This New York Real Estate cheat sheet compresses the New York salesperson licensing exam into a printable rundown of the state-law facts the exam tests most. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free New York Real Estate toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
New York Real Estate exam at a glance
- Result: Pass/Fail — the Department of State reports pass or fail, not a numerical score
- Cost: $65 licence application fee payable to the NYS Department of State
- Education: 77 hours of qualifying salesperson education before the State examination
What’s on the New York Real Estate cheat sheet
- State License Law & Practice (RPL Article 12-A / DOS) (32%) — the regulator, governing law framework, salesperson licensing path.
- Real Estate Contracts and Agency (13%) — four elements of a valid contract, void vs voidable vs unenforceable, new York is an ATTORNEY state.
- Real Property Characteristics & Use (Property, Legal Descriptions, Land Use) (9%) — real vs personal property & fixtures, the bundle of rights, estates in land.
- Property Value and Appraisal (9%) — the three approaches to value, income approach math, value principles.
- Forms of Ownership, Transfer & Title (8%) — concurrent ownership & survivorship, new York is NOT a community-property state, the four unities of joint tenancy.
- Real Estate Practice (Fair Housing, Trust Funds, Leases) (8%) — federal Fair Housing Act (1968), new York State Human Rights Law, prohibited practices.
- Disclosures & Environmental Issues (8%) — NY Property Condition Disclosure Statement (PCDS), material facts & latent defects, federal lead-based paint disclosure.
- Financing and Settlement (7%) — new York is a LIEN-THEORY state, new York is an ATTORNEY (closing) state, mortgage instruments.
- Real Estate Math Calculations (5%) — commission & splits, seller's NET price (work backwards), area & acreage.
How to use it in your final week
- Front-load State License Law & Practice (RPL Article 12-A / DOS) — at about 32% of the exam it is the largest single area, and on a two-portion state exam the state-law material is where most repeat candidates lose points.
- Then work Real Estate Contracts and Agency (13%) — the sheet leads there with four elements of a valid contract.
- Then work Real Property Characteristics & Use (Property, Legal Descriptions, Land Use) (9%) — the sheet leads there with real vs personal property & fixtures.
- Drill the traps until they are reflex — the one that catches most New York candidates is picking "New York Real Estate Commission".
- Read the sheet the morning of your appointment for a last pass on the memory hooks, and confirm your exam details with the New York State Department of State, Division of Licensing Services before test day.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your New York Real Estate practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
New York Real Estate cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the New York Real Estate cheat sheet downloads as a PDF at no cost and with no sign-up. It sits alongside Career Employer's free New York Real Estate practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole licensing prep is free in one place.
It condenses the highest-yield New York licensing facts into a fast reference, covering all 9 content areas with their exam weights — from State License Law & Practice (RPL Article 12-A / DOS) through Real Estate Math Calculations — plus the memory hooks and traps that catch repeat candidates.
Pass/Fail — the Department of State reports pass or fail, not a numerical score. Confirm the current specification with the New York State Department of State, Division of Licensing Services before you schedule.
It is built from the New York State Department of State, Division of Licensing Services's current content outline and the state statutes and rules the exam tests against. State commissions revise outlines and fees periodically, so verify the live details before test day.
No — the sheet is a cram and review layer, not a substitute for the state's required pre-license education. Use it to lock in the state-law facts and definitions, then work full weighted practice exams to find and fix weak areas.
State License Law & Practice (RPL Article 12-A / DOS) — at roughly 32% it is the largest single area on the exam. Real Estate Contracts and Agency is next at about 13%.
It covers the content areas the New York State Department of State, Division of Licensing Services publishes for this exam, which is where the state-specific questions come from. The national/general real-estate principles are covered across the same sheet's principles, contracts, financing, and valuation sections.
Click the download button or the preview card at the top of this page to open the PDF instantly. Bookmark the page so you can pull it up again the morning of your exam.
References
- 1.New York State Department of State, Division of Licensing Services. “Real Estate Salesperson.” dos.ny.gov, 2026. ↑
- 2.New York State Department of State. “Real Estate Salesperson Frequently Asked Questions.” dos.ny.gov, 2026. ↑
- 3.New York State Department of State. “Become a Real Estate Salesperson.” dos.ny.gov, 2026. ↑
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