RES Exam

About RES Exam

The RES examination is the entry level examination for new entrants who wish to practise as salespersons in the real estate agency industry. Under the regulatory framework administered by the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA). One of the criteria for salespersons' registration is the requirement to pass the mandatory Real Estate Salesperson (RES) Examination. This is to ensure that property agents entering to the real estate industry are well equipped with the basic competency and knowledge about the real estate agency industry and property-related matters.


Apply for the Real Estate Salesperson Examination

[NEW!] Announcements:

  • Registration for the 18-19 July Real Estate Salesperson (RES) examination will be conducted in two stages. Stage 1 (i.e. Indication of Interest) would be held on 19 May 2026 from 9am to 12pm on GovEntry.
  • Applicants will be required to authenticate via Singpass during Stage 1. Applicants must ensure that they have a valid and working Singpass account before accessing GovEntry. If you do not have a Singpass account, please register for one with Singpass.
  • High web traffic is expected on NTUC LearningHub (LHUB) and Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) websites during Stage 1. For smoother access, you may download the infographic to your device beforehand and access the GovEntry link directly. Applicants should verify that the link ends with “.gov.sg”.
  • Applicants are reminded to use the latest versions of the browsers and permit the use of cookies prior to the opening of Stage 1.
  • Please note that the demand for RES examination seats is high. It will not be possible to allocate an examination seat to every applicant who has indicated interest for the examination.

STAGE 1: INDICATION OF INTEREST ON GOVENTRY

Applicants must complete the RES course by the stipulated date for each examination registration and hold a valid Certificate of RES Course Completion to be eligible to indicate interest. As part of streamlining of our processes, please note that Stage 1 on 19 May for the July 2026 RES examination, will be conducted on GovEntry.

You will need to indicate the examination type you are registering for, e.g., Full-sitting, Modular Paper 1, Modular Paper 2, or Modular Paper 2 with exemption from Paper 1.

Please read the instructions carefully and make only one submission. Only one submission per NRIC/FIN is allowed. Applicants who submit erroneous submissions will be disqualified.

Eligible applicants will be shortlisted on a first-come-first-served basis.

STAGE 2: EXAMINATION REGISTRATION ON LHUB’S WEBSITE

If you are shortlisted, LHUB will contact you via email with instructions to complete your registration and payment on LHUB's portal. You must complete the registration process by the given deadline, or your seat will be released to other applicants on the waitlist.

Please refer to the infographic for the dates and details of the registration process and this set of Frequently Asked Questions (PDF,213KB).


Apply for the Real Estate Salesperson (RES) Course

CEA requires all new entrants to complete the RES examination preparatory course conducted by CEA Approved Course Providers before registering for the RES examination with their Certificates of RES Course Completion. Please note that only courses provided by CEA Approved Course Providers will be recognised for licensing/registration purposes.

Please note that the demand for RES examination seats is high. It will not be possible to allocate an examination seat to every examination applicant with a valid RES course completion certificate. Aspiring RESs are advised to consider this carefully before signing up for the RES course with any of CEA Approved Course Providers.

The Certificate of RES Course Completion has a validity period of 2 years for the purpose of determining eligibility to take the RES examination. Completed course participants are eligible to take the RES examination within 2 years from the completion date of their RES Course. Please note that there will be no extension of the course certificate validity beyond 2 years and appeals for extension will not be entertained.


Examination Pre-Requisite

  1. Applicants will need to attend and complete the RES Course conducted by a CEA Approved Course Provider (ACP) before applying for the RES examination.

    1. Upon meeting a minimum attendance rate of 75%, they will be issued with a Certificate of RES Course Completion.

    1. The Certificate of RES Course Completion has a validity period of 2 years for the purpose of determining eligibility to take the RES examination. Applicants must take the RES examination within 2 years from the completion date of their RES Course. Beyond the validity period, applicants will be required to attend and complete the RES course again before they are eligible to take the RES examination.
Note: Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) course and Diploma in Real Estate Business course offered by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Ngee Ann Polytechnic respectively on or after 1 April 2020 and subsequently attain these qualifications, will be granted exemption from Paper 1 of the RES examination. Students who attain the Bachelor of Business Administration (Real Estate) qualification offered by NUS will be granted exemption from Paper 1 of the RES examination. They will be required to attend and complete the partial RES course for Paper 2 to be eligible to sit for RES examination Paper 2. Course completers will be issued with the Certificate of Completion for Real Estate Salesperson Course (Papers 2). For more information about these three qualifications, refer to the List of Recognised Equivalent Qualifications.

  1. Applicants must meet the minimum educational requirement of at least 4 GCE O-level passes or equivalent when they register for the RES examination. CEA accepts combined GCE O-level results taken at not more than 2 sittings.

Other equivalent qualifications accepted include:

    1. Singapore GCE-A Level Certificate (Minimum 4 Passes)
    2. Higher National ITE Certificate (NITEC)
    3. Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) assessment in these 5 components (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing and Numeracy) with a minimum of Level 5 in each component
    4. Diploma from Local Polytechnics:
      1. Singapore Polytechnic (SP)
      2. Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP)
      3. Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
      4. Temasek Polytechnic (TP)
      5. Republic Polytechnic (RP)
    5. Degree from Local Universities:
      1. National University of Singapore (NUS)
      2. Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
      3. Singapore Management University (SMU)
      4. Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)
      5. Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS)
      6. Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)

  1. Applicants who wish to submit their qualifications (e.g. overseas qualifications or private diplomas) for assessment to determine if the qualifications meet the educational qualification requirement may email their academic certificates, academic transcripts, any other supporting documents together with the completed Educational Qualification Assessment form to CEA at licensing@cea.gov.sg. CEA will inform the candidate of the outcome of the qualification assessment.

    1. Applicants must attach all supporting documents when submitting their application. CEA does not accept education certificates certified by a notary public as a form of verification proof.

    1. For bachelor and above qualifications from China, applicants are required to provide a verification proof either from the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHSI) or China Academic Degrees & Graduate Education Information (CDGDC) if they do not have the original copies of their certificates.

    2. Applicants must submit the CEA Qualification Assessment Notification and a copy of their qualification certificate when they register for the RES examination.

    3. CEA Qualification Assessment Notification is valid for 3 years from the date of approval. (For Overseas/Private qualifications only)

  1. Applicants without original copies of the graduation certificates, are required to provide a letter of confirmation of award or duplicate copy from the issuing institutions/universities.

  2. Select Full Sitting if you have failed both papers OR if you are a fresh candidate, (DO NOT select Modular Sitting). Modular Sitting is only applicable for candidates who have passed 1 paper of the RES examination.

    1. Candidates taking Full Sitting, you cannot register for Paper 1 & 2 separately under different exam slots.

    1. If you obtained a pass in one paper of the RES examination, you may retake only the failed paper in subsequent sittings, provided your Certificate of RES Course Completion remains valid. If your Certificate of RES Course Completion has expired, you will need to retake and complete the RES course to be eligible to attempt both papers of the RES examination again.


Examination Fees

The RES examination fees are as follows:


Note : Modular sitting is only applicable for candidates who have passed 1 paper of the RES examination. Examination fees are subjected to revision and may be changed without prior notice.

All examination application will be reviewed and approved within 7 working days from the application submission date.


Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP)

NTUC Members can enjoy up to 50% funding (capped at $250 per year) under Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP). NTUC members aged 40 and above can enjoy higher funding support up to $500 per individual each year, capped at 50% of unfunded course/exam fees, for courses/exam attended between 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2022.

UTAP Funding has been approved for RES & REA Examination for a period from 18 February 2022 to 31 March 2027.

Please note that members are required to fulfil the following conditions to be eligible for UTAP reimbursement:
  1. Paid-up union membership before exam commencement, throughout the whole exam duration, and at the point of claim.
  2. Exam by training provider must be supported under UTAP and the exam must commence within the supported period.
  3. The exam must not be funded through company sponsorship or other types of funding
  4. Member has attempted the registered exam.
  5. UTAP application must be submitted within 6 months after exam completion together with the receipt and examination results slip or CEA certificate.

Please refer to the UTAP Application Guide for members to apply UTAP via the U-Portal.

ENQUIRY ON UTAP MATTERS
Website: http://skillsupgrade.ntuc.org.sg
Email: UTAP@e2i.com.sg
For NTUC Union membership matters, please chat with us here.

Monday – Friday, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm and Saturday, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm

Examination Format

With effect from 2023, the format of both Paper 1 and Paper 2 are as follows:

Duration:    2 hours 30 minutes for each paper
Format:       Both Paper 1 and Paper 2 are of the same format
    • Section A: 60 MCQs (60 marks)
    • Section B: 20 MCQs with reference to 1 or 2 Case Studies (40 marks)

Examination Syllabus

The current RES examination syllabus was revised with effect from 1 Jan 2017. Candidates will not be tested on Government policy changes announced or implemented within one month before the examination. For latest syllabus, please visit the CEA Website.

Examination Venue

Paper-Based Examination
Singapore Institute of Management Headquarters (SIM HQ)
461 Clementi Road, Singapore 599491

RES Examination Schedule

Note: CEA may reschedule the RES examination dates and/ or registration period without prior notice. The changes will be updated in the table above. 
 

Examination Rules and Regulations

Please click here to view the examination rules & regulations. 
 

Examination Results Release

The RES examination results are released approximately 4 to 6 weeks after the examination is held. The time may be longer due to factors such as the number of candidates taking the examination. Candidates will be informed of the exam result via e-mail.

Examination Passing Mark

The passing mark for each RES examination paper is 60 and is subject to review by CEA.

Examination Results Appeal

The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) has put in place rigorous checks and processes to ensure accurate RES examination results.
 
Candidates who wish to submit an appeal request to review their examination results can do so via NTUC LearningHub’ s online portal within five (5) working days after the release of results.
 
Candidates may only appeal for the failed examination paper.

A non-refundable administrative fee of $87.20 (inclusive of GST) per appeal application will be imposed. The fee is to cover the cost of reviewing the marking of the answer scripts and re-checking of the awarded marks.

Candidates will be informed via email of the appeal outcome about 14 working days from the last date of appeal submission, or longer if the number of appeals is high.
  
Candidates will not be shown their answer sheets or scores nor will answer scripts be returned to candidates.
  
*Candidates are advised not to register for the next exam until the appeal outcome is out.
 
For more information on Appeal for Review of RES Examination Results, please refer to CEA’s website:
https://www.cea.gov.sg/real-estate-professionals/for-aspiring-real-estate-salespersons/real-estate-salesperson-examination/real-estate-salesperson-examination-results-and-appeals#09564ba179997c81a5cea5ec69ee1f6e



Examination Deferment Request

Candidates who do not turn up for the examination will be marked as "Absent" and considered to have failed the examination. There will be no refund of the examination fees to candidates who are absent.
 
Medical Certificates issued by General Practitioners or hospitals, and Hospitalisation Leave issued by hospitals will not be accepted for deferment.
 
Deferment applications may be considered under the following circumstances only:
  1. Hospitalisation on the day of examination
  2. Demise of spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild which occurred up to 14 days before the day of examination
  3. National Service duties that cover the day of the examination

A non-refundable fee of $130.80 (inclusive of GST) will be levied on each deferment application. Candidates who encounter the above situations can apply for deferment and upload the supporting documents within five (5) working days after the examination , via NTUC LearningHub’ s online portal. Please note that all deferment applications are subject to approval. No refund will be given if candidate’s application is not approved.

Candidates approved for deferment will be assigned to the next immediate examination. No further deferment will be allowed.



Website last updated: 15 May 2026

For clarification OR assistance on Examination rules?
You may call our customer service officers during office hours at 6336 5482 or you can email us at res@ntuclearninghub.com (for exam related matters).

    Examination Registration

    Important information to take note:
    1. Registration is by invitation only and registration date will be stated on the email.
    2. Please ensure that the following documents are ready before the online registration.

      1. Course Completion Certificate

      2. Academic Qualification Certificate (coloured scanned copy)

      3. Official Transcript/Transcript of Academic Record (stating the conferment date or date of graduation of the respective degree/diploma) (only applicable for graduands of Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) and Diploma in Real Estate Business qualifications who have not received their official qualification certificates)

      4. CEA Assessment Letter (for foreign/private examination body/education institution's certificate)

      5. Result Slip (for candidates taking modular exam)

      Accepted file format: JPEG, PNG or PDF & file size of below 2MB. File name format should not contain any spaces or special characters.
    3. You are given 30 minutes to complete the registration and make payment.
    4. Compatible with the following internet browsers: Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox.
    5. No refund of examination fee will be allowed once the candidate has made payment.
    6. All candidates are deemed to have accepted and agree to abide by CEA exam policy and procedures once registration is approved.
    7. CEA reserves the right to bar the candidate from future examinations if the candidate breaches the rules.