EAA SQE Exam Guide 2026

The Salespersons Qualifying Examination (SQE) is the exam you pass to get a salesperson’s licence in Hong Kong. It is set by the Estate Agents Authority (EAA) and run for the EAA by the PEAK Examination Centre of the Vocational Training Council (VTC). This guide covers the format, the pass mark, the fee, the remaining 2026 dates, results and how long a pass lasts, using the EAA’s August 2026 examination handbooks and its 2026 schedule.

Who the SQE is for

Since 1 January 1999 anyone doing estate agency work in Hong Kong must hold a licence. A salesperson’s licence lets you work only as a salesperson of a licensed estate agent. It does not let you run your own agency or manage a branch. For that you need the estate agent’s licence (individual), which comes from the other exam, the EAQE (see SQE vs EAQE).

Passing the SQE is one of four licence requirements. You also need to be 18 or over when you apply, to have Form 5 education or its equivalent, and to be fit and proper (Examination Handbook, August 2026, para 1.2). The full steps are in how to get an estate agent licence.

SQE format at a glance

Each question has one best answer. The instruction on the paper is to choose the best answer, and a question with two boxes filled scores nothing. Different candidates get versions with the same questions in a different order (handbook para 4.2).

The pass rule catches people out

The pass mark is 60%, but it is applied to each part separately. You need 48 out of 80 in Part I (24 of the 40 questions right) and 12 out of 20 in Part II (6 of the 10 right). A candidate who scores 76/80 in Part I and 10/20 in Part II has 86% overall and still fails. Part II is only 10 questions, so 5 wrong answers there sinks the whole paper.

Part I and Part II

Part I tests the whole syllabus one question at a time: the Estate Agents Ordinance (Cap. 511), the Practice Regulation (Cap. 511C), the Code of Ethics, Practice Circulars, agency and contract law, land search, buildings and leasing. Many questions use the combination format, where you judge statements (i) to (iv) and pick the option that lists the true ones.

Part II gives you one or two documents, typically a land search extract or a short case, and asks 10 linked questions. Who must sign the provisional agreement? Which incumbrance stays after completion? What must the agent tell the buyer? We cover the method in how to tackle Part II land searches and case studies.

The six parts of the SQE syllabus

The levels tell you where the marks are. Parts 2, 4 and 6 are tested at level 3, so expect applied questions there: a salesperson, a client and a decision. Part 3 is broad but tested at awareness level, so know the headline rule for each ordinance on the list, including the First-hand Sales Ordinance (Cap. 621). See our Cap. 621 guide.

Paper-based or computer-based

Both formats use the same syllabus, the same 50 questions in two parts, the same time and the same HK$650 fee. The differences are practical.

The CBE runs in smaller sittings. In 2025 the EAA reported 741 CBE candidates against 2,662 on paper. Choose CBE if you want a faster result and are comfortable reading long Part II extracts on screen.

2026 SQE dates

Paper-based sittings left in 2026, from the EAA’s SQE schedule (checked 11 Oct 2026):

Registration opens at 9 am and seats go first come, first served. If seats run out, registration closes early. Earlier in 2026 the paper SQE ran in February, May and August, and the CBE ran in January, April and July. The EAA’s schedule file does not list CBE dates for the rest of 2026, so check the PEAK Examination Centre website for CBE sessions. Our exam schedule page tracks the dates.

Fee, language and registration

• Fee: HK$650 for paper or CBE (handbook para 7.2). It is not refundable or transferable except in exceptional circumstances approved by the EAA.
• Language: English or Chinese, chosen when you register. You can change it before the deadline in the Application Procedure, for an administration fee.
• One SQE a month: you cannot register for or sit an SQE in a month in which you have already registered for or sat one.
• Already qualified: you cannot register if you passed the SQE or EAQE in the last 12 months, or if you hold, or held within the last 24 months, a salesperson’s or estate agent’s licence.

The step-by-step process is in how to register for the SQE or EAQE.

Results and the 12-month clock

Paper results are posted on the 14th working day after the exam and CBE results on the 7th. You can also check online at the PEAK website for one month with your candidate number and the first four digits of your ID document. There is no result checking by phone or email. Results are Pass with Commendation, Pass, Fail, Absent or Disqualified. The handbooks do not publish the commendation threshold. More in EAA exam results: when and how to check.

If you pass an exam held after 1 January 2025 and get licensed on that result, you are also in the EAA’s Mandatory CPD Scheme (Phase 1): 4 CPD points per 1-year licence or 8 per 2-year licence.

Exam-day rules worth knowing now

• No calculators. They count as electronic devices. Stamp duty sums must be done by hand, using the table in the paper.
• Arrive 15 minutes early with your original Admission Form and the original ID document named on your entry form.
• You are admitted up to 45 minutes late, with no extra time. After that you are refused or disqualified.
• You may not leave in the first 90 minutes or the last 30 minutes.
• Paper candidates bring HB pencils, a soft eraser and a sharpener. No dictionaries.

How to prepare

The EAA publishes no study materials, runs no courses and accredits no course provider (handbook para 3.2). It does publish sample questions, and its free online A Study Guide to Estate Agency Law and Practice is on eaa.org.hk. Parts of the Study Guide are out of date. It predates the abolition of BSD and SSD on 28 February 2024 and the Mandatory CPD Scheme, for example. Check figures against the current law.

Most candidates need 4 to 8 weeks. Spend the most time on the Practice Regulation, Forms 1 to 6 and land searches, because those topics carry both Part I questions and the Part II case. Then sit timed papers: 150 minutes for 50 questions is 3 minutes a question, but Part II reading eats into that. Our 4- and 8-week SQE study plans set out the order, and the free mock shows where you stand today.

Primary sources: Paper-based Examination Handbook (Aug 2026), Computer-based Examination Handbook (Aug 2026), 2026 SQE schedule and the EAA examination page. The pass mark is subject to review by the EAA, so confirm it before you sit.