Georgia Real Estate Salesperson Exam Overview

Why This Chapter Matters

Welcome to OpenExamPrep's FREE Georgia Real Estate Salesperson exam prep. Roughly half of test-takers fail on their first attempt, almost always because they underestimate the Georgia state portion rather than the national concepts. This guide concentrates on the state-specific law that PSI tests and that generic national prep books skip.

The Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC)

The Georgia Real Estate Commission (GREC) is the state agency that licenses and disciplines real estate brokers, salespersons, and community association managers. Created by the Georgia Real Estate License Law (O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 40), GREC is led by six commissioners appointed by the Governor, one of whom is a consumer (non-licensee) member. A Real Estate Commissioner serves as the chief administrative officer and signs license certificates.

GREC's core powers include writing rules and regulations, approving pre-license and continuing-education schools and instructors, investigating consumer complaints, issuing citations and fines, and conducting hearings that can suspend or revoke a license. Knowing that GREC, not the courts, is the first-line disciplinary body is a recurring state-exam point.

Eligibility and Pre-License Education

To qualify, you must be at least 18 years old to hold a license (you may sit for the exam at 17), be a high-school graduate or hold a GED, and meet GREC's good-moral-character standard. The education core is 75 hours of pre-license instruction from a GREC-approved school, finished by passing the school's end-of-course exam with 75% or higher before you may test with PSI.

Three alternative education pathways can substitute for the 75 hours: (1) at least 10 quarter hours or 6 semester hours of real estate study toward a real-estate major at an accredited U.S. or Canadian college; (2) accredited law-school courses in real property, agency, or contracts; or (3) 75+ hours of approved pre-license coursework completed in another state or Canadian province. A common trap: a single business-law elective does not satisfy the law-school pathway because it must cover real-property, agency, or contract law specifically.

The PSI Examination Structure

PSI administers the salesperson exam for GREC at testing centers and via remote proctoring. The exam is 152 scored multiple-choice questions split into two portions delivered in one 4-hour session. A handful of unscored pretest questions may be mixed in; you cannot tell which.

The single most-corrected myth about this exam is how the passing score applies. It is not a single combined 75% across all 152 questions. PSI scores the national and state portions separately, and you must reach 75% on each one — that is 75 of 100 on the national portion and 39 of 52 on the state portion — and pass both. You can pass the national portion and fail the state portion; on a retake you typically sit only the failed portion. Bring a government-issued photo ID matching your registration, arrive 30 minutes early, and expect an on-screen, non-disclosure agreement before the timer starts.

Topics Tested

The national portion covers property ownership and estates, land-use controls and zoning, valuation and market analysis, financing and mortgage math, agency, contracts, transfer of title, and the general practice of real estate including federal fair housing.

The Georgia state portion (52 questions) concentrates on: GREC authority and license-law administration; BRRETA agency relationships; required disclosures; trust/escrow account handling; Georgia contract and closing practices; disciplinary procedures and citations; and consumer-protection rules. Because BRRETA and trust accounts together drive a large share of the 52 state questions, they receive dedicated chapters in this guide.

Exam Tip: When a question references a 'designated agent,' 'customer,' or 'timely written disclosure,' it is testing BRRETA — a Georgia statute with no national-portion equivalent.

Background Check, Application, and Post-License

Georgia requires a GCIC (Georgia Crime Information Center) criminal-history report, obtained from a local law-enforcement agency. The report is valid 60 days, so time it close to your application. After passing, you apply to GREC; the license fee is $170 if you apply within 90 days of passing and $340 if you apply between 90 days and 12 months. You must apply within 12 months of passing or the exam result expires and you must retest. Your license cannot activate until you affiliate with a sponsoring Georgia broker who supervises your work and your trust funds.

Within the first year of licensure, every new salesperson must complete a 25-hour post-license course. Missing this deadline causes the license to lapse automatically — the licensee cannot practice until the course is completed and the license is reinstated through GREC (with the reinstatement application and any required fee). The 25-hour course also supplies 9 of the 36 continuing-education hours due each renewal cycle. Georgia licenses renew every 4 years, and the remaining 27 CE hours (including a fair-housing/license-law update) must be completed before expiration.

Numbers to Memorize

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