NSAR Salesperson Licensing Actual
Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® (NSAR) / Nova
Scotia Real Estate Commission | Verified Q&A | Professional
Real Estate Licensing Candidates
This document contains 100 original questions developed to reinforce the official course objectives of the NSAR
Salesperson Licensing curriculum. The questions address Real Estate Principles, Property Law, and Ownership;
Agency Relationships, Contracts, and Form 400; Nova Scotia Legislation, Land Registration, and Trust Accounts;
and Real Estate Ethics, Professional Practice, and Market Practices. Content is designed to support professional
competency and actual exam readiness for Professional Real Estate Licensing Candidates. All material is original
and aligned with current Nova Scotia real estate legislation, Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission regulations, and
standard industry practices for the 2026/2027 training cycle.
Domain: Real Estate Principles, Property Law, and Ownership
1. What is the highest and most complete form of ownership interest in land recognized under
Nova Scotia property law?
A. Life estate
B. Fee simple absolute
C. Leasehold estate
D. Easement
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Fee simple absolute represents the most complete ownership interest, allowing the holder to possess, use, and
dispose of the property without limitation other than those imposed by law.
2. Which form of co-ownership includes the right of survivorship, so that a deceased co-owner's
interest automatically passes to the remaining co-owners?
A. Tenancy in common
B. Joint tenancy
C. Tenancy by the entirety only
D. Community property
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Joint tenancy includes the four unities and the right of survivorship; upon death the interest vests in the surviving
joint tenant(s) outside of the deceased's estate.
3. In a tenancy in common, how are the ownership interests of the co-owners characterized?
A. They must be equal and undivided with right of survivorship
B. They may be unequal and each owner may freely transfer or will their share
C. They cannot be sold without unanimous consent
D. They automatically convert to joint tenancy after five years
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Tenancy in common allows unequal shares and free alienation of each undivided interest; there is no right of
survivorship.
4. What is the primary distinction between a freehold estate and a leasehold estate?
A. Freehold estates are always for a fixed term
NSAR Salesperson Licensing Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
, B. A freehold estate is of indefinite duration while a leasehold is for a fixed or determinable period
C. Leasehold estates convey fee simple title
D. There is no legal distinction in Nova Scotia
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Freehold estates (fee simple or life estate) have potentially infinite or life-measured duration; leaseholds are
limited by a fixed or periodic term.
5. An easement appurtenant benefits which party?
A. The dominant tenement
B. The servient tenement only
C. The general public
D. The municipality exclusively
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: An easement appurtenant runs with the land and benefits the dominant tenement while burdening the servient
tenement.
6. What type of interest is created when a property owner grants another person the right to use a
defined portion of land for a specific purpose without transferring ownership?
A. Fee simple
B. Easement
C. Mortgage
D. Life estate
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: An easement is a non-possessory interest that allows limited use of another's land for a defined purpose.
7. Under the doctrine of fixtures, which factor is most influential in determining whether an item
has become part of the real property?
A. The monetary value of the item alone
B. The degree of annexation, adaptation to the property, and intention of the parties
C. Whether the item was purchased after the last sale
D. The colour of the item
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Courts examine annexation, adaptation, and intention to decide whether a chattel has become a fixture and
therefore part of the realty.
8. What is a life estate?
A. An estate that lasts forever and can be inherited indefinitely
B. An estate measured by the life of a specified person, after which the property reverts or passes to a
remainderman
C. A periodic tenancy renewable yearly
D. A lease for 99 years
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A life estate endures only for the lifetime of the measuring life and then terminates according to the terms of the
grant.
9. Which of the following is an example of an encumbrance on title?
A. A clear fee simple title with no claims
B. A registered mortgage or a restrictive covenant
C. An unrecorded oral agreement that has expired
D. A survey plan alone
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Encumbrances such as mortgages, liens, easements, and restrictive covenants burden the title and may affect the
owner's rights or marketability.
10. What does the term 'severance' refer to in the context of joint tenancy?
A. The physical division of a building
NSAR Salesperson Licensing Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
, B. The act that converts a joint tenancy into a tenancy in common, destroying the right of survivorship
C. The registration of a new plan of subdivision
D. The cancellation of a lease
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Severance breaks one or more of the four unities, converting the joint tenancy into a tenancy in common so that
each share may be dealt with independently.
11. In Nova Scotia, what is the effect of a property owner dying intestate with respect to real
property?
A. The property automatically escheats to the Crown
B. The property is distributed according to the Intestate Succession Act among the heirs
C. The property remains frozen indefinitely
D. Only the spouse inherits all real property regardless of other relatives
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Intestate real property is distributed under provincial succession legislation among the entitled heirs after debts
and administration expenses.
12. What is the purpose of a restrictive covenant registered against a property?
A. To increase the property tax assessment
B. To limit the use or development of the land for the benefit of other land or a defined scheme
C. To grant unlimited development rights
D. To transfer ownership to the municipality
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Restrictive covenants bind the land and restrict certain uses or activities, typically for the benefit of neighbouring
parcels or a subdivision scheme.
13. Which interest in land is considered personal property rather than real property?
A. Fee simple
B. A leasehold interest for a term of years
C. An easement appurtenant
D. A life estate
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Although a leasehold confers possession of land, at common law it is classified as personal property (a chattel
real).
14. What is the legal effect of adverse possession under Nova Scotia law when the statutory
requirements are met?
A. It creates an immediate fee simple title without court involvement
B. It may extinguish the paper title holder's right to recover possession after the limitation period has run
C. It has no effect on registered land under the Land Registration Act
D. It only applies to Crown land
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Adverse possession can bar the paper owner's recovery action after the limitation period; registration under the
Land Registration Act significantly limits or extinguishes traditional adverse possession claims.
15. In a condominium regime, what does a unit owner primarily own?
A. The entire building structure in fee simple
B. The airspace of the unit together with an undivided interest in the common elements
C. Only a long-term lease of the unit
D. Sole ownership of all exterior walls and the roof
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Condominium ownership consists of exclusive ownership of the unit (airspace) plus a proportionate undivided
interest in the common property.
16. What is the primary function of a survey plan in a real estate transaction?
A. To establish the market value of the property
NSAR Salesperson Licensing Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® (NSAR) / Nova
Scotia Real Estate Commission | Verified Q&A | Professional
Real Estate Licensing Candidates
This document contains 100 original questions developed to reinforce the official course objectives of the NSAR
Salesperson Licensing curriculum. The questions address Real Estate Principles, Property Law, and Ownership;
Agency Relationships, Contracts, and Form 400; Nova Scotia Legislation, Land Registration, and Trust Accounts;
and Real Estate Ethics, Professional Practice, and Market Practices. Content is designed to support professional
competency and actual exam readiness for Professional Real Estate Licensing Candidates. All material is original
and aligned with current Nova Scotia real estate legislation, Nova Scotia Real Estate Commission regulations, and
standard industry practices for the 2026/2027 training cycle.
Domain: Real Estate Principles, Property Law, and Ownership
1. What is the highest and most complete form of ownership interest in land recognized under
Nova Scotia property law?
A. Life estate
B. Fee simple absolute
C. Leasehold estate
D. Easement
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Fee simple absolute represents the most complete ownership interest, allowing the holder to possess, use, and
dispose of the property without limitation other than those imposed by law.
2. Which form of co-ownership includes the right of survivorship, so that a deceased co-owner's
interest automatically passes to the remaining co-owners?
A. Tenancy in common
B. Joint tenancy
C. Tenancy by the entirety only
D. Community property
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Joint tenancy includes the four unities and the right of survivorship; upon death the interest vests in the surviving
joint tenant(s) outside of the deceased's estate.
3. In a tenancy in common, how are the ownership interests of the co-owners characterized?
A. They must be equal and undivided with right of survivorship
B. They may be unequal and each owner may freely transfer or will their share
C. They cannot be sold without unanimous consent
D. They automatically convert to joint tenancy after five years
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Tenancy in common allows unequal shares and free alienation of each undivided interest; there is no right of
survivorship.
4. What is the primary distinction between a freehold estate and a leasehold estate?
A. Freehold estates are always for a fixed term
NSAR Salesperson Licensing Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
, B. A freehold estate is of indefinite duration while a leasehold is for a fixed or determinable period
C. Leasehold estates convey fee simple title
D. There is no legal distinction in Nova Scotia
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Freehold estates (fee simple or life estate) have potentially infinite or life-measured duration; leaseholds are
limited by a fixed or periodic term.
5. An easement appurtenant benefits which party?
A. The dominant tenement
B. The servient tenement only
C. The general public
D. The municipality exclusively
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: An easement appurtenant runs with the land and benefits the dominant tenement while burdening the servient
tenement.
6. What type of interest is created when a property owner grants another person the right to use a
defined portion of land for a specific purpose without transferring ownership?
A. Fee simple
B. Easement
C. Mortgage
D. Life estate
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: An easement is a non-possessory interest that allows limited use of another's land for a defined purpose.
7. Under the doctrine of fixtures, which factor is most influential in determining whether an item
has become part of the real property?
A. The monetary value of the item alone
B. The degree of annexation, adaptation to the property, and intention of the parties
C. Whether the item was purchased after the last sale
D. The colour of the item
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Courts examine annexation, adaptation, and intention to decide whether a chattel has become a fixture and
therefore part of the realty.
8. What is a life estate?
A. An estate that lasts forever and can be inherited indefinitely
B. An estate measured by the life of a specified person, after which the property reverts or passes to a
remainderman
C. A periodic tenancy renewable yearly
D. A lease for 99 years
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A life estate endures only for the lifetime of the measuring life and then terminates according to the terms of the
grant.
9. Which of the following is an example of an encumbrance on title?
A. A clear fee simple title with no claims
B. A registered mortgage or a restrictive covenant
C. An unrecorded oral agreement that has expired
D. A survey plan alone
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Encumbrances such as mortgages, liens, easements, and restrictive covenants burden the title and may affect the
owner's rights or marketability.
10. What does the term 'severance' refer to in the context of joint tenancy?
A. The physical division of a building
NSAR Salesperson Licensing Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
, B. The act that converts a joint tenancy into a tenancy in common, destroying the right of survivorship
C. The registration of a new plan of subdivision
D. The cancellation of a lease
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Severance breaks one or more of the four unities, converting the joint tenancy into a tenancy in common so that
each share may be dealt with independently.
11. In Nova Scotia, what is the effect of a property owner dying intestate with respect to real
property?
A. The property automatically escheats to the Crown
B. The property is distributed according to the Intestate Succession Act among the heirs
C. The property remains frozen indefinitely
D. Only the spouse inherits all real property regardless of other relatives
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Intestate real property is distributed under provincial succession legislation among the entitled heirs after debts
and administration expenses.
12. What is the purpose of a restrictive covenant registered against a property?
A. To increase the property tax assessment
B. To limit the use or development of the land for the benefit of other land or a defined scheme
C. To grant unlimited development rights
D. To transfer ownership to the municipality
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Restrictive covenants bind the land and restrict certain uses or activities, typically for the benefit of neighbouring
parcels or a subdivision scheme.
13. Which interest in land is considered personal property rather than real property?
A. Fee simple
B. A leasehold interest for a term of years
C. An easement appurtenant
D. A life estate
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Although a leasehold confers possession of land, at common law it is classified as personal property (a chattel
real).
14. What is the legal effect of adverse possession under Nova Scotia law when the statutory
requirements are met?
A. It creates an immediate fee simple title without court involvement
B. It may extinguish the paper title holder's right to recover possession after the limitation period has run
C. It has no effect on registered land under the Land Registration Act
D. It only applies to Crown land
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Adverse possession can bar the paper owner's recovery action after the limitation period; registration under the
Land Registration Act significantly limits or extinguishes traditional adverse possession claims.
15. In a condominium regime, what does a unit owner primarily own?
A. The entire building structure in fee simple
B. The airspace of the unit together with an undivided interest in the common elements
C. Only a long-term lease of the unit
D. Sole ownership of all exterior walls and the roof
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Condominium ownership consists of exclusive ownership of the unit (airspace) plus a proportionate undivided
interest in the common property.
16. What is the primary function of a survey plan in a real estate transaction?
A. To establish the market value of the property
NSAR Salesperson Licensing Actual Exam 2026/2027 | Verified Questions
