United States
Hong KongHow many questions are on the NMLS exam?
120 questions are administered and 115 of them are scored. The remaining five are unscored pretest items scattered at random, and because you cannot identify them the sensible target is 90 correct out of 120.
120 administered. 115 scored.
Both numbers are correct and they answer different questions, which is why you see each of them quoted as though it were the whole story.
What the five extra questions are
Pretest items. NMLS uses them to trial questions for future versions of the exam, gathering performance data before a question is ever used for real.
They do not count towards your score. They are also indistinguishable from everything else on the paper, scattered at random with no marking of any kind.
Why that matters to you
The pass mark is 75% of the scored questions. Seventy-five percent of 115 is 86.25, which means 87 correct answers.
But you do not know which 115 of your 120 answers are being counted. Get 87 right out of 120 and some of them may have been pretest items, leaving your scored total short.
- Administered
- 120
- Scored
- 115
- Unscored pretest
- 5
- Needed to pass
- 87 of 115
- Sensible target
- 90 of 120
So answer everything
There is no penalty for a wrong answer, and no way to spot a free question. Treat all 120 as though they count and work to 90.
Ninety is not the pass mark. It is a target with the margin built in.
How they divide by subject
NMLS publishes the weight of each content area, though not a question count. Worked against the 120 on the form, the split is roughly 29 questions on federal law, 13 on state content, 24 on general mortgage knowledge, 32 on origination activities and 22 on ethics.
Those counts are ours. The weights behind them are NMLS's.
Common questions
How many questions are on the NMLS exam?
120 are administered. 115 of them are scored and five are unscored pretest items.
How many do I need right to pass?
87 of the 115 scored questions, which is 75%. Aim for 90 of 120 because the five unscored items are invisible.
Can I tell which questions do not count?
No. They are scattered at random and look identical to every other question.
How long do I get for 120 questions?
190 minutes, which is about 95 seconds each.
How are the questions split by subject?
Roughly 29 federal law, 13 state content, 24 general mortgage knowledge, 32 origination activities and 22 ethics. Those counts are ours, derived from NMLS weights.