This cheat sheet is a one-page-style condensation of everything a South Carolina Real Estate Salesperson Exam candidate needs to remember in the final stretch. It is not a substitute for full preparation - for that, see the SC-RES Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt - but it is the page you pull up the night before to make sure nothing slipped through the cracks.
- The scored exam has 80 national and 40 state questions, plus 5-10 unscored experimental items.
- You need 56 correct on the national portion and 28 correct on the state portion to pass.
- Time limits are 120 minutes for national and 80 minutes for state content.
- PSI charges $63 for both portions together, or $55 to retake just one.
Exam Basics at a Glance
The South Carolina Real Estate Salesperson Exam is administered by PSI on behalf of the South Carolina Real Estate Commission, which sits within the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. Note the naming change: Act No. 204 shifted the statutory title from "salesperson" to "Real Estate Associate" effective May 21, 2024, though the exam and licensing process most candidates still refer to informally as SC-RES remain structured the same way.
| Element | National Portion | State Portion |
|---|---|---|
| Scored questions | 80 | 40 |
| Passing requirement | 56 correct | 28 correct |
| Time limit | 120 minutes | 80 minutes |
| Fee (both together) | $63 | |
| Fee (single portion retake) | $55 | |
On top of the scored items, expect 5-10 additional unscored experimental questions mixed in without labels - you won't know which ones don't count, so treat every question as if it matters. Testing is computer-based at PSI test centers, and only silent, battery-operated, nonprogrammable calculators without printing functions or alphabetic keyboards are permitted at your seat.
National Portion: Domains 1-11
The national portion covers eleven domains with unequal weighting. Knowing the weights tells you exactly where to spend limited review time. For the full breakdown of each domain's content, cross-reference the SC-RES Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 16 Content Areas.
Domain 5: Contracts (19%)
The single heaviest-weighted domain on the entire exam. Candidates must know elements of a valid contract, contingencies, contract remedies, and the lifecycle from offer to closing.
- Highest point value of any domain - prioritize accordingly
Domain 6: Agency (13%)
Covers agency relationships, fiduciary duties, and disclosure obligations at a national conceptual level (South Carolina-specific agency rules appear separately in Domain 14).
- Don't confuse general agency law with SC's specific brokerage relationship statutes
Domain 10: Practice of Real Estate (12%)
Day-to-day licensee conduct, advertising rules, fair housing practice application, and professional standards.
- Expect scenario-based questions rather than pure definitions
The remaining national domains - Property Ownership (10%), Financing (10%), Valuation (8%), Property Disclosures (7%), Real Estate Calculations (7%), Transfer of Title (6%), Land Use Controls (5%), and Property Management (3%) - round out the 80 scored national questions. Real Estate Calculations deserves special attention not because of its weight but because math questions eat clock time; practice proration, commission splits, and loan-to-value math until they're automatic.
Key Takeaway
Spend proportionally more review time on Contracts and Agency than on Property Management or Land Use Controls - the point value difference is significant even though both feel like "one topic" when studying.
State Portion: Domains 12-16
The 40-question state portion tests South Carolina-specific law and practice across five domains. Unlike the national portion, PSI does not publish individual percentage weights for these five - treat them as a connected body of South Carolina statute and Commission rule knowledge rather than five isolated buckets.
Domain 12: SC Real Estate Commission and Licensing Requirements
Commission structure, licensing categories, and the regulatory framework under DLLR.
- Know the Commission's role versus the broker-in-charge's role
Domain 13: Statutes Governing Licensees and Non-Licensees
Rules that apply to licensees' conduct and to unlicensed activity restrictions.
Domain 14: SC Agency and Non-Agency Relationships
South Carolina's specific brokerage relationship disclosures - distinct from the general agency concepts in national Domain 6.
Domain 15: Additional SC Statutes and Topics
A catch-all covering remaining state-specific rules not addressed elsewhere.
Domain 16: Closing Details
South Carolina closing procedures, required disclosures, and settlement mechanics.
Because the state portion determines whether you need 28 correct out of 40 to pass, and because these topics rarely overlap with generic national real estate coursework, many candidates find this the section where memorization - not conceptual reasoning - carries the most weight. See SC-RES Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass for how the two scores interact.
Fees, Timing, and Logistics
PSI's fee structure is straightforward: $63 covers both portions when you sit for the full exam, and $55 covers a single-portion retake if you pass one section but not the other. This matters for planning - failing only the state portion doesn't mean paying full price again.
- Exam eligibility, once granted, lasts one year
- Retests are unlimited within that eligibility window
- After passing, you must apply for licensure within one year of passing
For a full cost picture including course fees, background checks, and renewal costs, see SC-RES Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. For scheduling windows and how the one-year eligibility clock actually plays out, review SC-RES Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Eligibility Quick Reference
Before you can even sit for the exam, South Carolina requires:
- Minimum age 18
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Completion of the 60-hour Unit I course within the last five years
- A completed criminal background check
The 30-hour Unit II course can be completed after passing the exam but must be finished before licensure - a detail that trips up candidates who assume all coursework must precede test day. Once licensed, active practice requires supervision by a broker-in-charge. Full details live in SC-RES Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
The Week-Before Review Plan
If you've already completed full study using the SC-RES Study Guide 2026, the final week should be pure reinforcement, not new learning. Structure the last stretch around domain weight, not alphabetical order.
National heavyweights
- Drill Contracts (19%) and Agency (13%) scenario questions
- Review contract remedies and fiduciary duty distinctions
State portion consolidation
- Rebuild Domains 12-16 from memory without notes
- Focus on Closing Details and Commission licensing structure
Weak-spot cleanup
- Retake missed questions from earlier practice sessions
- Recheck Real Estate Calculations formulas
Light review only
- Skim this cheat sheet, avoid cramming new material
- Confirm PSI appointment time and ID requirements
Spaced repetition works well here specifically because the exam splits into two distinct scored sections - revisit national-portion flashcards every other day and state-portion flashcards daily during the final week, since the state content is denser but narrower in scope.
Test Day Checklist
- Bring valid, unexpired government-issued ID matching your registration name
- Confirm your calculator is silent, battery-operated, nonprogrammable, has no printing function, and has no alphabetic keyboard
- Arrive early to the PSI test center for check-in procedures
- Budget your time: roughly 1.5 minutes per national question across 120 minutes, and roughly 2 minutes per state question across 80 minutes
- Remember unscored experimental questions are mixed in - answer everything with equal effort
Key Takeaway
Because national and state portions have separate time limits and passing thresholds, treat them as two exams back to back rather than one long test - pace each independently.
After You Pass
Passing both portions doesn't finish the job. You have one year to submit your license application, and if Unit II wasn't completed before the exam, it must be finished before licensure is granted. Once licensed, you'll need a broker-in-charge for active practice supervision. If you're weighing whether the whole process is worth the time and cost, Is the SC-RES Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 lays out the considerations, and SC-RES Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis covers what comes after licensure. For a look at who's hiring newly licensed associates, check SC-RES Jobs.
To keep sharpening recall on domain weights and question style before your appointment, run a few timed sets on our practice test platform - it mirrors the split-section, timed format described above. If you want a broader look at how outcomes trend across candidates, SC-RES Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows is worth reading alongside this cheat sheet.
FAQ
There are 80 scored national questions and 40 scored state questions, plus 5-10 unscored experimental questions mixed in without identification.
You need 56 correct answers on the national portion and 28 correct answers on the state portion. Both must be passed to receive an overall passing result.
PSI charges $63 to sit for both portions together, or $55 if you're only retaking a single portion after passing the other.
Yes, but only a silent, battery-operated, nonprogrammable calculator that has no printing function and no alphabetic keyboard.
Exam eligibility lasts one year with unlimited retests during that window. If eligibility expires before you pass, you'll need to reestablish eligibility through the Commission's process.