Kentucky Real Estate Practice Test (Free)
The Kentucky real estate sales associate exam has 130 questions and a 4 hours limit. Below are the exact numbers the KY exam uses, and a free practice test to see where you stand.
The Kentucky exam at a glance
- License
- Real Estate Sales Associate
- Administered by
- PSI Services LLC (PSI), under contract with the Kentucky Real Estate Commission
- Total questions
- 130 (80 national and 50 Kentucky-specific)
- Time limit
- 4 hours
- Passing score
- At least 75% correct. The exam is divided into a general (national) portion and a Kentucky state portion, and both portions must be passed. The general portion is 80 items in 150 minutes and the state portion is 50 items in 90 minutes, for 130 items and 240 minutes in total. A candidate who passes one portion and fails the other may retake only the failed portion, but if both portions are not passed within 4 months of passing the first, both must be retaken.
- How it is taken
- In person at PSI computer test centers, including Bowling Green, Lexington, Louisville, Maysville, Paducah, and Somerset in Kentucky, plus out-of-state PSI centers such as Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Knoxville, and Nashville. Some centers require an out-of-state testing request on the accommodation form.
- If you fail
- Each attempt costs the full $100 fee, whether one portion or both portions are taken. A candidate cannot book a new appointment on the same day the exam was taken, but may call the next day to schedule the earliest available date; no fixed statutory waiting period is published. If one portion was passed and the other failed, only the failed portion needs to be retaken, provided both portions are passed within 4 months of passing the first. After 4 months, both portions must be retaken.
What Kentucky requires before you can sit the exam
- Minimum age
- 18+
- Pre-license education
- 96 hours
- Kentucky 96 classroom hours in real estate from a KREC-approved private real estate school (the sales associate pre-license course), or six (6) academic credit hours in real estate from an accredited college or university. The entire education requirement must be finished before a test reservation can be made.
- Proof of high school graduation or a GED is also required. In lieu of a high school diploma, an official transcript showing 28 academic semester hours from a post-secondary institution may be submitted.
- Exam / application fee
- $100
- License term
- 2 years
- Background check
- Fingerprints and a criminal history check are required.
Free Kentucky practice questions
10 questions written for the Kentucky exam, drawn from 12 in the ApexAgent bank. The correct answer and the reasoning are under each one.
1. How many members serve on the Kentucky Real Estate Commission?
- A. Five
- B. Seven ✓
- C. Nine
- D. Eleven
Why: KRS 324.281 creates the Kentucky Real Estate Commission and provides that the Governor appoints seven members. At least six of them must have been Kentucky residents for ten years and must have worked as active real estate licensees for at least ten years, and one member must be a citizen at large who is not associated with or financially interested in the real estate business.
2. Under Kentucky license law, which statement about a sales associate is correct?
- A. A sales associate may operate an independent brokerage office
- B. A sales associate must be affiliated with a Kentucky-licensed principal broker and work under that broker's supervision ✓
- C. A sales associate may supervise other sales associates without restriction
- D. A sales associate must also hold a broker license in another state
Why: KRS 324.010(6) defines a sales associate as a person licensed under KRS 324.046(2) who is affiliated with a Kentucky-licensed principal broker and who, when engaging in real estate brokerage, does so under the supervision of the principal broker. KRS 324.020(5) adds that no sales associate shall supervise another sales associate or manage a brokerage office, except as authorized by KRS 324.112(1) and KRS 324.425.
3. Under KRS 324.046, an applicant for an initial Kentucky sales associate license must complete at least how many academic credit hours in real estate courses, unless using the classroom-hour equivalent?
- A. Three
- B. Six ✓
- C. Twelve
- D. Twenty-one
Why: KRS 324.046(2) requires a sales associate applicant to have completed six (6) academic credit hours or their equivalent in real estate courses from an accredited institution or approved real estate school. The Kentucky Real Estate Commission and the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin state the same requirement as 96 classroom hours in real estate from a Kentucky-approved private real estate school.
4. KRS 324.045 requires an applicant's national criminal history check to be completed within how many days before the license application is received by the commission?
- A. Thirty (30)
- B. Sixty (60)
- C. Ninety (90) ✓
- D. One hundred twenty (120)
Why: KRS 324.045(4)(c) requires the applicant to complete the national criminal history check within ninety (90) calendar days prior to the date the license application is received by the commission. The Kentucky Real Estate Commission adds that the FBI fingerprint background check must be initiated before the exam and is valid for 90 days, and that scores are voided if the check was not completed before testing.
5. Under KRS 324.111, contract deposits and money belonging to others must be held in an escrow account that is which of the following?
- A. Merged with the brokerage's general operating account
- B. Maintained by the principal broker in a separate account located in Kentucky and identified to the commission in writing ✓
- C. Held by the sales associate who took the deposit
- D. Placed in an out-of-state bank chosen by the buyer
Why: KRS 324.111 requires a principal broker to maintain an escrow account, separate from the individual or office account, in which all contract deposits and money belonging to others are deposited without unreasonable delay. The escrow accounts must be maintained within the State of Kentucky and must be identified to the commission in writing.
6. If an escrow account overdraft is not the result of a bank service charge, KRS 324.111 requires the principal broker to advise the commission in writing if the overdraft is not corrected within what period?
- A. Twenty-four hours
- B. Forty-eight hours
- C. Seventy-two hours ✓
- D. Ten business days
Why: KRS 324.111(1) requires each principal broker to advise the commission in writing if an overdraft occurs in the escrow account for any reason other than bank service charges and is not corrected within seventy-two (72) hours of the broker receiving notice.
7. Under KRS 324.121, which statement about designated agency in Kentucky is correct?
- A. A principal broker may designate himself or herself as a designated agent
- B. The designation procedure must be made in writing and communicated to all licensees affiliated with the principal broker ✓
- C. A designated agent may represent both the buyer and the seller in the same transaction
- D. Designated agency is permitted only in commercial transactions
Why: KRS 324.121(1) allows a principal broker to designate one or more affiliated licensees to act as agent for a seller or a buyer to the exclusion of other affiliated licensees, but provides that the designation procedure shall be made in writing and communicated to all licensees affiliated with the principal broker. The same statute states that the principal broker shall not designate himself or herself as a designated agent.
8. When a principal broker designates one licensee to represent the seller and another licensee to represent the buyer in the same transaction, who is deemed to be the dual agent under KRS 324.121(3)?
- A. Both designated licensees jointly
- B. Only the principal broker or a designated manager working under the principal broker's direction ✓
- C. The listing licensee only
- D. An outside broker appointed by the commission
Why: KRS 324.121(3) provides that if a principal broker designates one or more licensees to represent the seller and one or more other licensees to represent the buyer in the same transaction, only the principal broker or a designated manager working under the principal broker's direction is deemed to be a dual agent representing the seller and buyer in a limited fiduciary capacity. The dual agent must not disclose to either party confidential information learned about the other party.
9. Under KRS 324.360, after a listing agent receives a written and signed offer to purchase, a copy of the seller's disclosure of conditions form must be delivered to the prospective purchaser within how many hours?
- A. Twenty-four hours
- B. Forty-eight hours
- C. Seventy-two hours ✓
- D. One hundred twenty hours
Why: KRS 324.360(4) requires the listing agent to deliver a copy of the seller's disclosure of conditions form to any prospective purchaser or the purchaser's representative within seventy-two (72) hours of the listing agent's receipt of a written and signed offer to purchase. The seller completes and signs the form when executing the listing agreement. The 120-hour period in KRS 324.360(5) applies only when a property is offered without a listing agreement.
10. How many hours of continuing education must an actively licensed Kentucky agent complete for each biennial license period under KRS 324.085?
- A. Six
- B. Twelve ✓
- C. Twenty-four
- D. Forty-eight
Why: KRS 324.085(1) requires all actively licensed agents to complete twelve (12) classroom or online hours of continuing education for the biennial license period. Six of the twelve hours must be completed in the first year of the biennial license period or the license is automatically cancelled, and six of the twelve hours must be in real estate law.
Want more Kentucky-specific questions? Practice the full Kentucky state-law set.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Kentucky split the real estate exam into a national part and a state part?
- Yes. The Kentucky sales associate licensing examination given by PSI is divided into two portions: a general (national) portion and a Kentucky state portion. You must pass both portions to be licensed. If you pass one portion and fail the other, you may retake only the portion you failed, but you must pass both within 4 months of passing the first, or you have to sit both portions again.
- What score do you need to pass the Kentucky real estate exam?
- You must receive a score of at least 75% correct. The PSI Candidate Information Bulletin states that to pass the examinations a candidate must score at least 75% correct, and a retake of only a failed portion is allowed, so candidates should treat both the general and the state portion as needing a passing score. That 75% threshold is higher than the 70% used by many other states.
- How many questions are on the Kentucky real estate exam, and how long is it?
- The PSI Candidate Information Bulletin examination summary table lists the sales associate exam as 80 items (80 points) in the general portion with 150 minutes allowed, and 50 items (50 points) in the state portion with 90 minutes allowed, for 130 items and 240 minutes in total. A small number of experimental questions, about 5 to 10, may also be administered; they are not scored and the time to answer them does not count against your testing time.
- How much does the Kentucky real estate exam and license cost, and how soon can you retake the exam?
- The PSI examination fee is $100 per attempt and is paid at the time you reserve, whether you are taking one portion or both. The Kentucky Real Estate Commission's fee schedule sets the initial sales associate license at $130 for an active license or $120 if the license is issued directly into inactive status. There is no fixed waiting period published for a retake, but you cannot book the same day; you may call the next day to schedule. Each attempt costs the full $100.
- What education and other requirements does Kentucky set before you can sit the exam?
- You must be at least 18 years old and hold a high school diploma or GED. You must complete 96 classroom hours in real estate from a KREC-approved private real estate school, or six academic credit hours in real estate from an accredited college or university, before making a test reservation. You must also initiate the national criminal history (FBI fingerprint) background check before scheduling the exam; a background check that is not completed before the exam will void your scores. The check is valid for 90 days. After passing both portions you must apply for licensure within 60 days.
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- Kentucky Real Estate Commission, Candidate Testing Information (exam fee $100 paid to PSI; background check must be initiated before scheduling and scores voided if not done first; testing sites in KY and out of state; what to bring) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Kentucky Real Estate Commission, Licensing, Requirements for Licensure (sales associate: at least 18 with high school diploma or GED; 96-hour pre-license course or six academic credit hours; national criminal history check; proof of passing the PSI sales associate exam) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Kentucky Real Estate Commission, Fee Schedule (initial sales associate license $130 active or $120 inactive; $60 broker upgrade; renewals due by March 31 of every even-numbered year; exam fee $100 not paid to KREC; late renewal $200) (verified 2026-10-03)
- PSI Services LLC for the Kentucky Real Estate Commission, Real Estate Sales Associate and Broker Examinations Candidate Information Bulletin, bulletin 2312, updated 10/1/2023 (exam summary table, sales associate general 80 items / 150 minutes, state 50 items / 90 minutes, both 130 items / 240 minutes; pass requires a score of at least 75% correct; 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions; $100 fee for one or both portions; retake only the failed portion but pass both within 4 months; apply within 60 days of passing; FBI records check required before the exam) (verified 2026-10-03)
- PSI client landing page for Kentucky real estate exams (fingerprints for the national criminal history check must be submitted before the exam or scores are invalid; background checks valid for 90 days; practice tests) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Kentucky Revised Statutes, Chapter 324, Real estate brokers and sales associates (324.010 definitions; 324.020 supervision and fee splitting; 324.045 examination and national criminal history check within 90 days; 324.046 initial licensure education; 324.085 continuing and post-license education; 324.090 biennial expiration and renewal; 324.111 escrow accounts; 324.121 designated agency and dual agency; 324.160 sanctions; 324.281 Kentucky Real Estate Commission) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Kentucky Administrative Regulations, 201 KAR Chapter 11, Real Estate Commission regulations (201 KAR 11:121 standards of professional conduct: Guide to Agency Relationships and Agency Consent Agreement; seller's disclosure of conditions form; 201 KAR 11:210 application and criminal history check; 201 KAR 11:170 post-license curriculum) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Kentucky Revised Statutes, KRS 324.360, Form for seller's disclosure of conditions (seller completes and signs the form when executing the listing agreement; listing agent delivers a copy within 72 hours of receiving a written and signed offer; 120 hours applies to a property offered without a listing agreement) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Exam details are checked against the Kentucky Real Estate Commission (KREC), Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet, Department of Professional Licensing and its testing vendor. Always confirm current requirements with the board before your exam.