South Dakota Real Estate Practice Test (Free)
The South Dakota broker associate exam has 142 questions and a 4 hours 30 minutes limit. Below are the exact numbers the SD exam uses, and a free practice test to see where you stand.
The South Dakota exam at a glance
- License
- Broker Associate
- Administered by
- PSI Services LLC, under contract with the South Dakota Real Estate Commission
- Total questions
- 142 (90 national and 52 South Dakota-specific)
- Time limit
- 4 hours 30 minutes
- Passing score
- Two portions, each scored and passed separately. National: 90 items worth up to 100 points (some national items are weighted at up to two points), passing score 75%. State: 52 items worth 52 points, passing score 75% (39 of 52). A candidate who passes one portion and fails the other retakes only the failed portion. There is no single combined score.
- How it is taken
- In person, computer based, at PSI test centers. In South Dakota the broker associate licensing exam is offered in Madison, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls, and PSI lists additional centers in other states.
- If you fail
- No fixed waiting period is published. PSI states it is not possible to make a new appointment on the same day you test, and its example has a Wednesday candidate calling Thursday and retesting as soon as Friday, subject to seat availability. You retake only the portion you failed and pay the fee again. Every attempt costs the full fee.
What South Dakota requires before you can sit the exam
- Minimum age
- 18+
- Pre-license education
- 116 hours
- 116 class hours of commission-approved pre-licensing education for the broker associate license (SDCL 36-21A-30.1; the commission page also lists a 116-Hour Prelicensing Course for the entry level). Instructors, independent study, and distance education must all be commission approved.
- New broker associates must additionally complete 60 class hours of post-license education, 30 hours in the initial active licensing period and 30 hours in the second, by the second active renewal deadline (SDCL 36-21A-30.2). Those 60 hours count toward the continuing education renewal requirement.
- Exam / application fee
- $98
- License term
- 2 years
- Background check
- Fingerprints and a criminal history check are required.
Free South Dakota practice questions
10 questions written for the South Dakota exam, drawn from 12 in the ApexAgent bank. The correct answer and the reasoning are under each one.
1. Which South Dakota statute creates the Real Estate Commission, and how many members does it have?
- A. SDCL 36-21A-13, five members appointed by the Governor ✓
- B. SDCL 36-21A-13, seven members appointed by the Governor
- C. SDCL 36-21A-16, five members appointed by the secretary of labor and regulation
- D. SDCL 36-21A-14, five members elected by licensees
Why: SDCL 36-21A-13 creates the South Dakota Real Estate Commission, consisting of five members appointed by the Governor. The members may not all be of the same political party, three must be active real estate brokers, and two must be members of the public. SDCL 36-21A-14 governs terms, and SDCL 36-21A-16 places the commission within the Department of Labor and Regulation.
2. How long is a term for a member of the South Dakota Real Estate Commission?
- A. Two years
- B. Three years ✓
- C. Four years
- D. Six years
Why: SDCL 36-21A-14 provides that each member of the commission is appointed for a term of three years, and no member may serve more than three consecutive full terms. Members appointed before July 1, 2005 served the four-year terms to which they were originally appointed.
3. How many class hours of approved pre-licensing education does an applicant for a South Dakota broker associate license need?
- A. 60 class hours
- B. 90 class hours
- C. 116 class hours ✓
- D. 150 class hours
Why: SDCL 36-21A-30.1 requires an applicant for a broker associate license to complete 116 class hours of education in a commission-approved course, whether taught by approved instructors or delivered through an approved independent study or distance education course.
4. After receiving an initial South Dakota broker associate license, how much post-license education is required?
- A. 24 class hours completed by the first renewal
- B. 40 class hours completed before activation
- C. 60 class hours, split 30 in the initial active period and 30 in the second ✓
- D. No post-license education is required
Why: SDCL 36-21A-30.2 requires a broker associate receiving initial licensure to complete 60 class hours of approved education, with 30 class hours completed during the initial active licensing period and 30 during the second, finished by the second active renewal deadline. Those hours also count toward continuing education for renewal.
5. Under South Dakota law, how long after being notified of a passing exam score does an applicant have to file the license application?
- A. 30 days
- B. 60 days ✓
- C. 90 days
- D. One year
Why: SDCL 36-21A-36.1 requires the applicant to file the license application with all required documents within 60 days of the notice date. If the applicant fails to file within the 60-day period, the registration and all rights deriving from a passing score are canceled.
6. How many hours of approved continuing education must an active South Dakota broker associate prove for a two-year renewal period?
- A. 12 hours
- B. 16 hours
- C. 24 hours ✓
- D. 40 hours
Why: SDCL 36-21A-62 requires a responsible broker, broker associate, salesperson, auctioneer, or property manager to provide proof of not less than 24 hours of approved continuing education in the preceding two-year period. A residential rental agent needs 12 hours, and licensed attorneys and time-share agents are exempt.
7. How long must a South Dakota licensee preserve listings, offers to purchase, closing statements, and other transaction records?
- A. One year
- B. Two years
- C. Four years ✓
- D. Seven years
Why: SDCL 36-21A-74, Preservation of records, requires a licensee to preserve for four years all listings, offers to purchase, closing statements, and other records relating to any real estate transaction. The commission also allows compliant electronic image storage, but the four-year retention period is unchanged.
8. Which statement about a South Dakota seller agency agreement is correct under SDCL 36-21A-130?
- A. It may be oral if the parties later confirm it in writing
- B. It must be in writing and include the legal description, price and terms, dates, agency type, and signatures ✓
- C. It may renew automatically at expiration
- D. It need not be signed by the responsible broker ever
Why: SDCL 36-21A-130 requires a seller or lessor agency agreement to be in writing and to contain the proper legal description, the price and terms, the date of authorization, the expiration date, the type of agency relationship, the compensation, authorization to cooperate with or compensate other brokers, and the signatures of all parties. It may not include automatic renewal at expiration, and the licensee who obtains it must give the signer a copy.
9. In South Dakota, when may a licensee act as a limited agent representing both the seller and the buyer in the same in-company transaction?
- A. Whenever the licensee thinks it is fair to both sides
- B. Only with the informed written consent of all parties to the transaction ✓
- C. Only after the transaction closes
- D. Never under any circumstance
Why: SDCL 36-21A-140 provides that a licensee may act as a limited agent only with the informed written consent of all parties to the transaction. A limited agent is an agent for both the seller and the buyer and owes the listed duties, including exercising reasonable skill and care, timely presenting all written offers, and disclosing adverse material facts.
10. What does South Dakota law require regarding errors and omissions insurance for an active licensee?
- A. It is optional and recommended only
- B. Only responsible brokers must carry it
- C. The commission requires it as a condition of licensure, except for inactive licenses ✓
- D. It is required only for property managers
Why: SDCL 36-21A-119 directs the Real Estate Commission to adopt rules requiring, as a condition of licensure, that all real estate salespersons and brokers except those holding inactive licenses carry errors and omissions insurance covering all activities contemplated under chapter 36-21A.
Want more South Dakota-specific questions? Practice the full South Dakota state-law set.
Frequently asked questions
- What license does a new agent get in South Dakota, a salesperson or a broker associate?
- The entry-level resident license is a Broker Associate. South Dakota consolidated its license categories, so what most states call a salesperson is a broker associate here, and the term broker associate means a broker who works under the supervision of a responsible broker (SDCL 36-21A-1(5)). A stand-alone salesperson license now exists only for out-of-state licensees who qualify by reciprocity, which is why the commission fee schedule lists the salesperson application as reciprocal only. Do not assume that South Dakota is a salesperson state.
- How is the South Dakota real estate exam structured and what score do you need to pass?
- The exam has two separately scored portions: a national portion of 90 items and a South Dakota state portion of 52 items, for 142 scored items total. Each portion has a passing score of 75%. The national items are worth up to 100 points because some are weighted at up to two points, and the state portion is worth 52 points, so the state portion needs 39 of 52. You must pass both portions, and if you pass one and fail the other you retake only the portion you failed.
- How long is the South Dakota real estate exam?
- The portions are timed separately: 150 minutes for the national portion and 120 minutes for the state portion, 270 minutes (4.5 hours) of testing in total, plus a tutorial of up to 15 minutes that does not count against your time. PSI may also deliver 5 to 10 experimental questions that are not scored but do count against your examination time.
- How much education does South Dakota require before and after you are licensed?
- Before the exam you must complete 116 class hours of commission-approved pre-license education. After you are licensed as a new broker associate you must complete 60 more class hours of post-license education, split 30 hours in the first active licensing period and 30 in the second, finished by your second active renewal deadline (SDCL 36-21A-30.1 and 36-21A-30.2). Those 60 hours count toward the 24 hours of continuing education required for each two-year renewal.
- What happens after you pass the South Dakota exam?
- You must file the license application with the commission within 60 days of the notice that you passed. If you do not file in time, your registration and all rights from the passing score are canceled (SDCL 36-21A-36.1). The associate broker application fee is $225, and every applicant must submit to a state and federal criminal background check using DCI and FBI fingerprint cards. Your license is issued on inactive status and stays inactive until a responsible broker requests activation.
See where you stand in 10 minutes
Free exam-style questions, your score, and your weakest topics.
Start the free practice testSources
- South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Exam Information (broker associate licensing exam administered by PSI and consists of two parts, the South Dakota state exam and the national exam; exams offered by computer in Madison, Rapid City, and Sioux Falls; registration requires credit card payment of $105; license application must be filed within 60 days of the passing notice) (verified 2026-10-03)
- South Dakota Real Estate Commission, License Types and Requirements (Broker Associate is the entry-level license: 116-Hour Prelicensing Course, no experience, exam score of 75%, approval of application; applicant must be at least 18, a U.S. citizen or South Dakota resident, and meet SDCL chapter 36-21A) (verified 2026-10-03)
- PSI Services LLC, Real Estate Broker Associate Examination Candidate Information Bulletin for South Dakota, dated 10/1/2023 (Examination Summary Table: national portion 90 items, 100 points, 75% to pass, 150 minutes; state portion 52 items, 52 points, 75% to pass, 120 minutes; combined state and national fee $98; candidates who pass one portion and fail the other retake only the failed portion; a small number of 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions may be administered and count against examination time; 116 class hours required; file the application within 60 days) (verified 2026-10-03)
- South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Fee Schedule (Application Fee - Associate Broker $225; Application Fee - Salesperson, reciprocal only, $225; Examination Fee for Broker or Broker Associate $294 total, described as $98 each portion, 3 portions; Renewal Fee - Broker Associate $125 every 2 years) (verified 2026-10-03)
- South Dakota Real Estate Commission, License Renewal (licenses renew every two years; an active broker associate renews for $125 and must show 24 hours of continuing education, at least 12 in required subject matter; renewal due November 30; late fees apply; a licensee that misses the June 30 completion must reapply and retake pre-licensing education and exams) (verified 2026-10-03)
- South Dakota Real Estate Commission, Application for Real Estate License, Auctioneer, Broker Associate, or Property Management, form REcombo (all applicants must submit to a state and federal criminal background check using DCI and FBI fingerprint cards, or an electronic livescan card, with a separate $50 check payable to DCI; application fee $225; 60 days from the exam report to file; license issued inactive until requested by a responsible broker) (verified 2026-10-03)
- South Dakota Codified Laws, Chapter 36-21A, Real Estate Licensing (36-21A-13 commission of five members appointed by the Governor, three active brokers and two public members; 36-21A-14 three-year terms, no more than three consecutive full terms; 36-21A-30 age 18 and citizenship or residency; 36-21A-30.1 116 class hours; 36-21A-30.2 60 post-license class hours, 30 plus 30; 36-21A-31 responsible broker two years active plus 24 additional class hours; 36-21A-36.1 60-day application limit; 36-21A-62 24 hours of continuing education per two-year period; 36-21A-74 four-year record preservation) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Exam details are checked against the South Dakota Real Estate Commission, South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation and its testing vendor. Always confirm current requirements with the board before your exam.