Maine real estate exam
Format, passing score, fees and what to study — compiled from the official candidate handbook and state sources, with a link and a confidence level for every fact. Last verified 2026-10-31.
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Maine exam format and requirements
| Fact | Value | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulator | Maine Real Estate Commission (Dept. of Professional and Financial Regulation, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation) | Official source | Link |
| Exam provider | Pearson VUE Candidate Handbook December 2025 (#092000). | Official source | Link |
| National-portion questions | 80 General/national portion: 80 scored items + 5 pretest items (unscored, unidentified). | Official source | Link |
| State-portion questions | 40 Sales Agent law portion: 40 scored + 5-15 pretest. (The separate 50-item Maine Law exam is for reciprocity/renewal and does NOT satisfy the Sales Agent law portion.) | Official source | Link |
| Exam time (minutes) | 240 2.5 hours general + 1.5 hours Maine Law = 240 min. | Official source | Link |
| Passing score | Scaled score 75 (0-100 scale) on each portion | Official source | Link |
| Exam fee (USD) | $88 Per handbook "examination fee ($88)" paid at reservation; handbook does not clarify per-portion vs combined - verify in Pearson VUE checkout. | Official source | Link |
| Pre-licensing hours | 55 Commission course outline states the Sales Agent Course must be at least 55 hours with 3 quizzes + proctored final, 75% minimum (maine.gov returned HTTP 403 to direct fetch; confirmed via search-result text and multip… | Secondary source | Link |
| Languages | English English exam; ESL candidates may request 30 additional minutes per part via ESL Request Form. | Secondary source | Link |
“Official source” = read in a state agency page or the exam provider’s candidate handbook on 2026-10-31. Anything marked “Vendor claim” or “Not verified” should be confirmed before you rely on it. Fees and formats change.
What this means for your study plan
- Time per question: about 2 minutes each (240 minutes ÷ 120 questions). Practice at that pace.
- Both portions count: you must reach the pass mark on each portion — a strong national score does not make up for a weak Maine score.
- Where people lose points: math word problems, wording traps (NOT/EXCEPT), and state rules that differ from the national rule. Our formula sheet covers the math.
- Good to know: Maine does not have a plain "salesperson" license: entry level is Sales Agent (2 yrs, not renewable), then Associate Broker (needs 2 yrs as sales agent + 60-hr Associate Broker Course with proctored final). Course certificate required at exam booking. Exam must be passed and application filed within 1 year (secondary sources). Pearson VUE passing is a scaled score, not a percent.
State-portion topics published for Maine
- Maine Real Estate Commission (2 items): powers, investigations/hearings/appeals, sanctions
- Maine Laws and Rules Governing Activities of Licensees (15 items): activities requiring license, designated broker-sales agent relationship, listings, offers, earnest money/trust accounts, Maine-mandated disclosures (water supply, heating, waste disposal, hazardous materials; flood risk & access from 9/1/2026), commissions, advertising
- Law of Agency/Brokerage (10 items): buyer/seller/appointed/disclosed dual/sub-agency, Real Estate Brokerage Relationships form, transaction brokerage
- Maine-Specific Principles and Practices (8 items): ownership/transfer, adverse possession, recording, transfer tax, nonresident withholding tax, Landlord-Tenant Act, condominium law, closings
- Maine Land-Use Law (5 items): subdivisions, shoreland zoning, site location of development, underground oil tanks, tree growth/open space tax, natural resources
Sample Maine practice questions
Original questions written from the law, each with an explanation and a citation. Maine-specific questions are coming soon; these samples come from the national portion.
When a stated distance in a metes-and-bounds description conflicts with a called-for natural monument, courts generally give priority to the:
- Natural monument
- Stated distance
- Stated acreage
- Compass bearing
Answer: A. The traditional rule ranks evidence of boundary from most to least reliable: natural monuments, then artificial monuments, then adjoining boundaries, then courses (bearings), distances, and finally stated area. Physical features are less likely to be mismeasured than distances.
Topic: Property Ownership & Interests · Source: Black's Law Dictionary (12th ed. 2024), "monument"
In a wraparound mortgage arrangement, the seller:
- Pays off the existing loan at closing and then takes a first lien
- Assigns the existing note and mortgage to the buyer outright
- Keeps the old loan and gives the buyer a larger loan wrapping it
- Receives no payments at all from the buyer after closing
Answer: C. A wraparound loan is a junior financing arrangement in which the seller's new note 'wraps' the existing underlying mortgage. The buyer pays the seller, who continues paying the underlying lender. A due-on-sale clause in the underlying loan can make the arrangement risky.
Topic: Real Estate Finance · Source: Restatement (Third) of Property: Mortgages (Am. Law Inst. 1997)
An investor exchanges vacant land held for investment for an apartment building she will hold as a rental. For Section 1031 purposes, the two properties are:
- Not like-kind, since one is improved and one is not
- Like-kind only if the two values are exactly equal
- Not like-kind, because vacant land cannot be exchanged
- Like-kind, since improvement relates only to grade or quality
Answer: D. Treasury regulations explain that like kind refers to the nature or character of property, not its grade or quality. Whether real estate is improved or unimproved is not material, because that relates only to grade or quality. Vacant investment land and a rental building are both real property held for investment or business use.
Topic: Property Management & Specialty Areas · Source: 26 C.F.R. § 1.1031(a)-1(b), (c)
Try the full 20-question Maine quiz
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Maine real estate exam?
The Maine exam format we found is 80 national questions plus 40 Maine questions (120 in total) in 240 minutes. Confirm in the official handbook before exam day.
What is the passing score for the Maine real estate exam?
Scaled score 75 (0-100 scale) on each portion (Official source).
How much does the Maine real estate exam cost?
The exam fee we found is $88, paid to Pearson VUE. Fees change, so check the current handbook.
How many pre-licensing hours does Maine require?
55 hours for the entry-level license, according to the sources below. Pre-licensing education must come from a state-approved school; GablePrep is exam prep and is not an approved course.
Official sources for Maine
- Regulator: Maine Real Estate Commission (Dept. of Professional and Financial Regulation, Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation)
- Exam provider: Pearson VUE
- Official candidate handbook / content outline
Independent exam prep. Not affiliated with any state real estate commission or testing provider. Not an approved pre-licensing course. Not legal advice.