- The HI-RES exam covers 11 National domains and 9 State domains across 130 scored questions.
- National - Contracts is the single largest domain at 19% of the national portion.
- State - Professional Practices and Conduct is the largest state-portion domain.
- You have 240 minutes total, and each portion requires a 70% score to pass.
How the HI-RES Exam Domains Are Organized
The Hawaii Real Estate Salesperson Exam (HI-RES) is split into two distinct portions administered by PSI Services LLC on behalf of the Hawaii Real Estate Commission: a National portion and a State portion. Together they contain 130 scored multiple-choice questions - 80 uniform (national) and 50 state - with 5 to 10 additional unscored experimental questions mixed in that you cannot identify during the test. All of this fits inside a single 240-minute testing session.
Unlike some licensing exams that treat every topic equally, HI-RES assigns specific percentage weights to each of the 11 National domains. The 9 State domains are tested but reported without published percentage weights, so candidates should treat every state topic as fair game rather than trying to guess which one will dominate. If you're still forming a broad picture of the exam before diving into domains, our What Is HI-RES? overview and HI-RES Requirements 2026 guide are good starting points.
The 11 National Portion Domains
The National portion tests real estate principles and practices that apply broadly across U.S. licensing, but every concept still needs to be understood through the lens of how Hawaii's Commission expects it applied. Here are all 11 domains with their published weights.
Domain 1: Property Ownership (10%)
Covers types of property, characteristics of land, and legal descriptions.
- Fixtures vs. personal property distinctions
- Government powers affecting ownership (taxation, eminent domain, police power, escheat)
Domain 2: Land Use Controls (5%)
Zoning, building codes, and how public and private controls restrict land use.
- Comprehensive/master plans
- Deed restrictions and subdivision regulations
Domain 3: Valuation (8%)
Appraisal methods and the forces that influence market value.
- Sales comparison, cost, and income approaches
- Factors affecting property value
Domain 4: Financing (10%)
Loan types, financing instruments, and the mortgage process.
- Conventional vs. government-backed loans
- Promissory notes, mortgages, and deeds of trust
Domain 5: Contracts (19% - the largest national domain)
Contract law fundamentals, listing agreements, and purchase agreements.
- Elements of a valid contract
- Contingencies, breach, and remedies
Domain 6: Agency (13%)
Fiduciary duties and the different agency relationships a licensee can hold.
- Seller agency, buyer agency, and dual agency concepts
- Disclosure obligations tied to agency status
Domain 7: Property Disclosures (7%)
Federal and general disclosure obligations sellers and agents must meet.
- Material fact disclosure standards
- Environmental hazard disclosures
Domain 8: Property Management (3%)
Landlord-tenant fundamentals and management responsibilities.
- Lease types and lease provisions
- Management agreement basics
Domain 9: Transfer of Title (6%)
How ownership legally passes from one party to another.
- Deed types and requirements for validity
- Recording and constructive notice
Domain 10: Practice of Real Estate (12%)
Day-to-day licensee conduct, advertising rules, and fair housing.
- Fair housing law application
- Antitrust considerations in practice
Domain 11: Real Estate Calculations (7%)
Math-based questions covering commissions, prorations, and loan figures.
- Calculating commission splits and net-to-seller amounts
- Proration math for taxes and prepaid items
The 9 State Portion Domains
The State portion narrows the focus to Hawaii-specific law, procedure, and licensee conduct. These 50 questions often trip up candidates who studied only generic national content, because several topics - like leasehold estates and condominium law - carry outsized importance in Hawaii's market compared to the mainland.
Domain 12: Ascertaining and Disclosing Material Facts
Hawaii-specific standards for identifying and disclosing facts that affect a transaction.
Domain 13: Types of Ownership
Hawaii forms of holding title, including concepts unique to the islands' land history.
Domain 14: Property Management
State-specific landlord-tenant code and management practice requirements.
Domain 15: Land Utilization
Hawaii land use districts and local planning frameworks.
Domain 16: Title and Conveyances
Hawaii's title system, including the Land Court (Torrens) and Regular System of recording.
Domain 17: Contracts
State-specific contract forms and required contract provisions used in Hawaii transactions.
Domain 18: Financing
Hawaii lending practices and disclosure requirements tied to financing.
Domain 19: Escrow Process and Closing Statements
How escrow operates under Hawaii practice and how closing statements are prepared.
Domain 20: Professional Practices and Conduct (the largest state domain)
Hawaii Real Estate Commission licensing law, license law violations, and required standards of conduct.
- Grounds for disciplinary action
- Trust account and recordkeeping obligations
Key Takeaway
Because Professional Practices and Conduct is the largest state domain, spend extra review time on Hawaii license law itself - not just general ethics - including what triggers Commission discipline.
Domain Weight Reference Table
The table below consolidates every published national weight alongside the state domains. Use it as a quick-reference companion to our more detailed HI-RES Cheat Sheet 2026.
| Domain | Portion | Weight / Note |
|---|---|---|
| Contracts | National | 19% (largest national domain) |
| Agency | National | 13% |
| Practice of Real Estate | National | 12% |
| Property Ownership | National | 10% |
| Financing | National | 10% |
| Valuation | National | 8% |
| Property Disclosures | National | 7% |
| Real Estate Calculations | National | 7% |
| Transfer of Title | National | 6% |
| Land Use Controls | National | 5% |
| Property Management | National | 3% |
| Professional Practices and Conduct | State | Largest state domain (unweighted) |
| Ascertaining and Disclosing Material Facts | State | Unweighted |
| Types of Ownership | State | Unweighted |
| Property Management | State | Unweighted |
| Land Utilization | State | Unweighted |
| Title and Conveyances | State | Unweighted |
| Contracts | State | Unweighted |
| Financing | State | Unweighted |
| Escrow Process and Closing Statements | State | Unweighted |
The Highest-Value Domains to Master
If your study time is limited, prioritize domains by their scored weight and their real-world complexity. On the National side, Contracts (19%), Agency (13%), and Practice of Real Estate (12%) together account for nearly half of the national portion's weighting. Neglecting any one of them creates a disproportionate risk to your 70% passing threshold.
On the State side, because weights aren't published, treat Professional Practices and Conduct, Title and Conveyances, and Contracts as priority topics - they tend to involve the most Hawaii-specific statutory detail and the most opportunities for tricky, fact-pattern-style questions. For a deeper look at why certain domains feel harder than others, see How Hard Is the HI-RES Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Mapping Domains to a Study Schedule
Rather than studying domains in the order they're listed in the bulletin, sequence your review by weight and difficulty. A simple four-week structure built around the domain list looks like this:
Foundational National Domains
- Property Ownership, Land Use Controls, Valuation, Financing
- Build vocabulary before tackling contract and agency nuance
Highest-Weight National Domains
- Contracts (19%), Agency (13%), Practice of Real Estate (12%)
- Drill fact patterns, not just definitions
Remaining National Domains + Calculations
- Property Disclosures, Transfer of Title, Property Management, Real Estate Calculations
- Practice math by hand since calculators are prohibited
Full State Portion
- All 9 state domains, weighted toward Professional Practices and Conduct
- Timed practice sessions simulating the 240-minute session
This sequencing pairs well with the tactics in our HI-RES Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and you can validate your pacing using timed sets on our practice test platform before exam day.
Question Format and What to Expect on Screen
Every question on HI-RES is closed-book, computer-based multiple choice, delivered either at a PSI test center or via remote proctoring. A few format details matter more than they might seem:
- You won't know which questions are the 5-10 unscored experimental items, so answer every question with equal focus.
- Remote candidates get no scratch paper and no breaks - if you're testing remotely, rehearse doing Domain 11 calculations using only on-screen tools or mental math.
- Test-center candidates receive scratch paper, which can help with proration and commission-split problems in Domain 11.
- Both portions must individually clear 70% - track your practice-test scores separately by National and State content rather than as one blended number.
For a full walkthrough of the scoring mechanics, read HI-RES Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. If you want a sense of how the domain structure translates into overall pass outcomes, our HI-RES Pass Rate 2026 article breaks down what the available data shows.
Key Takeaway
Study and practice by portion, not just by overall score - a 70% average across both portions combined is not enough if one portion individually falls short.
Registration, Cost, and Timing Around the Domains
Knowing the domains matters most once you're actually eligible and registered to sit for the exam. The $61 fee covers one or both portions, and the current PSI candidate bulletin governing this domain structure takes effect January 16, 2026. Before you can register, you'll need to be at least 18 years old, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, meet U.S. work authorization requirements, and complete the Commission-approved 60-hour salesperson prelicense course (or an approved equivalency).
Once you pass a portion, that result stays valid for two years, and you must also file your license application within two years of passing. For the full eligibility checklist, see HI-RES Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify, and for a complete cost breakdown beyond the exam fee itself, check HI-RES Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. If you're still weighing scheduling windows, HI-RES Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling covers how PSI test-center and remote-proctoring slots work.
Why the Domain Breakdown Matters Beyond Exam Day
Understanding all 20 domains isn't just an exam-passing exercise - it maps directly to what licensed salespeople in Hawaii actually do once hired by a brokerage. Contracts, Agency, and Professional Practices and Conduct in particular reappear constantly in daily transaction work, escrow coordination, and disclosure compliance. If you're evaluating whether the licensing path is worth pursuing at all, our analyses in Is the HI-RES Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and HI-RES Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis connect domain knowledge to real career outcomes, while HI-RES Jobs looks at where licensed salespeople find placement after passing.
Once you've reviewed every domain here, reinforce retention with timed, domain-tagged practice questions on the main HI-RES practice test site so you can see exactly which of the 20 areas still need work before your appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 20 total content domains: 11 in the National portion and 9 in the State portion, covering 130 scored questions across 240 minutes.
National - Contracts is the largest single domain at 19% of the national portion. On the state side, Professional Practices and Conduct is the largest domain, though state weights aren't published as percentages.
No. Published percentage weights apply only within the National portion. The 9 State domains are all tested but without an announced weighting breakdown, so each should be studied thoroughly.
No. Handheld calculators are prohibited on the HI-RES exam. Test-center candidates receive scratch paper for calculations; remote candidates do not receive scratch paper or breaks.
You need a 70% score on each portion, and a passed portion remains valid for two years. You also must file your license application within two years of passing the exam.