MI-SP · Syllabus & Exam Outline 2026
Michigan Real Estate Salesperson
In short
The Michigan Real Estate Salesperson exam requires a 70% to pass and features 115 scored multiple-choice questions within a 180-minute time limit. Candidates are tested on real estate practice, agency principles, contracts, financing, and property ownership. Free practice questions and a full study plan are below.
- Questions
- 115 scored questions plus 5-10 unscored experimental questions
- Time limit
- 180 minutes
- Passing score
- 70%
- Cost
- $79 exam fee (plus $88 license application fee)
- Format
- Multiple choice
- Delivery
- Computer-based testing at PSI test centers or via remote online proctoring
- Calculator
- Only non-programmable calculators that are silent, battery-operated, do not have paper tape printing capabilities, and do not have a keyboard containing the alphabet will be allowed in the examination site.
- Prep time
- ~87 hours
Exam overview
The Michigan Real Estate Salesperson examination is the mandatory licensing test administered by PSI on behalf of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA). This exam rigorously evaluates your comprehension of both national real estate principles and state-specific laws, ensuring you are prepared to safely and ethically represent clients in property transactions across the state. The comprehensive curriculum is divided into eleven specific domains. While topics like Contracts and General Principles of Agency hold substantial weight, the single largest section is the 'Practice of Real Estate' domain. At nearly 30% of the exam, this crucial section tests your knowledge of Michigan's specific licensing requirements, statutory duties, trust account rules, and civil rights guidelines, including the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. Preparing for such a broad exam requires a methodical approach. Only Ever maps every domain to 15-minute study topics, breaking down complex regulations and dense concepts into manageable daily sessions. This structure allows you to build confidence systematically, ensuring you understand everything from basic property ownership rights to intricate state transfer tax calculations by test day.
Exam domains & weighting
Each domain's share of the exam — study deepest where the weight is highest. Open one for how to study it and its objectives.
How to study this domain
Focus on the differences between real and personal property, various encumbrances, and ownership forms like severalty versus common tenancies. Pay close attention to Michigan's specific land division acts and the Condominium Act.
Key objectives
- Real and Personal Property Conveyances
- Legal Property Descriptions
- Measuring Structures and Land
- Liens, Easements, and Encumbrances
- Surface, Subsurface, Air, and Water Rights
- Basic Types of Ownership and Tenancy
- Common-Interest, Trusts, and Business Ownership
- MI Additional State Laws: Land Division, Condominiums, Transfer Tax & Antitrust
Readiness self-check
Tick off everything you can confidently explain. Anything left unchecked is your study list — tap “Review” to jump straight into that domain.
Readiness
0 / 13
Quick reference
Essential Mortgage Clauses
Common contractual clauses tested in the financing and contract domains.
Acceleration Clause
A provision allowing the lender to demand immediate repayment of the entire loan balance if the borrower defaults.
Alienation Clause
Also known as a due-on-sale clause; requires the borrower to pay off the loan in full when the property is sold or transferred.
Defeasance Clause
A provision that nullifies the lender's claim on the property once the debt has been fully repaid.
Real Estate Acronyms
Key abbreviations you must know for both national practice and Michigan compliance.
- LARA
- Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (Michigan)
- CMA
- Competitive/Comparative Market Analysis
- TRID
- TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule
- PMI
- Private Mortgage Insurance
- LTV
- Loan-to-Value Ratio
Frequently asked questions
Good to know
- Candidates will face 5 to 10 unscored 'experimental' questions intermixed with the scored items. These do not count against your testing time or score.
- The exam is strictly closed-book; no reference materials or notes are allowed in the examination center.
- Personal belongings, including electronic devices, smartwatches, and bulky outwear, are prohibited and must be secured before entering the testing room.
- A 15-minute computer tutorial is provided prior to the start of the test to familiarize candidates with the testing interface. This time does not subtract from the 180-minute test limit.
Reading isn’t remembering.
Michigan prep blends the national core with Michigan's Occupational Code (Article 25), its distinctive designated-agency and transaction-coordinator framework, the Seller Disclosure Act, and state fair-housing law — and most materials muddle the two.
Only Ever teaches the shared national core once, then layers Michigan state law — the Department and Board's powers, licensing and education, the statutory requirements governing licensees (advertising, commissions, trust accounts, recordkeeping, closing), designated agency and the transaction coordinator, the Seller Disclosure Act, Michigan fair housing, and additional state laws — as focused 15-minute topics.