Massachusetts (MA) Real Estate Exam Cheat Sheet 2026

The 9 rules worth memorising

Not subject knowledge — that comes from practice questions. These are the procedural rules candidates lose the exam to: how the threshold is applied, what a partial fail means, and the deadlines that void a pass.

1. 1

   A partial pass dies with your Educational Certificate

   Pass one portion and fail the other and you retake only the failed one — but it must be done within two years of the completion date on your Educational Certificate. If that certificate expires, the portion you already passed expires with it, and a new certificate means sitting BOTH portions again.

   Source: PSI bulletin, Scheduling Procedures

2. 2

   Your license expires on your birthday

   The issue date is the day you passed; the expiration date is your date of birth. So the first term is never exactly two years — it runs between two and three depending on how far your birthday sits from your pass date.

   Source: PSI bulletin, License Issuance

3. 3

   Landlord-tenant law is four questions

   Massachusetts puts landlord tenant law, fair housing, and environmental hazards on the state portion at four items each — twelve questions on subjects many national courses barely touch. Consumer protection adds five more.

   Source: PSI bulletin, State Portion Content Outline

4. 4

   Requirements governing licensees is a third of the state portion

   13 of 40 items — advertising, broker/salesperson relationships, commissions and disclosures. No other area comes close. Start there.

   Source: PSI bulletin, State Portion Content Outline

5. 5

   Cancel more than two days out or lose the fee

   Miss your appointment, or cancel or change it inside two days, and the fee is forfeited — and you cannot reschedule until you pay a retake fee. The exam fee is otherwise valid one year from payment.

   Source: PSI bulletin, Examination Fee

6. 6

   The 15-minute tutorial is free time

   Up to 15 minutes of introductory tutorial does not count against your 240 minutes. Remaining time shows at the top of the screen, one question at a time.

   Source: PSI bulletin, Tutorial

7. 7

   Launch within 30 minutes, start within 15

   Booking online, you can launch within 30 minutes of your slot, but not starting within 15 minutes of it forfeits the fee or your test eligibility.

   Source: PSI bulletin, Scheduling Procedures

8. 8

   Forty hours, and the certificate is the clock

   Forty hours of pre-licensure education at a Board-approved school, and the Educational Certificate it produces is what everything else is measured against — not your course end date, not your first exam.

   Source: PSI bulletin, Salesperson Applicants Must

9. 9

   You need three endorsements, and classmates do not count

   Massachusetts requires three complete candidate endorsements from people unrelated to you. They need not be Massachusetts residents — but classmates you know only from the real estate course may NOT sign. Line these up while you are studying, not after you pass.

   Source: PSI bulletin, Salesperson Applicants Must