Connecticut Real Estate Salesperson Exam Overview

Your Path to a Connecticut Real Estate License

Welcome to OpenExamPrep's FREE Connecticut Real Estate Salesperson guide. Connecticut licensing is overseen by the Connecticut Real Estate Commission, a body housed inside the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). The Commission sets the 60-hour education rule, approves schools, defines the exam blueprint, and disciplines licensees under Connecticut General Statutes (CGS) Chapter 392 and the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (RCSA) Sections 20-328-1a through 20-329a.

The exam is administered by PSI Services (PSI), not the state. PSI handles scheduling, the testing centers, the $59 exam fee, and the immediate pass/fail score report. The DCP issues the actual license after you pass and find a sponsoring broker.

Connecticut Requirements at a Glance

What This Guide Covers

This guide concentrates on the 30-question Connecticut state portion, the part generic national courses skip. The four chapters that follow drill the Commission and license law (Chapter 1), Connecticut agency and the mandatory disclosure form (Chapter 2), contracts and the residential property condition report (Chapter 3), and trust-account and consumer-protection rules (Chapter 4). Treat the national 80 questions as standard real-estate math, agency, contracts, and finance — but the state questions are where Connecticut candidates most often fall short, because the 70% threshold is applied to that small 30-question bank.

Worked Example: Why 70% on EACH Portion Matters

Suppose you answer 70 of 80 national questions correctly (87.5%) but only 20 of 30 state questions (66.7%). Many candidates assume a strong national score rescues them. It does not. You fail because the state portion fell below 70% — you needed 21 of 30. On a 30-item bank, a single missed question swings your percentage by 3.3 points, so two careless errors can drop you from 73% to 67%. This is the single most common trap on the Connecticut exam: under-preparing for state law because it is "only" 30 questions.

Pre-License Education: The 60-Hour Course

Before PSI will schedule you, Connecticut requires 60 hours of approved instruction in a single course titled Real Estate Principles and Practices. Unlike some states that split education into multiple modules, Connecticut bundles everything into one 60-hour offering. Courses may be delivered live in-person, live-virtual (synchronous), or as approved self-paced online instruction. Only schools approved by the DCP Real Estate Commission produce a valid certificate of completion.

What the 60 Hours Cover

• Real-property law: estates, freehold vs. leasehold, fixtures, encumbrances
• Agency law and Connecticut disclosure obligations
• Contracts: offer, acceptance, consideration, statute of frauds
• Real-estate finance: mortgages, promissory notes, loan types
• Valuation and the comparative market analysis (CMA)
• Fair housing (federal plus Connecticut's protected classes)
• Closing/settlement procedures and prorations
• License law, ethics, and trust-account handling

Education Quick Facts

Common Trap: Course Exam vs. State Exam

The certificate of completion typically requires passing the school's end-of-course exam — this is separate from the PSI state licensing exam. Passing the course exam only proves you completed the 60 hours; it grants no license. Candidates sometimes assume the school exam "counts" and delay scheduling PSI. It does not, and your education certificate does not expire on a short clock, but the smartest approach is to schedule PSI promptly while the material is fresh.

Worked Example: Sequencing the Process

Maria finishes her 60-hour online course on March 1. To sit for the exam she must (1) submit the DCP exam application with her certificate and the $80 application fee, (2) receive eligibility, (3) register with PSI and pay the $59 exam fee, then (4) test. If she passes both portions and is hired by broker Acme Realty, she activates her license through DCP and pays the $285 initial license fee plus the one-time $20 Guaranty Fund contribution ($305 total). Skipping the broker step leaves her exam result valid but with no active license to practice.

Exam-Day Mechanics and the State Blueprint

The PSI exam is computer-based and delivered at PSI testing centers or by approved remote proctoring. You receive 120 minutes for the 80 national questions and 45 minutes for the 30 state questions, totaling the often-cited 2 hours 45 minutes. A handful of unscored pretest questions may be embedded; they do not affect your score but are indistinguishable from scored items, so answer every question. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID; PSI provides on-screen calculators and scratch material per their rules.

National Portion Topics (80 Questions)

1. Property ownership and land-use controls (estates, zoning, easements)
2. Valuation and market analysis (appraisal approaches, CMA)
3. Financing (loan types, points, mortgage instruments)
4. Agency relationships, duties, and disclosure
5. Contracts (formation, contingencies, remedies)
6. Transfer of title (deeds, recording, title insurance)
7. Practice of real estate, fair housing, and risk management
8. Real-estate calculations (commissions, prorations, area)

Connecticut State Portion Topics (30 Questions)

• Real Estate Commission structure, powers, and licensing categories
• License law: activities requiring a license and exemptions
• Connecticut agency disclosure timing and the mandatory form
• Residential property condition disclosure report and the $500 credit
• Trust/escrow account rules and the prohibition on commingling
• Connecticut fair-housing protected classes (broader than federal)
• Advertising, recordkeeping, and disciplinary procedures

Scoring Reference

Renewal and Continuing Education

Connecticut salesperson licenses expire on May 31 of every even-numbered year, regardless of when you were first licensed. Each two-year cycle you must complete 12 hours of continuing education, including a mandatory 3-hour course covering current real-estate and fair-housing legislation, license law, and regulations; the remaining 9 hours are elective approved topics. Renew through the eLicense portal at elicense.ct.gov before the deadline to avoid late penalties.

Trap: Confusing Initial and Renewal Numbers

Keep the pre-license, license, and renewal costs separate. The exam application fee ($80, to DCP) and the PSI exam fee ($59) are paid before you are licensed. After you pass and affiliate with a broker, the initial salesperson license fee is $285 plus a one-time $20 Guaranty Fund contribution ($305 total). The biennial renewal is then paid each two-year cycle (verify the current amount on eLicense at renewal). The Guaranty Fund payment protects consumers harmed by licensee misconduct and is collected once, at original licensure, not at each renewal.