Ohio Real Estate Broker Exam Practice Test
Frequently asked questions
How many Ohio Real Estate Broker Exam practice questions are here?+
A full bank of original Ohio Real Estate Broker Exam practice questions across the official content areas, weighted like the real exam, with explanations. Free, no signup.
What is the Ohio Real Estate Broker Exam exam like?+
About 115 questions, 180 minutes, and you need 75%% to pass. Practice by topic here, then take the full timed mock exam to gauge readiness.
Are these the real exam questions?+
No. Every question is 100% original, written from public primary sources with explanations. We never copy real exam questions or paid prep material.
Can I study in Chinese or Spanish?+
PrepPass practice is in English, 中文 and Español. The official exam is in English — switch the question language to English any time to rehearse the exact terminology you'll see on test day.
Sample practice questions
A few real questions from this free bank, with full explanations. Use the practice tool above for the whole set.
- 1. Property Ownership
A commercial tenant bolts custom display shelving to the walls to run a retail store. Absent any agreement to the contrary, what is the usual character of that shelving?
- a.A permanent fixture that automatically belongs to the landlord
- b.Real property that must be conveyed with the building
- c.A trade fixture the tenant may remove before the lease ends
- d.An easement appurtenant to the leased space
Answer: c
Explanation: Items a commercial tenant installs to conduct business are trade fixtures. Even though they are attached, the law lets the tenant remove them before the lease ends (repairing any damage), because the tenant's intent was to use them in the business, not to improve the landlord's property permanently. This is an exception to the general rule that attached items become part of the realty. It is not an easement, which is a right to use another's land, not an object.
- 2. Land Use Controls and Regulations
A subdivision's recorded CC&Rs limit buildings to one story, while local zoning would permit two stories. Which limit controls a buyer's plans?
- a.Zoning always overrides private restrictions
- b.The buyer may choose whichever limit is more favorable
- c.The more restrictive of the two, so one story
- d.Neither applies until the buyer joins the HOA
Answer: c
Explanation: When a public control (zoning) and a private control (deed restriction or CC&R) both apply, the more restrictive one governs. Here the CC&Rs are stricter, so the one-story limit controls even though zoning would allow two stories. Private restrictions run with the land and bind the buyer automatically upon purchase, regardless of HOA membership formalities. A broker must disclose known private restrictions that could defeat a buyer's intended use.
- 3. Financing
In a deed of trust, what is the role of the trustee?
- a.A neutral third party who holds bare legal title until the debt is repaid
- b.The lender who advances the loan funds
- c.The borrower who repays the note
- d.A government official who records the lien
Answer: a
Explanation: A deed of trust involves three parties: the trustor (borrower), the beneficiary (lender), and the trustee, a neutral third party who holds bare legal title as security. When the loan is paid, the trustee issues a reconveyance releasing the lien; on default, the trustee may conduct a nonjudicial foreclosure where the state allows. This differs from a mortgage, which has only two parties. Knowing the roles helps a broker explain closing documents accurately.
- 4. Contracts
A buyer breaches a signed purchase contract on a unique property, and the seller wants a court to force the buyer to complete the purchase. Which remedy is the seller seeking?
- a.Liquidated damages
- b.Rescission
- c.Novation
- d.Specific performance
Answer: d
Explanation: Specific performance is a court order compelling a party to carry out the contract as agreed. It is available in real estate because each parcel of land is considered unique, so money damages may not be an adequate substitute. Liquidated damages is a pre-agreed sum (often the earnest money) the injured party keeps instead. Rescission cancels the contract and returns the parties to their starting positions. Novation substitutes a new contract or party for the original.
- 5. General Principles of Agency
A licensee wants to represent both the buyer and the seller in the same transaction. Under general agency principles, when is this permitted?
- a.Never, under any circumstances
- b.Automatically, because the broker holds both listings
- c.Only with the informed written consent of both parties
- d.Only if the buyer and seller are related
Answer: c
Explanation: Dual agency, representing both buyer and seller in one transaction, creates a conflict of interest and is permitted only with the informed written consent of both parties. A dual agent may not advocate price or terms for either side and must protect each party's confidential information. Some states instead use designated agency, where different agents in one firm each represent one party, or a non-agency transaction-broker role. A broker must ensure no licensee slips into an undisclosed dual agency.
- 6. Property Disclosures
The federal lead-based paint disclosure rule applies to most residential housing built:
- a.Before 1978
- b.Before 1950
- c.After 1978
- d.Only to commercial buildings
Answer: a
Explanation: The federal lead-based paint rule applies to most residential housing built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned for residential use. Sellers and landlords must disclose known lead hazards, provide available records, deliver the EPA pamphlet, and give buyers a period to test. The rule is nationwide and does not depend on the buyer asking. A broker must ensure the office consistently uses the correct current lead-paint forms for pre-1978 homes.
- 7. Transfer of Title
What is the primary legal effect of recording a deed in the county's public records?
- a.It is required for the deed to be valid between the parties
- b.It transfers title, which delivery alone cannot do
- c.It guarantees the grantor had good title
- d.It gives constructive notice to the world and establishes priority
Answer: d
Explanation: Recording gives constructive notice to the world of the owner's interest and establishes priority against later claims, which is why prompt recording matters. A deed is already valid between grantor and grantee upon delivery and acceptance, even if never recorded, and recording by itself neither transfers title (delivery does) nor guarantees the grantor had good title (that is why buyers obtain title insurance). Understanding notice and priority helps a broker explain why closings emphasize recording.
- 8. Practice of Real Estate
Which federal law's protected classes are race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability?
- a.The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act
- b.The Truth in Lending Act
- c.The federal Fair Housing Act
- d.The Sherman Antitrust Act
Answer: c
Explanation: The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and disability. RESPA governs settlement-cost disclosures and referral kickbacks; the Truth in Lending Act governs credit disclosures and advertising; and the Sherman Antitrust Act addresses price fixing and other anticompetitive conduct. Some state and local laws add protected classes such as age, marital status, sexual orientation, or source of income, which a broker must also enforce.
- 9. Ohio License Law (ORC 4735) & Commission Rules
Ohio real estate license law is found primarily in which body of law?
- a.Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1301 (Uniform Commercial Code)
- b.Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4735 and Ohio Administrative Code 1301:5
- c.Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321 (Landlords and Tenants)
- d.The Ohio Constitution, Article II
Answer: b
Explanation: Ohio's real estate statutes are in Revised Code Chapter 4735, and the implementing rules are in Ohio Administrative Code 1301:5. Together they define who must be licensed, the difference between a salesperson and a broker, and the standards of conduct enforced by the Division and the Ohio Real Estate Commission.
- 10. Brokerage Operations, Place of Business & Trust Accounts
Ohio license law requires a brokerage to maintain:
- a.A definite place of business in Ohio where records are kept and the license is displayed
- b.A membership in the local board of Realtors
- c.A physical office in every county where it lists property
- d.A minimum of five affiliated salespersons
Answer: a
Explanation: Chapter 4735 requires a broker to maintain a definite place of business and to make the brokerage and licensee records available for inspection by the Division. The broker's license and the licenses of affiliated salespersons are associated with that place of business. There is no statewide requirement to belong to a trade association or to have an office in every county.