Hawaii Real Estate Exam Prep & Study Guide
What the Hawaii exam actually asks, in the order worth studying it. The weightings below are not an estimate — they are each subject's share of the 2,129 Hawaii questions in our bank.
Questions
130
Time limit
240 min
To pass
70%
Exam fee
$61
Source: HREC candidate handbook. Salesperson licence.
What to study first for the Hawaii exam
Ordered by how many questions sit behind each subject. Studying front to back spends the same hours on a subject worth 7% as on one worth 12%.
- 112%264 questions
Practice of Real Estate
- 212%253 questions
Property Ownership
- 312%248 questions
Contracts
- 412%245 questions
Financing
- 511%226 questions
General Principles of Agency
- 69%199 questions
Real Estate Math
- 77%151 questions
Property Disclosures
- 87%149 questions
Valuation Market Analysis
The Hawaii state portion, subject by subject
HI-specific law is where out-of-state study material stops helping. These are the subjects our bank covers, with real questions under each.
General Principles of Agency
226 questions- Without prior permission, Quinn Brooks signs a small repair authorization on behalf of the owner. The owner later approv…
- A buyer under a buyer-representation agreement receives an earnest money refund after a failed deal. The agent deposits …
- A buyer representation agreement should specify:
- Jamie Cruz signs a listing agreement with Skyler Simmons. In the resulting sale, whose interests does the listing broker…
Property Disclosures
151 questions- A 1978 ranch home is on the market. During inspection, the buyer's environmental specialist samples the wall insulation …
- Which of the following is NOT a hidden condition?
- A Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) must be provided by:
- The purpose of the Closing Disclosure under TILA-RESPA is to:
Valuation Market Analysis
149 questions- In October 2026, appraiser Caleb Moore is reviewing an income statement for Oak Place. The property's NOI is $67,500, th…
- Under USPAP, what is the purpose of the Competency Rule?
- An example of functional obsolescence is:
- In August 2026, appraiser Omar Lewis is valuing a small retail strip. Potential gross income is $96,000, vacancy and col…
Land Use Controls Regulations
128 questions- A homebuyer purchases a lot in a planned community. The deed references a recorded declaration of covenants, conditions,…
- A board of adjustment is reviewing an owner's request for relief from a zoning ordinance. All of the following are commo…
- A homeowner in an HOA community wants to install solar panels on her roof. The CC&Rs do not address solar panels. The HO…
- Seeking an exemption from zoning requirements requires a:
Transfer of Property
114 questions- Under TRID rules, the lender must deliver the Closing Disclosure to the borrower at least how many business days before …
- A deed is properly recorded in the county records before a later purchaser checks title. Even if the later purchaser nev…
- At closing, the seller's existing mortgage balance of $185,000 must be paid off from the sale proceeds. On the seller's …
- An attorney examining the abstract of title discovers a gap in the chain where a deed from 1952 does not match the grant…
Agency
46 questions- Under the doctrine of respondeat superior, what is Hawaii's principal broker's liability for the actions of affiliated l…
- Under Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 16, Chapter 99, when must a real estate licensee provide the agency disclosure f…
- Salesperson Kai represents buyer Lena in Hawaii. During negotiations, Lena tells Kai that she is pre-approved for $800,0…
- Real estate licensees in Hawaii are regulated by the:
Valuation
10 questions- A developer owns a large parcel of land in Honolulu that includes a portion designated as ceded lands held in trust by t…
- A residential property in Honolulu County has an assessed value of $850,000. The owner qualifies for the county's homeow…
- Makoa purchased a single-family home on the Big Island (Hawaii County) two years ago and has been using it as a vacation…
- Leilani is a licensed Hawaii real estate salesperson helping a buyer purchase a property registered in the Land Court sy…
Mandated Disclosures
10 questions- Under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 508D, which type of residential property transaction triggers the mandatory seller…
- A buyer in Kauai receives the seller's HRS 508D disclosure statement on a Tuesday and signs the purchase contract the fo…
- Kenji is selling his Maui home, which sits on leasehold land with a ground lease expiring in 18 years. He provides the b…
- Leilani is selling her Honolulu condominium to David. She provides David with the required seller disclosure statement o…
Counts are live from the Hawaii question bank, which mixes the national portion with Hawaii-specific law.
The national portion, subject by subject
Shared with every other state exam, and usually the larger half of the paper.
Practice of Real Estate
264 questions- How many members serve on the Hawaii Real Estate Commission (HREC) as established under HRS Chapter 467?
- A broker uses cloud-based transaction management software to store all transaction files, including contracts, disclosur…
- Two competing brokerages agree that each will refer commercial clients to the other and neither will compete for the oth…
- A landlord refuses to rent to a family with children, claiming the property is 'adults only.' This is legal ONLY if:
Property Ownership
253 questions- A roofing contractor replaced shingles on a home for $18,400, but the owner refused to pay. After following the required…
- Emma owns only a life estate in a rural tract, with title to pass to her nephew at Emma's death. Without the nephew's co…
- In February 2026, title examiner Rachel noticed that a metes and bounds description ended at a different point than wher…
- A division of land extending from mountaintop to ocean in Hawaii is called:
Contracts
248 questions- After a property inspection reveals minor cosmetic issues, the buyer demands $20,000 in credits. The seller refuses, and…
- A buyer wants to demonstrate serious intent when submitting an offer. What financial deposit typically accompanies the o…
- Under a traditional contract for deed, what risk does the buyer face if the seller has an existing mortgage on the prope…
- Under a contract for deed, the buyer defaults after making five years of payments. In some jurisdictions, what protectio…
Financing
245 questions- A buyer wants to purchase a home but cannot qualify for a conventional loan. The seller agrees to carry the entire purch…
- Deficiency judgments in Hawaii are:
- During the annual escrow analysis on Priya's loan, the servicer wants to maintain an escrow cushion equal to three month…
- Before the scheduled foreclosure sale, Lena Howard pays the past-due installments, late fees, and allowed expenses so th…
Real Estate Math
199 questions- A county charges $40 to record the first page of a deed and $7 for each additional page. If a deed is 3 pages long, what…
- A property sells for $300,000 with a 6% commission split equally between the listing broker and the selling broker. The …
- A buyer is purchasing a property for $450,000 with an 80% LTV loan. Buyer closing costs are $9,500, the earnest money de…
- A transfer tax is charged at $1.00 per $500 of sale price (rounded up to the nearest $500). If the property sells for $3…
Leasing & Property Management
80 questions- A written apartment lease begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year with no need for notice to terminat…
- A property management agreement authorizes the manager to spend up to $500 on emergency repairs without prior owner appr…
- A property manager deposits tenant security deposits into the manager's personal checking account and uses the funds to …
- All of the following are landlord-tenant law concepts EXCEPT
Counts are live from the Hawaii question bank, which mixes the national portion with Hawaii-specific law.
Studying for the Hawaii exam
How long should I study for the Hawaii real estate exam?
Most candidates need four to eight weeks alongside a job. Working every Hawaii question in our bank at a realistic 30 questions an hour is roughly 71 hours — but the useful measure is not hours, it is whether your practice scores sit above the pass mark on questions you have not seen before.
What is on the Hawaii real estate exam?
Two portions. The national portion covers principles every state shares. The HI portion covers Hawaii law — in our bank that is General Principles of Agency, Property Disclosures, Valuation Market Analysis, Land Use Controls Regulations and more.
Which Hawaii topic should I study first?
Practice of Real Estate carries the most questions in our Hawaii bank (264, about 12% of it), so it is the highest-leverage place to start. After that, work down the list below rather than studying front to back.
Is a Hawaii exam prep course required?
Pre-licensing education is required by HREC; exam prep is not. They are different purchases and people often conflate them — the course satisfies the legal hours, prep is practice on questions. Check the current requirement in the HREC handbook before buying either.
Hawaii practice exam
Ten questions with explanations, free, no account.
Full-length mock exam
Timed and scored against the real pass mark.
Exam-day checklist
What to bring, what to expect, what disqualifies you.