Where this fits on the exam
| Official syllabus topic | Georgia Laws and Rules: License Categories, Qualifications, Authority, and Supervision |
|---|---|
| Official PSI area | State Laws and Rules |
| Published weight | 16 of the 52 Georgia questions |
| Source edition | PSI Georgia Candidate Information Bulletin dated July 1, 2026 |
The Rule
PSI publishes a weight for the complete official area, not a guaranteed count for this individual comparison. Use the source, document, actor, event, and timing stated in the question before applying a memorized definition.
Side-by-side comparison
Read across each row. The terms are deliberately compared on identical dimensions so the difference remains clear when the exam hides the vocabulary inside a scenario.
| Decision dimension | Salesperson | Associate broker | Broker | CAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core authority | Performs licensed brokerage on behalf of an active broker | Has broker qualifications but performs brokerage on behalf of another broker | May operate a brokerage or serve as qualifying broker, subject to law | Provides only community association management services on behalf of a broker |
| Affiliation | Active under one Georgia broker | Active under one Georgia broker unless separately licensed in a broker capacity as law permits | May act as sole proprietor or qualifying broker and supervise affiliated licensees | Active under one Georgia broker |
| Qualification path | Salesperson education and examination route | Broker qualification and examination route | Broker qualification and examination route | CAM education and examination route |
| Exam trap | Not an independent broker | Broker credential does not make the affiliate the firm's qualifying broker | Carries firm and supervision duties when acting in that role | CAM authority is not a general salesperson license |
Decision rule
Georgia-specific distinction
Worked example
Scenario. A licensee has passed the Georgia broker examination but chooses to remain affiliated with a brokerage rather than operate or qualify the firm.
Reason it through. Broker-level qualification does not require the person to become the firm's qualifying broker. The affiliated capacity described is associate broker.
Answer. The licensee acts as an associate broker under the brokerage's broker.
Common exam traps
- Equating associate broker with qualifying broker
- Assuming a salesperson can act independently
- Treating CAM as a general brokerage license
- Ignoring whether the license is active and properly affiliated
Original practice questions with detailed explanations
These are original instructional questions mapped to the July 1, 2026 PSI outline. They are not copied from PSI or any live examination. Choose an answer before opening the explanation.
Question 1A Georgia licensee passed the broker examination and holds a broker-level license but works under another firm's qualifying broker. What is this licensee's capacity?
- A. Associate broker
- B. Qualifying broker
- C. Salesperson
- D. Community association manager
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: A. Associate broker
An associate broker has qualified at broker level but remains affiliated with, and acts on behalf of, another broker. Broker qualification does not make someone the firm's qualifying broker. That mix-up is the trap this question targets.
- A. Correct. Broker qualification plus affiliation under another holding broker describes the associate-broker capacity.
- B. Incorrect. The qualifying broker is responsible for the firm in that role. Passing a broker exam does not alone make this affiliated licensee the firm's qualifying broker.
- C. Incorrect. The stem identifies broker-level qualification. Affiliation does not reduce that credential to a salesperson license.
- D. Incorrect. A CAM has a limited community-association-management scope. The stem identifies a broker-level license instead.
Question 2A newly licensed Georgia salesperson wants to list a neighbor's house independently and collect the commission directly from the seller, without the holding broker's involvement or consent. Is that permitted?
- A. Yes, if the neighbor signs a written listing agreement
- B. No, a salesperson acts only on behalf of the holding broker
- C. Yes, once the salesperson finishes post-license education
- D. No, because a salesperson may work only with buyers
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: B. No, a salesperson acts only on behalf of the holding broker
A Georgia salesperson performs brokerage on behalf of the holding broker. Georgia law permits compensation from another person with that broker's consent, but the stem expressly rules out the consent and proposes independent brokerage. A signed listing or completed post-license education does not authorize the salesperson to bypass the holding broker.
- A. Incorrect. The seller's signature does not replace the holding broker's authority or consent. The salesperson may not conduct the listing independently.
- B. Correct. The salesperson must act on behalf of the holding broker. Receiving compensation from another person can be permitted with that broker's consent, which is expressly absent here.
- C. Incorrect. Post-license education does not confer independent broker authority or waive the holding broker's required consent to outside compensation.
- D. Incorrect. A salesperson may handle seller listings on behalf of the holding broker. The prohibited conduct here is independent brokerage and outside compensation without that broker's consent.
Question 3A licensee who holds only a community association manager license is asked by a homeowner in the managed community to list the home for sale. What is the best response?
- A. List it, because a CAM license covers all brokerage
- B. List it, as long as the association board approves
- C. Decline, because CAM work excludes listing homes
- D. Decline, unless the CAM operates without a broker
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: C. Decline, because CAM work excludes listing homes
A CAM provides only community association management services on behalf of a broker, so listing a home for sale is outside that license. Board approval cannot expand what a license authorizes. Treating the CAM credential as a general brokerage license is the trap.
- A. Incorrect. A CAM license authorizes community association management, not general residential sales brokerage.
- B. Incorrect. Association-board approval cannot expand the license's legal scope to include listing an owner's home.
- C. Correct. Listing a home for sale is outside the scope of a CAM-only license. The homeowner needs a licensee authorized for that brokerage work.
- D. Incorrect. A CAM performs authorized services on behalf of a broker. Acting without one does not create broader sales authority.
Ready to move on?
You have this distinction down when all of these are true.
- Define every compared term without using the other term as the definition.
- Rebuild the comparison table from memory.
- State the decision rule and Georgia distinction without notes.
- Solve the worked example after changing one key fact.
- Explain the rule or fact that makes each distractor wrong.
- Answer all three original questions correctly in mixed practice on a later day.
Recommended next lesson
Continue with Active Versus Inactive Georgia Real Estate License. On the next page you will see what an inactive Georgia license can and cannot do, from brokerage limits to renewal, continuing education and reactivation, so you can pair each license type with its current status.
Return to the complete exam-concept library or the State Laws and Rules hub.