Pre-license education: 40 classroom hours required for both salesperson and broker applicants.
Before you read
Test yourself first: 5 questions
Question 1 of 5
To keep a Massachusetts real estate license active, a licensee must complete continuing education. The Massachusetts continuing-education requirement is best described as:
Answer: B. Massachusetts requires licensees to complete Board-approved continuing-education courses in order to renew their licenses. Continuing education is mandatory for both salespersons and brokers, not optional.
Question 2 of 5
A Massachusetts salesperson lets their license lapse without renewing or completing required continuing education. The salesperson:
Answer: B. An expired or lapsed Massachusetts license does not authorize brokerage activity. The licensee must satisfy renewal requirements, including required continuing education, before lawfully practicing again. Practicing on a lapsed license is a violation.
Question 3 of 5
What must a Massachusetts salesperson do to keep an active license over time?
Answer: B. Massachusetts licensees must renew their licenses on the state's schedule and complete the required continuing education to keep an active license. They do not retake the pre-license course or the licensing exam at each renewal.
Question 4 of 5
In Massachusetts, before a licensed real estate salesperson or broker may renew an active license, the licensee must complete a state-mandated amount of approved continuing education. How many hours of CE are required each renewal cycle?
Answer: B. Massachusetts requires 12 hours of approved continuing education during each two-year license renewal period. The 40-hour figure is the pre-license salesperson course, not the renewal CE requirement.
Question 5 of 5
Massachusetts real estate licenses issued by the Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons are renewed on what general cycle?
Answer: B. Massachusetts real estate salesperson and broker licenses are renewed every two years (biennially), which is also the period over which the 12 hours of continuing education must be completed.
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Must-know rules
- Regulator: MA Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons, under the Division of Occupational Licensure (DOL).
- Pre-license education: 40 classroom hours required for both salesperson and broker applicants.
- License tiers: salesperson must be affiliated with and supervised by a licensed broker; broker can operate independently and hold salespersons.
- Broker upgrade: a salesperson must hold an active license and be affiliated under a broker before qualifying for the broker exam.
- Continuing education: 12 hours of approved CE must be completed each two-year renewal cycle to renew.
- Renewal: licenses renew on a two-year basis; failure to complete CE can prevent renewal and require reinstatement.
- Minimum age 18 and proof of good moral character are required to obtain a license.
Massachusetts Licensing & Continuing-Education Quick Sheet: FAQs
Is Massachusetts Licensing & Continuing-Education Quick Sheet on the real estate exam?
Yes. State License Law is a scored domain on the Massachusetts real estate licensing exam, and this topic appears in the state license-law portion.
Is this cheat sheet free?
Yes — every page on Cinna RE's resource library is free to read, print and share. The app adds practice questions, mock exams and a readiness score.
Does Massachusetts test this differently?
Massachusetts applies its own license law on top of the national portion. This page covers the Massachusetts rules specifically, which is what the state section of your exam tests.
