- How the MN-RE-BROKER Exam Is Structured
- All 11 Domains at a Glance
- The Three Domains That Decide Your Score
- Property Ownership, Valuation, and Financing
- Land Use, Disclosures, and Property Management
- Transfer of Title and Real Estate Calculations
- Minnesota-Specific Content: Chapter 82 and Beyond
- Mapping a Study Schedule to Domain Weight
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Contracts carries the heaviest weight on the general portion at 19% of scored items.
- The general portion has 75 scored items worth 80 points; the state portion adds 60 more items.
- You need 75% on the general portion and 75% on the state-specific portion separately to pass.
- Agency (13%) and Practice of Real Estate (12%) combine with Contracts for over 40% of the general exam.
How the MN-RE-BROKER Exam Is Structured
Before drilling into content areas, it helps to understand the container those areas live in. The Minnesota Real Estate Broker Exam is a two-part, computer-based test administered by PSI on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Candidates sit for a general portion and a state-specific portion in the same four-hour appointment, either at a PSI test center or through remote online proctoring.
The general portion contains 75 scored items worth 80 points, using scenario-based, multi-point scoring on some questions rather than a simple one-point-per-question model. The state-specific portion adds 60 additional scored items focused on Minnesota law and practice. Across both portions, that's 135 scored items worth 140 points total, and PSI may slip in unscored experimental questions you won't be able to identify as you test. You must clear 75% on each portion independently - a strong general score cannot offset a weak state-specific score, and vice versa. If you're still mapping out registration logistics, fees ($68 for both portions together or $45 for a single portion), and eligibility, the MN-RE-BROKER Requirements guide and exam scheduling guide cover that ground in detail.
All 11 Domains at a Glance
The general portion of the exam is organized into 11 content domains, each weighted by percentage of scored items. Understanding these weights lets you allocate study time proportionally instead of treating every topic as equally important.
| Domain | Weight | Relative Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts | 19% | Highest |
| Agency | 13% | Very High |
| Practice of Real Estate | 12% | Very High |
| Property Ownership | 10% | High |
| Financing | 9% | High |
| Valuation | 8% | Moderate |
| Property Disclosures | 7% | Moderate |
| Transfer of Title | 6% | Moderate |
| Real Estate Calculations | 6% | Moderate |
| Land Use Controls | 5% | Lower |
| Property Management | 5% | Lower |
These weights apply to the general portion. The state-specific portion runs alongside it as a separate 60-item block, so don't mistake domain percentages for your entire exam - Minnesota law content is graded on its own track. For a broader difficulty assessment across both portions, see How Hard Is the MN-RE-BROKER Exam?.
The Three Domains That Decide Your Score
Contracts, Agency, and Practice of Real Estate together account for 44% of the general portion's weight. Neglecting any one of these three domains puts your entire general-portion pass at risk, regardless of how well you know the smaller categories.
Domain 5: Contracts (19%)
This is the single largest domain on the exam and deserves the largest share of your study time. Expect scenario-based items testing your ability to apply contract law to realistic transaction situations rather than recite definitions.
- Elements required for a valid, enforceable real estate contract
- Purchase agreements: contingencies, earnest money, default remedies
- Listing agreement types and termination conditions
- Option contracts, lease-purchase arrangements, and assignment of contracts
- Statute of frauds and when contracts must be in writing
Domain 6: Agency (13%)
Agency questions test fiduciary relationships and disclosure duties owed to clients and customers alike. This domain overlaps heavily with the state-specific portion's emphasis on Minnesota agency law, so mastering it pays off twice.
- Fiduciary duties: loyalty, obedience, disclosure, confidentiality, accounting, reasonable care
- Types of agency relationships and dual agency disclosure requirements
- Creation and termination of agency relationships
- Broker supervisory responsibilities over licensees
Domain 10: Practice of Real Estate (12%)
This domain covers day-to-day professional conduct and business operations - the practical mechanics of running transactions as a broker rather than as a salesperson.
- Licensing law, license law violations, and disciplinary actions
- Advertising rules and fair housing compliance in marketing
- Trust account handling and recordkeeping standards
- Antitrust concerns, referral fees, and commission structures
Property Ownership, Valuation, and Financing
These three domains combine for 27% of the general portion and form the technical backbone of real estate knowledge - the material most candidates studied heavily during their salesperson course but need to revisit at a broker's depth.
Domain 1: Property Ownership (10%)
Covers estates in land, forms of co-ownership, and the legal descriptions used to identify parcels.
- Fee simple, life estates, and leasehold estates
- Joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and tenancy by the entirety
- Metes and bounds, government survey, and lot-and-block descriptions
- Water rights, mineral rights, and fixtures versus personal property
Domain 4: Financing (9%)
Tests your understanding of mortgage instruments and the lending process, including how brokers advise clients through financing contingencies.
- Mortgage types: conventional, FHA, VA, adjustable-rate
- Promissory notes, deeds of trust, and mortgage clauses (acceleration, due-on-sale)
- Loan qualification concepts and the closing process
- Foreclosure procedures and redemption rights
Domain 3: Valuation (8%)
Focuses on appraisal principles and the methods brokers use to help clients understand pricing, distinct from formal appraisal licensure.
- Sales comparison, cost, and income approaches to value
- Highest and best use, and the principle of substitution
- Factors influencing market value versus assessed value
Land Use, Disclosures, and Property Management
These mid-weight domains are easy to under-prepare for because none individually exceeds 7%, but together they represent 17% of the general portion - roughly the same weight as Agency alone.
Domain 7: Property Disclosures (7%)
Tests knowledge of what sellers and brokers must disclose about a property's condition and history.
- Seller's property disclosure statement requirements
- Material fact disclosure obligations
- Environmental hazard disclosures (lead paint, and similar concerns)
Domain 2: Land Use Controls (5%)
Covers government and private restrictions on how property can be used.
- Zoning classifications, variances, and nonconforming uses
- Building codes and permits
- Deed restrictions and restrictive covenants
- Eminent domain and police power
Domain 8: Property Management (5%)
Tests the broker's role in managing rental property on behalf of owners.
- Landlord-tenant law fundamentals
- Lease types and property manager duties
- Habitability standards and security deposit rules
Transfer of Title and Real Estate Calculations
These final two general-portion domains each carry 6% weight but test very different skills - one is legal process, the other is applied math.
Domain 9: Transfer of Title (6%)
Focuses on how ownership legally passes from one party to another.
- Deed types: warranty, quitclaim, and special purpose deeds
- Title search, title insurance, and recording requirements
- Transfer by descent, will, or involuntary alienation
Domain 11: Real Estate Calculations (6%)
Requires applying formulas under time pressure rather than recalling facts.
- Commission splits and net-to-seller calculations
- Loan-to-value ratios and amortization basics
- Prorations for taxes, insurance, and HOA dues at closing
- Area and measurement conversions
Key Takeaway
Calculation questions are low-weight individually, but because they take longer to solve than recall questions, practicing them until they're fast is worth more time than their 6% weight implies.
Minnesota-Specific Content: Chapter 82 and Beyond
The state-specific portion is graded separately from the 11 general domains above and consists of 60 scored items requiring its own 75% passing threshold. While the state portion doesn't publish the same granular domain-by-domain weighting as the general portion, its emphasis is clear from the licensing framework itself.
- Chapter 82: Minnesota's core real estate licensing statute governing broker and salesperson conduct
- Supervision requirements: A broker's legal duty to supervise licensees working under them
- Trust accounts: Handling of client funds and required recordkeeping standards
- Agency and disclosure rules: Minnesota-specific variations on general agency law concepts
Because supervision duties and trust account rules sit at the intersection of Agency, Practice of Real Estate, and the state portion, mastering those general-portion domains gives you a head start on the state-specific test rather than requiring entirely separate study. The MN-RE-BROKER Cheat Sheet consolidates these overlapping facts into a single quick-reference page for final review.
Mapping a Study Schedule to Domain Weight
Rather than studying domains in the order they're listed, allocate time proportional to weight and to how much each domain overlaps with others. A simple four-block approach works well for most candidates preparing for both exam portions.
Contracts, Agency, Practice of Real Estate
- Cover the three highest-weight domains first while your energy and time are least constrained
- Work scenario-based practice questions, not just flashcards, since these domains use multi-point scoring
Property Ownership, Financing, Valuation
- Study financing and valuation together to reinforce the math used later in calculations
- Drill legal descriptions and estates in land until recall is automatic
Disclosures, Land Use, Property Management, Transfer of Title, Calculations
- Group the lower-weight domains together since none demands a full week alone
- Time yourself on calculation problems specifically; speed matters more than weight here
Minnesota State-Specific Review
- Focus on Chapter 82, supervision duties, trust accounts, and disclosure variations
- Take full-length practice sessions covering both portions under timed conditions on our practice test platform
For a complete week-by-week plan built around this structure, including how many practice questions to target per domain, see the MN-RE-BROKER Study Guide. And if you're still deciding whether pursuing the broker license makes sense for your career, the ROI analysis and salary guide lay out the practical upside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start with Contracts, since it carries the highest weight at 19% of the general portion. Agency (13%) and Practice of Real Estate (12%) should follow immediately after, since together the three domains make up 44% of general-portion scoring.
No. The 11 weighted domains listed apply to the 75-item general portion. The state-specific portion is a separate 60-item block focused on Minnesota law, including Chapter 82, supervision, trust accounts, recordkeeping, agency, and disclosures, and it's scored against its own 75% threshold.
No. Calculation items typically take longer to solve than recall-based questions, so under-practicing them can cost you time across the entire four-hour appointment even though the domain's point weight is modest.
There's no published per-domain minimum. You need an overall 75% on the general portion and a separate 75% on the state-specific portion. For a full breakdown of how points are calculated, see the MN-RE-BROKER Passing Score guide.
The exam may include unscored experimental questions that you cannot distinguish from scored items, so don't try to guess which questions "don't count." Prepare thoroughly across all 11 domains as if every question on screen affects your score.