Michigan (MI) Real Estate Exam Cheat Sheet 2026
MI: 115 questions, 180 minutes, 80 of 115 correct, $79 in exam fees. Below are the 8 rules that decide pass or fail, each with its source.
The 8 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
It is one exam, but 35 questions are Michigan law
Michigan does not split into national and state sittings. All 115 questions come at once, and 35 of them are the Michigan-specific portion — nearly a third. Candidates who study only national material walk in a third short.
Source: PSI bulletin, Content Outlines (Michigan Specific Portion)
- 2
Pass and you are told nothing but "PASS"
The bulletin is explicit: passing candidates receive only a score indication of PASS, and passing numeric scores are not available. Only candidates who fail get a section-by-section breakdown — which is the one useful thing about failing.
Source: PSI bulletin, Score Reporting
- 3
You can ask for a failing exam to be re-scored
Write to PSI with your name, social security number and test date to request a re-score of a failed exam. It re-adds the score only — it will not review the content or accuracy of any question, and will not look at comments you left during the exam.
Source: PSI bulletin, Verification of Failed Score
- 4
Salespersons must go through MiPLUS first
Before you can even pay PSI, a salesperson must apply through the State of Michigan’s MiPLUS system and have eligibility authorized. Brokers may pay and schedule without applying to the state first. Getting this backwards costs weeks.
Source: PSI bulletin, License Application Information
- 5
Stigmatized property carries no disclosure duty
This is named outright in the Michigan outline, and it is the kind of item that trips candidates trained on other states’ rules. Michigan imposes no duty to disclose that a property is stigmatized.
Source: PSI bulletin, Michigan State Laws and Rules
- 6
Michigan fair housing has its own statutes
The Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act and the Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act are tested by name, separately from the federal Fair Housing Act. Learn the Michigan names, not just the federal protected classes.
Source: PSI bulletin, Additional State Topics
- 7
The tutorial does not eat your 180 minutes
Up to 15 minutes of introductory tutorial is free. Remaining time is displayed at the top of the screen throughout, and one question appears at a time.
Source: PSI bulletin, Tutorial
- 8
Launch within 30 minutes, start within 15
For online testing you can launch within 30 minutes of the booked time, but failing to start within 15 minutes of it forfeits your fee or eligibility. Fees are never refundable or transferable.
Source: PSI bulletin, Scheduling and Examination Fee
What the Michigan-specific portion covers (35 of the 115 questions)
Straight from the official outline. Study the top of this list first.
Additional state topics
12 questionsLand Division Act — disclosure of private road · Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act · Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act · Landlord Tenant Relationship Act and Truth in Renting Act · State transfer tax · Michigan Condominium Act · MSHDA · Uniform State Anti-trust Act · Michigan Right to Farm Act · Land contract law changes under Dodd-Frank
Statutory requirements governing the activities of licensees
10 questionsAdvertising · Commissions and chargeable fees · Disclosure and conflict of interest · Handling contracts, documents and listings · Handling of monies and trust accounts · Record keeping · Inducements · No disclosure duty attaches to stigmatized property · Closing responsibilities
Licensing requirements
5 questionsActivities requiring a license and exemptions · Types of licenses · Eligibility for licensing · License renewal including continuing education · Transfer or change in license
Contractual relationships
5 questionsTransaction coordinator · Designated agency · Dual agency · Agency disclosures · Broker/salesperson relationships · Service provision agreements
Duties and powers of the Department and the State Board of Real Estate
3 questionsGeneral powers · Investigations, conferences, hearings and exemptions · Penalties
If you fail
Reregister and pay PSI again; the full 115-question exam is repeated since there are no separate portions to carry forward. Your eligibility lapses if you do not test within one year of PSI receiving the fee. A failing score report breaks your result down by outline section — use it to target the retake.
Where these came from
- PSI Candidate Information Bulletin — Michigan Real Estate (bulletin 836)
- Michigan LARA — Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons
Figures read from the source on 2026-09-18.
Questions
Is there a Michigan real estate exam cheat sheet PDF?
This page is the cheat sheet, and it stays on the web on purpose: every rule below cites the bulletin or commission page it came from, so you can check it against the current source. A printed PDF goes stale the moment PSI revises a figure, and most of the ones being sold do not say where their numbers came from.
What should I memorise for the MI state portion?
The rules that decide pass or fail rather than the ones that are merely interesting: how the 70% threshold is applied, what happens if you fail one portion, and the deadlines that void a pass. Those are the 8 below. Subject knowledge comes from practice questions, not from a list.
How current is this Michigan cheat sheet?
Every figure was read from the source on 2026-09-18, and each rule names its source below. Where LARA has revised something since, the source link is the authority — not this page.