- NDREB is the North Dakota Real Estate Broker Exam, governed by the North Dakota Real Estate Commission and administered by PSI Services LLC.
- The National portion has 90 questions worth 100 points (75 to pass); the State portion has 40 scored questions (30 to pass).
- PSI charges $134 per attempt regardless of whether you take one or both portions; the state broker application fee is $150 plus a one-time $20 recovery fund...
- Contracts (19%) and Agency (13%) carry the heaviest weight among the 11 National domains - prioritize them in study time.
What Is NDREB?
NDREB stands for the North Dakota Real Estate Broker Exam - the licensing test that a salesperson must pass before practicing as a licensed real estate broker in North Dakota. The exam itself is administered by PSI Services LLC, a third-party testing vendor, but the rules, eligibility standards, and licensing decisions belong to the North Dakota Real Estate Commission (NDREC). Understanding that split - NDREC sets the requirements, PSI delivers the test - matters because it explains why questions about scheduling, fees, and score reporting go through PSI, while questions about your application, prelicensing course, and license issuance go through the Commission.
NDREB is not a voluntary professional designation you add to a resume for extra credibility. It is a mandatory, closed-book, computer-based licensing exam that stands between a salesperson and a broker license. If you are researching this topic for the first time, the companion overview at NDREB Certification walks through how the exam fits into the broader licensing pathway, and NDREB Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify covers the prerequisites in more depth.
Exam Structure and Scoring
NDREB is split into two distinct portions that are scored separately, and - under the October 1, 2025 bulletin - structured as follows:
| Portion | Questions | Time Allowed | Points Available | Passing Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | 90 questions | 150 minutes | 100 points | 75 points |
| State | 40 scored questions | 90 minutes | 40 points | 30 points |
Two details trip up first-time candidates. First, many National items are scenario-based best-answer questions that PSI scores at 0, 1, or 2 points rather than a flat right/wrong - a well-supported answer can earn partial credit compared to the single best choice. Second, PSI may quietly insert 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions into the National section that look identical to scored items but do not count toward your total. Neither the point-weighted scoring nor the experimental items are announced during the test, so you should treat every question with equal seriousness rather than trying to guess which ones "don't matter."
The exam is delivered entirely by computer at a PSI test center, and it is strictly closed book: no reference sheets, no notes, and no personal calculator. Any permitted calculator functions are provided on-screen through the testing software itself. For a deeper breakdown of exactly how many points separate a pass from a fail on each portion, see NDREB Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Key Takeaway
Because National questions can award partial credit, never leave a scenario question blank - a defensible second-best answer can still add a point toward your 75-point threshold.
The 11 National Domains and State Areas
PSI publishes the exact weighting of the National portion across 11 content domains. These weights are the single most useful planning tool you have, because they tell you precisely where your study hours produce the most return.
Domain 5: Contracts - 19%
The single heaviest domain on the exam. Expect scenario questions on offer and acceptance, contingencies, contract remedies, and required disclosures within purchase agreements.
- Highest point value of any domain - master this first
Domain 6: Agency - 13%
Covers fiduciary duties, agency relationships, and disclosure obligations between brokers, salespeople, and clients.
- Second-highest weight; frequently tested alongside Contracts scenarios
Domain 10: Practice of Real Estate - 12%
Day-to-day broker conduct, license law compliance, and supervisory responsibilities over salespeople.
- Tests practical judgment more than memorized definitions
The remaining eight domains carry smaller but still meaningful weights: Property Ownership (10%), Financing (9%), Valuation (8%), Property Disclosures (7%), Real Estate Calculations (6%), Transfer of Title (6%), Land Use Controls (5%), and Property Management (5%). Together, the four heaviest domains - Contracts, Agency, Practice of Real Estate, and Property Ownership - account for more than half of all National points, which is why cramming evenly across all 11 areas is rarely the most efficient strategy.
The State portion is scored separately and covers four unweighted statutory areas specific to North Dakota license law rather than national real estate principles. Because these areas are unweighted, PSI does not publish a breakdown telling you which statutory topic carries more points than another - treat all four as equally testable. For a full walk-through of every domain with sample question angles, read NDREB Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 11 Content Areas.
Registration, Fees, and Retake Rules
NDREB has a fee structure with several separate line items, and confusing them is a common source of frustration for applicants:
- PSI exam fee: $134, charged whether you sit for one portion or both in the same session.
- Broker application fee: $150, paid to the North Dakota Real Estate Commission.
- Real Estate Education, Research and Recovery Fund payment: a one-time $20 fee.
- Annual license renewal: $150 per year once licensed, alongside 12 hours of continuing education for active resident brokers.
If you fail either portion, North Dakota does not cap your attempts within a rolling 12-month period - you may retake a failed section as many times as needed inside that window, though each attempt still requires the $134 PSI fee. A full cost breakdown, including how these fees compare across the entire licensing timeline, is available in NDREB Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. If you're mapping out when to register relative to your prelicensing course completion, NDREB Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling covers scheduling mechanics in detail.
Key Takeaway
Budget for four separate payments - PSI's $134, the $150 application fee, the $20 recovery fund payment, and eventually $150 for annual renewal - rather than assuming a single flat exam fee covers everything.
Who Can Sit for NDREB
NDREB is not open to the general public the way an entry-level licensing exam might be. Resident applicants generally must meet all of the following before they are eligible to schedule the broker exam:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have at least two years of full-time licensed salesperson experience, or demonstrate substantially equivalent experience.
- Complete a 60-hour NDREC-certified broker prelicensing course within two years of applying.
- Satisfy credit and criminal-history background requirements.
- Receive a favorable broker assessment from the Commission.
- Pass both the National and State portions of the exam.
- Obtain errors-and-omissions insurance coverage before engaging in active broker practice.
The two-year experience requirement and the 60-hour prelicensing course are the two pieces that most often derail a candidate's timeline, because both require lead time that can't be compressed at the last minute. Review the complete eligibility checklist in NDREB Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify before you commit to a testing date.
Who Hires NDREB-Licensed Brokers
Passing NDREB and holding a broker license opens roles that a salesperson license does not: managing your own brokerage, supervising other licensed salespeople, and taking on higher levels of transactional responsibility and liability. Independent brokerages, regional real estate firms, and teams looking for a licensed supervisor are the typical employers of newly licensed brokers, and many candidates pursue the broker license specifically to open their own office rather than to work under someone else's supervision.
Because the value of the license depends heavily on how it's used - solo practice, team leadership, or brokerage ownership - the return on the time and fees invested varies by career path. If you're weighing whether the licensing effort is worth it for your specific goals, Is the NDREB Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and NDREB Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis both address that question directly, and NDREB Jobs looks at the kinds of positions the license actually unlocks.
Building a Domain-Based Study Plan
Generic study advice - flashcards, timed drills, spaced repetition - only helps if it's aimed at the right targets. For NDREB specifically, that means allocating study weeks in proportion to domain weight rather than splitting time evenly across all 11 areas.
Contracts and Agency
- Drill scenario-based questions on offer, acceptance, and fiduciary duty - together these two domains are 32% of the National score.
Practice of Real Estate and Property Ownership
- Focus on license law compliance, supervisory duties, and ownership/estate concepts.
Financing, Valuation, Disclosures, Calculations
- Practice math problems without a personal calculator, since only the on-screen PSI tool is permitted.
State Statutory Areas and Full Review
- Rotate through all four unweighted State topics, then take full-length timed practice sessions under National (150-minute) and State (90-minute) time limits.
This kind of week-by-week structure is expanded in much greater depth in NDREB Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and for a candid assessment of how difficult candidates typically find each section, How Hard Is the NDREB Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 is worth reading before you finalize a timeline. If you want data-driven context for how the exam has performed for past candidates, NDREB Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows covers what's actually published rather than relying on assumptions.
Once you've built content mastery, timed full-length practice under real exam conditions on our NDREB practice test platform is the step most candidates skip and later regret. Simulating the 150-minute National and 90-minute State time limits - with the same closed-book, no-calculator constraints - is the closest you can get to test day without actually being at the PSI center. For a condensed, last-minute review, keep the NDREB Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts on hand the night before your appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
NDREB stands for the North Dakota Real Estate Broker Exam, the licensing test administered by PSI Services LLC under rules set by the North Dakota Real Estate Commission. See NDREB Meaning and What Does NDREB Stand For? for further context.
PSI charges a $134 testing fee whether you take one or both portions in a session. On top of that, the broker application fee is $150 and there is a one-time $20 Real Estate Education, Research and Recovery Fund payment.
The National portion has 90 questions worth 100 points, and you need 75 points to pass in 150 minutes. The State portion has 40 scored questions, and you need 30 points to pass in 90 minutes.
Yes. Failed portions may be retaken without limit within a 12-month period, though each attempt requires paying the $134 PSI fee again.
No. NDREB is closed book and personal calculators are prohibited; any calculator functionality needed for Domain 11 (Real Estate Calculations) is provided through the on-screen PSI testing software.