Massachusetts Real Estate Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

The Numbers to Remember

• Total exam: 120 questions combined, 240 minutes
• General (national) portion: 80 questions, 150 minutes
• State portion: 40 questions, 90 minutes
• Total appointment length listed: 4 hours
• Actual question count on your form: 100-120 questions (5-10 are unscored experimental items)
• Passing score: 70% correct on EACH portion separately
• Minimum age: 18
• Pre-license education: 40 hours
• Must test within: 2 years of finishing that education
• Candidate endorsements needed: 3
• License term: 2-3 years; renewal CE: 12 hours
• Fees: $31 application, $85 candidate fee, $56 retest fee, $54 missed-appointment fee

Content Domains and Weights

• Requirements Governing Licensees — 33-35% (13 items)
• Consumer Protection Laws — 10-12% (5 items)
• Environmental Issues and Hazardous Materials — 10% (4 items)
• Landlord Tenant Law — 10% (4 items)
• Licensing Requirements — 10% (4 items)
• Massachusetts Fair Housing Law — 10% (4 items)
• Contracts — 5% (2 items)
• Duties and Powers of the Board of Registration — 5% (2 items)
• Additional Topics — 5% (2 items)

High-Yield Review Areas

• Requirements Governing Licensees carries more weight than any other single domain — do not skip your final review pass here.
• The four domains near 10% each (environmental issues, landlord-tenant, licensing requirements, fair housing) are individually smaller than the top domain but shouldn't be studied as scattered footnotes — treat them as a block.
• Know your pre-license education math cold: 40 hours completed, then a 2-year clock to actually pass the exam.
• Because timing differs by portion — 150 minutes for 80 questions on the general side versus 90 minutes for 40 questions on the state side — practice at each portion's own pace rather than one blended pace for the whole appointment.

Top Traps

• Averaging the two portions in your head. There is no combined score — you must hit 70% on the general portion AND 70% on the state portion independently.
• Confusing the two "retake" style fees. $56 is the fee to retest after failing; $54 is the fee for missing your scheduled appointment and needing to reschedule. They are not the same charge.
• Losing track of the education-to-test window. Your 40 hours of education must lead to a passed exam within 2 years, or you may need to redo coursework.
• Treating small-weight domains as skippable. Contracts, board duties, and additional topics are each only 5% individually, but that's three separate domains you still need to know — don't skip any of them just because none is the single biggest topic.