How the Ontario real estate exams work
To trade in real estate in Ontario you must be registered with the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), the regulator that administers the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002 (TRESA). Before you can apply, you must complete the pre-registration phase of the Real Estate Salesperson Program with one of RECO's designated education providers. RECO lists Algonquin College, Career College Group, Fleming College and Humber Polytechnic. Whichever school you choose, the curriculum is standard and, since August 2025, every learner writes the same exams through RECO's exam provider, Meazure Learning, online with remote proctoring or at a test centre.
The pre-registration phase has five courses and two hands-on simulation sessions. Each course except Course 5 ends with a theory exam, and each simulation session has its own exam.
| Exam | What it covers | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Exam 1: Real Estate Essentials | The profession, property ownership, rights and limits, land description and registration, TRESA and other key laws | 75 multiple-choice questions, 2 hours |
| Exam 2: Residential Real Estate Transactions | Representation agreements, property types, pricing, viewings, agreements of purchase and sale | 115 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours |
| Exam 3: Additional Residential Real Estate Transactions | Condominiums, new construction, rural and multi-unit properties, residential leasing | 115 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours |
| Exam 4: Commercial Real Estate Transactions | Office, retail, industrial and farm properties, commercial leasing, selling a business | 115 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours |
| Simulation exams 1 and 2 | Applying what you learned to residential and commercial case scenarios | Multiple choice and case scenarios |
Results are reported as pass or fail only. RECO's Learner Exam Handbook explains that no numeric score or percentage is shown, every question is either right or wrong, blank answers count as wrong, and the pass mark is set by a standard-setting method rather than a published percentage. If you fail, your report shows how you did in each content area so you know what to review. You can buy a second attempt, but if you fail twice you must repeat the course.
No notes or outside materials are allowed. The exam platform gives you an on-screen calculator and a virtual notepad, so practise doing calculations without your own calculator.
Timelines you need to know
- 24 months to finish the pre-registration phase, counted from the day you start your first course.
- 12 months after finishing the program to apply for registration, or you have to repeat the courses.
- Two years after registering to complete the post-registration phase of the program.
- You must be at least 18 and a resident of Canada to register, and you cannot trade until RECO notifies you in writing that you are registered.
What this practice test covers
The question bank follows the subject areas that run through the program, with extra weight on the rules that come up again and again from Exam 1 onward:
- TRESA, registration and RECO: who must register, exemptions, the broker of record, branch offices, advertising rules, discipline and penalties.
- Code of Ethics and conduct: O. Reg. 365/22, conflicts of interest, confidentiality, dealing with another agent's client, buying or selling your own property.
- Representation and disclosure: brokerage and designated representation, self-represented parties, the RECO information guide, multiple representation and material facts, as updated when TRESA Phase 2 took effect on December 1, 2023.
- Property, land and registration: estates, tenancy in common and joint tenancy, easements, fixtures, Land Titles and Registry, charges, the matrimonial home and the Planning Act.
- Trading, offers and trust money: written offers, competing offers, deposits, trust accounts, remuneration rules and record keeping.
- Condos, leasing and related laws: the Condominium Act, 1998 cooling-off period, status certificates, liens, and rent deposit and rent increase rules under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006.
- Real estate math: commission splits, HST on commission, land transfer tax at Ontario's current rates, the first-time buyer refund, down payments, cap rates, areas and tax adjustments.
- FINTRAC: receipt of funds and information records, large cash reporting, suspicious transactions and record retention.
How to prepare
Read your course material first, because the exams test the program content, not general knowledge. Then use timed practice to build speed: Exam 1 gives you 2 hours for 75 questions, which is about a minute and a half each. Learn the land transfer tax brackets well enough to work any price in a few steps, and know the key time limits by heart: five business days to deposit trust money, five days to report changes to the registrar, 10 days to cancel a new condo purchase. When you get a question wrong, read the explanation and the section it cites, because many questions turn on a single word such as "written", "client" or "before any offer".
This is an independent practice platform. It is not affiliated with RECO, Meazure Learning, Humber Polytechnic or any other education provider, and the questions are original practice questions, not real exam questions.
Three worked examples
One question from different sections of the full pack, with the answer and explanation.
What minimum age does the TRESA General regulation set for registration as a salesperson?
- 16 years of age
- 18 years of age
- 19 years of age
- 21 years of age
Which regulation contains the current Code of Ethics for Ontario real estate registrants?
- O. Reg. 580/05 under TRESA
- The CREA REALTOR® Code
- The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006
- O. Reg. 365/22 under TRESA
Under TRESA Phase 2, what is a "designated representation agreement"?
- Named agents represent the client, not the whole brokerage
- One where the brokerage represents both the buyer and the seller
- One where a lawyer is designated to act in place of the agent
- One where the client receives information but no services