Ohio Real Estate Salesperson Exam (PSI): 2026 Format, Fees and Passing Rules

Ohio runs its real estate exam a little differently. You apply to the state first. Then you take the national and Ohio portions together in one sitting, and from your first PSI bulletin you have 12 months to pass both. PSI administers the exam for the Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing. This guide covers the 2026 salesperson exam.

Ohio PSI exam at a glance

Information current as of October 2026. These details come from PSI's Ohio Candidate Information Bulletin (dated July 1, 2026). Check the current bulletin and the Division's requirements before you apply.

Eligibility

The bulletin and the Division's salesperson license requirements say you must be at least 18, be a U.S. citizen or legal alien, and have a high school diploma or equivalent if you were born after 1950. You also need to be sponsored by an Ohio broker and complete this education:

• Real Estate Principles and Practices: 40 hours
• Ohio Real Estate Law, including civil rights, housing discrimination and desegregation: 40 hours
• Real Estate Appraisal: 10 hours
• Real Estate Finance: 10 hours

Next, submit your License Exam Application to the Division online. Paper applications aren't accepted. You must also submit fingerprints for a state and FBI background check, and you have 10 days after applying to complete it. Once the Division approves you, PSI sends your Candidate Information Bulletin. The date on its label starts your 12-month clock.

Format and Ohio content

The national portion follows PSI's salesperson outline. Contracts lead at 19%, then agency (13%), practice of real estate (12%), property ownership (10%) and financing (10%). Calculations are 7%. The 40-question Ohio portion covers:

• License law and Commission rules (16): advertising and team advertising, broker-salesperson agreements, commissions paid only through the broker, document handling and record keeping, handling of money, listings, offers and counteroffers (including electronic documents), inducements, property management, rentals and Ohio fair housing.
• Brokerage relationships and agency law (14): creating agency, duties to clients and customers, waiver of duties, termination, confidentiality, agency disclosure, dealing in your own property, unauthorized practice of law and false representations.
• Licensing requirements (6): activities requiring a license, renewal, status changes, and post-license and continuing education.
• State governance (4): the powers of the governing bodies, audits, investigations and hearings, penalties and the Recovery Fund.

Scoring and passing

Each portion needs 70%, so 56 of 80 national and 28 of 40 state. Your score appears on screen, and a report is emailed to you. If you fail, the report breaks down your strengths and weaknesses. The 5 to 10 experimental questions are unscored but count against your time.

Fees and scheduling

• PSI fees: $66 for both portions together, $46 for the national portion only and $43 for the state portion only. Fees aren't refundable and are forfeited if you don't test within a year.
• Call PSI at (855) 834-8749 or book online, at a test center or by remote proctoring.
• Cancel at least 2 days before your exam, or you lose the fee.

Test day

Arrive 30 minutes early. Bring one valid, unexpired ID with your photo and signature, in your registered name. Remote exams don't allow breaks, so be ready to sit for three hours. See our PSI exam day guide for check-in and pacing.

Retaking a portion

You'll get a failing score report at the test site. To retest, submit a Retake Application service request and fee to the Division online for the portion you failed. Once the Division tells PSI you're eligible again, register and pay PSI's fee for that portion.

All of this has to happen within your original 12-month window. If the window closes, you start over with a new Sales Exam Application. The Division approval step takes time, so leave a margin.

After you pass

In Ohio, most of the paperwork comes before the exam. Your application, broker sponsorship and fingerprints are already with the Division by test day. The bulletin doesn't list separate post-exam steps, so check your application status with the Division and follow its instructions to activate your license under your sponsoring broker.

Study tips for the Ohio exam

• Prepare for both portions at once. You take them in one sitting, so don't leave the Ohio material for last.
• Learn agency law in depth. Brokerage relationships are 14 of 40 state questions, more than a third.
• Know the broker-only money rules. Commissions go through the broker, and Ohio's handling-of-money rules are tested directly.
• Practice a three-hour session. Take a full national set and a state review back to back.

PSI Exams Prep has 400 real estate questions across 6 topics, with Study Mode explanations, timed Exam Mode, a daily challenge and topic mastery tracking. Our State Laws topic is general, not Ohio-specific, so pair it with your Ohio Real Estate Law course. The National Portion topic is free, with up to 15 questions per test. For a study plan, see how to pass the PSI real estate exam.

Sources

• PSI: Ohio Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (July 1, 2026)
• Ohio Division of Real Estate & Professional Licensing: salesperson license requirements

Frequently asked questions

PSI Exams Prep is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by PSI Services LLC. Exam details change and vary by state. Always confirm requirements in the official Candidate Information Bulletin for your exam.