- The exam is 80 general + 35 state questions (110/115 points) in 165 minutes, closed-book, via PSI.
- Each portion - general and state - requires a separate 70% to pass.
- Connecticut Laws Governing the Activities of Licensees is the heaviest single domain at 31.43% of the state portion.
- First attempt costs $59; retakes are $51; license activation is $590 on top of the $80 application.
The One-Page Snapshot
If you only read one section of this cheat sheet, read this one. The Connecticut Real Estate Salesperson Exam (CT-RE-S) is administered by PSI on behalf of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection and the Connecticut Real Estate Commission. It's closed-book and computer-delivered, offered at PSI test centers or through remote proctoring, so there's no walking in with notes, formula sheets, or reference books.
The exam combines two distinct portions in one sitting:
- General portion: 80 scored questions covering national real estate practice (Domains 1-11).
- State portion: 35 scored questions covering Connecticut-specific law and licensing (Domains 12-15).
Combined, that's 110 scored questions worth 115 points, plus 5-10 unscored experimental items mixed in that you can't identify - so treat every question as if it counts. You get 165 minutes total, and critically, each portion is graded independently. You need 70% on the general portion and 70% on the state portion; a strong score on one side cannot offset a weak score on the other. For a deeper breakdown of exactly how scoring works, see the CT-RE-S Passing Score guide.
General Portion Domains at a Glance
The general portion draws from eleven domains that mirror national real estate fundamentals. Weight distribution tells you where to spend your study hours - Contracts and Agency alone make up nearly a third of this portion.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1. Property Ownership | 10% |
| 2. Land Use Controls | 5% |
| 3. Valuation | 8% |
| 4. Financing | 10% |
| 5. Contracts | 19% |
| 6. Agency | 13% |
| 7. Property Disclosures | 7% |
| 8. Property Management | 3% |
| 9. Transfer of Title | 6% |
| 10. Practice of Real Estate | 12% |
| 11. Real Estate Calculations | 7% |
Contracts (19%) - The Biggest General Domain
Nearly one in five general-portion questions touches contract formation, elements, contingencies, or remedies for breach.
- Know the essential elements of a valid contract
- Distinguish void, voidable, and unenforceable agreements
- Understand contingency clauses and how they release parties
For a domain-by-domain breakdown of what each of these eleven areas actually tests, including sample question angles, the CT-RE-S Exam Domains Guide goes far deeper than a cheat sheet can.
Connecticut State Portion Domains
The 35-question state portion is where a generic national study guide will fail you. These four domains are Connecticut-specific, and their percentages are calculated from PSI's official item counts for the state portion only.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| 12. Connecticut Real Estate Licensing Requirements | 20% |
| 13. Connecticut Laws Governing the Activities of Licensees | 31.43% |
| 14. Connecticut Real Estate Agency | 25.71% |
| 15. Connecticut-Specific Real Estate Laws | 22.86% |
Key Takeaway
Domain 13, Connecticut Laws Governing the Activities of Licensees, is the single largest domain on either portion of the exam. Roughly one-third of the state portion sits here, so it deserves proportionally more review time than any other Connecticut-specific topic.
Together, Domains 13 and 14 make up more than half of the state portion. If your study time is limited in the final stretch, prioritize licensee conduct rules and agency relationships under Connecticut law before touching anything else in the state section.
Registration & Fee Cheat Sheet
Fee mechanics trip up a lot of candidates because there are several separate charges at different stages of the process. Here's the full picture in one place:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| First exam attempt (PSI) | $59 |
| Exam retake (PSI) | $51 |
| State application to Department of Consumer Protection | $80 |
| Salesperson license activation | $590 |
Notice that the retake fee is lower than the first attempt fee - but each failed portion still costs money and time, which is exactly why understanding the domain weightings above matters more than memorizing trivia. If you want the complete cost breakdown, including how these fees stack up over a full licensing journey, read CT-RE-S Certification Cost 2026.
Eligibility & Licensing Timeline
The exam doesn't exist in isolation - it sits inside a larger licensing timeline with hard deadlines. Miss one and you may have to restart parts of the process.
- Age: You must be at least 18 years old.
- Pre-licensing education: 60 classroom hours of approved Real Estate Principles and Practices coursework, completed before you sit for the exam.
- Pass window: Both the general and state portions must be passed within one year of becoming eligible.
- Activation window: Once you pass, you must activate your license under a Connecticut broker within two years.
- Expiration: Salesperson licenses expire on May 31 of even-numbered years.
- Continuing education: 12 CE hours are required per two-year renewal cycle.
For the full eligibility rundown, including what counts as an "approved" course provider, see CT-RE-S Requirements 2026. If you're mapping out when to sit for the exam relative to your coursework completion, the CT-RE-S Exam Dates guide covers scheduling logistics in detail.
High-Yield Topics Inside Each Domain
Weights tell you where to spend time; specific topics tell you what to actually study. Here's a condensed list of concrete, testable subjects pulled from the highest-weighted domains on each portion.
Agency (13%, General Portion)
Fiduciary duties and the mechanics of agency creation and termination are tested heavily.
- Fiduciary duties owed to clients vs. duties owed to customers
- Creation, disclosure, and termination of agency relationships
- Dual agency and designated agency distinctions
Practice of Real Estate (12%, General Portion)
Day-to-day licensee conduct, advertising, and license law overlap with this domain.
- Fair housing protected classes and prohibited practices
- Advertising rules and required disclosures
- Escrow and trust account handling basics
Connecticut Real Estate Agency (25.71%, State Portion)
This mirrors general Agency but applies Connecticut's specific statutory language and disclosure timing.
- Connecticut-mandated agency disclosure forms and timing
- Statutory duties unique to Connecticut licensees
- Broker-salesperson supervisory relationships under state law
Connecticut-Specific Real Estate Laws (22.86%, State Portion)
Expect statutory and regulatory questions distinct from national law.
- Connecticut property condition disclosure requirements
- State-specific landlord-tenant and property transfer statutes
- Connecticut Real Estate Commission enforcement authority
Because the state portion topics are so distinct from generic national content, candidates who only study a national prep book tend to underperform on Domains 12-15. If you're unsure how tough that gap actually is in practice, How Hard Is the CT-RE-S Exam? walks through where most candidates lose points.
Final-Week Review Plan
You don't need an elaborate study system this close to test day - you need a targeted pass through the highest-weighted domains. Structure your last week around point value, not alphabetical order.
Contracts & Agency (General)
- Drill contract elements and remedies (19% of general portion)
- Review fiduciary duty scenarios (13% of general portion)
Connecticut Laws & Agency (State)
- Focus on licensee conduct rules (31.43% of state portion)
- Rework Connecticut agency disclosure timing (25.71% of state portion)
Remaining Domains & Calculations
- Practice Real Estate Calculations problems (7% of general portion)
- Review licensing requirements and property disclosures
Full Timed Simulation
- Run a 165-minute practice session mimicking the 110-question format
- Score general and state portions separately to confirm you're at 70%+ on each
For a longer-horizon plan that starts well before finals week, the CT-RE-S Study Guide 2026 lays out a fuller multi-week structure. You can also run full-length practice sessions on our practice test platform to get comfortable with the 165-minute pacing before it's real.
Cheat-Sheet Mistakes to Avoid
A few recurring errors show up when candidates try to compress everything into last-minute notes:
- Treating the two portions as one score. A high general-portion score does not rescue a failed state portion - each requires its own 70%.
- Skipping Domain 13. Connecticut Laws Governing the Activities of Licensees is the largest single domain on the entire exam and gets under-studied because it feels procedural.
- Ignoring unscored experimental items. Since 5-10 unscored questions are mixed in with no labeling, don't waste mental energy trying to spot them - answer everything as if it counts.
- Losing track of the activation clock. Passing the exam isn't the finish line; you still have to activate under a broker within two years or the clock resets.
- Assuming national prep covers Connecticut content. Domains 12-15 require Connecticut-specific statutory knowledge that generic real estate prep books don't include.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 80 general questions and 35 state questions, for a combined 110 scored questions worth 115 points, plus 5-10 possible unscored experimental questions.
You need 70% on the general portion and 70% on the state portion separately. One portion cannot compensate for the other.
Connecticut Laws Governing the Activities of Licensees is the largest state domain at 31.43% of the state portion, and Contracts is the largest general domain at 19%.
The first attempt is $59 and retakes are $51. Separately, the state application is $80 and license activation is $590.
You must pass both the general and state portions within one year of eligibility, then activate your license under a Connecticut broker within two years of passing.
Keep this page bookmarked as your quick-reference sheet, but pair it with deeper domain review before test day - a one-page summary is a memory jog, not a substitute for understanding why each Connecticut rule exists. Combine it with timed practice on our exam prep platform to confirm you're hitting 70% on both portions consistently.