FAL Comprehensive Exam Content: The 3 Programmes, 10 Units and Key Regulations

Last verified: 18 October 2026. Exam details can change, so check the Foundation Level page on the Saudi Real Estate Institute (SREI) website before you start studying. This is an independent study guide and is not affiliated with the Real Estate General Authority (REGA), SREI, the National Center for Assessment (Qiyas) or any government body.

Since 1 September 2026, the "Foundation Level of the Real Estate Brokerage Track" has been a requirement for issuing a FAL real estate brokerage and marketing license for the first time. It consists of three mandatory training programmes followed by a comprehensive exam that measures regulatory and professional knowledge across the three programmes.

Course test or comprehensive exam? Under the previous track, each course (Real Estate Brokerage, Real Estate Marketing and Digital Real Estate Marketing) had its own online test, taken on the live-streaming platform straight after the course, with only two attempts. At the Foundation Level, the license needs a single comprehensive exam after all three programmes. If you are looking for the Real Estate Brokerage course test, that material is now tested inside the comprehensive exam and matches units 1 to 3 below.

The three programmes

All programmes are delivered live online. SREI also offers two optional programmes, "The Ejar Platform and Its Uses in Brokerage" and "Introduction to Real Estate Financial Solvency Calculation"; neither is a license requirement.

Exam format: what is and isn't published

You have about 75 seconds per question and need at least 25 correct answers to reach 70%.

The ten units and their questions

We split the three programmes into 10 units and 33 topics. Units 1 to 3 belong to brokerage (10 questions), 4 to 7 to marketing (12) and 8 to 10 to fraud and AML (13).

What each programme tends to test

Real Estate Brokerage

• No one may practise brokerage or provide real estate services without a REGA licence, and brokerage includes electronic brokerage through websites and social media (Real Estate Brokerage Law M/130, Articles 1 and 4).
• The brokerage contract must be in writing and filed with REGA; if no term is agreed, it runs for 90 days (Article 7).
• The deposit may not exceed 5% of the deal value; anything above counts as an advance payment (Article 13).
• Commission is 2.5% of the sale value, or of the first year's rent only, unless the parties agree otherwise in writing, so it is a default rate, not a cap. If the broker contracts with more than one party, the total may not exceed that rate, and it is earned if the deal closes during the contract or within two months after it ends (Articles 14 and 15).
• Penalties: warning, licence suspension of up to one year, cancellation, or a fine of up to SAR 200,000 that may be doubled for a repeat within 3 years; appeals go to the competent court within 30 days (Articles 19 and 20).
• Contract pillars and classification, Ejar, the Real Estate Arbitration Centre, and the statutory rules on the landlord–tenant relationship (M/73, 1447 AH).

Real Estate Marketing

• General concepts (market research, buying-decision stages, the marketing mix, the product life cycle, pricing) and practical scenarios such as handling a price objection or disclosing a property defect.
• Digital marketing metrics: click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, cost per lead (CPL) and return on ad spend (ROAS). Expect simple calculations you can do in your head.
• The Real Estate Marketing and Advertising Regulations (April 2026): they cover social media, exhibitions, billboards and electronic platforms; every ad needs its own licence; an ad must be removed as soon as its purpose ends or its licence expires; and they repealed the 1442 AH advertising rules.
• Off-plan sales: a project marketing licence lasts no more than 180 days, and the developer may not take a reservation amount above 5% of the unit value, which must go into the escrow account (Off-Plan Law Implementing Regulations).

Fraud and Anti-Money Laundering

• The Anti-Money Laundering Law (M/20, 1439 AH) and its April 2026 amendments; real estate brokers are a designated non-financial business subject to it.
• The difference between fraud, money laundering and terrorist financing.
• The three stages (placement, layering and integration) with real estate examples, and matching a scenario to its risk type and red flag.
• KYC, beneficial ownership and enhanced due diligence; reporting immediately and directly to the General Directorate of Financial Investigation (REGA circular); the ban on tipping off the client; and keeping records for at least 10 years (Article 12).
• Targeted financial sanctions (freeze immediately on a match) and statutory penalties: 2 to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to SAR 5 million, or both (Article 26), with heavier penalties in aggravated cases (Article 27).

Study tips

• Start with the statutory numbers and put them on flashcards: 5% deposit, 2.5% commission, 90 days for a contract with no term, two months after the contract ends, SAR 200,000, 30 days to appeal, 10 years of records, 180 days for an off-plan marketing licence.
• Then move to scenarios: for every question, ask which article governs it, or which risk type or red flag it describes.
• Do not rely on old notes: the 1442 AH advertising rules and the earlier off-plan rules have been repealed, and the digital marketing course is now part of Real Estate Marketing.
• Do not underestimate AML: its programme lasts two days, but it is the largest share of the exam (13 of 35).
• In the final week, sit full mock exams of 35 questions in 45 minutes and review the explanation for every mistake.