South Carolina Real Estate Practice Test (Free)

The South Carolina real estate associate exam has 120 questions and a 3 hours 20 minutes limit. Below are the exact numbers the SC exam uses, and a free practice test to see where you stand.

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The South Carolina exam at a glance

License
Real Estate Associate
Administered by
PSI Services LLC (PSI), under contract with the South Carolina Real Estate Commission (LLR)
Total questions
120 (80 national and 40 South Carolina-specific)
Time limit
3 hours 20 minutes
Passing score
Each portion is scored on its own and you must pass both. The associate national portion requires at least 56 of 80 correct (70%) and the South Carolina state portion requires at least 28 of 40 correct (70%). There is no averaging between portions, and passing one portion does not carry you on the other.
How it is taken
By computer at PSI test centers in South Carolina (Columbia, North Charleston/Charleston, Greenville, Beaufort/Hilton Head, and Myrtle Beach) and in Charlotte, North Carolina. Arrive 30 minutes before your appointment.
If you fail
Retakes are unlimited while the applicant's Examination Eligibility is valid, which is one year from the Commission's approval of eligibility. There is no statutory cooling-off period, but PSI cannot make a new appointment on the same day the candidate tested; its bulletin's own example has a candidate who tests unsuccessfully on a Wednesday call on Thursday and retest as soon as Friday, which is the source of the two-day figure. A single-portion retake is $59; both portions together are $67.

What South Carolina requires before you can sit the exam

Minimum age
18+
Pre-license education
90 hours
  • Unit I, Fundamentals of Real Estate Principles and Practices (60 classroom hours). Required before the Commission approves exam eligibility.
  • Unit II, Advanced Real Estate Principles (30 classroom hours). May be taken after the examination but must be completed before the Commission issues the license. Both units must be completed within five years before the application.
Exam / application fee
$25
License term
2 years
Background check
Fingerprints and a criminal history check are required.

Free South Carolina practice questions

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

  1. 1. Which South Carolina statute creates the Real Estate Commission and states its purpose?

    • A. Section 40-57-710, South Carolina Code
    • B. Section 40-57-10, South Carolina Code ✓
    • C. Section 40-57-320, South Carolina Code
    • D. Section 40-57-135, South Carolina Code

    Why: Section 40-57-10, South Carolina Code creates the South Carolina Real Estate Commission under the administration of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, with the purpose of regulating the real estate industry to protect the public's interest in real estate transactions. Section 40-57-710 lists grounds for discipline, Section 40-57-320 sets the education and examination conditions, and Section 40-57-135 covers broker-in-charge duties.

  2. 2. How many commissioners serve on the South Carolina Real Estate Commission?

    • A. Five
    • B. Seven
    • C. Nine
    • D. Ten ✓

    Why: Section 40-57-40(A), South Carolina Code provides that the Commission consists of ten commissioners: seven who are professionally engaged in the active practice of real estate, one elected from each congressional district; two public members who are not professionally engaged in real estate; and one additional commissioner in active practice elected at large by the other commissioners.

  3. 3. How long is the term of a South Carolina Real Estate Commission commissioner?

    • A. Two years
    • B. Four years ✓
    • C. Six years
    • D. At the pleasure of the Governor

    Why: Section 40-57-40(B), South Carolina Code provides that a commissioner serves a term of four years and until a successor is elected or appointed and qualifies. A vacancy on the Commission is filled in the manner of the original election or appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term.

  4. 4. What is the minimum age to hold a South Carolina real estate associate license?

    • A. 16
    • B. 18 ✓
    • C. 21
    • D. 25

    Why: Section 40-57-310(2), South Carolina Code sets the minimum age at eighteen for an associate license. The adjacent provision, Section 40-57-310(1), sets the minimum age at twenty-one for a broker or broker-in-charge license.

  5. 5. What is the minimum age to obtain a South Carolina broker or broker-in-charge license?

    • A. 18
    • B. 19
    • C. 21 ✓
    • D. 25

    Why: Section 40-57-310(1), South Carolina Code requires an applicant for a broker or broker-in-charge license to attain the age of twenty-one. Associate applicants are eligible at eighteen under Section 40-57-310(2).

  6. 6. How many hours of pre-licensing classroom education must a South Carolina associate applicant complete?

    • A. 60 hours
    • B. 72 hours
    • C. 90 hours ✓
    • D. 105 hours

    Why: Section 40-57-320(A)(1)(a), South Carolina Code requires sixty hours of classroom instruction in fundamentals of real estate principles and practices (Unit I) plus thirty hours of classroom instruction in advanced real estate principles (Unit II), for ninety hours total. Section 40-57-320(A)(1)(b) allows a juris doctor degree, a bachelor of law degree, or a bachelor or master degree with a major in real estate to satisfy the requirement instead.

  7. 7. May a South Carolina associate applicant take the license examination before finishing the 30 hours of advanced real estate principles (Unit II)?

    • A. Yes, but Unit II must be completed before the license is issued ✓
    • B. No, both units must be completed before the examination
    • C. Only with a broker-in-charge's written waiver
    • D. Only if the applicant holds a college degree

    Why: Section 40-57-320(A)(1)(a), South Carolina Code allows an applicant to take the license examination before completing the required thirty hours of advanced instruction, but both courses must be completed within five years before the application. The Commission's Associate Licensure Requirements and Application Process confirms that Unit II may be submitted after the examination and must be on file before the license is issued.

  8. 8. Which background checks must a South Carolina real estate license applicant complete?

    • A. A credit check and a driving record check
    • B. A state fingerprint check through SLED, a national fingerprint check through the FBI, and a social security number check ✓
    • C. Only an FBI name-based check
    • D. A local police clearance from the applicant's county of residence

    Why: Section 40-57-115, South Carolina Code requires initial applicants and renewal applicants to submit to a state fingerprint-based criminal records check conducted by the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED), a national criminal records check supported by fingerprints by the FBI, and a social security number-based criminal records check from a source approved by the Commission. The cost of the checks is borne by the applicant.

  9. 9. Which of the following is NOT one of the permissible brokerage relationships a South Carolina brokerage firm may establish under Section 40-57-350?

    • A. Seller agency
    • B. Buyer agency
    • C. Disclosed dual agency
    • D. Implied agency ✓

    Why: Section 40-57-350, South Carolina Code lists the permissible brokerage relationships as seller agency, buyer agency, disclosed dual agency, designated agency, and transaction brokerage. Implied agency is not one of them; Section 40-57-30(2) defines an agency relationship as one created in writing between a real estate brokerage firm and its client.

  10. 10. When must a South Carolina licensee give a potential buyer or seller the Disclosure of Brokerage Relationships form?

    • A. Only at closing
    • B. At the first practical opportunity after substantive contact with the buyer or seller ✓
    • C. Within ten days after a contract is signed
    • D. Only if the buyer or seller asks for it

    Why: Section 40-57-370(A), South Carolina Code requires a licensee to provide, at the first practical opportunity to all potential buyers and sellers with whom the licensee has substantive contact, a meaningful explanation of the brokerage relationships the firm offers and the Disclosure of Brokerage Relationships form prescribed by the Commission. An Acknowledgement of Receipt must be included in an agency agreement and in a sales contract.

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

Frequently asked questions

Is the South Carolina real estate exam split into a national portion and a state portion?
Yes, and each portion is scored on its own. The associate examination has 80 national questions and 40 South Carolina questions, for 120 scored items and 200 minutes total. You must score at least 70% on each portion separately, which means 56 of 80 correct on the national portion and 28 of 40 correct on the state portion. Passing one portion does not carry you on the other, and if you miss a portion you retake only that portion. Section 40-57-320(B)(2) of the South Carolina Code requires a passing grade on both the state and national portions.
Is the entry-level South Carolina license called a salesperson or an associate?
Associate. Act No. 204 of 2024 amended the Real Estate Practice Act (South Carolina Code Title 40, Chapter 57) to replace salesperson with associate throughout the chapter, and the Commission and its testing vendor PSI now use associate. Older forms, MLS records, and national prep material may still say salesperson, but the current statutory term is associate. Section 40-57-30(5) defines an associate as a supervised licensee who meets the experience and education requirements and passes both the state and national portions of the associate examination.
How much pre-licensing education does South Carolina require, and can I take the exam before I finish it?
Ninety classroom hours in total: 60 hours of Unit I (Fundamentals of Real Estate Principles and Practices) and 30 hours of Unit II (Advanced Real Estate Principles). Section 40-57-320(A)(1)(a) lets you sit the license examination before you complete the 30 advanced hours, but both courses must be finished within five years before your application, and Unit II must be on file before the Commission issues your license. A juris doctor degree, a bachelor of law degree, or a bachelor or master degree with a real estate major is exempt from both courses.
What does the exam cost, what does the license cost, and how soon can I retake a failed portion?
PSI charges $67 for both portions in one appointment or $59 for a single portion, paid to PSI when you register. The Commission charges a $25 application fee when you apply and a $50 initial licensure fee once you pass. Retakes are unlimited while your Examination Eligibility is valid, which is one year from the Commission's approval, but PSI cannot book a new appointment on the same day you tested; its bulletin's own example has a candidate who tests unsuccessfully on a Wednesday call on Thursday and retest as soon as Friday.
What do I need besides the exam to get a South Carolina associate license?
You must be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or an equivalency certificate recognized by the State Department of Education, complete the Commission-approved fingerprint and social security number background checks, and be sponsored by a South Carolina broker-in-charge to activate the license. The fingerprint check goes to SLED and the FBI under Section 40-57-115. Licenses are renewed every two years and require 10 hours of continuing education per cycle, including at least 4 hours of mandated topics, under Section 40-57-340.

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