PassProfessor’s Montana program. The 20,000-question Montana practice bank is built to Pearson VUE’s current content outlines, and enrollment is open. Use this guide to plan your path to the exam.
The Montana salesperson exam, in one paragraph
The Montana real estate salesperson exam is a two-portion, computer-based licensing exam administered by Pearson VUE for the Montana Board of Realty Regulation. The national portion has 80 scored questions in 150 minutes; the Montana state portion has 40 scored questions in 90 minutes. Each portion is scored separately on a 0–100 scale, and you need a scaled score of 75 on both to pass. Before you can test, you complete 70 hours of Board-approved pre-licensing education. Pass both portions, and you apply to the Board for your license — Montana’s rules require that application within 12 months of passing.
Who can take the Montana salesperson exam?
Montana’s requirements come from the Montana Code Annotated (Title 37, Chapter 51) and the Board’s administrative rules. To be licensed as a salesperson, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have completed two years of high school curriculum or its equivalent, as determined by the Board. Note what this does not say: Montana does not require a full high school diploma for a salesperson license — two years of full curriculum study, or the equivalent, is the statutory standard.
- Complete 70 hours of Board-approved pre-licensing education, in a course of study taught by Board-approved instructors covering real estate principles, real estate law and ethics, real estate finance, and related topics — and pass the examination given on the course material. The education must fall within the 24 months before your license application.
- Complete all pre-licensing education before you test. The candidate handbook is explicit: before taking an examination, candidates must complete all pre-licensing education requirements. The exam comes after the coursework, not alongside it.
- Be of good repute and competent to transact business in a way that safeguards the public. The Board evaluates applicants against that standard, and the handbook notes the Board has commissioned Pearson VUE to develop and administer the exam program that tests the competency half of it.
- Have a supervising broker. Your license application must be accompanied by the recommendation of a licensed broker holding a supervising broker endorsement who will employ you or place you under contract, certifying your good repute and that the broker will actively supervise and train you. A Montana salesperson license operates under a supervising broker — there is no unattached salesperson license.
- Carry errors and omissions insurance. Montana requires active brokers and salespersons to maintain E&O coverage; the Board’s group policy is one route, and qualifying individual or firm policies are another. Proof of coverage is part of the licensing picture, not an afterthought.
Two clocks frame the whole process, and both are easy to miss:
- Your exam authorization period is five years, counted from when you pass the first education course required to take the exams. Every attempt must fit inside that window.
- Once you pass, Montana’s rules require you to apply for licensure within 12 months of passing the exam — even though the exam results themselves remain good for three years (see Retakes and score validity).
PassProfessor note: our program is exam preparation only. It does not provide any of the 70 hours of pre-licensing education credit — you take those hours from a Board-approved school.
The exam, piece by piece
The exam is built from Pearson VUE’s published content outlines — the national/general outline (effective April 1, 2025) for the national portion and the Montana state outline (effective January 1, 2025) for the state portion. The national portion’s content comes from a job analysis of practicing real estate professionals, reviewed by nationally recognized practitioners; the state portion is built to reflect Montana’s laws, regulations, and practice, reviewed by Montana professionals.
The national portion (80 scored questions, 150 minutes)
| Area | Scored questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| I. Real Property Characteristics, Legal Descriptions, and Property Use | 11 | Real vs. personal property, fixtures, characteristics of land, legal descriptions, public and private land-use controls and encumbrances |
| II. Forms of Ownership, Transfer, and Recording of Title | 9 | Ownership forms and estates, leasehold estates, liens, deeds, title transfer, and recording |
| III. Property Value and Appraisal | 11 | Concept and principles of value, the appraisal process, the sales comparison, cost, and income approaches, CMAs and broker price opinions |
| IV. Real Estate Contracts and Agency | 16 | Contract elements and performance, sales contracts, agency types, creation and termination of agency, and licensee obligations to the parties |
| V. Real Estate Practice | 10 | Broker responsibilities, brokerage agreements, fair housing, and risk management |
| VI. Property Disclosures and Environmental Issues | 9 | Property conditions, hazardous substances and environmental law, and disclosure obligations and liability |
| VII. Financing and Settlement | 7 | Financing concepts and loan types, lender requirements, federal financing regulations (TILA/Regulation Z, TRID, RESPA, ECOA), and settlement |
| VIII. Real Estate Math Calculations | 7 | Area and valuation calculations, commissions, loan costs, settlement and closing costs, investment and property-management math |
| Total scored | 80 | Plus 5 unscored pretest questions = 85 on screen |
The Montana state portion (40 scored questions, 90 minutes)
| Area | Scored questions | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| I. The Real Estate Licensing Agency’s Powers | 3 | Investigations, hearings, and appeals; sanctions — disciplinary actions and penalties; examination of records |
| II. Licensing | 3 | Activities requiring a license; license renewal; changes in license status or information |
| III. Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees | 28 | Advertising and marketing; the broker/salesperson relationship; unprofessional conduct; compensation; disclosure (conflict of interest, property, agency); agency duties and responsibilities; handling of documents; handling of monies; listings and buyer brokerage agreements; illegal inducements and ethics |
| IV. Additional Topics | 6 | Errors and omissions insurance; land description; common interest ownership/condominiums; the landlord/tenant relationship; foreclosure and redemption; the statute of frauds |
| Total scored | 40 | Plus pretest questions (the handbook’s exam table lists 10; the state outline describes the range as 5–10) |
Three structural facts that shape how you should prepare:
- Area III is the state portion. Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees carries 28 of the 40 state questions — 70% of the portion. Montana tests how its licensees must actually behave: agency duties under Montana’s statutory scheme, disclosure, trust money, advertising, and the long list of conduct the rules define as unprofessional. If your state preparation is a skim of licensing trivia, it is aimed at the smallest part of the test.
- Contracts and agency is the national heavyweight. At 16 of 80 questions, Area IV is twice the size of the financing and math areas combined. The exam’s center of gravity, on both portions, is relationships and obligations — agency, contracts, disclosure — more than computation.
- There are two scores, not one. The portions are scored separately and each must reach a scaled 75. A blended study score hides exactly the failure mode this exam produces most: a comfortable national performance next to a state portion below the line.
Pretest questions. The national portion mixes in 5 unscored pretest questions, and the state portion mixes in pretest questions as well (10 per the handbook’s exam table). They look exactly like scored questions, are dispersed throughout the exam, and do not affect your result — Pearson VUE uses them to validate items for future exams. Treat every question as scored; pacing for 85 questions in 150 minutes (and 50 in 90) is the correct mindset.
The math conventions are published. The handbook tells you what to memorize: 43,560 square feet per acre and 5,280 feet per mile are not available at the test center. When a question requires a prorated amount, the question itself states whether the calculation uses a 360- or 365-day year and whether the day of closing belongs to the buyer or the seller. Standard rounding rules apply. Knowing the conventions in advance removes a whole category of avoidable misses.
The passing standard, explained
You pass with a scaled score of 75 on each portion, separately.
A scaled score is not a percentage of questions answered correctly. Pearson VUE administers multiple versions (forms) of each exam, and forms differ slightly in difficulty because different questions appear on each. A statistical procedure called equating corrects for those differences, and raw results are converted onto a common scale that runs from 0 to 100. On that scale, the passing score was set by the Montana Board of Realty Regulation, in conjunction with Pearson VUE, after a comprehensive study for each examination. Two consequences follow:
- “75%” study targets are misleading. You cannot convert a practice percentage into a predicted scaled score with precision. The handbook itself warns against the confusion: to avoid misuse of score information, numeric scores are reported only to candidates who failed, and the score reported to passing candidates is neither the number nor the percentage of questions answered correctly. The safe approach is to practice until full simulations of each portion sit comfortably above the passing zone.
- Your score report tells you where you stand. You receive a score report marked “pass” or “fail” when you complete the exam. Candidates who fail receive a numeric score plus diagnostic information for the exam — the raw material for a targeted retake plan. Candidates who pass receive information on completing the licensure process with the Board.
One vendor note that matters for Montana specifically: older materials from Montana’s previous testing era quote a passing figure of 70. That is not the current standard. The current candidate handbook’s exam table lists the passing score as 75 for both portions.
Fees and registration, step by step
Keep the payments separate in your mind — the exam fees and the license fee go to different places at different times.
| Payment | Amount | Paid to | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| National portion exam fee | $95 | Pearson VUE | When you reserve |
| State portion exam fee | $95 | Pearson VUE | When you reserve |
| Salesperson license application | $80 | Montana Board of Realty Regulation | When you apply for the license, after passing |
Exam fees are paid at reservation by credit card, debit card, or voucher; they are not accepted at the test center, and they are non-refundable and non-transferable except as the handbook’s change/cancel policy allows.
The sequence, in order:
- Finish your 70 hours with a Board-approved provider and pass the course’s own examination. All pre-licensing education must be complete before you test.
- Reserve the exam with Pearson VUE — online at pearsonvue.com/us/en/mt/realestate.html or by phone at (888) 366-9520. Reservations must be made at least 48 hours before your desired date; walk-in examinations are not available. Have your legal name (exactly as it appears on your government ID), address, email, date of birth, the exam name, and your preferred date and test center ready. You may test at a Pearson VUE test center or online through OnVUE.
- Take the exam. Arrive at least 30 minutes early with the required identification. You receive your score report at completion — at the test center, or through your Pearson VUE account if you tested online.
- Apply for your license through the Board. Montana’s rules require the application within 12 months of passing. The application carries the $80 fee and your supervising broker’s recommendation and certification, and your license operates under that broker’s supervision.
- Maintain E&O coverage. Active Montana licensees must carry errors and omissions insurance — through the Board’s group program or a qualifying policy — as a condition of active practice.
Changing or canceling. If you need to move an appointment, cancel or reschedule at least 48 hours before the exam to do so without penalty; with proper notice, fees can transfer to a new reservation or be refunded. Candidates who change or cancel without proper notice are responsible for the examination fee.
Retakes and score validity
- Retake only what you failed. If you pass one part of the examination and fail the other, you retake only the failed part. The portions keep their separate identities across attempts.
- Rebook through Pearson VUE. Candidates who fail make a new reservation online or by phone; reservations for re-examination cannot be made at the test center. The per-portion exam fee applies to the retake.
- The authorization window is five years. For salespersons, the authorization period runs five years after passing the first education course required to take the exams. Your attempts — first try and retakes alike — live inside that window.
- Passing results are good for three years from the date of passing, per the handbook. But Montana’s licensing rules set the operative deadline sooner: apply for licensure within 12 months after passing, with your education inside its own 24-month window. Plan on the 12-month clock, not the three-year one.
- Use the diagnostic information. A failing score report includes a numeric score and diagnostic information. A retake with the same preparation usually produces the same result; a retake aimed at the diagnosed areas is a different attempt.
Test day
- Arrive 30 minutes early to complete registration: your identification and documentation are reviewed, you are photographed for the score report, and you review and sign the Candidate Rules Agreement before testing.
- Bring two forms of identification. Both must be current signature identification; the primary must be government-issued and photo-bearing with a signature (driver’s license, state identification card, passport, military ID, and similar documents from the handbook’s list), and the secondary must carry a valid signature. Identification must be in English and must exactly match the name used to register — a mismatch means no testing and a forfeited fee. Pearson VUE recognizes no grace periods on expired ID.
- Nothing personal goes in with you. Phones, watches, wallets, bags, hats, coats, books, notes, and pens are all barred from the testing room and stored in a secure area, with electronic devices turned off. The administrator provides the materials for notes and calculations; you may not write on them before the exam begins or remove them afterward.
- The tutorial does not cost you time. You get an opportunity to take a tutorial on the testing computer before the exam; tutorial time does not reduce your examination time. The timed exam starts when you look at the first question, a digital clock shows your remaining time, and the exam ends automatically when time expires.
- Answer everything. Your score is based on the number of questions answered correctly, and there is no penalty for guessing. Answer the questions you know first, flag the hard ones, and use any remaining time to return to them — an unanswered question is the only kind that can never help you.
- Breaks run on your clock. Unscheduled breaks require the administrator’s attention, the exam clock does not stop, and you must leave the testing room but may not leave the floor or building.
- Online with OnVUE is the alternative to a test center: review Pearson VUE’s online-testing materials first, prepare a private workspace, keep your phone out of reach, and stay in the proctor’s view for the entire session. Online exams allow no unscheduled breaks — commit your full time and attention for the whole sitting.
- Results are immediate. You leave with your official score report in hand (or retrieve it from your Pearson VUE account after an online exam). Duplicate score reports are available through your account.
How to study for this exam
The outlines are the syllabus — Pearson VUE publishes exactly what the exam covers, area by area, and the weights above are question counts, not suggestions. A plan built on that structure:
- Give the state portion its own study block — and start it early. Forty of your 120 scored questions are Montana-only law, and 28 of those 40 sit in a single area: how Montana licensees must conduct themselves. Agency duties and disclosure under Montana’s statutory broker framework, trust-money handling, advertising rules, unprofessional conduct, E&O insurance, landlord-tenant and security-deposit law, and trust-indenture foreclosure are concrete, learnable material that national products barely touch. It is the highest-yield block on the exam.
- Respect the two-pass rule. Because each portion must reach a scaled 75 independently, run two readiness checks — one per portion — instead of one blended score. A blended average can look comfortable while one portion sits below the line.
- Weight contracts and agency like the exam does. Sixteen of 80 national questions — the largest single national area — test contracts and agency together. Learn agency relationships comparatively: how each is created, what each party is owed, and how each ends.
- Memorize the published math conventions. 43,560 square feet per acre; 5,280 feet per mile. Then practice prorations, commissions, area, and financing calculations until the setup is automatic — the exam’s questions state their own day-count and closing-day assumptions, so the tested skill is reading the assumption correctly.
- Practice at full length, against the clock. 85 questions in 150 minutes and 50 in 90 minutes is a pacing skill separate from knowledge, and pretest questions consume real minutes. Full generated practice exams at the real weights build both knowledge and pace; short quizzes build only one.
- Schedule the exam when your simulations say so — consistently comfortable full-exam practice results on both portions, with the Montana state areas no longer your weakest block.
This program’s Montana practice bank (20,000 questions, including 6,640 on the Montana state outline) is built area-by-area on this same outline structure. The Montana Real Estate Exam Prep program page shows the full coverage table and enrollment.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Montana real estate exam? 120 scored questions in total: 80 on the national portion in 150 minutes and 40 on the Montana state portion in 90 minutes. The national portion adds 5 unscored pretest questions, and the state portion adds pretest questions as well (10 per the candidate handbook’s exam table) — none of them identified, none of them affecting your score.
What is the passing score for the Montana real estate exam? A scaled score of 75 on each portion, separately. Scaled scores are equated across exam forms so every version demands the same knowledge; 75 is a point on a 0–100 scale, not 75% correct. Older materials quoting 70 reflect Montana’s previous testing era, not the current Pearson VUE handbook.
Who administers the Montana real estate exam? Pearson VUE administers the exam for the Montana Board of Realty Regulation, by the Board’s commission. You reserve through Pearson VUE’s Montana real estate page or by calling (888) 366-9520, at least 48 hours before your test date.
Does Montana require pre-licensing education before the exam? Yes — 70 hours of Board-approved pre-licensing education, completed before you take the examination. The handbook states the sequence plainly: before taking an examination, candidates must complete all pre-licensing education requirements. The education must also fall within the 24 months before your license application.
How much does the Montana real estate exam cost? $95 per portion, paid to Pearson VUE when you reserve — the national and state portions are each listed at $95 in the current handbook’s exam table. After you pass, the Board’s salesperson license application fee is $80. Exam fees and the license fee are separate payments to separate places.
Do I need a high school diploma to get a Montana salesperson license? No. Montana law requires completion of two years of full curriculum study at an accredited high school, or an equivalent education as determined by the Board — a tenth-grade-level standard, not a diploma. You must also be at least 18 years old.
What happens after I pass both portions? You apply for your license through the Montana Board of Realty Regulation — within 12 months of passing, under the Board’s rules — with the $80 application fee and the recommendation of the supervising broker who will employ or contract with you and actively supervise and train you. Active licensees must also maintain errors and omissions insurance.
How long is my Montana exam score valid? The candidate handbook states that exam results are good for three years from the date of passing. Montana’s licensing rules impose the practical deadline: your license application is due within 12 months after passing, so complete the application well inside the longer validity window.
If I fail, how soon can I retake the Montana exam? You make a new reservation with Pearson VUE, online or by phone — re-examination reservations cannot be made at the test center — and you retake only the portion you failed. All attempts must fall within your five-year authorization period, counted from passing the first required education course. Your failing score report’s diagnostic information shows where the attempt was lost.
Can I take the Montana real estate exam online? Yes. Pearson VUE offers the Montana exams through OnVUE online proctoring as well as at test centers. Online candidates test from a private workspace, remain in the proctor’s view throughout, and take no unscheduled breaks during the session.
What ID do I need at the test center? Two forms of current signature identification: a primary government-issued, photo-bearing ID with a signature, plus a secondary ID with a valid signature. The name on your IDs must exactly match the name you registered with, and expired identification is not accepted — Pearson VUE recognizes no grace periods.
What Montana-specific topics does the state portion cover? The Board’s powers and discipline; licensing and renewal; and — at 28 of 40 questions — the requirements governing licensees’ activities: advertising, agency duties and disclosure, compensation, handling of documents and monies, listings and buyer brokerage agreements, and unprofessional conduct. The remaining area covers E&O insurance, land description, condominiums and common interest ownership, landlord-tenant law, foreclosure and redemption, and the statute of frauds.
Does PassProfessor’s program satisfy the 70-hour education requirement? No. PassProfessor is exam preparation only and provides no pre-licensing education credit. The 70 hours must be completed with a Board-approved education provider before you test.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider and is not affiliated with the Montana Board of Realty Regulation, Pearson VUE, or any state agency or exam vendor. This guide is general information about the Montana licensing exam, current as of October 2026; the Board’s and Pearson VUE’s publications govern if anything here differs from them.