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

The numbers to remember

• National portion: 150 minutes, 80 scored + 5 pretest items, pass at scaled 75
• State-specific portion: 90 minutes, 40 scored + 10 pretest items, pass at scaled 75
• Fee: $95 per portion (budget for both if paying separately)
• Reservation lead time: 48 hours minimum before your test date
• Retake rule: pass one portion, only retake the one you failed
• Testing window: 5 years from your first required education course
• Voucher expiry: 12 months from issue
• Pre-licensing coursework (current): 70 hours; statute allows a 60–80 hour range
• Minimum age: 18, plus credit for two years of high school curriculum or equivalent
• Continuing education: 12 hours annually after licensure
• Renewal: September 1 – October 31; $80.00 active / $40.00 inactive
• License application fee: $80.00
• Broker eligibility: 2 years of active salesperson experience first
• Official practice test: $19.95 from Pearson VUE

Content domains and weights (state-specific portion, 40 items)

• Requirements governing the activities of licensees — 28 items (the biggest single area by far, outweighing the other three categories combined)
• Additional topics — 6 items
• The real estate licensing agency's powers — 3 items
• Licensing — 3 items

The national portion covers general real-estate principles common to every state rather than Montana statute, so it isn't broken into the same numbered domains here — treat it as broad practice knowledge instead.

High-yield review areas

• Licensee-activity rules first — at 28 of 40 state items, this single domain deserves the majority of your remaining review time.
• Know your two scores are independent: 75 on the national portion does not offset a miss on the state portion, and the reverse is also true.
• Confirm your eligibility basics are locked in before test day: minimum age 18, and credit for two years of high school curriculum or its equivalent.
• If you're eyeing the broker license eventually, remember it requires 2 years of active salesperson experience first — this exam is a stepping stone, not just an endpoint.
• Pace yourself against the clock during practice: 90 minutes for 40 state items works out to a little over 2 minutes per question, and 150 minutes for 80 national items works out to just under 2 minutes each.

Top traps

• Assuming you can book a seat the same day or next day — Pearson VUE requires a 48-hour reservation lead time.
• Trying to guess which questions are the unscored pretest items — they're mixed in and indistinguishable, so answer every question as if it counts.
• Forgetting the state and national portions have separate clocks: 90 minutes for state, a full 150 minutes for national — pace each one on its own terms.
• Letting a voucher expire — it's only good for 12 months from issue.
• Missing the September 1–October 31 renewal window after you're licensed, which risks a lapse.
• Losing track of your 5-year testing window from your first required education course — it feels distant until it isn't.