HUD HECM Counselor Exam

This exam is required under HUD Rule FR-4989-F-402 which established standards to qualify individuals as counselors to provide HECM  counseling to prospective borrowers. 

This is a challenging exam designed to ensure that knowledgeable, well-informed counselors are providing services to senior homeowners.  Extensive preparation is required.

To be eligible for this exam, an individual must be employed by a HUD-approved housing counseling agency.

The fee for each counselor taking the exam is $100 per exam.  If you fail and need to retake the exam, you will need to pay an additional $100 to retake the test.  A fee is also charged for rescheduling or canceling an exam less than 30 days before the scheduled test day.

Exam registration and payment can only be done online with a credit card.  Secure online exam fee payment is available through VeriSign, and all major credit cards are accepted.

In order to maintain the exam's security and validity, the exam must be taken at a proctored test site.  After registering online for the exam, you must set up an appointment in advance to take the exam at a Prometric test center.  These sites are located within 50 miles of 95% of the U.S. population.

The exam consists of 100 multiple choice questions which must be answered without the use of resource materials.  If you achieve a qualifying score of 80 or more on this exam, you will be eligible for the HUD HECM Roster.

Detailed instructions on registering for and scheduling your exam are on the Registration & Scheduling page of this Exam site.

This exam was revised and updated May 2, 2009.

Top