Once you finish your 60-hour pre-licensing course, scheduling your exam is the next step standing between you and your Maryland real estate license. The process itself is fairly simple, but it involves a few sequential steps — and missing one (like assuming you can schedule immediately after your course ends) can cause unnecessary delays. If you're completing your pre-licensing education through The Real Estate School, you can also find Maryland-approved course and exam-preparation resources to help you move through the licensing process. Here's exactly how it works, from course completion to walking into the testing center.
Step 1: Your Course Provider Sends Your Eligibility to PSI
You can't schedule your exam on your own the moment you finish your course. Your pre-licensing course provider submits your testing eligibility directly to PSI, the company contracted by the Maryland Real Estate Commission (MREC) to administer the state licensing exam. This typically takes 1–2 business days to process after you complete your coursework.
Once PSI has your eligibility on file, they'll send you an email with scheduling instructions. If you finish your course and don't hear anything within a few business days, it's worth confirming with your school that your completion was submitted correctly before assuming there's a problem on PSI's end.
One important detail: your testing eligibility is valid for one year after you pass your course. You don't have to schedule immediately, but you do need to take and pass the exam within that window, or you'll need to retake the pre-licensing course.
Step 2: Register and Schedule Online (the Fastest Method)
Once you receive your eligibility confirmation, you'll schedule your exam directly through PSI — not through your course provider. Online registration is the fastest and most reliable method, and in most cases you can complete the entire scheduling process in about 15 minutes.
To schedule online:
- Go to PSI's official Maryland real estate candidate portal at test-takers.psiexams.com/mdre.
- Create or log into your candidate account.
- Select the Maryland real estate salesperson (or broker) exam.
- Choose an available testing center and a date/time that works for your schedule.
- Enter payment information to complete your booking.
If you'd rather not register online, you can call PSI directly at (855) 744-0318. Phone registration works the same way but generally takes longer than booking online, since you're working with a live registrar or an automated system instead of selecting everything yourself.
Step 3: Choose a Testing Center
Maryland has several PSI-approved testing centers, so you can pick whichever location is most convenient:
- Baltimore
- College Park
- Crofton
- Hagerstown
- Lanham
- Salisbury
Availability at each location varies by date, so if your first-choice center doesn't have an opening that fits your timeline, checking a nearby center often gets you a faster appointment than waiting for a specific location to open up.
Step 4: Pay the Exam Fee
The Maryland real estate salesperson exam fee is $44, paid directly to PSI at the time of scheduling. PSI accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. If you don't have a credit card, PSI also allows payment by check, money order, or cashier's check — though this route takes longer to process, since it isn't instant like a card payment.
Keep in mind this fee is charged per attempt. If you don't pass on your first try, you'll pay $44 again each time you reschedule to retake the exam.
Step 5: Know the Rescheduling Rules Before Test Day
Life happens, and PSI does allow rescheduling — but the timing matters. Any changes to your appointment must be made at least 48 hours in advance, or you forfeit your exam fee entirely and have to pay again to book a new appointment. If something comes up close to your test date, it's almost always better to keep the original appointment if at all possible rather than risk losing the fee on a late cancellation.
What to Bring on Exam Day
Once your exam is scheduled, a few basics will save you a headache at the testing center:
- A valid, government-issued photo ID — the name must match exactly what's on your PSI registration.
- Confirmation of your appointment (email or printed confirmation, per PSI's current policy).
- Arrive early. Testing centers generally require you to arrive before your scheduled time; arriving late can mean forfeiting your appointment and fee, same as a late cancellation.
Before You Schedule: Make Sure You're Actually Ready
Scheduling the exam is easy — passing it is the part that takes real preparation. Maryland's exam includes 110 questions split between national real estate principles and Maryland-specific law, and the first-attempt pass rate hovers around 50–55%. Scheduling before you're genuinely prepared just means paying the $44 fee twice.
If you haven't finished your required pre-licensing coursework yet, that's the first step before any of this applies to you. And once you've completed your course, a focused PSI exam prep course covering both the national and Maryland-specific portions is worth the investment before you lock in a test date — it's a lot cheaper than a retake fee.
The Real State School
Phone: 3014564247
Email: info@therealestateschool.us
Address: 4301 Garden City Drive, Suite 301, Landover Maryland, 20785
FAQs
How soon after finishing my course can I schedule the exam?
Usually within a few business days — your course provider needs 1–2 business days to submit your eligibility to PSI, and PSI will email you scheduling instructions once it's processed.
Can I schedule my exam directly, or does my school do it for me?
You schedule it yourself, directly with PSI, once your school has submitted your course completion. Your school's role ends at sending your eligibility.
What happens if my testing eligibility expires before I take the exam?
If you don't take and pass the exam within one year of completing your pre-licensing course, your eligibility expires and you'll need to retake the 60-hour course before you can test again.
Is the $44 exam fee refundable if I cancel?
Only if you cancel or reschedule at least 48 hours before your appointment. Canceling within 48 hours of your scheduled time forfeits the fee.
Can I take the Maryland real estate exam online instead of at a testing center?
Availability of remote/online proctored testing can vary and change over time — check PSI's current candidate handbook or website directly for the most up-to-date options, since in-person testing centers have historically been the standard for Maryland's exam.
Conclusion
Scheduling your Maryland PSI real estate exam is a straightforward process once you understand the sequence: your course provider sends your eligibility, PSI emails you scheduling instructions, and you book online in about 15 minutes. The part that actually determines your outcome isn't the scheduling — it's making sure you're genuinely prepared before you pick a date, since a rushed attempt often costs more in retake fees than the time saved by testing early.