Pennsylvania Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Examination

Pennsylvania Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Exam: Complete 2026 Study Guide

You've completed your pre-licensing coursework. Now comes the part that actually puts your PA real estate license in your hands: passing the licensing exam. The good news? With the right preparation, this is very doable. This guide covers exactly what to expect on the Pennsylvania Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Examination — both portions — plus sample questions, study tips, and the resources you need to walk in confident.

Start by getting a feel for the real question style with our free practice exam.

Exam Overview: Two Separate Portions

Here's something many candidates miss: the Pennsylvania salesperson exam is actually two independently administered and scored portions, not one combined test. You register, sit for, and pass each portion on its own.

National/General Portion
- 80 scored questions + 5 unscored pretest items
- Time limit: 150 minutes
- Passing score: 75 (scaled)

Pennsylvania State-Specific Portion
- 40 scored questions + 10 unscored pretest items
- Time limit: 60 minutes
- Passing score: 75 (scaled)

The passing score of 75 is a scaled score on a 0–100 scale — it is not simply a raw percentage of questions answered correctly. The Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission sets this standard in partnership with Pearson VUE, and scores are equated across exam forms to ensure fairness.

If you pass one portion and fail the other, you only retake the portion you failed. Passing results are valid for three years. The exam is administered by Pearson VUE at authorized test centers across the state. It is closed book — no reference materials allowed.

Pretest questions appear on both portions but are not identified and do not count toward your score. Answer every question, because you can't tell which ones are pretest items.

Topics Covered on the Pennsylvania State-Specific Portion

The state-specific content outline became effective March 16, 2026. It covers five major areas:

1. Real Estate Commission (5 questions)

Covers the duties and powers of the commission, how complaints and investigations are handled, the appeals process, and the Real Estate Recovery Fund. Know the procedural details here — the exam gets specific.

2. Licensure (8 questions)

Qualifications for licensure, which activities require a license, how license renewal and reactivation work, what happens when you change brokers, and who is exempt from licensure requirements.

3. Agency and Disclosure (10 questions)

This is the largest topic area in the state portion. Expect questions on agency relationships, required disclosures, the duties licensees owe to clients and customers, and how compensation works in different agency arrangements.

4. Regulations Governing the Activities of Licensees (11 questions)

The single most heavily tested area — 11 questions. This covers advertising rules, the broker-salesperson relationship, handling funds and escrow accounts, prohibited conduct, and the grounds for suspension or revocation.

5. Miscellaneous (6 questions)

Property disclosures, contracts and forms, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (fair housing), time-shares, planned communities, condominiums, and property management rules.

The national/general content outline (effective April 1, 2026) covers eight major areas across 80 scored questions: Real Property Characteristics and Legal Descriptions, Forms of Ownership and Transfer of Title, Property Value and Appraisal, Real Estate Contracts and Agency, Real Estate Practice, Property Disclosures and Environmental Issues, Financing and Settlement, and Real Estate Math Calculations.

Sample Pennsylvania Real Estate Exam Questions

These are real examples of the type of PA real estate exam questions you'll encounter on the state-specific portion. Try to work through each one before checking yourself — but we won't be giving away the answers here. Take our free practice exam to see how you actually score.

Question 1 — Agency and Disclosure
Which of the following is required to be included in a written agreement between a broker and a seller/landlord?

A) A guarantee that the property will sell within the listing period
B) A statement regarding cooperation with subagents and buyer's agents, and disclosure that a buyer agent will represent the buyer's interests even if compensated by the listing broker
C) An automatic renewal clause for the listing agreement
D) A provision authorizing the broker to execute an agreement of sale on behalf of the seller

This tests your knowledge of what Pennsylvania law specifically requires in listing agreements — details that go beyond general principles.

Question 2 — Real Estate Commission
How many consecutive meetings must a commission member miss before forfeiting his or her seat?

A) Two
B) Three
C) Four
D) Five

A detail-level question straight from the statute. This is the kind of specific rule that separates candidates who studied the Pennsylvania materials from those who only used a national prep book.

Question 3 — Agency and Disclosure
You are a buyer's broker showing a property listed by another brokerage. At what point must you disclose to the listing broker that you have been engaged as a buyer's agent?

A) At the time a written offer is submitted
B) At settlement
C) At first contact with the listing broker
D) Within 48 hours of showing the property to the buyer

Timing of disclosure is a frequent exam topic. Pennsylvania has specific rules on when and how agency must be revealed.

Question 4 — Regulations Governing the Activities of Licensees
A dispute arises between a buyer and seller over who is entitled to the earnest money deposit being held in escrow by the broker. The broker has held the funds for 30 days and resolution appears unlikely without legal action. What may the broker do?

A) Release the funds to the seller since the seller listed the property
B) Split the deposit equally between buyer and seller
C) Following 30 days' notice to the parties, petition the county court to interplead the rival claimants
D) Return the funds to the buyer immediately since the buyer made the deposit

Escrow disputes are tested frequently. You need to know the proper legal procedure — not just a commonsense guess.

Question 5 — Miscellaneous
You are a listing agent and have a sale pending on a property. A security deposit was collected from a tenant under a lease agreement. During the term of the tenancy, the property is sold. What must the broker do regarding the security deposit?

A) Return the deposit directly to the tenant at closing
B) Transfer the deposit to the broker's general business account
C) Transfer the deposit to the escrow account of the lessor or the lessor's broker upon written notification to each tenant of the new depository name, address, and deposit amount
D) Retain the deposit indefinitely in the original escrow account regardless of the sale

Property management and security deposit handling are covered under the Miscellaneous section — an area some candidates underestimate.

What Types of Questions to Expect

Our Pennsylvania real estate prep question bank includes 259 state-specific practice questions across all five topic areas:

• Regulations Governing the Activities of Licensees — 65 questions covering advertising rules, escrow account procedures, prohibited conduct, and grounds for license discipline
• Agency and Disclosure — 63 questions on agency relationships, disclosure timing, dual agency, and compensation arrangements
• Real Estate Commission — 41 questions on commission structure, the Recovery Fund, and complaint procedures
• Licensure — 50 questions on qualifications, license types, renewal deadlines, and exemptions
• Miscellaneous — 40 questions covering property disclosures, contracts, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and property management

The questions range from direct recall (specific statutory deadlines) to applied scenarios (what must a broker do when X happens). Both types appear on the real exam.

Study Materials

The Pennsylvania salesperson exam is grounded in state statute and regulation. Here are the primary sources you need to study directly:

Pennsylvania Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA) — This is the foundational law governing licensure, agency, prohibited conduct, and more. The Licensure and Agency topic questions pull heavily from here.

PA Chapter 35 — Real Estate Commission Regulations (Title 49) — Pennsylvania Title 49, Chapter 35 contains the commission's detailed administrative rules: advertising requirements, escrow procedures, broker-salesperson relationships, and grounds for discipline.

Pennsylvania Title 49 — Chapter 43b — This covers specific regulatory requirements you'll be tested on in the Regulations section.

Pennsylvania Title 68 — Chapter 73 (Seller Disclosure Law) — Covers the Seller Disclosure Law, which feeds directly into the Miscellaneous topic area questions on property disclosures.

For exam registration and official logistics, check the official exam bulletin and the state licensing website.

Note: Pearson VUE does not endorse any particular pre-licensing provider or study materials.

Study Tips for the Pennsylvania Exam

Study each portion separately. The national and state portions are tested independently, so structure your prep the same way. Don't let state-specific rules blur together with general principles.

Use state-specific materials — not just a national book. Pennsylvania's agency disclosure rules, escrow procedures, and commission regulations differ from generic principles. A Pennsylvania real estate prep course or direct study of the statutes above is essential.

Memorize these math facts before test day. The exam center does NOT provide them:
- 43,560 square feet per acre
- 5,280 feet per mile

For proration questions, the exam will tell you whether to use a 360- or 365-day year and whether the closing day belongs to the buyer or seller — so don't stress about memorizing those variables.

Practice under timed conditions. Untimed PDF guides help with learning the material, but they don't prepare you for 60 minutes on 50 questions (including pretest items) or 150 minutes on 85. Our practice exam replicates the real format — same question count, same timer — so there are no surprises on test day.

Focus on Regulations and Agency first. Together, those two topic areas account for 21 of the 40 scored state-specific questions. Mastering them is the fastest path to a passing score.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the Pennsylvania Real Estate Salesperson Licensing Examination?
The exam has two separate portions. The national/general portion has 80 scored questions plus 5 unscored pretest items (150 minutes). The Pennsylvania state-specific portion has 40 scored questions plus 10 unscored pretest items (60 minutes). Pretest items are not identified and do not affect your score — but answer every question, because you can't distinguish them from scored items.

What topics are covered on the Pennsylvania state-specific portion?
Five areas: Real Estate Commission (5 questions), Licensure (8 questions), Agency and Disclosure (10 questions), Regulations Governing the Activities of Licensees (11 questions), and Miscellaneous topics including property disclosures, contracts, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, time-shares, and rentals (6 questions).

What topics are covered on the national/general portion?
Eight major areas across 80 scored questions: Real Property Characteristics and Legal Descriptions, Forms of Ownership and Transfer of Title, Property Value and Appraisal, Real Estate Contracts and Agency, Real Estate Practice, Property Disclosures and Environmental Issues, Financing and Settlement, and Real Estate Math Calculations.

Do the pretest questions count toward my score?
No. Both portions include unscored pretest questions (5 on the national portion, 10 on the state portion), but they are not identified. Answer all questions — you have no way of knowing which ones are pretest items.

Is a calculator provided, and are reference materials available at the test center?
The exam is closed book. Certain math facts are specifically NOT available at the test center and must be memorized: 43,560 square feet per acre and 5,280 feet per mile. Check the official exam bulletin for the most current policies on calculators.

What math do I need to memorize?
The two figures not provided at the test center: 43,560 square feet per acre and 5,280 feet per mile. For proration problems, the exam specifies whether to use a 360- or 365-day year and whether the closing day belongs to the buyer or seller.

When did the current Pennsylvania state-specific exam content outline take effect?
March 16, 2026. The national/general content outline became effective April 1, 2026.

Who administers the exam?
Pearson VUE builds and administers the examination. The Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission issues licenses and sets the passing standard. You can register at the exam registration page.

Does Pearson VUE recommend specific study materials or PA real estate courses?
No. Pearson VUE explicitly states it does not endorse any particular pre-licensing provider or study materials. Study the primary statutory sources listed above and use a PA-specific practice exam to measure your readiness.

Start Practicing Today

The Pennsylvania Real Estate Salesperson exam is challenging — but it's structured, well-defined, and very passable with focused preparation. Study the Pennsylvania statutes directly, understand the two-portion format, and practice under real exam conditions.

Begin with our free practice exam — 10 questions, no account required, drawn from the same topics as the real exam. When you're ready to get serious, upgrade to the full practice exam: it matches the real exam question count, runs on the same timer, and gives you a topic-by-topic score breakdown so you know exactly where to focus. Your PA real estate license is within reach.