Roughly 10% of the exam is math. It's the most missed section — and the most learnable. Nail these and you bank easy points.
Commission math
Problem: A home sells for $340,000 at a 6% total commission, split 50/50 between the listing and selling brokerages. How much does the listing brokerage earn?
Solution: $340,000 × 0.06 = $20,400 total. Split 50/50 → $10,200 to the listing brokerage.
Proration
Problem: Annual property taxes are $3,650, paid in arrears. Using a 365-day year, what is the seller's share at a closing on day 200 of the year?
Solution: $3,650 ÷ 365 = $10/day. Seller owns days 1–200 → 200 × $10 = $2,000 debited to the seller.
Loan-to-value (LTV)
Problem: A buyer puts $60,000 down on a $300,000 home. What is the LTV?
Solution: Loan = $300,000 − $60,000 = $240,000. LTV = $240,000 ÷ $300,000 = 80%.
The "T-bar" you'll use again and again
Most exam math reduces to Part = Total × Rate. Cover the value you want and the T-bar tells you whether to multiply or divide. Commission, interest, area, and percentage problems all bend to it.
Bring a basic calculator (allowed at the test center), but practice the setup by hand first — the exam tests whether you know which numbers to plug in.
Drill it until it's automatic
Reading the solution isn't enough — you have to reps it. Filter the practice quiz to the computations area, work the study guide math questions with explanations, then prove it under time in the full simulation.
Practice real estate math now
Worked, explained math questions in the full bank. First 5 questions free.