Hawaii · Real estate exam prep
Practice Hawaii real estate questions free below. RealReady has 1,040 questions in the bank covering both national real estate principles and Hawaii state law. Pay $17.99 once and own it forever. No subscription like the other prep services.
The Hawaii real estate salesperson exam is one of the toughest in the country. The Hawaii Real Estate Commission, working through PSI, administers it as a split exam, 80 questions on uniform national real estate principles plus 50 questions on Hawaii-specific law and practice, in a single four-hour sitting. You have to pass each portion independently at 70%, and most candidates underestimate the state portion because it leans heavily on Hawaii-only rules that don't appear in any mainland prep book.
State-specific prep matters more here than almost anywhere else. Hawaii's Bureau of Conveyances and Land Court dual recording system, leasehold disclosures and the difference between fee simple and leasehold conveyances, HARPTA withholding on nonresident sellers, the General Excise Tax on commissions and rents, the Seller Disclosure Law under HRS Chapter 508D, time sharing plan registrations, State Land Use District classifications, and Special Management Area permits all show up on the state portion. None of that looks like the material a candidate in a neighboring state studies. A generic real estate practice test won't cut it. You need Hawaii-specific practice questions.
Below are 20 free Hawaii real estate test questions and answers from RealReady's full Hawaii bank. Each tests a specific topic with the correct answer and a plain-English explanation under the card. Read each one, commit to an answer, then reveal. Treat it like a real REC practice test, and the ones you miss show you what to focus on next.
Get the RealReady app on iPhone, iPad, or Android for the rest of the Hawaii question bank. The full app includes short articles that walk you through the why behind each topic, detailed explanations on every question, a missed-question drill mode, and progress tracking that shows your per-category accuracy.
Practice
Use this like a free Hawaii real estate practice test: read the question, commit to an answer, then tap to reveal the correct answer and a plain-English explanation. The ones you miss tell you where to focus next.
Correct: A 9 members
HIREC consists of 9 members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The Governor also designates the chair from among the members.
Correct: B A licensed broker
All Hawaii salespersons must work under the direction and supervision of a licensed broker. A salesperson cannot practice independently or supervise other salespersons.
Correct: D Commingling of funds
Under HRS 467-14, commingling occurs when a licensee mixes client funds with personal or business operating funds. Earnest money must be deposited into a separate trust account.
Correct: B Compensate consumers harmed by licensees
The Recovery Fund compensates members of the public who have been harmed by licensee fraud, misrepresentation, or deceit in a real estate transaction. It is funded by a portion of license fees.
Correct: C The brokerage's legal name or a registered trade name
HAR 16-99-11(a) requires every real estate advertisement to include the legal name of the brokerage firm or a trade name previously registered with the business registration division and the Real Estate Commission. A proposed amendment would have added a license-number requirement but was not adopted, so under the current rule only the brokerage name is mandatory.
Correct: C Seller's agent
A licensee hired to represent only the seller acts as the seller's agent, owing fiduciary duties exclusively to the seller. This is one of the basic agency types recognized in Hawaii.
Correct: A The next business day (Monday)
Hawaii requires principal brokers to deposit trust funds into a neutral escrow depository or FDIC-insured trust account by the next business day following receipt. Since the deposit was received Friday, Monday is the next business day.
Correct: C Properties with 1 to 4 dwelling units
HRS Chapter 508D covers residential real property with 1 to 4 dwelling units, including residential condominiums and co-ops. Commercial properties and larger multifamily buildings are not covered.
Correct: D HRS Chapter 515
HRS Chapter 515 is Hawaii's fair housing law, which prohibits discrimination in real property transactions. It covers all federal protected classes plus additional state-level protections.
Correct: B One month's rent
Hawaii limits security deposits to one month's rent. An additional month may be collected for pets, bringing the total maximum to two months' rent when pets are involved.
Correct: B Improvements only, not the land
In a leasehold arrangement, the buyer owns the improvements (house, structures) but not the underlying land. The buyer pays ground rent to the landowner for use of the land. At lease expiration, land and improvements revert to the landowner.
Correct: A An approved Developer's Public Report
Under HRS 514B, which governs condominiums created on or after July 1, 2006, developers must register with the Hawaii Real Estate Commission (HIREC) and obtain an approved Developer's Public Report before offering units for sale.
Correct: B Regular System (BOC) and Land Court (Torrens)
Hawaii is unique among US states in having a dual recording system: the Regular System administered by the Bureau of Conveyances (BOC) under DLNR, and the Land Court (Torrens) system under the Judiciary. Some parcels are registered in both systems.
Correct: C HAR Form RR201
The Hawaii Association of REALTORS (HAR) Form RR201 is the standard Purchase Contract used for primary residential real estate transactions. It includes mandatory sections such as the Agency Disclosure requirement.
Correct: B Four districts
Hawaii's Land Use Law, enacted in 1961 as the first comprehensive statewide land use system in the US, classifies ALL land into four districts: Urban, Rural, Agricultural, and Conservation. The Land Use Commission (LUC) oversees this classification.
Correct: C 3 years
At least 4 of HIREC's 9 members must be licensed brokers with a minimum of 3 years of Hawaii real estate experience. Two members must be public (non-licensee) members.
Correct: B 2 years
The Experience Certificate, which verifies that a salesperson has met the 3-year full-time experience requirement, is valid for 2 years from the date of issuance.
Correct: D Failing to disclose material facts
HRS 467-14 lists failure to disclose material facts as grounds for discipline. Commission rates are negotiable, and agents are not required to reduce fees or show competitors' listings.
Correct: B $25,000
The per-transaction cap is $25,000, which includes court costs and attorney fees. The per-licensee aggregate cap is $50,000 over the licensee's lifetime.
Correct: B The brokerage name, the licensee's affiliation with the brokerage, and the licensee designation (B, S, R, or RA)
Under HAR 16-99-11(e), advertising that references an individual licensee's name must include the licensee's legal name, identify the associating or employing brokerage firm, and specify the licensee designation (B for broker, S for salesperson, or R/RA for REALTOR members). A social media post in only the licensee's personal name omits the required brokerage identification.
The RealReady app has all 1,040 questions covering both national real estate principles and Hawaii-specific law. The full app also includes:
Unlike other real estate prep apps, we don't cut off access or charge a monthly subscription fee. Once you buy, it's yours forever.
FAQ
The Hawaii Real Estate Salesperson Examination has 130 scored multiple-choice questions. 80 are on the uniform portion covering national real estate principles, and 50 are on the Hawaii state portion covering HRS Chapter 467 licensing law, Hawaii agency rules, and state-specific topics like the Bureau of Conveyances, HARPTA, and the State Land Use Districts. PSI also embeds five to ten unscored pretest items that aren't identified during the test and don't count toward your score.
You need at least 70% on each portion, scored independently. That works out to 56 of 80 correct on the uniform portion and 35 of 50 correct on the Hawaii state portion. If you pass one portion and fail the other, you only have to retake the part you failed, as long as you do so within two years of your first attempt.
The PSI examination fee is $61 per attempt, whether you sit the full combo exam or only one portion as a retake. After you pass, the initial salesperson license application is filed with the Hawaii Real Estate Commission through DCCA, and Hawaii salesperson licenses run on a two-year cycle that ends on December 31 of every even-numbered year.
Four hours (240 minutes) total for the full salesperson exam, taken as a single sitting. The time is split into 150 minutes for the 80 uniform questions and 90 minutes for the 50 Hawaii state questions. PSI offers it at testing centers on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island, with online proctoring available for candidates who prefer to test from home.
The state portion is what trips most candidates up. The 80-question uniform section is the same national content you'd see on any PSI real estate exam, but Hawaii's 50 state questions are dense and unforgiving. The Bureau of Conveyances versus Land Court recording rules, leasehold property quirks, HARPTA's 7.25% nonresident seller withholding, the General Excise Tax on commissions and gross rents, condominium and time share registration requirements, and the four State Land Use Districts catch candidates who only drilled mainland practice questions. Honest practice on a Hawaii-specific practice exam is the difference between passing on the first try and paying another $61 for a retake.
The 80-question uniform portion covers property ownership (6 items), land use controls and regulations (5), valuation and market analysis (8), financing (7), laws of agency (10), mandated disclosures (7), contracts (10), transfer of title (4), practice of real estate (12), real estate calculations (7), and specialty areas (4). The 50-question Hawaii state portion is weighted toward professional practices and conduct (14 items, including office management, trust accounts, advertising, HRS Chapter 467 licensing law, and grounds for disciplinary action), ascertaining and disclosing material facts (8, including Bureau of Conveyances and Land Court, HARPTA and GET, and the Seller Disclosure Law), types of ownership (6, including condominiums, cooperatives, time sharing plans, and land trusts), contracts and addenda (6), title and conveyances (4), financing (4), escrow and closing (3), property management under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code (3), and land utilization (2, including State Land Use Districts and Special Management Areas).
After finishing your 60-hour Hawaii prelicense course, the highest-leverage thing you can do is grind through Hawaii-specific practice questions with honest feedback on every miss. The uniform portion isn't hard to prepare for if you've used any national prep tool, but the state portion is where Hawaii-specific question banks earn their keep. The RealReady app gives you the full bank of Hawaii questions, plus progress tracking and a missed-question mode so you can drill what you're weak on. Most users study 30-60 minutes a day for 2-4 weeks before sitting the exam.
