What is the exam-ready answer?
| Official syllabus topic | State Laws and Rules: Investigation and Hearing Process |
|---|---|
| Official PSI group | State Laws and Rules |
| Published group count | 16 of the 52 Georgia questions |
| Exam portion | Georgia salesperson supplement |
| Source edition | PSI Georgia Candidate Information Bulletin dated July 1, 2026 |
The Rule
PSI publishes 16, 21, and 15 items for the three Georgia groups. It does not publish a guaranteed subtopic count. The statute, current GREC rule, contract, or other cited primary authority controls each lesson.
The lesson
Georgia questions reward the Georgia rule. A national rule that sounds right can still be the wrong answer when the question names a Georgia statute, document, role or procedure.
Complaint and investigation
GREC may investigate written complaints and use statutory tools to obtain evidence. Investigative files are confidential subject to statutory rules.
Notice and opportunity
A contested matter requires notice of the issues and an opportunity to be heard under the applicable statutes, Commission procedural rules, and administrative law.
Citation path
Rule 520-1-.14 permits citations in defined circumstances. A citation is not identical to every contested-case proceeding and has its own compliance consequences.
Final order and review
A sanction follows the authorized decision process. Judicial review is not a new licensing examination and must follow the governing procedure and time limits.
Decision rule
Georgia rule and national contrast
Worked Georgia example
Scenario. An investigator asks a broker for transaction records after a consumer complaint. The broker argues that no violation has yet been proven.
Reason it through. Proof of a violation is not required before evidence gathering. The investigation exists to determine what occurred, and licensees must cooperate with lawful requests.
Answer. The broker should provide the required records; the request is investigative, not a final sanction.
Common exam traps
- Treating a complaint as proof
- Confusing investigation with hearing
- Assuming PSI hears discipline cases
- Skipping notice and final-order stages
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 a live examination. Choose an answer before opening the explanation.
Question 1After a consumer complaint, a GREC investigator asks a broker for transaction records. The broker objects that no violation has been proven. What should the broker do?
- A. Provide the records, because the request is fact-finding
- B. Refuse until GREC issues a written finding of a violation
- C. Provide them only if the complaining consumer agrees
- D. Refuse, because investigators need a court order first
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: A. Provide the records, because the request is fact-finding
An investigation exists to find out what happened, so proof of a violation is not required before GREC gathers evidence. Licensees must cooperate with lawful requests. The refuse-until-proven answer mistakes the investigation stage for a final finding.
Question 2A licensee receives notice of alleged violations and requests a hearing. At which point can a suspension be imposed?
- A. When the consumer's complaint is received
- B. When the investigator requests records
- C. When a final order issues after the hearing
- D. When the notice of alleged violations is sent
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: C. When a final order issues after the hearing
A sanction such as suspension follows the authorized decision process, which ends in a final order. The complaint, the records request, and the notice are earlier stages that deal with allegations and fact-finding. Choosing the notice stage confuses being charged with being found in violation.
Question 3A licensee disagrees with GREC's final order revoking the license. What is the licensee's path?
- A. Retake the licensing exam to restore the license
- B. File a complaint about the Commission with PSI
- C. Ask the consumer to withdraw the original complaint
- D. Seek judicial review within the required time limits
Show answer and explanation →
Answer: D. Seek judicial review within the required time limits
Judicial review is available where authorized and must follow the governing procedure and time limits. It is not a new licensing examination. The withdraw-the-complaint answer can mislead, but a final order is the Commission's decision, not the consumer's.
Ready to move on?
You are ready for the next lesson when all of these are true.
- Explain Georgia Complaints, Investigations, Hearings, Appeals, and Discipline in one clear answer without notes.
- Separate Complaint and investigation from Notice and opportunity using a fresh example.
- Apply the decision rule to a new fact pattern and name the fact that controls the result.
- State the Georgia-specific point or explain why the national rule applies unchanged.
- Answer every practice question and explain the rule each rejected option misapplies.
- Revisit this topic later in mixed practice without category labels.
Recommended next lesson
Continue with Georgia Unfair Practices and Grounds for Discipline. The hearing process matters only when conduct fits a ground for discipline, and the next lesson lists those grounds, from misrepresentation and false promises to trust-fund failures and misleading advertising.
Return to the State Laws and Rules hub for the complete official branch and the full lesson list for this Georgia group.