Idaho Calculations and Closing Costs
Area V is 10% of the Idaho broker exam — five scored items of real arithmetic. The salesperson exam gives this area only 5%, so it is a place where broker candidates lose points.
What the test center gives you, and what it does not
The Pearson VUE candidate handbook states that 43,560 square feet per acre and 5,280 feet per mile are NOT available at the test center and must be memorized, and that calculations should be rounded to the nearest whole number where applicable. It also states that any question requiring a proration will specify two things inside the question itself: whether to use a 360-day or a 365-day year, and whether the day of closing belongs to the buyer or to the seller. Read for both before computing a daily rate.
Prorating Idaho property taxes
Idaho property taxes are levied for the calendar year and, under Idaho Code 63-903, are due in full on or before December 20, or in two halves with the first due December 20 and the second due June 20. Because the bill trails the year, a mid-year closing normally debits the seller and credits the buyer for the seller's days of ownership. Divide the annual tax by the day-count basis the question gives, count the seller's days from January 1, and multiply.
Commissions, seller's net, and area
Commission problems are usually three steps: total commission from the price and rate, the split between the listing and cooperating brokerages, then the associate's share of the brokerage's half. A seller's net problem is the price less every seller charge, including the loan payoff. Area problems convert to acres before dividing into price. Under Idaho Code 54-2054(9) a sales associate takes payment only from the broker with whom the associate is licensed, and under 54-2046(4) no commission leaves the trust account until the parties have signed the closing statements and been paid what those statements show.
Taxable value and the homestead exemption
Idaho Code 63-205 requires all property to be assessed annually at market value for assessment purposes as of 12:01 a.m. on January 1. Idaho Code 63-602G then exempts the lesser of the first $125,000 of the homestead's market value or 50% of that value, for an owner-occupied primary dwelling. Subtract the exemption to get taxable value, then apply the levy rate. Because the statute takes whichever figure is lesser, the 50% branch controls only below $250,000 of value and the $125,000 cap controls above it.
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- Idaho Real Estate Commission
- Exam vendor
- Pearson VUE
- Prelicensing education
- 180 classroom hours (90 salesperson + 90 broker)
- Passing score
- 75 scaled score (0-100 scale, not a percentage)
- Scored questions
- 130
- Time limit
- 240 minutes
Who regulates real estate brokers in Idaho?
The Idaho Real Estate Commission licenses brokers and salespersons. Idaho Code 54-2005 creates the Commission inside the Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses, with five governor-appointed members, and 54-2007 charges it with enforcing the license law and making the rules. The Commission contracts with Pearson VUE to deliver the exams.
What education and experience do I need before the Idaho broker exam?
Idaho Code 54-2022 requires 90 classroom hours of prelicense education for a salesperson and a minimum of 90 additional classroom hours for a broker or associate broker, 180 in all. Idaho Code 54-2012(2)(a) then requires two years of full-time active experience as a licensed salesperson within the five years immediately preceding application. A designated broker must also complete a Commission-approved business conduct and office operations (BCOO) course within the three years before being designated.
How is the Idaho broker exam structured?
130 scored items: an 80-item national/general portion in 150 minutes and a 50-item Idaho state portion in 90 minutes, four hours in total, plus 5-10 unidentified pretest items in each portion. The Idaho state portion for brokers is weighted 4% Commission duties, 4% licensing, 30% license law and rules, 20% agency, 10% calculations and closing costs, 12% Idaho principles and practices, and 20% brokerage management - the last of which is broker-only and does not appear on the salesperson exam at all.
What score do I need to pass, and can I retake just one portion?
Idaho reports a scaled score on a 0-100 scale, which the candidate handbook says must not be read as the percentage of questions answered correctly. The passing point is 75 for the broker examination and 70 for the salesperson examination. A candidate who passes one portion and fails the other retakes only the failed portion, provided it is passed within one year of the date of the passed portion.
Sources: https://dopl.idaho.gov/rec/, https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/id/realestate.html, https://www.pearsonvue.com/content/dam/VUE/vue/en/documents/publications/091300.pdf, https://www.pearsonvue.com/content/dam/VUE/vue/en/documents/publications/091306.pdf, https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title54/T54CH20/
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