Massachusetts Real Estate Practice Test (Free)

The Massachusetts real estate salesperson exam has 120 questions and a 4 hours limit. Below are the exact numbers the MA exam uses, and a free practice test to see where you stand.

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The Massachusetts exam at a glance

License
Real Estate Salesperson
Administered by
PSI Services LLC (PSI), on behalf of the Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons (Massachusetts Division of Occupational Licensure)
Total questions
120 (80 national and 40 Massachusetts-specific)
Time limit
4 hours
Passing score
A minimum of 70% is required to pass. The salesperson examination is delivered and scored as two portions, so each portion must reach 70%: the General portion is 80 questions worth 80 points (56 to pass) and the State portion is 40 questions worth 40 points (28 to pass), 120 questions and 120 points in all. The Candidate Information Bulletin states the standard only as a minimum of 70% to pass; the per-portion retake rule (a candidate who passes one portion and fails the other retakes only the failed portion) confirms the portions are passed separately.
How it is taken
In person at PSI test centers in Massachusetts (Auburn, Boston in Charlestown, Fall River, Lawrence, West Springfield) or remote online proctored through PSI. Test-center candidates must test in the state of Massachusetts. Online candidates run a computer compatibility check and must launch the test within 15 minutes of the booked time. Report 30 minutes before a test-center appointment.
If you fail
254 CMR 2.00(4) permits re-examination on payment of the prescribed fee. PSI charges a $54 retake fee for salesperson and broker candidates. A candidate cannot book a new appointment on the day of the test because results must be processed; PSI states that a candidate who fails on a Wednesday can call on Thursday and retest as soon as the next available slot, so the practical wait is about one day. The failed portion must be passed within two years of the education completion date on the Educational Certificate; if the certificate expires, the partial pass also expires and both portions must be retaken after a new certificate. Examination fees are non-refundable and are valid for one year from the date of payment, and no payment is accepted at the test center.

What Massachusetts requires before you can sit the exam

Minimum age
18+
Pre-license education
40 hours
  • 40 hours of salesperson pre-licensure education at a Board-approved real estate school. The school certifies completion on the Massachusetts Board of Real Estate Educational Certificate, which the applicant submits to the Board and which is valid for no more than 24 months from the education completion date, so the exam must be passed within that window.
  • The approved course includes a course examination administered by the school. The Board may require successful completion of a Board-approved examination administered by the school in order to receive course credit (254 CMR 4.00(8)(e)); schools set the passing mark for that course exam.
Exam / application fee
$85
License term
2 years

Free Massachusetts practice questions

10 questions written for the Massachusetts exam, drawn from 12 in the ApexAgent bank. The correct answer and the reasoning are under each one.

  1. 1. Which body of law creates the licensing scheme for Massachusetts real estate brokers and salespersons and is administered by the Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons?

    • A. MGL c. 112, sections 87PP through 87DDD 1/2 ✓
    • B. MGL c. 93A
    • C. MGL c. 151B
    • D. 209 CMR 18.00

    Why: The real estate licensing statute is Massachusetts General Laws chapter 112, sections 87PP through 87DDD 1/2, carried into effect by the Board's regulations at 254 CMR 2.00 through 7.00. Chapter 93A is the consumer protection act, chapter 151B is the anti-discrimination statute, and 209 CMR 18.00 governs mortgage lenders rather than real estate licensees.

  2. 2. Under MGL c. 112, section 87SS, how many classroom hours of board-approved pre-license education must a salesperson applicant complete before sitting the licensing examination?

    • A. 24 hours
    • B. 40 hours ✓
    • C. 63 hours
    • D. 75 hours

    Why: MGL c. 112, section 87SS requires every salesperson applicant to submit proof, as a prerequisite to the examination, of completing board-approved real estate courses totaling 40 classroom hours. An applicant for a broker license must complete an additional 40 classroom hours beyond the salesperson education and show three years of active association with a broker.

  3. 3. To qualify to sit for the Massachusetts broker examination, a salesperson must have been actively associated with a Massachusetts broker for at least:

    • A. one year
    • B. two years
    • C. three years ✓
    • D. five years

    Why: MGL c. 112, section 87SS and 254 CMR 2.00(6) require a broker applicant to have been actively associated with a licensed Massachusetts broker for at least three years in the capacity of a salesperson, at a minimum of 25 hours per calendar week. The experience must be no more than two years old when the examination is taken.

  4. 4. At any one time, how many brokers may a Massachusetts real estate salesperson be affiliated with?

    • A. One ✓
    • B. Two
    • C. Three
    • D. Any number, with prior Board approval

    Why: MGL c. 112, section 87RR provides that no salesperson shall be affiliated with more than one broker at the same time. 254 CMR 3.00(6) adds that a licensed salesperson must be engaged by a licensed broker and may not conduct their own real estate business.

  5. 5. A Massachusetts salesperson has earned a commission on a completed sale. From whom may the salesperson lawfully accept that compensation?

    • A. Directly from the seller
    • B. Directly from the buyer
    • C. Only from the salesperson's employing broker ✓
    • D. From either party once the transaction closes

    Why: MGL c. 112, section 87RR provides that a salesperson is not entitled to any fee, commission or other valuable consideration, and may not solicit or accept it, from any person except the salesperson's licensed broker. Any arrangement that routes a salesperson's compensation around the employing broker is contrary to the statute.

  6. 6. How much must a Massachusetts real estate broker post as a surety bond before a broker's license may be issued or renewed?

    • A. $1,000
    • B. $5,000 ✓
    • C. $10,000
    • D. $25,000

    Why: MGL c. 112, section 87TT requires a broker to file a $5,000 bond, payable to the Commonwealth for the benefit of any aggrieved person and conditioned on the faithful accounting of funds entrusted to the broker, before a broker's license is issued or renewed. The Board restates this requirement at 254 CMR 2.00(10). Salespersons do not post a bond.

  7. 7. A first-time Massachusetts individual licensee passes the salesperson examination on March 15, 2026, and was born on April 1. Under MGL c. 112, section 87XX, when does that initial license expire?

    • A. March 15, 2028
    • B. April 1, 2028 ✓
    • C. April 1, 2029
    • D. March 15, 2031

    Why: MGL c. 112, section 87XX makes a license valid for two years from issue and renewable biennially, but provides that the original individual license is valid until the anniversary of the licensee's date of birth next occurring more than 24 months after issuance. From a March 15, 2026 issue date, 24 months ends March 15, 2028, and the next birthday anniversary after that is April 1, 2028, so the first license runs just over two years and never more than three.

  8. 8. Before renewing a Massachusetts real estate license as active, the licensee must complete how many hours of continuing education?

    • A. 8 hours
    • B. 12 hours ✓
    • C. 14 hours
    • D. 20 hours

    Why: MGL c. 112, section 87XX 1/2 and the Board's continuing education regulation at 254 CMR 5.00 require 12 hours of board-approved continuing education within the license period as a condition of renewing as active. If those hours are not completed, the Board renews the license as inactive, and an inactive licensee may not practice real estate.

  9. 9. Under 254 CMR 3.00, when must a Massachusetts licensee provide a prospective buyer or seller with the Mandatory Licensee-Consumer Relationship Disclosure?

    • A. Only before a written offer is accepted
    • B. At the first personal meeting to discuss a specific property ✓
    • C. Within three days of signing a listing agreement
    • D. Only at the closing

    Why: 254 CMR 3.00(13)(a) requires the Board-approved agency disclosure notice at the first personal meeting between the licensee and a prospective purchaser or seller for the purpose of discussing a specific property. The licensee must request a signature, provide the original, and keep a copy for three years; at an open house, conspicuous signage or listing literature may substitute for individual written notice.

  10. 10. A Massachusetts licensee works with a buyer as a non-agent facilitator under 254 CMR 3.00(13)(e). Which duty does a facilitator NOT owe?

    • A. To present the property honestly and accurately
    • B. To disclose known material defects
    • C. To account for funds
    • D. To keep information received from the buyer confidential ✓

    Why: 254 CMR 3.00(13)(e) provides that a facilitator has a duty to present real property honestly and accurately, to disclose known material defects, and to account for funds, but a facilitator does not have a duty of confidentiality with respect to information received from the seller or purchaser. The notice that no agency relationship exists must be given at the first personal meeting to discuss a specific property.

Want more Massachusetts-specific questions? Practice the full Massachusetts state-law set.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Massachusetts real estate process one exam or two steps?
It is two steps. First, you complete the 40-hour pre-licensure course at a Board-approved school, which includes a course examination administered by the school. The school then issues the Massachusetts Board of Real Estate Educational Certificate. Second, you sit the state licensing examination run by PSI, and that state exam is itself built from two portions: a General portion and a Massachusetts State portion. The educational certificate is valid for up to 24 months, so both portions of the state exam must be passed within that window.
Does Massachusetts split the real estate exam into a national part and a state part?
Yes, and it is a real split, not an assumption. The Candidate Information Bulletin's own vendor table lists the salesperson General portion at 80 questions worth 80 points in 150 minutes and the Massachusetts State portion at 40 questions worth 40 points in 90 minutes, for 120 questions and 240 minutes across both. You must reach 70% on each portion, so 56 of 80 General and 28 of 40 State. If you pass one portion and fail the other, you retake only the failed portion.
What score do you need to pass the Massachusetts real estate exam?
70%. The Board's testing vendor states the standard as a minimum of 70% to pass. Because the exam is scored in two portions and a candidate can pass one and fail the other, the practical target is 70% on the General portion (56 of 80) and 70% on the State portion (28 of 40). The exam may also contain a small number of unscored experimental questions, so the number of items you actually see can be slightly higher than the scored counts.
How much does the Massachusetts real estate exam cost, and how soon can you retake it?
Mass.gov publishes the salesperson candidate fee as $85, which the Candidate Information Bulletin breaks into a $31 Board application fee and a $54 PSI examination fee. The retake fee is $54, and payment for the exam is made to PSI at scheduling, never at the test center. If you fail, you cannot rebook on the same day because results must be processed; you can call the next business day and retest as soon as a slot opens, so the wait is about one day. The education certificate is valid for two years, and the failed portion must be passed within that window.
How long is a Massachusetts real estate license valid, and what continuing education does it carry?
A Massachusetts license is valid for at least two years and not more than three. Under MGL c. 112, section 87XX a license runs two years from issue and renews biennially, but the first individual license is valid until the licensee's birthday anniversary that falls next after 24 months from issuance, which is why the first term is prorated. The expiration date is the licensee's date of birth. To renew as active you must complete 12 hours of continuing education during the license period (MGL c. 112, section 87XX one half and 254 CMR 5.00); without it the Board renews the license as inactive and you may not practice.

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