Two Sections, Two Different Passing Bars
The North Dakota salesperson exam stands out for its structure. PSI Services delivers it for the North Dakota Real Estate Commission (NDREC) as 140 questions inside a two-hour window — 100 national and 40 North Dakota — and the two sections are scored independently. To sit for it you first complete 90 hours of NDREC-approved pre-license education.
What trips candidates up is the split passing standard: 70% on the national portion (70 of 100) but a higher 75% on the North Dakota portion (30 of 40). Many test-takers assume a single threshold and under-prepare the state side, only to clear the national half and still fail overall.
With 140 questions to answer in 120 minutes, pacing also matters more here than in lighter exams — roughly 50 seconds per question, so you cannot afford to stall. The fix is the same on both fronts: know the North Dakota material cold so the state questions are quick, leaving time for the longer national section.
The 100-Question National Portion
At 100 questions, North Dakota's national section is larger than most — it carries the bulk of your seat time. It covers the standardized real estate body PSI tests across states, organized by the weighted domains in the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin.
National Content Areas
- Property ownership — estates, encumbrances, easements, and deed restrictions
- Land use controls — zoning, subdivision, and environmental regulation
- Valuation and market analysis — sales comparison, cost, and income approaches
- Financing — mortgages, FHA/VA/conventional loans, RESPA, and TILA
- Agency principles — fiduciary duties and disclosure obligations
- Property disclosures — material defects, lead-based paint, and hazards
- Contracts — listings, purchase agreements, options, and the statute of frauds
- Real estate math — commissions, prorations, area, and return calculations
Because the national portion is only 70% to pass and you have done the largest share of your reps here, it is usually the more manageable section. Click2CE’s national bank tracks the PSI blueprint with a plain-English rationale on every item so you can move through it efficiently.
The 40 North Dakota Questions — Oil, Land, and Title
North Dakota's economy and geography shape its real estate law. The state portion leans on topics rooted in oil-and-gas country, agriculture, and the way the state proves and conveys title — none of which a national guide will teach you, and all held to that higher 75% standard.
High-Yield North Dakota Topics
- Mineral rights and severance — over the Bakken formation, minerals are routinely severed from the surface, so "surface only" sales convey no oil or gas
- The rectangular (government) survey — townships, ranges, and sections, the dominant way North Dakota land is described
- Judicial foreclosure and the statutory right of redemption — North Dakota's court-driven process and post-sale redemption
- Abstract of title and attorney title opinion — the traditional way North Dakota proves marketable title, alongside title insurance
- Agricultural land and corporate-farming rules — limits on who may own certain farmland
- NDREC license law — qualifications, renewal, and the Commission's disciplinary authority
- Required agency disclosure — timing of disclosure and the duty to disclose known material defects to all parties
- Trust account and earnest-money handling — deposit timelines and the ban on commingling
- Fair housing — federal classes plus North Dakota additions such as status with respect to marriage and public assistance
Click2CE’s North Dakota bank is built around these subjects rather than retrofitted from a generic course, and the AI Tutor (powered by Claude) walks through severance, redemption, and abstract-versus-title-insurance scenarios so the reasoning is second nature on test day.
Step-by-Step North Dakota Licensing Path
- 1Complete 90 hours of NDREC-approved pre-license education. Choose a school approved by the North Dakota Real Estate Commission; self-paced online courses are common.
- 2Apply to the NDREC. Submit your coursework, application, and a background check.
- 3Receive PSI eligibility. Once the NDREC approves your application, PSI authorizes you to schedule the exam.
- 4Book and pay for the PSI exam (about $131). Schedule at psiexams.com; in a state with limited testing seats, reserve your date early.
- 5Clear both thresholds — 70% national and 75% state. Bring two forms of ID, one a government photo ID; PSI prints your result before you leave.
- 6Affiliate with a sponsoring North Dakota broker. Your salesperson license stays inactive until an active broker supervises you.
- 7Pay the NDREC fees and activate. Once your broker confirms the affiliation, the Commission issues your active salesperson license. Confirm current application and license fees on the NDREC site.
How to Clear the 75% State Bar
Over-study the state side because it is held higher
The North Dakota portion needs 75% on only 40 questions, so it has the least slack on the whole exam. Treat the two sections as separate tests and give the state material more study time than its share of the questions — the national 70% bar is the more forgiving of the two.
Make mineral rights an automatic answer
Surface-versus-mineral questions are nearly guaranteed. Practice scenarios where a "surface only" sale leaves the oil and gas behind, and where disclosure must spell out exactly what the buyer acquires, until you never assume minerals convey with the land.
Drill judicial foreclosure and redemption together
North Dakota's court-driven foreclosure and its post-sale right of redemption are reliable state-portion points. Memorize the sequence — suit, judgment, sale, redemption window — so a foreclosure-timeline question is a quick win rather than a guess.
Practice the pace with two-section timed mocks
With 140 questions in 120 minutes, speed counts. Click2CE’s mocks reproduce the PSI split and the 70%/75% thresholds on a real clock, so you learn to keep moving and still finish both sections. Sit at least three full mocks before exam day.