Free Practice Questions for NALA ACP Real Estate

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Key Facts: NALA ACP Real Estate Exam

$250 / $300

Member / Non-member Fee

NALA ACP specialty

~20 hours

Self-paced Course

NALA

Open book

Online Final Assessment

NALA ACP format

NALA CP

Required Prerequisite

NALA eligibility

3 business days

TRID Closing Disclosure Rule

CFPB Regulation Z/X

Pre-1978

Lead Paint Disclosure Cutoff

Federal lead disclosure rule

NALA ACP Real Estate Principles is an advanced paralegal specialty built on the NALA Certified Paralegal (CP) credential. Candidates complete a self-paced web course (~20 hours) and pass an open-book online final assessment; NALA does not publish a fixed question count or pass rate. The course fee is about $250 for members and $300 for non-members. The body of law tested includes estates and future interests, deed types and covenants, recording acts and notice, the Statute of Frauds and equitable conversion, marketable title, mortgages versus deeds of trust, foreclosure and redemption, title insurance, mechanic's and judgment liens, RESPA/TRID closing rules, prorations and escrow, leasehold estates and habitability, eviction, easements, restrictive covenants, zoning, eminent domain, and the Fair Housing Act.

Sample NALA ACP Real Estate Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the NALA ACP Real Estate exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1A grantor conveys land 'to Anna for life, then to Ben and his heirs.' What present interest does Anna hold and what interest does Ben hold?

A.Anna holds a fee simple determinable; Ben holds a possibility of reverter

B.Anna holds a leasehold; Ben holds a reversion

C.Anna holds a life estate; Ben holds a vested remainder in fee simple

D.Anna holds a fee tail; Ben holds an executory interest

Explanation: A conveyance 'to A for life' creates a life estate measured by Anna's life. Because Ben is an ascertained person whose interest follows naturally at the end of the life estate with no condition precedent, Ben holds a vested remainder, and because it is given in fee simple ('and his heirs'), it is a vested remainder in fee simple absolute.

2Which estate gives the holder the greatest, most complete bundle of ownership rights, of potentially infinite duration and freely inheritable and transferable?

A.Fee simple determinable

B.Life estate pur autre vie

C.Estate for years

D.Fee simple absolute

Explanation: Fee simple absolute is the highest estate recognized in law. It is of potentially infinite duration, freely devisable, descendible, and alienable, and is not subject to any condition or limitation that could cut it short. The classic words of conveyance are 'to A and his heirs.'

3A deed conveys property 'to the City for so long as the land is used as a public park.' If the City later stops using the land as a park, what happens to title?

A.The grantor must file suit to re-enter and retake the property

B.Title automatically reverts to the grantor or the grantor's successors

C.Title vests in the State as escheated property

D.The City keeps fee simple absolute because the condition is void

Explanation: Durational language such as 'so long as,' 'while,' or 'during' creates a fee simple determinable, paired with a possibility of reverter in the grantor. When the stated event occurs, the estate ends automatically by operation of law and title reverts without the grantor taking any action.

4Two unmarried business partners take title 'as joint tenants with right of survivorship.' One partner dies. Where does the deceased partner's interest go?

A.To the surviving joint tenant automatically by operation of law

B.To the deceased partner's estate to be distributed under the will

C.To the deceased partner's heirs by intestate succession

D.Half to the survivor and half to the deceased's heirs as tenants in common

Explanation: The defining feature of a joint tenancy is the right of survivorship: on the death of one joint tenant, that interest is extinguished and the surviving joint tenant(s) automatically own the whole. The interest passes outside probate and cannot be devised by will.

5A life tenant strips valuable timber from the property and demolishes a barn, substantially reducing the land's value to the detriment of the remainderman. What doctrine allows the remainderman to seek relief?

A.Adverse possession

B.The rule against perpetuities

C.The doctrine of waste

D.Equitable conversion

Explanation: A life tenant owes a duty to future-interest holders not to commit waste. Affirmative (voluntary) waste includes acts that permanently impair the property's value, such as destroying structures or stripping resources. The remainderman may sue to enjoin the waste and recover damages.

6A married couple holds title to their home as tenants by the entirety. One spouse, acting alone, attempts to mortgage the entire property to secure a personal debt. In a state recognizing classic tenancy by the entirety, what is the general effect?

A.The mortgage encumbers the entire property because either spouse may bind it

B.The mortgage is valid only as to the acting spouse's one-half undivided interest

C.The mortgage severs the tenancy and creates a tenancy in common

D.One spouse acting alone generally cannot unilaterally encumber the entireties property

Explanation: Tenancy by the entirety, available only to married couples, treats the spouses as a single legal unit owning the whole. In states recognizing the classic form, neither spouse acting alone can convey, mortgage, or partition the property, and a creditor of only one spouse generally cannot reach the entireties property.

7What is the principal practical difference between a tenancy in common and a joint tenancy?

A.A tenancy in common requires the four unities; a joint tenancy does not

B.A tenancy in common can only be held by spouses; a joint tenancy by anyone

C.A tenancy in common has no right of survivorship; a joint tenancy does

D.A tenancy in common cannot be partitioned; a joint tenancy can

Explanation: In a tenancy in common, each cotenant holds a separate, freely transferable undivided share that passes to the cotenant's heirs or devisees at death; there is no survivorship. A joint tenancy carries the right of survivorship and requires the four unities of time, title, interest, and possession.

8A grantor conveys 'to Maria for life, then to Maria's children who reach age 25.' At the time of the grant Maria has no children who are 25. What kind of remainder do Maria's children hold?

A.A vested remainder subject to open

B.A reversion

C.A contingent remainder

D.An executory interest in the grantor

Explanation: A remainder is contingent if it is subject to a condition precedent or given to unascertained persons. Here the gift is conditioned on reaching age 25 (a condition precedent) and there is no child who has yet satisfied it, so the children hold a contingent remainder, and the grantor retains a reversion in case it never vests.

9Which of the following is a real property interest rather than a mere personal right?

A.An easement appurtenant recorded against the servient estate

B.A license to enter a neighbor's yard to retrieve a ball

C.A profit a prendre is never an interest in land

D.An oral permission revocable at will

Explanation: An easement is a nonpossessory interest in the land of another that is a recognized interest in real property; an easement appurtenant runs with the land and binds successors when properly created and recorded. By contrast, a license is merely a revocable personal privilege to enter land and is not an interest in real property.

10Under the common-law Rule Against Perpetuities, a contingent future interest is void unless it must vest, if at all, within what period?

A.A life in being at the creation of the interest plus 21 years

B.Twenty-one years from the date of the conveyance

C.The life of the grantor only

D.Ninety years under a fixed statutory period in all states

Explanation: The classic Rule Against Perpetuities provides that no interest is good unless it must vest, if at all, not later than 21 years after some life in being at the creation of the interest. Interests that could conceivably vest too remotely are void from the outset under the common-law rule.

About the NALA ACP Real Estate Exam

The NALA Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP) - Real Estate Principles credential is a specialty certification for paralegals who already hold the NALA Certified Paralegal (CP) designation. It is earned by completing a self-paced web course in U.S. real estate law (about 20 hours) and passing an open-book online final assessment. The substantive program covers estates and interests in land, deeds and conveyancing, recording, real estate contracts and disclosures, mortgages and deeds of trust, title examination, liens and closings, and landlord-tenant, easements, and land use.

Exam sponsor: National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Question count not published by the exam provider

Time Limit

Self-paced course + timed final assessment

Passing Score

Set by NALA per course (commonly ~70%)

Exam / Certification Fees

$250 (member) / $300 (non-member)

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

18%

Estates & Interests in Land

Fee simple absolute and defeasible fees, life estates and waste, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, tenancy by the entirety, future interests (reversion, remainder, executory interest), the Rule Against Perpetuities, fixtures, mineral and air rights, homestead, and adverse possession

18%

Deeds, Conveyancing & Recording

General/special warranty, grant, quitclaim, and fiduciary deeds, covenants of title, delivery and acceptance, escrow, legal descriptions (metes and bounds, rectangular survey, lot and block), recording acts (race, notice, race-notice), constructive and inquiry notice, chain of title, wild deeds, estoppel by deed, and the merger doctrine

16%

Real Estate Contracts & Disclosures

Statute of Frauds, equitable conversion and risk of loss, marketable title, financing/inspection/appraisal contingencies, seller disclosure of latent defects, lead-based paint disclosure, option and installment land contracts, specific performance, earnest money and liquidated damages, and stigmatized-property rules

16%

Financing, Mortgages & Deeds of Trust

Lien versus title theory, deeds of trust and power of sale, judicial and nonjudicial foreclosure, equity and statutory redemption, deficiency judgments, purchase-money mortgages, assumption versus subject-to, due-on-sale clauses, lien priority and subordination, satisfaction of mortgage, and the TILA right of rescission

16%

Title Examination, Liens & Closings

Chain of title and abstracts, title insurance (owner's, loan, extended coverage, exclusions), mechanic's and judgment liens, general versus specific liens, tax-lien priority, lis pendens, quiet title actions, RESPA and Regulation X, the TRID Closing Disclosure three-day rule, prorations, escrow, surveys, and FIRPTA withholding

16%

Landlord-Tenant, Easements & Land Use

Leasehold estates, implied warranty of habitability, constructive eviction, assignment versus sublease, unlawful detainer, the Fair Housing Act, easements appurtenant and in gross, easements by necessity and prescription, termination by merger, licenses, encroachments, real covenants and equitable servitudes, zoning and nonconforming uses, and eminent domain

Preparing for the NALA ACP Real Estate Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Set by NALA per course (commonly ~70%)
Assessment: Question count not published by the exam provider
Time limit: Self-paced course + timed final assessment
Exam / certification fees: $250 (member) / $300 (non-member) Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

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NALA ACP Real Estate: Suggested Study Strategy

1Learn the language of estates first: distinguish durational words ('so long as,' creating a fee simple determinable with a possibility of reverter) from conditional words ('but if,' creating a fee simple subject to condition subsequent with a right of entry)

2Memorize the three recording-act types: pure race (first to record wins), pure notice (last bona fide purchaser without notice wins), and race-notice (BFP without notice who also records first wins)

3Know the standard deed covenants (seisin, right to convey, against encumbrances, quiet enjoyment, warranty) and which deed carries them: general warranty (all), special warranty (grantor's period only), quitclaim (none)

4Distinguish lien-theory states (borrower keeps title, lender has a lien, judicial foreclosure) from title-theory and deed-of-trust states (trustee holds title, power-of-sale nonjudicial foreclosure)

5Remember the TRID rule: the borrower must receive the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before consummation, and RESPA Section 8 bars kickbacks for settlement-service referrals

6Separate easement creation methods (express, implication, necessity, prescription) from termination (merger, release, abandonment) and distinguish easements (interests that run with the land) from revocable licenses

7Connect federal disclosure rules to fact patterns: pre-1978 housing triggers lead-based paint disclosure, and the Fair Housing Act protects race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NALA ACP Real Estate Principles credential?

It is a NALA Advanced Certified Paralegal specialty in U.S. real estate law. Paralegals who hold the NALA Certified Paralegal (CP) credential complete a self-paced web course of about 20 hours and pass an open-book online final assessment to earn it.

Who is eligible to take it?

You must hold a current NALA Certified Paralegal (CP) credential in good standing. The ACP specialty courses build on the CP foundation, so the CP is a prerequisite to enrolling in and completing the real estate specialty.

How many questions are on the assessment?

NALA does not publish a fixed question count for ACP specialty final assessments. Our free 100-question practice bank is organized around the substantive real estate law the course teaches so you can study the tested doctrines.

What does it cost and how long does it take?

The ACP specialty course fee is approximately $250 for NALA members and $300 for non-members; confirm current pricing on nala.org. The course is self-paced (about 20 hours), and most candidates finish over three to six weeks.

What subjects should I focus on?

Concentrate on estates and future interests, deed types and recording acts, contracts and disclosures, mortgages and deeds of trust with foreclosure, title examination and closings (RESPA/TRID), and landlord-tenant, easements, and land use.

How is the assessment scored?

The course concludes with an open-book online final assessment graded on a pass/fail basis using a standard set by NALA, commonly around 70 percent. Candidates who do not pass may review the materials and retake under NALA policy.

Free Practice Questions for NALA ACP Real Estate

NALA ACP — Real Estate Principles

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