Ohio Real Estate Exam Day Tips

You have completed 120 hours of pre-license education and put in your self-study hours. Now let's make exam day count. The Ohio PSI exam — 120 questions in 3 hours with a 75% passing threshold — is a serious test that rewards preparation and smart test-taking strategy.

What to Bring

PSI requires two forms of identification:

Primary ID: Government-issued photo ID with your signature (Ohio driver's license, US passport, state ID)
Secondary ID: Any document with your name (credit card, debit card, or other government-issued ID)
Names on both IDs must exactly match your PSI exam registration

Leave at home (or in your car): - Cell phone and smartwatch - Calculator (PSI provides scratch paper; no external calculators allowed) - Notes, textbooks, or study materials of any kind

Arrive at least 30 minutes early. If you arrive late, you may be turned away and forfeit your exam fee.

Time Management for 120 Questions

With 3 hours and 120 questions, you have an average of 90 seconds per question.

Strategy: 1. Work through all 120 questions at a pace of about 75 to 90 seconds each on the first pass 2. Flag any question you are uncertain about 3. After completing all 120, return to flagged questions 4. For any question where you are truly stuck, eliminate obviously wrong choices and make your best guess 5. Never leave a question blank — there is no penalty for guessing in PSI exams

State Section Strategy

The 40 Ohio state questions come after the 80 national questions. Do not let fatigue cause careless errors on the state section.

Key Ohio facts to have memorized on exam day: - OREPL under Ohio Dept of Commerce — no separate commission - Pre-license: 120 hours; renewal: every 3 years, 30 hours CE - CE breakdown: 3 hr civil rights/fair housing + 3 hr ethics + 24 hr electives - Ohio uses mortgage (not deed of trust) — judicial foreclosure - No state transfer tax in Ohio - Residential Property Disclosure Form required for all residential sellers - Ohio fair housing adds: marital status, military status, ancestry/lineage - Passing score: 75% (90/120)

Watch for "EXCEPT" and "NOT" Questions

The exam will include questions phrased as "Which of the following is NOT an example of…" or "All of the following are true EXCEPT…" These questions are asking for the exception. Read them carefully — many test failures come from misreading these questions.

The Night Before

Do a light review of the Ohio-specific checklist above — no new material
Pack your IDs and travel materials the night before
Sleep 7 to 8 hours
Eat a real meal before the exam — do not test on an empty stomach

After the Exam

PSI delivers results immediately upon completion. If you pass, your score report is documentation for your OREPL license application. If you fail, your diagnostic report shows performance by content area — use it to structure your retake preparation.

For full Ohio licensing and exam resources, visit [CARealestate.com/states/ohio](https://carealestate.com/states/ohio).

Ohio Real Estate Exam Day Tips