mouth, or talk, whisper, or mouth words during the session.
- Results are immediate. Your score is displayed on screen at the end of the examination and the score report is emailed to you. If you passed, your next step is the license application — start it promptly; the two-year window is already running.
How to study for this exam
The outlines above are the syllabus — PSI publishes exactly what the exam covers, area by area, and the weights are question counts and percentages, not suggestions. A plan built on that structure:
- Give Contracts and Agency their combined weight on the uniform portion. At 19% and 13%, they are nearly a third of the uniform exam. Learn contract formation and contingencies comparatively — what makes a contract valid, void, voidable, or unenforceable; what happens on breach; how listing and buyer-brokerage agreements differ — because the outline tests these through scenarios, not definitions alone.
- Start the state portion with Professional Practices and Conduct. Fourteen of 50 state questions cover licensing laws and rules, trust accounts, advertising, discipline, and agency disclosure. This is concrete Hawaii material — HRS Chapter 467 and the Commission’s rules in HAR Title 16, Chapter 99 — and it is the highest-yield study block on the entire exam relative to its size.
- Learn the Hawaii-only institutions as a set. The Bureau of Conveyances and the Land Court, conveyance tax, HARPTA and GET, the Seller Disclosure Law, leasehold disclosures, the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code, state land use districts and Special Management Areas, and Hawaii land history (ahupuaʻa, kuleana rights, the Mahele) form one connected body of Hawaii knowledge spread across Ascertaining and Disclosing Material Facts, Title and Conveyances, Land Utilization, and Types of Ownership — 21 of the 50 state questions in total.
- Practice math the way the outline frames it. Real Estate Calculations is 7% of the uniform portion: seller’s net proceeds, buyer funds needed at closing, tax and other prorations, transfer fees, PITI estimates, capitalization rate, and loan-to-value. Work the setups until they are automatic — and note that handheld calculators are prohibited items at the test center (the bulletin prohibits candidates’ own devices), so follow the bulletin’s rules for whatever the testing format provides.
- Practice at full length, against the clock, portion by portion. 150 minutes for 80 uniform questions and 90 minutes for 50 state questions are two different pacing skills, and the 5 to 10 experimental questions consume time inside both. Full generated practice exams at the real weights build both; short quizzes build only one. Judge your readiness per portion — a blended average hides exactly the weakness this exam’s separate passing rule punishes.
- Use a failed attempt’s diagnostic report properly. If you test and do not pass, the emailed score report’s diagnostic breakdown is a study plan aimed at the portion and material that cost you — rebuild around it, and remember the two-year clock on your passed section and on your certificate while you do.
This program’s Hawaii practice bank (19,996 questions — 12,214 on the uniform material and 7,782 on Hawaii law and practice, including 2,174 on Professional Practices and Conduct) is built area-by-area on this same outline. The Hawaii Real Estate Exam Prep program page shows the full coverage table — and the notify list there will email you when enrollment opens.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Hawaii real estate exam? 130 scored questions: 80 on the uniform (general) portion and 50 on the Hawaii state portion. PSI may also administer 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions, which count against your time but not your score and cannot be identified.
What is the passing score for the Hawaii salesperson exam? 70%, as listed in the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin’s score-reporting section for salespersons (brokers need 75% and instructors 85%). Hawaii publishes the standard as a percentage, not a scaled score. The two sections are passed separately — the retake rules treat each section as its own pass or fail.
How long is the Hawaii real estate exam? 240 minutes (4 hours) for the combined examination: 150 minutes for the uniform portion and 90 minutes for the state portion. The portions may also be taken separately, each with its own time limit.
Does Hawaii require pre-licensing education before the exam? Yes. You must satisfactorily complete a Commission-approved prelicensing course for salesperson candidates before you may apply for the examination — under HAR §16-99-36, a curriculum of a minimum of 60 class hours conforming to the Commission’s approved salesperson curriculum, or an approved equivalency — and upload your unexpired Hawaii School Completion Certificate (or equivalency certificate) to PSI, which reviews it within three business days before you can schedule.
How much does the Hawaii real estate exam cost? The examination fee is $61, paid to PSI, and it covers one portion or both — the price does not change. It is non-refundable and non-transferable and is valid for one year from the date of payment. The license fee after you pass is a separate payment to the Hawaii Real Estate Commission; its amount is printed on your passing score report.
How do I register for the Hawaii real estate exam? Create an account on PSI’s Hawaii page (test-takers.psiexams.com/hire) — your account name must match your government-issued ID exactly — upload your pre-licensing certificate, wait for PSI’s eligibility approval email (within three business days), then choose a test-center or remote-proctored appointment, pick a date and time, and pay. You can also schedule by phone at (855) 579-4640.
Can I take the Hawaii real estate exam online? Yes — PSI offers this examination by remote online proctoring as well as at test centers. Remote testing carries its own rules: a pre-booking compatibility check, launching within 30 minutes of your booked time, no scratch paper, and no breaks during the examination. Military identification is not accepted for remote testing.
Where are the Hawaii test centers? The bulletin lists sites in Honolulu (Ala Moana Pacific Center), Kapaa (Sheraton Kauai Coconut Beach Resort), Kahului (University of Hawaii Maui College), and Kailua Kona (PUEO Testing Center). PSI also has centers in many other U.S. regions; out-of-state testing uses an alternative-arrangements form and must be paid for and scheduled by contacting PSI directly.
What happens after I pass the Hawaii exam? Submit a complete application for license to the Hawaii Real Estate Commission within two years of the date of examination, with the forms and the license fee printed on your passing score report. The application requires full disclosure of any criminal convictions, disciplinary actions, complaints, unpaid judgments, pending lawsuits, outstanding tax obligations, and liens.
How long is my Hawaii exam result good for? For licensing purposes, two years: your complete license application must be submitted within two years of the date of examination. Separately, if you passed only one section, the passed section remains usable for a retake of the other section for two years from the date you passed it — and your School Completion Certificate must still be unexpired.
If I fail, how soon can I retake the Hawaii exam? You cannot book a new appointment on the same day you tested. PSI’s example is that a candidate who tests unsuccessfully on a Wednesday can call on Thursday and retest as early as Friday, subject to space availability. You retake only the section you failed, and the $61 examination fee framework applies to scheduling — note the fee is valid for one year from payment.
What ID do I need at the test center? One form of identification that contains your signature and photo, is valid and unexpired, and matches the name you scheduled with — for example, a government-issued driver’s license or a passport. If you cannot provide the required identification, call PSI at least three weeks before your appointment to arrange an alternative way to meet the requirement.
Are calculators allowed on the Hawaii exam? Your own calculator is not: handheld calculators are on the bulletin’s prohibited-items list, along with all other electronic devices. At a test site, PSI provides scratch paper and a pencil, which you return at check-out; remote candidates may not use scratch paper at all.
Does PassProfessor’s program satisfy the 60-hour education requirement? No. PassProfessor is exam preparation only and provides no pre-licensing education credit. The minimum 60 class hours must be completed in a Commission-approved prelicensing course (or an approved equivalency) before you test.
Where do I find the official exam information? The Hawaii Real Estate Commission’s pages at cca.hawaii.gov/reb (DCCA) and PSI’s Hawaii page at test-takers.psiexams.com/hire, which hosts the current Candidate Information Bulletin — effective January 16, 2026 — with the content outlines used throughout this guide.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider and is not affiliated with the Hawaii Real Estate Commission, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, PSI, or any state agency or exam vendor. This guide is general information about the Hawaii salesperson licensing examination, current as of October 2026; the Commission’s and PSI’s publications govern if anything here differs from them.