- How the MD-RES Exam Is Structured
- The 11 National Portion Domains
- The 6 Maryland State Portion Domains
- Domain Weighting at a Glance
- How Domains Translate Into Actual Questions
- Sequencing Your Prep Around the Domains
- Registration, Fees, and Timing Rules
- Who Cares About These Domains After You Pass
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The MD-RES has 17 total content areas split across a national portion and a Maryland state portion.
- Contracts is the single largest national domain at 19% of the 80 scored national questions.
- Brokerage Relationships is the largest of the six Maryland state domains.
- You need 56/80 national and 21/30 Maryland to pass - each portion is scored separately.
How the MD-RES Exam Is Structured
Before memorizing individual domains, it helps to understand the container they sit inside. The Maryland Real Estate Salesperson Exam (MD-RES) is administered by PSI Services LLC on behalf of the Maryland Real Estate Commission and the Maryland Department of Labor. It is a $44 computer-based, multiple-choice exam split into two independently scored portions:
- National Portion: 80 scored questions, 90 minutes, covering 11 broad real estate concepts tested in most U.S. jurisdictions.
- Maryland State Portion: 30 scored questions, 30 minutes, covering 6 Maryland-specific legal and regulatory topics.
PSI also seeds 1 to 10 unscored experimental items into your session that use up your exam time but don't count toward your score - you won't know which questions these are, so every item deserves full attention. Passing requires 70% on each portion independently: 56 of 80 correct nationally and 21 of 30 correct on the Maryland section. A strong national score cannot offset a weak Maryland score, or vice versa - this is a critical distinction covered in more depth in our MD-RES Passing Score 2026 guide.
The 11 National Portion Domains
The national portion draws from concepts common to real estate practice across the country. These 11 domains make up the 80 scored questions you'll answer in 90 minutes.
Domain 1: Property Ownership (10%)
Covers estates in land, forms of ownership, and the legal descriptions used to identify property.
- Fee simple vs. life estates vs. leasehold interests
- Tenancy in common, joint tenancy, and tenancy by the entirety
- Metes and bounds, lot and block, and government survey descriptions
Domain 2: Land Use Controls (5%)
Focuses on public and private restrictions on how land can be used.
- Zoning classifications and variances
- Deed restrictions and restrictive covenants
- Environmental regulations affecting development
Domain 3: Valuation (8%)
Tests understanding of how properties are appraised and priced.
- The three approaches to value (sales comparison, cost, income)
- Factors influencing market value vs. assessed value
- Basic appraisal terminology a licensee must recognize
Domain 4: Financing (10%)
Covers mortgage instruments and the lending process.
- Conventional, FHA, and VA loan basics
- Promissory notes, deeds of trust, and mortgages
- Loan qualification concepts and amortization
Domain 5: Contracts (19%) - the largest national domain
By far the heaviest-weighted national topic, requiring deep familiarity with contract law as applied to real estate.
- Elements of a valid contract and contract contingencies
- Listing agreements, purchase agreements, and option contracts
- Breach, remedies, and contract termination
Domain 6: Agency (13%)
Tests fiduciary duties and the different agency relationships a licensee can hold.
- Seller agency, buyer agency, and dual agency concepts
- Fiduciary duties: loyalty, disclosure, obedience, confidentiality, accounting, reasonable care
- Creation and termination of agency relationships
The remaining national domains round out the 80 scored questions: Property Disclosures (7%), covering seller disclosure obligations and material fact rules; Property Management (3%), the smallest national weight, touching landlord-tenant basics; Transfer of Title (6%), covering deeds, closing, and title transfer mechanics; Practice of Real Estate (12%), the second-largest national domain, covering day-to-day licensee conduct and business practices; and Real Estate Calculations (7%), testing math skills like proration, commission splits, and loan-to-value ratios.
Key Takeaway
Contracts (19%) and Agency (13%) together account for nearly a third of your national score. If your study time is limited, these two domains deserve first priority.
The 6 Maryland State Portion Domains
The Maryland state portion is where out-of-state study materials fall short - these six domains are unique to Maryland licensing law and are tested in the 30-question, 30-minute state section.
Domain 12: Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission
Covers how the Maryland Real Estate Commission is structured and what authority it holds over licensees.
- Commission composition and disciplinary authority
- Complaint and hearing processes
- Recovery fund provisions
Domain 13: Licensing Requirements
Tests the eligibility rules and mechanics of becoming and staying licensed in Maryland.
- Age, education, and character requirements
- License application timing and renewal cycles
- Continuing education obligations
Domain 14: Brokerage Relationships - the largest Maryland domain
The single heaviest-weighted state topic, reflecting how central agency disclosure is to Maryland practice.
- Statutory Maryland disclosure forms and timing
- Consumer vs. agent relationships under Maryland law
- Dual agency rules specific to Maryland transactions
Domain 15: Supervision
Covers the required relationship between a salesperson and their sponsoring broker.
- Broker oversight responsibilities
- Escrow and trust fund handling under supervision
- Affiliation requirements to actively practice
The final two Maryland domains are Business Conduct, covering advertising rules, record-keeping, and prohibited practices, and Ethics, covering the standards of professional conduct Maryland licensees must uphold in dealings with clients, customers, and other licensees.
Domain Weighting at a Glance
| Portion | Domain | Weight / Questions |
|---|---|---|
| National | Contracts | 19% (largest national domain) |
| National | Agency | 13% |
| National | Practice of Real Estate | 12% |
| National | Property Ownership | 10% |
| National | Financing | 10% |
| National | Valuation | 8% |
| National | Property Disclosures | 7% |
| National | Real Estate Calculations | 7% |
| National | Transfer of Title | 6% |
| National | Land Use Controls | 5% |
| National | Property Management | 3% |
| Maryland | Brokerage Relationships | Largest Maryland domain (untimed % not published; part of 30 questions) |
| Maryland | Licensing Requirements, Commission Duties & Powers, Supervision, Business Conduct, Ethics | Remainder of 30 scored Maryland questions |
For a deeper breakdown of exactly how these percentages convert into the 56/80 and 21/30 pass thresholds, see our MD-RES Passing Score 2026 guide.
How Domains Translate Into Actual Questions
Each of the 17 domains is tested with straightforward multiple-choice items - there's no essay, simulation, or interactive component. But the domains show up in a few recognizable question patterns:
- Definition recall: "Which of the following best describes a life estate?" - common in Property Ownership and Transfer of Title.
- Scenario application: A short client situation followed by "What duty does the licensee owe here?" - the dominant format for Agency and Brokerage Relationships.
- Calculation problems: Straight math requiring proration, commission math, or loan-to-value ratios under Real Estate Calculations.
- Rule identification: "Under Maryland law, how many hours of continuing education are required?" - typical of Licensing Requirements and Business Conduct.
Because you won't know which 1-10 items are unscored experimental questions, it's not worth trying to guess and skip questions that "feel unfamiliar." Answer every item as if it counts. If a question style feels genuinely unfair or ambiguous, that's normal - it's likely one of the unscored items, and dwelling on it wastes time better spent on the rest of the section.
Key Takeaway
Contracts and Brokerage Relationships questions tend to be scenario-based rather than pure definitions - practice reading short client fact patterns, not just flashcard terms.
Sequencing Your Prep Around the Domains
Rather than studying all 17 domains in the order they're listed, sequence your review by weight and difficulty. A simple four-week structure built around the domain weightings looks like this:
Highest-weight national domains
- Contracts (19%) and Agency (13%) - these two alone are worth nearly a third of the national score
- Practice of Real Estate (12%) basics
Mid-weight national domains
- Property Ownership, Financing, and Valuation
- Real Estate Calculations drills - proration and commission math
Maryland state portion
- Brokerage Relationships (largest state domain) and Supervision
- Licensing Requirements and Duties/Powers of the Commission
Lower-weight domains and full review
- Land Use Controls, Property Management, Property Disclosures, Transfer of Title
- Business Conduct, Ethics, and full timed practice sessions
This sequencing isn't a rigid formula - it's a way to make sure the highest-weighted domains (Contracts, Agency, Brokerage Relationships) get the most repetition before exam day. For a fuller walkthrough of study techniques mapped to each domain, see our MD-RES Study Guide 2026.
Registration, Fees, and Timing Rules
Understanding the domains only matters if you also understand the mechanics surrounding the exam itself. A few facts every candidate should lock in:
- You must be at least 18 years old and be of good character and reputation.
- You must complete 60 hours of approved prelicensing education before sitting for the exam.
- Both the national and Maryland portions must be passed within one year of completing that prelicensing course.
- After passing, you have one year to apply for your license.
- Active practice requires affiliation with a licensed Maryland broker - passing the exam alone doesn't authorize you to practice.
- The exam itself costs $44 per attempt through PSI. The original salesperson license fee is $98, with a $78 renewal fee effective April 27, 2026.
- Renewal requires 15 continuing-education hours; salespersons first licensed on or after October 1, 2023 follow the mandatory 15-hour renewal curriculum.
These deadlines interact with the domains directly: if you let too much time pass between finishing your 60-hour course and sitting for the exam, retention of Maryland-specific material like Licensing Requirements and Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission tends to fade fastest, since it's the content least reinforced by everyday life experience. For the complete cost picture including retake and licensing fees, see our MD-RES Certification Cost 2026 breakdown, and for scheduling specifics visit MD-RES Exam Dates 2026.
Who Cares About These Domains After You Pass
Once licensed, the domains stop being abstract test material and start being daily job function. Brokerages hiring new salespersons expect fluency in Contracts and Agency from day one, since these govern how offers, disclosures, and client relationships are handled in every transaction. The Maryland-specific domains - Brokerage Relationships, Supervision, and Business Conduct - determine how you interact with your sponsoring broker and what disclosure forms you're legally required to present to consumers.
If you're evaluating whether the licensing path is worth pursuing at all, our Is the MD-RES Certification Worth It? analysis and MD-RES Salary Guide 2026 look at the broader career picture beyond the exam itself. For readers still deciding whether to commit, you can also start with foundational context in our What Is MD-RES? explainer or explore the MD-RES Requirements 2026 page for eligibility details before diving into domain-level study.
Whatever your starting point, the fastest way to see how these 17 domains actually feel under timed conditions is to run a full-length simulation on our practice test platform and review missed questions by domain rather than just by overall score.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 17 total content areas: 11 national domains covering 80 scored questions, and 6 Maryland state domains covering 30 scored questions.
Contracts is the largest national domain at 19% of the 80 scored national questions, followed by Agency at 13%.
Brokerage Relationships is the largest of the six Maryland state domains within the 30 scored state questions.
You must pass both portions within one year of completing your 60-hour prelicensing course, but they are scored independently and can be approached in the same or separate sittings depending on how PSI schedules your exam.
Yes. The exam includes 1 to 10 unscored experimental items mixed in with the scored national and Maryland questions, and these use up your exam time even though they don't count toward your pass/fail result.