Pass Your New Hampshire Real Estate Exam the First Time

New Hampshire's Salesperson exam combines 80 national questions and 40 New Hampshire-specific questions — 120 scored questions total — in 240 minutes.

Question breakdown

National portion: 80 questions, 150 minutes, 56 of 80 points to pass

Contracts (17%) and Practice of Real Estate (13%) are the largest national categories.

State portion: 40 questions, 90 minutes, 28 of 40 points to pass

• Real Estate Commission (3 items)
• Licensure (5 items)
• Regulation of Licensee Conduct (11 items) — tied for the dominant category
• Regulation of Agency Conduct (11 items) — tied for the dominant category
• New Hampshire Principles and Practice (10 items)

Cost structure

• Pre-licensing (40 hours): $300-$550
• Exam: $67
• License application: $99
• Background check: ~$50
• Total: $516-$766

Retake rules

Pass one portion, fail the other: you get up to 8 attempts within 6 months to pass the failed portion. Miss that window and you'll need to complete an accredited pre-licensing course again in addition to retaking the exam in full.

National Exam Topics (80 questions, by weight)

1. Property Ownership (8%)
2. Land Use Controls and Regulations (5%)
3. Valuation and Market Analysis (7%)
4. Financing (10%)
5. General Principles of Agency (13%)
6. Property Disclosures (6%)
7. Contracts (17%) — the largest national category
8. Transfer of Title (8%)
9. Practice of Real Estate (13%)
10. Real Estate Calculations (10%)

New Hampshire State Exam Topics (40 questions)

1. Real Estate Commission (3 items) — powers, disciplinary procedures
2. Licensure (5 items) — eligibility, renewal, continuing education
3. Regulation of Licensee Conduct (11 items) — private water supply, insulation, and sewage disposal disclosures
4. Regulation of Agency Conduct (11 items) — seller/buyer/dual/designated agent, and the Facilitator relationship
5. New Hampshire Principles and Practice (10 items) — environmental hazards, Condominium Act, planning and zoning, taxation

Why this list matters

Regulation of Licensee Conduct and Regulation of Agency Conduct together make up 22 of 40 state questions — more than half the state exam. Both deserve serious, dedicated study time.

What this list doesn't tell you

New Hampshire's mandated disclosures (private water supply, sewage disposal) and the Facilitator agency category are genuinely state-specific concepts with no equivalent in generic national prep material.

New Hampshire offers Salesperson and Broker licenses through the Real Estate Commission.

Salesperson License Requirements

• Complete 40 hours of accredited pre-licensing education (32 classroom hours plus up to 8 hours of distance education within 1 year prior to your exam)
• Pass the Salesperson exam (120 scored questions, 84/120 combined passing)
• Submit a criminal record release authorization and, if applicable, disclose any misdemeanor or felony offenses
• Submit your registration form and exam fee to the Commission before scheduling with PSI
• Apply for licensure within 6 months of receiving your passing exam results

Broker License Requirements

• Satisfy an experience requirement: either full-time employment by an active principal broker for at least 1 year within 5 years, or at least 2,000 part-time hours as a licensed salesperson within 5 years (or petition the Commission for a waiver with equivalent experience)
• Submit evidence of at least 6 separate compensated real estate transactions via a Real Estate Transaction Verification Form
• Complete 60 hours of approved study, satisfiable through several distinct paths: a JD from an accredited law school with active real estate practice, a bachelor's degree with a real estate major, an associate's degree in real estate, or completion of CCIM/GRI designation requirements — plus various combinations of continuing education and college coursework
• Pass the Broker exam (115 scored questions: 75 national worth up to 2 points each, 40 state)

Reciprocity

Candidates holding a valid license from another state may be eligible for a New Hampshire license through reciprocity — contact the Commission directly for current terms.

Mistake 1: Confusing "Facilitator" with a standard agency relationship

New Hampshire's Facilitator category is a genuinely distinct non-agency relationship, not another name for a familiar agency type.

The fix: Learn Facilitator as its own category, separate from seller/buyer/dual/designated agent.

Mistake 2: Underestimating the mandated disclosure list

Private water supply, insulation, and sewage disposal system disclosures are specific, named New Hampshire requirements, not generic "material fact" disclosure concepts.

The fix: Study New Hampshire's actual mandated disclosure categories directly.

Mistake 3: Missing the 8-attempts/6-month retake window

Pass one portion, fail the other, and you have up to 8 attempts within 6 months — miss that window and you're back to a full pre-licensing course plus a full exam retake.

The fix: Schedule your retake promptly if you split your results.

Mistake 4: Treating Regulation of Licensee Conduct and Regulation of Agency Conduct as secondary

Together these two categories are more than half the state exam — 22 of 40 questions.

The fix: Give both categories serious, roughly equal weight in your study plan.

Mistake 5: Skipping New Hampshire's environmental hazard specifics

Radon gas, lead paint, underground storage tanks, and water pollution all have specific New Hampshire statute citations tested under New Hampshire Principles and Practice.

The fix: Study the actual New Hampshire environmental disclosure statutes, not just generic hazard awareness.

What separates pass from fail

Pass: learned the Facilitator category specifically, studied the mandated disclosure list directly, gave Licensee Conduct and Agency Conduct real weight.

Fail: conflated Facilitator with standard agency, treated disclosures generically, let the 6-month retake window lapse.

Week 1: National foundation

Day 1-2: Cold practice exam. Day 3-7: Contracts (17%, the largest national category), then General Principles of Agency and Practice of Real Estate.

Week 2: New Hampshire-specific deep dive

Day 8-12: Regulation of Licensee Conduct and Regulation of Agency Conduct (22 of 40 state items combined) — mandated disclosures, the Facilitator relationship, broker/salesperson relationships. Day 13-14: New Hampshire Principles and Practice — environmental hazards, Condominium Act, planning and zoning.

Week 3: Simulation

Day 15-17: Financing, valuation, and real estate calculations. Day 18-19: Full timed practice exam (240 minutes, both portions). Day 20: Targeted review of your weakest category. Day 21: Light review, exam day.

Three things every plan should include

1. At least one full 240-minute timed practice exam.
2. At least 20 practice questions specifically on New Hampshire's mandated disclosures and the Facilitator relationship.
3. A clear understanding of the 8-attempts/6-month retake window before you sit for the exam.

Regulation of Agency Conduct and Regulation of Licensee Conduct together make up 22 of 40 state questions — more than half the state exam. Two concepts inside these categories are genuinely distinct to New Hampshire.

The Facilitator relationship

Most states recognize seller agency, buyer agency, dual agency, and sometimes designated agency. New Hampshire adds a fifth, distinct category: the Facilitator — a licensee who assists a party in a real estate transaction without acting as their fiduciary agent. A Facilitator doesn't represent either party's interests the way an agent does, but still owes basic honesty and fair dealing.

Mandated Disclosures

New Hampshire's Regulation of Licensee Conduct category includes specific, named disclosure rules:

• Private water supply — required disclosure about a property's water source, critical in a state where many properties rely on private wells rather than municipal water
• Insulation — disclosure requirements related to a home's insulation
• Sewage disposal system — required disclosure about septic or other private sewage systems, again reflecting how much of New Hampshire's housing stock is outside municipal sewer service

Sample exam questions

Q: A New Hampshire licensee assists a buyer in a transaction but does not represent the buyer as a fiduciary agent. What relationship category does this describe?

A: Facilitator — a non-agency relationship distinct from buyer agency.

Q: A New Hampshire property relies on a private well rather than municipal water. What must the licensee ensure is disclosed?

A: The private water supply disclosure required under Adm. Rule Rea 701.03.

Q: A rural New Hampshire property uses a septic system rather than municipal sewer service. What disclosure obligation applies?

A: The sewage disposal system disclosure required under Adm. Rule Rea 701.05.

Why this matters for your career

Private wells and septic systems are genuinely common in New Hampshire, especially outside its cities, and undisclosed problems with either are a real source of post-closing disputes. The exam weights these disclosure categories heavily because they reflect actual, recurring issues in New Hampshire real estate practice.

Step 1: Confirm both portions are passed

If you split your results, make sure you've cleared both within your 8-attempts/6-month window before applying.

Step 2: Submit your original score reports with your application

Send your original passing score report(s) along with a completed license application to the New Hampshire Real Estate Commission.

Step 3: Complete your criminal background check

Required as part of the licensure process, including disclosure of any misdemeanor or felony offenses.

Step 4: Affiliate with a sponsoring broker

Your license needs a supervising New Hampshire broker to activate.

Step 5: Wait for license issuance

Typical processing runs 3-6 weeks for a complete application.

Realistic income expectations

Median New Hampshire agent income runs around $52,000; brokers average $72,000.

• Year 1: $25K-$45K
• Year 2-5: $45K-$78K
• Top 25%: $78K-$140K+

The Seacoast region (Portsmouth), Manchester-Nashua, and the Lakes Region are New Hampshire's strongest markets, with roughly 20,000 home sales a year statewide across about 9,500 active licensees — a market that's grown as remote work has drawn buyers north from Massachusetts.

The first 30 days

Week 1: Set up MLS access, learn your brokerage's systems. Week 2: Announce your license to your network. Week 3: Shadow your sponsoring broker on active transactions. Week 4: Start prospecting.