Four ways in, one question bank
Every card, problem and question on these pages comes from the same course bank — 58 final-exam questions across 22 units — or is arithmetic on numbers the problem states.
Flashcards
One card per exam question plus a card for every term the bank defines — FCRA, ECOA, upfront MIP, table funding, qualified mortgage and the rest. Know it / review again, spaced review, listen mode, search.
Open the flashcards → Free · with a free accountMath
LTV and CLTV, front- and back-end DTI, the P&I payment and its reverse, PITI, points, per-diem interest, MIP, escrow, ARM adjustments and more — new numbers every time, every rate stated in the problem, worked steps on demand.
Drill the math → Free · with a free accountPractice exam
Build an exam of 10, 25 or all questions, by unit and difficulty, timed if you like — or sit Form A or Form B exactly as the course gives them. Feedback on every question, results by unit, a tappable miss review and your best score.
Build an exam → Free · with a free accountMatching game
Five terms, five definitions, a clock. Rounds are drawn from the term cards, so a fast round means the vocabulary is actually cold — not merely familiar.
Play a round →Flashcards
Two kinds of card in one deck. A question card shows the exam question as a prompt; the back is the correct answer in bold with the course's explanation. A term card shows a term the bank defines — the back is that definition, with the question it comes from cited. Filter by any of the 22 units, keep only the review pile or only what is due today, search, listen with the phone in your pocket, and mark cards with a swipe or the keyboard.
Math
Mortgage math is arithmetic on numbers a question gives you. So every problem here states its own rate, ratio, term or percentage — you never need to remember a threshold to solve it, only to apply it. Type the answer, or switch to multiple choice where each wrong option is a named classic mistake. "Show me how" walks the steps with your numbers.
- LTV
- CLTV
- Front-end DTI
- Back-end DTI
- Monthly P&I
- Max loan from a payment
- PITI
- Discount points cost
- Rate buy-down
- Per-diem interest
- Prepaid interest at closing
- Upfront MIP / funding fee
- Monthly MI
- Escrow deposit
- Income needed to qualify
- ARM payment after adjustment
- Seller-paid closing cost cap
- Origination fee
Practice exam
Choose how many questions (10, 25 or all), a unit, a difficulty level and whether the clock runs. Options are reshuffled on every attempt so the letter never gives the answer away. Each question is graded on the spot with the course's reasoning, and the results screen breaks your score down by unit, lists every miss for a second look and keeps your best score. Two fixed presets — Form A and Form B — are the course's own 25-question forms in their original order.
Matching game
Five terms on one side, their five definitions shuffled on the other, and a clock. Match them all; the page counts your moves and time and remembers your best round. The pairs are the term cards from the flashcards, so the game is a quick test of the same vocabulary.
How the exam works
What the course bank itself says about licensing — each point is a question you will meet on these pages:
- Why there is an exam at all. The Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act — the SAFE Act, 2008 — requires every residential mortgage loan originator to obtain a license and renew it annually, so that MLOs show a high level of professionalism and competency. Bank question 24
- The background check. A license applicant submits fingerprints through the NMLS, which sends them to the FBI for the background check. Bank questions 20 and 51
- After the license. At least eight hours of continuing education each year — three on federal law and regulations, two on ethics, two on nontraditional mortgage products — and states may require more. Bank questions 21 and 52
- Moving states. Temporary authority begins on the date the license application is submitted, provided there is no disqualifying event. Bank question 22
- The language. The national test is in English, and so is Jorge's course — which is why this section, unlike the rest of the site, has no other language versions.
The national test, by the numbers
Checked against the NMLS testing handbook, the SAFE Act and the New York DFS licensing page in September 2026:
- One test. The SAFE MLO National Test with Uniform State Content is passed once and counts for every state, New York included — there is no separate New York test. NMLS testing FAQ
- 120 questions, 190 minutes. 115 questions are scored and 5 are unscored pretest items you cannot tell apart, so answer every one. Content weights: loan origination activities 27%, federal mortgage law 24%, general mortgage knowledge 20%, ethics 18%, uniform state content 11%. NMLS content outline
- 75% to pass. The passing score is set by federal law at not less than 75% correct. 12 U.S.C. § 5105
- $110 per attempt. The test fee is paid through your NMLS account when you enrol. NMLS testing FAQ
- If you fail. Wait at least 30 days before each of the next attempts; after three consecutive failures the wait is at least six months. A passed test expires if you go five consecutive years without a license or federal registration. 12 U.S.C. § 5105; NMLS testing FAQ
- Before the test, in New York. 20 hours of NMLS-approved pre-licensing education, including 3 hours of New York law. DFS lists a $125 investigation fee, a $254 license fee and a $30 NMLS processing fee, plus fingerprint fees paid to the vendor; a surety bond is required after approval. NY DFS, MLO application
General information from a course question bank and from the public sources named above, checked September 2026 — not legal advice and not a statement of any regulator's current rules. Fees, hours and waiting periods change; verify them with the NMLS Resource Center and the New York DFS before you rely on them.
The units in the bank
Every filter on the flashcards and the practice exam uses these unit names.