Massachusetts · Real estate exam prep
20 free Massachusetts practice questions with no signup required. When you're ready for more, the full RealReady bank has 1,060 questions for the 2026 exam that cover both national principles and Massachusetts law.
Practice
Use this like a free Massachusetts 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: C The Board of Registration
The Board of Registration has the authority to examine records of brokers and salespersons at any time. This power is fundamental to the Board's regulatory oversight.
Correct: B A violation of licensing law
Any person who, for another and for compensation, negotiates or offers to negotiate the sale of real property must hold a license. The friend is engaging in licensed activity without a license.
Correct: C The Board of Registration
Licensees must notify the Board of Registration of any change of address. This is one of several mandatory Board notification requirements.
Correct: C Treble damages (3x actual damages)
For willful or knowing violations — or a bad-faith refusal to settle after the demand letter — Chapter 93A requires multiple damages of at least two and up to three times actual damages (MGL c.93A §9(3)). Reasonable attorney fees are also awarded to prevailing plaintiffs.
Correct: B At the first personal meeting about a specific property
254 CMR 3.00(13) requires the Massachusetts Mandatory Licensee-Consumer Relationship Disclosure at the first personal meeting between the licensee and a prospective purchaser or seller to discuss a specific property. The form is a disclosure, not a contract, and a consumer who declines to sign it is simply noted as having declined.
Correct: D Affiliate with a licensed MA broker
A salesperson must be affiliated with a licensed Massachusetts broker before they can practice. They cannot operate independently or open their own firm without a broker license.
Correct: C A violation — it must include the broker's name
Under 254 CMR 3.00(9)(b), salespersons are prohibited from advertising the purchase, sale, rental or exchange of real property under their own name at all — advertising is done by and in the name of the employing broker. All advertisements must include the name of the real estate broker (the licensed brokerage entity or its properly filed d/b/a).
Correct: D Commingling
Commingling is mixing client funds with the broker's personal or business funds. Brokers must maintain separate trust/escrow accounts for client funds. Commingling is a serious violation.
Correct: D Source of income
Source of income (including housing vouchers/Section 8) is protected under MA Chapter 151B but not under the federal Fair Housing Act. Race, familial status, and national origin are federal protections.
Correct: A An agency agreement
The disclosure form explains the agency options available but does not create an agency relationship — it expressly states it is not a contract. Only an agency agreement (such as a listing or buyer agency agreement) establishes the relationship.
Correct: D The Offer to Purchase
Massachusetts uses a two-step process: the Offer to Purchase (or 'binder') is the initial shorter document, followed by the more detailed Purchase and Sale Agreement.
Correct: D 1978
Properties built before 1978 are presumed to contain lead paint. This is consistent with the federal standard, but Massachusetts has stricter enforcement requirements.
Correct: A One month's rent
Massachusetts limits security deposits to one month's rent. In addition, landlords may collect first month's rent, last month's rent, and the actual cost of a lock change — but no more.
Correct: D Tenancy in common
Under MGL c.184 §7, a conveyance to two or more persons — including a married couple — creates a tenancy in common unless the deed expressly states otherwise. To obtain tenancy by the entirety and its survivorship and creditor protections, the deed must expressly say 'as tenants by the entirety.'
Correct: A Quitclaim deed
The quitclaim deed is the most commonly used deed in Massachusetts. Despite the name, the MA quitclaim deed under M.G.L. c.183 §11 carries limited 'quitclaim covenants' — the grantor warrants that the premises are free from encumbrances made by the grantor, and will defend the title against anyone claiming by, through, or under the grantor. In other states this same protection is called a special warranty or limited warranty deed.
Correct: D Deny the application
The Board does not license applicants currently on probation or parole. This is part of the Board's 'Good Moral Character' standards for initial licensure.
Correct: C An attorney acting within their practice
Attorneys are exempt only for services rendered to a client in the performance of their duties as an attorney (MGL c.112 §87QQ). A friend paid to sell, a paid consultant, and anyone charging tenants a fee to find them apartments must be licensed — only a licensed broker or salesperson can charge an apartment-finding fee. Owners, their regular employees, and managing agents under contract with the owner are exempt.
Correct: A Both Broker A and Broker B
Under 254 CMR 3.00(7), brokers must furnish the Board with the names and license numbers of salespersons they engage at the start of an affiliation, and must notify the Board when the relationship is terminated. Broker A reports the termination and Broker B reports the new affiliation — the duty falls on the brokers of record, not the salesperson.
Correct: A Send a 30-day demand letter
Chapter 93A requires a 30-day demand letter before filing suit, giving the defendant a chance to settle. Failure to send the demand letter can result in dismissal of the case.
Correct: B Facilitator or transaction broker
A facilitator (transaction broker) assists both parties without representing either. This differs from dual agency, where the licensee represents both parties with written consent.
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About the exam
Massachusetts trips up candidates on its 40-question state portion, a third of which is the Requirements Governing Licensees section alone (advertising, agency disclosure, handling client money). Because the Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons scores the General and State portions separately, a strong national score will not rescue a weak showing on Massachusetts law, and Massachusetts-specific preparation is the only way to clear that 40-question state half on the first try.
The State portion leans heavily on Chapter 93A consumer-protection liability, Title 5 septic inspection requirements under 310 CMR 15, the Massachusetts Lead Paint Law disclosure rules under M.G.L. c.111 §197A, smoke and carbon monoxide detector certificates under c.148 §26F, the one-month security deposit cap and Statement of Condition under c.186 §15B, the broader fair-housing protected classes in c.151B, and the Board's own advertising, agency, and conflict-of-interest rules. 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 Massachusetts-specific practice questions.
FAQ
The Massachusetts Real Estate Salesperson Examination has 120 scored multiple-choice questions, split into an 80-question General portion and a 40-question State portion. PSI delivers both portions back-to-back in one computer-based appointment at a Massachusetts test center. A small number of unscored experimental questions are mixed in that do not count toward your result.
70% on each portion separately, which works out to 56 of 80 on the General portion and 28 of 40 on the State portion. If you pass one portion and fail the other, the Board lets you retake only the failed portion, but you have to clear it within two years of completing your 40-hour pre-license course or the partial pass expires and you have to retake both halves.
PSI charges $56 per examination attempt, and that single fee covers both the General and State portions whether you sit them together or retake just one. The Board's $31 salesperson application fee is paid up front when you apply for exam eligibility through eLIPSE, and after passing you pay the license fee itself, prorated to your date of birth on a biennial cycle with a $103 renewal fee. Active-duty military and veterans pay the same $56 testing fee.
240 minutes total, broken into 150 minutes for the 80-question General portion and 90 minutes for the 40-question State portion. PSI delivers both portions in one sitting at a Massachusetts test site, your score shows on screen when you finish, and PSI emails your score report. You can request a duplicate score report later by emailing scorereport@psionline.com.
The Massachusetts Real Estate Salesperson Examination is administered by PSI for the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons. You register and schedule your exam date through PSI.
It's a serious exam. The General portion covers the same national real estate principles tested in every state, and the State portion adds a dense layer of Massachusetts statutes and Board rules that catch candidates who only studied national material. Most people who fail underestimated the 40-question state portion, particularly the Requirements Governing Licensees section, which is one-third of the state score on its own and covers advertising, agency disclosures, commissions, handling of monies, and home-inspector referral rules. Honest reps on Massachusetts-specific practice questions are the difference between a first-time pass and a $56 retake.
The 80-question General portion covers eleven areas, with Contracts (about 19%), Agency (about 13%), Practice of Real Estate (about 12%), Property Ownership (about 10%), Financing (about 10%), Valuation (about 8%), Property Disclosures (about 7%), Real Estate Calculations (about 7%), Transfer of Title (about 6%), Land Use Controls (about 5%), and Property Management (about 3%) carrying the weights. The 40-question State portion is heavier still on Massachusetts law. About a third tests Requirements Governing Licensees (advertising, broker-salesperson relationship, commissions, agency and non-agency relationships, handling of documents and monies, due diligence, home inspectors), with the rest spread across Consumer Protection Laws (Chapter 93A), Environmental Issues and Hazardous Materials (Lead Paint Law, Title 5, smoke and CO detectors, Wetlands Protection Act), Massachusetts Fair Housing Law under c.151B, Landlord-Tenant Law including rental deposits and the State Sanitary Code, Board duties and powers, licensing, contracts, and registered land.
After you finish the 40-hour Board-approved pre-license course, the highest-leverage move is grinding Massachusetts-specific practice questions with honest feedback on every miss. National principles you can pick up from any course, but the State portion rewards repetition on Chapter 93A, Title 5, the Lead Paint Law, c.151B fair-housing classes, the security deposit rules, and the Board's own advertising and agency requirements. The RealReady app gives you the full Massachusetts question bank, detailed explanations, a missed-question drill mode, and per-category progress tracking so you can see exactly where you are weak. Most users study 30 to 60 minutes a day for a few weeks before sitting the PSI exam.
The 20 Massachusetts practice questions on this page are free, no account or signup needed. Unlocking the rest of the Massachusetts bank is a single in-app purchase you pay once and own, with no recurring charge and no time limit on access.
Yes. RealReady has a dedicated Massachusetts question bank built for the Massachusetts real estate exam, covering the national principles every candidate sees plus the Massachusetts law that trips people up, like Chapter 93A consumer-protection liability, Title 5 septic inspection requirements, and the Massachusetts Lead Paint Law disclosure rules.
No. RealReady is exam practice, not a pre-license course, so it doesn't count toward Massachusetts's required pre-license education hours. Use it after or alongside your coursework to drill realistic practice questions and find your weak spots before exam day.
