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Exam booking
There is no exam calendar to wait for. You pick the date: enroll in NMLS, then book a Prometric appointment within 180 days. Book it when your practice scores say you are ready, and give yourself a fixed target. Facts checked 11 Oct 2026.
120 multiple-choice questions (115 scored, the rest unscored pre-test items) in 3 hours 10 min. You need 75 to pass, on the test as a whole.
NMLS emails enrollment and result notifications to the address on your NMLS account. Full rules: NMLS MLO Testing Handbook (nationwidelicensingsystem.org).
Wait at least 30 days after a first or second failure, and at least 6 months after a third failure in a row (12 U.S.C. 5104(d)(3)(B)-(C); 12 CFR 1008.105). Each attempt is a new enrollment and fee. See NMLS retake rules.
You do not retake the test unless you go 5 years or more without a valid license, not counting time as a registered loan originator (12 U.S.C. 5104(d)(4)). Your state license then renews each year with 8 hours of continuing education.
There are no fixed national dates. After you enroll in NMLS you book your own appointment at a Prometric test center (online proctoring only with approved ADA testing accommodations, since October 1, 2024), on any available slot within your 180-day enrollment window.
US$110, paid in NMLS when you enroll (as at 11 Oct 2026). The fee is non-refundable and non-transferable, and each retake needs a new enrollment and fee.
180 days. If you do not test within the window, it closes and you must enroll and pay again.
After 30 days following a first or second failure, and after 6 months following a third consecutive failure (12 U.S.C. 5104(d)(3)(B)-(C)).
Not sure you are ready to book?
Take a free timed practice test. Book when you pass full practice exams with questions you have not seen.
Take the free practice test →Not affiliated with or endorsed by NMLS, CSBS or SRR. Rules and fees are set by NMLS and Prometric and can change; confirm before you book.