The New Hampshire Real Estate Commission
Three of the forty New Hampshire state items cover the Commission itself: why it exists, who sits on it, and what happens when a licensee is disciplined. PSI's outline lists this as area I and points it at RSA 331-A:1, 5, 7, 8, 25, 28, 29, 30, 34 and 35 and at Rea 102.01, 204.05 and 206.01.
Purpose and Composition
RSA 331-A:1 states the policy: to regulate the practice of real estate brokers and salespersons "in order to ensure that they meet and maintain minimum standards which promote public understanding and confidence in the business of real estate brokerage." RSA 331-A:5, I creates the Commission and makes administering the chapter its duty. RSA 331-A:5, II fixes the membership at two licensed brokers, one licensed salesperson, one lawyer and one public member, appointed by the governor with the approval of council; Rea 102.01(a) restates the five-member figure. Members serve five-year terms, may not serve more than two consecutive full terms, and must have been state residents for at least six years before appointment. RSA 331-A:5, VIII requires at least four regular meetings a year and lets the Commission appoint former members as alternates, case by case, when a quorum cannot hear a matter.
Powers, and What Was Repealed Out of Them
RSA 331-A:25 is the live rulemaking list, covering licensee conduct, examinations, application forms, accreditation of programs of study, continuing education, the ethics code, supervision requirements for salespersons and instructor accreditation. RSA 331-A:7 survives only in part: paragraphs I, II and IV through VI are repealed, leaving the duty to publish information on the scope of the examination and suggested courses of study, and the duty to notify licensees of proposed rulemaking and pertinent changes in New Hampshire law. RSA 331-A:8 has been repealed since 2015. This matters for study, because the PSI bulletin's reference list still cites it.
Discipline After the 2023 Consolidation
The bulletin cites "Disciplinary procedures-NH RSA 331-A:28, 29, 34, 35" and "Examination of records-NH RSA 331-A:30". All five sections were repealed by 2023, 79:336 effective September 1, 2023, when discipline, investigation and hearing procedure for every board inside the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification moved into RSA 310. Today RSA 310:9 governs complaints and investigations and imposes a five-year limitation on allegations of professional misconduct; RSA 310:10 and :11 govern disciplinary and licensing proceedings; and RSA 310:12 supplies the sanctions - reprimand, suspension, revocation, probation, and administrative fines not exceeding $3,000 per offense or $300 for each day a continuing violation continues, whichever is greater. The grounds themselves are still in RSA 331-A:26. On the rules side, Document #14228 effective March 19, 2025 repealed Parts Rea 201 through Rea 207 and replaced them with a single Rea 201.01 that sends all procedure to the Plc 200 rules, so the bulletin's citations to Rea 204.05 and Rea 206.01 no longer resolve.
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- New Hampshire Real Estate Commission (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification)
- Exam vendor
- PSI
- Prelicensing education
- 60 hours of approved study
- Passing score
- 56 of 80 points (national); 28 of 40 points (state)
- Scored questions
- 115
- Time limit
- 240 minutes
Who regulates real estate brokers in New Hampshire?
The New Hampshire Real Estate Commission, which sits within the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) in Concord, licenses real estate salespersons and brokers. The Commission has contracted with PSI Services LLC to conduct the examination program at test centers in Concord, Keene, Manchester, Nashua, Newington, and Portsmouth, as well as out-of-state locations. Note when you study that the 2023 OPLC consolidation act repealed RSA 331-A:15, :17, :18, :19, :28, :29, :30, :31, :33, :34, and :35 effective September 1, 2023: renewal, expiration, discipline, and hearing procedure for this board now live in RSA 310, while the prohibited-conduct grounds in RSA 331-A:26 are unchanged.
What experience do I need before the New Hampshire broker exam?
Under RSA 331-A:10, broker applicants must have been employed full-time by an active principal broker for at least one year within the five years before application, or have at least 2,000 part-time hours as a licensed salesperson in New Hampshire within that same five-year window. In addition, every broker applicant must submit evidence of at least six separate real estate transactions in which they were actively involved and compensated, and must show 60 hours of approved study. Candidates who believe they have equivalent experience can request a waiver from the Commission.
How is the New Hampshire broker exam structured?
The broker exam has a national portion and a New Hampshire state portion, taken in a combined session of 240 minutes. New Hampshire scores in points rather than a straight percentage, and the counts differ: the national broker portion is 75 items worth 80 points, because national broker exams include items scored up to two points, with 56 points needed to pass. The state portion is 40 items worth 40 points with 28 points needed to pass, giving 115 items and 120 points overall. New Hampshire publishes one state content outline for salespersons and brokers alike, and it splits the 40 state items into five areas: Real Estate Commission (3), Licensure (5), Regulation of Licensee Conduct (11), Regulation of Agency Conduct (11), and New Hampshire Principles and Practice (10).
Sources: https://www.oplc.nh.gov/find-board/nh-real-estate-commission/real-estate-examination-information, https://test-takers.psiexams.com/api/content/bulletin/6529
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