- KS-RES is the Kansas Real Estate Salesperson Exam, governed by the Kansas Real Estate Commission and delivered via Pearson VUE.
- The $70 exam has 125 questions: 80 scored national, 30 scored Kansas, 15 unscored pretest items.
- You need a scaled score of 70 on both the national/general and Kansas portions to pass.
- Applicants must complete a 30-hour Principles course and a 30-hour Kansas Practice Course before applying.
What Is A KS-RES, Exactly?
KS-RES stands for the Kansas Real Estate Salesperson Exam - the licensing test that every prospective real estate salesperson in Kansas must pass before affiliating with a supervising broker. It is not a private certification or a niche industry designation; it is a state-administered licensure exam governed by the Kansas Real Estate Commission and delivered on computer through Pearson VUE testing centers.
If you searched for a broader definition of the acronym, this article and its companion piece, What Is KS-RES?, both cover the same Kansas-specific exam. For a plain-language breakdown of the term itself, see KS-RES Meaning and What Does KS-RES Stand For?
Exam Format and Scoring
The KS-RES is a 125-question computer-based exam costing $70. Of those questions, 80 count toward your national/general score, 30 count toward your Kansas score, and 15 are unscored pretest questions used to evaluate future exam content. You will not know which questions are unscored, so every item deserves your full attention.
Time allotments differ by section: candidates get 2.5 hours for the national/general portion and 1.5 hours for the Kansas portion. Each portion is graded separately, and each requires a scaled score of 70 to pass. Passing one portion does not excuse you from passing the other - both scores must clear the threshold. For the exact scoring mechanics and how scaled scores translate to a pass/fail result, see KS-RES Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Key Takeaway
Because the national and Kansas portions are scored independently, a strong national score cannot offset a weak Kansas score. Treat Domains 9-13 as their own exam within the exam.
The 13 KS-RES Domains
The KS-RES outline is split into two content sets with separate effective dates: the national/general outline effective April 24, 2025, and the Kansas outline effective June 11, 2024. Domains 1 through 8 make up the national/general portion; Domains 9 through 13 make up the Kansas-specific portion.
Domain 1: Real Property Characteristics, Legal Descriptions, and Property Use
Covers land descriptions, physical and economic characteristics of property, and land-use controls.
- Metes-and-bounds and government survey descriptions
- Zoning and land-use restrictions
Domain 2: Forms of Ownership, Transfer, and Recording of Title
Tests understanding of estates, tenancies, deeds, and how title moves and gets recorded.
- Joint tenancy vs. tenancy in common
- Deed types and recording priority
Domain 3: Property Value and Appraisal
Focuses on appraisal methods and factors influencing market value.
- Sales comparison, cost, and income approaches
- Depreciation and highest-and-best-use concepts
Domain 4: Real Estate Contracts and Agency
The largest national domain - expect heavy weighting here, covering listing agreements, purchase contracts, and agency relationships.
- Elements of a valid contract
- Fiduciary duties and agency disclosure
Domain 5: Real Estate Practice
Day-to-day brokerage operations, from showings to closing coordination.
- Fair housing application in daily practice
- Advertising rules and marketing compliance
Domain 6: Property Disclosures and Environmental Issues
Seller disclosure obligations and common environmental hazards affecting transactions.
- Material fact disclosure requirements
- Lead-based paint and other hazard notices
Domain 7: Financing and Settlement
Mortgage types, loan qualification basics, and the closing process.
- Conventional vs. government-backed loans
- Settlement statement line items
Domain 8: Real Estate Math Calculations
Applied math problems threaded throughout scenario-style questions.
- Prorations, commissions, and loan-to-value ratios
- Area and measurement conversions
Domain 9: Duties and Powers of the Kansas Real Estate Commission
How the Commission is structured and what authority it holds over licensees.
- Commission composition and rulemaking authority
- Disciplinary powers
Domain 10: Licensing Requirements
State-specific rules for obtaining and maintaining a Kansas salesperson license.
- Education prerequisites and application timelines
- License activation and broker affiliation
Domain 11: Requirements Governing Activities of Licensees
Ongoing conduct standards licensees must follow in practice.
- Trust account handling
- Recordkeeping obligations
Domain 12: Prohibited Acts
Conduct that violates Kansas real estate law and triggers discipline.
- Misrepresentation and commingling
- Unlicensed activity
Domain 13: Brokerage Relationships in Real Estate Transactions Act (BRRETA)
The largest Kansas domain, defining how brokerage relationships are created and disclosed in Kansas transactions.
- Types of brokerage relationships under BRRETA
- Required disclosures to buyers and sellers
For a deeper walkthrough of each content area with sample question styles, read KS-RES Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 13 Content Areas. If you want a quick-reference version to review the night before your test, bookmark KS-RES Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts.
Who Can Sit for the Exam
Before you can schedule the KS-RES at Pearson VUE, the Kansas Real Estate Commission requires you to meet several prerequisites:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Hold a high school diploma or equivalent
- Complete a 30-hour Principles of Real Estate course within one year before passing both portions of the exam
- Complete a 30-hour Kansas Practice Course within six months before submitting your license application
- Satisfy fingerprint and background-check requirements
- Affiliate with a supervising Kansas broker
These prerequisites are non-negotiable timing windows, not suggestions - an expired course completion can force you to retake coursework. For the full eligibility checklist with sequencing guidance, see KS-RES Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Registration, Fees, and Deadlines
The KS-RES costs $70 and is scheduled and administered through Pearson VUE. Once you pass both the national/general and Kansas portions, the clock starts on your license application: the complete application package must reach the Commission within six months of the earlier of your two exam dates. Miss that window and you may need to retest.
For a complete cost breakdown covering exam fees, course tuition, and licensing costs beyond the $70 test fee, see KS-RES Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. To understand testing windows and how to avoid scheduling conflicts with your course completion dates, review KS-RES Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Who Hires KS-RES Holders
Passing the KS-RES and completing licensure qualifies you to affiliate with a supervising broker and practice as a salesperson anywhere in Kansas. Independent brokerages, regional firms, and national franchise offices operating in Kansas all bring on newly licensed salespeople, and your license attaches to whichever broker you choose to work under. Because Kansas requires broker affiliation as part of the licensing process itself, job-seeking and license activation happen almost simultaneously - you typically line up a sponsoring broker before or immediately after your application is submitted.
If you're weighing whether the time and cost of licensure pays off, Is the KS-RES Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 walks through the considerations, and KS-RES Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis covers earnings expectations for licensed Kansas salespeople. For active openings and how brokers typically structure entry-level agent roles, see KS-RES Jobs.
Mapping a Study Plan to the Outline
Because the KS-RES splits cleanly into a national portion (Domains 1-8) and a Kansas portion (Domains 9-13), the most efficient study sequence follows that same split rather than a generic all-purpose schedule. Spend early study weeks building broad national real estate knowledge, then shift into a dedicated block for Kansas statutes and BRRETA, since BRRETA is the largest Kansas domain and Real Estate Contracts and Agency is the largest national domain - both deserve outsized review time relative to smaller domains like Real Estate Math Calculations or Duties and Powers of the Kansas Real Estate Commission.
National Foundations
- Work through Domains 1-3: property characteristics, ownership/title, and appraisal
- Build vocabulary for legal descriptions and deed types
Contracts, Agency, and Practice
- Prioritize Domain 4 given its weight on the national portion
- Layer in Domain 5 practice scenarios and Domain 6 disclosure rules
Financing and Math
- Drill Domain 7 loan types and Domain 8 calculations until formulas are automatic
Kansas-Specific Content
- Cover Domains 9-12: Commission authority, licensing rules, licensee duties, and prohibited acts
- Spend extra time on Domain 13 (BRRETA) since it's the largest Kansas domain
Timed Review
- Take full-length timed practice sessions matching the 2.5-hour and 1.5-hour splits
- Revisit weak domains identified from practice scores
For a structured week-by-week study guide with more detail on pacing and practice resources, see KS-RES Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. And if you're still deciding how much runway you need, How Hard Is the KS-RES Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and KS-RES Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows offer additional context on exam difficulty.
After You Pass: Renewal and Continuing Education
Passing the KS-RES and completing your application is the entry point, not the finish line. To keep an active Kansas salesperson license, you'll need 12 hours of continuing education per renewal cycle, including at least 3 hours in Kansas Required Core coursework. Building a habit of tracking CE hours early in your career prevents last-minute scrambles before a renewal deadline.
Once you're licensed and working, you may find it useful to revisit domain content periodically - especially BRRETA and prohibited-acts material - since these areas govern day-to-day compliance, not just exam performance. You can also explore KS-RES Training for ongoing coursework options and What Is KS-RES Certification? for a refresher on how the exam fits into the broader licensure process.
| Feature | National/General Portion | Kansas Portion |
|---|---|---|
| Domains Covered | Domains 1-8 | Domains 9-13 |
| Scored Questions | 80 | 30 |
| Time Allotted | 2.5 hours | 1.5 hours |
| Passing Scaled Score | 70 | 70 |
| Largest Domain | Domain 4: Real Estate Contracts and Agency | Domain 13: BRRETA |
| Outline Effective Date | April 24, 2025 | June 11, 2024 |
To keep practicing beyond this article, our full-length KS-RES practice tests mirror the domain breakdown and timing described above, and our home page links out to every study resource on the site, including the KS-RES Certification overview for anyone starting from square one.
Frequently Asked Questions
KS-RES stands for the Kansas Real Estate Salesperson Exam, the licensing exam administered by Pearson VUE on behalf of the Kansas Real Estate Commission.
The exam has 125 total questions: 80 scored national/general questions, 30 scored Kansas questions, and 15 unscored pretest questions that don't affect your result.
You need a scaled score of 70 on both the national/general and Kansas portions to pass overall, but the two portions are scored and tracked independently.
Your complete application must reach the Kansas Real Estate Commission within six months of the earlier of your two exam pass dates.
You must complete a 30-hour Principles of Real Estate course within one year before passing both exam portions, plus a 30-hour Kansas Practice Course within six months before applying for your license.