Pass Your South Dakota Real Estate Exam the First Time

SD focuses heavily on the "Agency Disclosure" form and the specific penalties for failing to provide it on time.

Questions

142

90 NAT / 52 STATE

To Pass

75%

~107 / 142 TO PASS

Time Limit

4.5 Hrs

270 TOTAL MINUTES

Provider

PSI

SDREC

Pass your South Dakota Broker Associate or Broker License

South Dakota has some of the lowest license exam volume in the country and almost no study resources built specifically for this state.

National prep courses treat South Dakota as a generic western state and skip the specific disclosure rules, adverse possession standards, and agency requirements that the SDREC exam draws from directly. AI language models trained on national content cannot cover state specific requirements accurately, and candidates who rely on generic materials are preparing for an exam that does not exist.

The License Professor is written by licensed South Dakota professionals who know the PSI state portion’s content. Every question on South Dakota disclosure obligations, adverse possession rules, and broker supervision requirements is drawn from South Dakota law.

South Dakota Sample Exams

Experience the real study interface — no account required.

Broker Associate

Individuals new to real estate who want to start their career helping clients buy and sell property

Broker

Experienced professionals who want to operate independently or run their own brokerage

Three Topics that Trip Up South Dakota Students Most

Agency Disclosure (Mandatory)

South Dakota mandates written agency disclosure before any contract is signed — miss the timing rule and you will lose easy points on the state portion.

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Adverse Possession Rules

South Dakota requires 20 years of open, continuous, and hostile possession (or 10 years with color of title plus tax payments) — the exam tests the difference between those two statutory periods.

Seller Disclosure Conditions

Sellers must provide the Property Condition Disclosure Statement before the buyer makes a written offer, but the long list of exemptions (court orders, foreclosures, fiduciary transfers) is where most students get tangled.

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The South Dakota Real Estate License Professor includes specialized deep dives for each of these.

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South Dakota Real Estate Practice Questions

Sample questions from the South Dakota real estate exam — with answers and explanations.

1. Which of the following is a valid exemption to Fair Housing Act requirements?

  1. A.A broker refusing to work with Section 8 voucher holders
  2. B.A seller refusing to show property based on marital status
  3. C.A landlord charging higher rent to families with children
  4. D.A religious organization limiting housing to faith members
Explanation: Religious organizations may limit occupancy to members of their faith. Protected classes under Fair Housing include race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability. Section 8 discrimination, familial status discrimination, and marital status discrimination are all prohibited.

2. In South Dakota, when is a seller exempt from providing a Property Condition Disclosure Statement for residential property?

  1. A.Buyer waived the right to receive disclosure in writing
  2. B.Seller never lived in the property and owned it less than one year
  3. C.Property transferred by court-appointed executor settling an estate
  4. D.Property is a rental that generated income for the past five years
Explanation: South Dakota law exempts fiduciary transfers—including executors, administrators, trustees, conservators, and guardians acting in official capacity—from disclosure requirements. Seller occupancy, rental history, and buyer waivers do not create exemptions.

3. Which of the following would prevent the South Dakota Real Estate Commission from proceeding with a formal action against the license of a real estate broker?

  1. A.Closing of the broker's office.
  2. B.Broker has moved to another state.
  3. C.Expiration of the broker's license.
  4. D.A lapse of three years from the occurrence of the grounds of the complaint.
Explanation: Under South Dakota law, the Real Estate Commission must file any accusations against a licensee within 3 years of the occurrence of the alleged grounds for revocation or suspension of the license.
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More on South Dakota Licensing

Deeper reading on the topics that matter most for South Dakota candidates.

South Dakota Real Estate Exam Structure: What to Expect

South Dakota's Broker Associate exam combines 90 national questions and 52 South Dakota-specific questions — 142 scored questions total — in 270 minutes.

Question breakdown

National portion: 90 questions, 150 minutes, 100 points possible, 75% passing

Contracts (19%) and Agency (13%) are the largest national categories.

State portion: 52 questions, 120 minutes, 52 points, 75% passing

  • Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission (4 items)
  • Licensing Requirements (6 items)
  • Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees (42 items) — 81% of the state exam

Cost structure

  • Pre-licensing (116 hours): $400-$800
  • Exam (combo): $98
  • License application: $50
  • Background check: ~$40
  • Total: $588-$988

Retake rules

Retake only the failed portion — $98 per attempt, whether retaking one portion or both.

Topics Covered on the South Dakota Real Estate Exam

National Exam Topics (90 questions, by weight)

  1. Property Ownership (10%)
  2. Land Use Controls (5%)
  3. Valuation (8%)
  4. Financing (9%)
  5. Contracts (19%) — the largest national category
  6. Agency (13%)
  7. Property Disclosures (7%)
  8. Property Management (5%)
  9. Transfer of Title (6%)
  10. Practice of Real Estate (12%)
  11. Real Estate Calculations (6%)

South Dakota State Exam Topics (52 questions)

  1. Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission (4 items)
  2. Licensing Requirements (6 items)
  3. Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees (42 items) — 81% of the state exam, the single most concentrated category found across any state in this sprint

Why this list matters

No other state reconciled this sprint concentrates its state exam this heavily into one category. Master Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees and you've covered the overwhelming majority of South Dakota's state-specific content.

What this list doesn't tell you

Despite being one named category, "Statutory Requirements" spans a genuinely wide range — agency, disclosure, trust accounts, advertising, and license law violations. Study each sub-area individually, not as one undifferentiated block.

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