Part of the SAFE exam just asks for numbers: how many days, what percent, how many hours. This page is every such figure in one place, pulled live from the same dataset that drives our question bank, so when NMLS or a regulator changes a number, this page changes with it. Print it and mark where your recall fails; the marks are the study plan.
The Exam Itself
Questions
120: 115 scored plus 5 unscored pretest items, never identified
Time limit
190 minutes, one sitting
Passing score
SAFE Act §1505(d)
75%
Enrollment fee
$110 per attempt, paid through NMLS (verified 2026-07)
Domain weights
Origination 27% · Federal Law 24% · General 20% · Ethics 18% · Uniform State 11%
TRID: 3 Out, 7 to Close, 3 in Hand
Loan Estimate delivered
Reg Z §1026.19(e)(1)(iii)
Delivered or placed in the mail within 3 GENERAL business days after receiving an application (the 6 items).
LE 7-day waiting period
Reg Z §1026.19(e)(1)(iii)(B)
LE must be delivered or mailed no later than the 7th SPECIFIC business day before consummation.
Closing Disclosure received
Reg Z §1026.19(f)(1)(ii)
Consumer must RECEIVE the CD at least 3 SPECIFIC business days before consummation.
Mailbox rule
Reg Z §1026.19(e)(1)(iv), (f)(1)(iii)
Disclosures placed in the mail are CONSIDERED RECEIVED 3 specific business days after mailing.
LE terms expiration
Reg Z §1026.19(e)(3)(iv)(E)
If the consumer does not express intent to proceed within 10 business days, estimated closing costs are no longer binding.
Corrected CD: new 3-day wait
Reg Z §1026.19(f)(2)(ii)
A NEW 3-specific-business-day wait is required only if: (1) the APR becomes inaccurate beyond tolerance, (2) the loan product changes, or (3) a prepayment penalty is added.
Right of rescission
Reg Z §1026.23(a) (HELOCs: §1026.15)
Until MIDNIGHT of the 3rd SPECIFIC business day after the LATEST of: consummation, delivery of material disclosures, or delivery of the rescission notice.
Creditor duties after rescission
Reg Z §1026.23(d)(2)
Within 20 CALENDAR days of receiving a rescission notice, the creditor must return money/property and terminate its security interest.
The spine
LE out within 3, no closing before the 7th day after it, CD received 3 before signing. Mailed disclosures add 3 (the mailbox rule). Every other TRID number hangs off that spine.
The Tolerance Buckets
Fee-increase questions are bucket questions. Sort the fee first; the answer follows.
Zero tolerance
Reg Z §1026.19(e)(3)(i)
Lender and broker charges, fees for services the borrower cannot shop for, and transfer taxes. The LE figure is a ceiling; any overage must be cured.
10% cumulative
Reg Z §1026.19(e)(3)(ii)
Recording fees plus shoppable services where the borrower picks from the creditor's written list. Judged as a group: the basket may rise up to 10% over the LE total.
No tolerance limit
Reg Z §1026.19(e)(3)(iii)
Prepaid interest, property insurance, escrow deposits, and services where the borrower shops off the list. Good-faith estimating still applies, but there is no fixed cap.
Tolerance cure
Reg Z §1026.19(f)(2)(v)
Refund to the consumer within 60 calendar days after consummation.
HPA: 80, 78, Midpoint
Borrower-requested PMI cancellation
HPA, 12 USC §4902(a)
At 80% LTV of the ORIGINAL value, upon written request, with a good payment history and no junior liens.
Automatic PMI termination
HPA, 12 USC §4902(b)
At 78% LTV of the original value, if the borrower is current.
Final PMI termination
HPA, 12 USC §4902(c)
At the MIDPOINT of the amortization schedule if not terminated sooner (borrower current).
80/78
At 80 you may ask; at 78 they must act; at the amortization midpoint it ends regardless.
ECOA and HMDA Deadlines
Notice of action taken
Reg B §1002.9(a)(1)
Within 30 days after receiving a COMPLETED application (approval, denial, or counteroffer).
Incomplete application notice
Reg B §1002.9(c)
Within 30 days: notice of incompleteness (specifying information needed and a reasonable deadline) or notice of action taken.
Appraisal availability notice
Reg B §1002.14(a)(2)
Within 3 business days of receiving an application secured by a FIRST lien on a dwelling.
ECOA application records
Reg B §1002.12(b)
25 months after notifying the applicant of action taken (consumer credit).
LAR data entry
Reg C §1003.4(f)
Record each covered loan/application on the LAR within 30 calendar days after the end of the calendar quarter in which final action was taken.
Annual LAR submission
Reg C §1003.5(a)(1)(i)
Submit to the CFPB by MARCH 1 following the calendar year covered.
Loan Program Figures
These reset on annual cycles, which is why the exam likes them: stale prep answers confidently and wrongly. All values verified 2026-07.
Conforming loan limit (1-unit)
FHFA, set annually
$832,750 baseline; $1,249,125 ceiling in high-cost areas, Alaska, and Hawaii
FHA minimum down payment
HUD Handbook 4000.1
3.5% with a credit score of 580 or higher; 10% for scores from 500 to 579
FHA upfront MIP
HUD Handbook 4000.1
1.75% of the base loan amount
FHA annual MIP (30-year)
HUD Handbook 4000.1
0.55% above 95% LTV, 0.5% at or below; MIP runs for the life of the loan when origination LTV is above 90%
VA funding fee (purchase)
38 USC 3729
First use: 2.15% with less than 5% down, 1.5% with 5 to 10% down, 1.25% with 10% or more. Subsequent use with less than 5% down: 3.3%
VA IRRRL fee · seller concessions
38 USC 3729; VA Pamphlet 26-7
0.5% funding fee on an IRRRL; seller concessions capped at 4% of the loan
USDA guarantee fees
USDA RD, fiscal-year notice
1% upfront, 0.35% annual on the unpaid balance; household income capped at 115% of area median income
Conventional lines
Agency guidelines
PMI expected above 80% LTV; rental income counted at 75% (a 25% vacancy factor)
Licensing Numbers
Pre-licensing education
SAFE Act; Reg H §1008.105
At least 20 hours: 3 hrs federal law, 3 hrs ethics, 2 hrs nontraditional mortgage products, plus electives.
Continuing education
SAFE Act; Reg H §1008.107
At least 8 hours every year: 3 hrs federal law, 2 hrs ethics, 2 hrs nontraditional products, 1 hr elective (3-2-2-1).
Test passing score & retakes
SAFE Act §1505(d)
75% to pass. Failed attempts: 30-day wait between the first 3 attempts; after a 3rd failure, wait at least 180 days.
NMLS record updates (Form MU4)
SAFE Act; state rules via NMLS
Report changes (address, employment, legal actions) through NMLS. The standard window is within 30 days.
Annual license renewal
SAFE Act; NMLS renewal policy
Renewal window is November 1 – December 31 each year (CE must be complete first).
Felony licensing bars
SAFE Act §1505(b)(2)
No license within 7 years of ANY felony; PERMANENT bar for felonies involving fraud, dishonesty, breach of trust, or money laundering.
Retention Periods
TILA records (general)
Reg Z §1026.25(a)
2 years after the date disclosures were required to be made or action was required to be taken.
Loan Estimate & TRID compliance evidence
Reg Z §1026.25(c)(1)(i)
3 years after consummation.
Closing Disclosure
Reg Z §1026.25(c)(1)(ii)
5 years after consummation (including all documents related to the CD).
RESPA Section 8 & AfBA records
Reg X §§1024.14, 1024.15, 1024.16
5 years (kickback/referral-fee compliance and AfBA disclosure records).
MAP Rule (Reg N): mortgage ads
Reg N §1014.5
Retain copies of all commercial communications and supporting substantiation for 24 months from last dissemination.
Count them up
2, 3, 5, 5: TILA, Loan Estimate, Closing Disclosure, Section 8. Then the odd ones out, counted differently: 25 months for ECOA files, 24 months for ads.
The Formulas the Numbers Plug Into
Front-end (housing) ratio
PITI ÷ gross monthly income
e.g. 1,500 ÷ 6,000 = 25%
Back-end DTI
(PITI + all monthly debts) ÷ gross monthly income
e.g. (1,500 + 600) ÷ 6,000 = 35%
LTV
loan amount ÷ lesser(price, appraised value)
e.g. 270,000 ÷ 300,000 = 90%
CLTV
(all loans) ÷ lesser(price, value)
e.g. (270,000 + 15,000) ÷ 300,000 = 95%
Discount points cost
points% × loan amount
e.g. 2% × 250,000 = $5,000
Daily (per-diem) interest
balance × annual rate ÷ 365
e.g. 200,000 × 5.475% ÷ 365 = $30/day, rounded
Monthly interest
balance × annual rate ÷ 12
e.g. 300,000 × 6% ÷ 12 = $1,500
Fully indexed rate
index + margin
e.g. 4.10% + 2.75% = 6.85%
How to actually retain this
Print this page if paper helps. Inside the course, these same figures run on a spaced-repetition rail that hides each number until you answer and re-queues the ones you miss. Recall under a clock is the skill being tested; build it the same way. The free diagnostic shows which clusters are leaking now.
Questions People Ask
What numbers come up most on the SAFE exam?
The TRID cluster (3 days for the LE, the 7-day wait, 3 days for the CD, the mailbox rule), the 75% pass mark with its 30-day and 180-day retake clocks, HPA's 80 and 78, and the education hours: 20 pre-licensure, 8 continuing. Those clusters cover a large share of the pure-recall questions.
Do the SAFE exam numbers change from year to year?
Some do. FHFA resets the conforming loan limit annually, and the FHA, VA, and USDA fee schedules change on their own cycles. The deadline and retention rules are stable. Every figure on this page carries the 2026-07 verification stamp and updates when the source does.
Is there a formula sheet at the SAFE test?
No. You get an on-screen calculator and scratch space, and every formula must come from memory. The formulas table above is the full list worth carrying in.
What is the best way to memorize these numbers?
Retrieval, not rereading. Cover the right-hand column and answer out loud, in shuffled order, on separate days. Numbers you miss twice go on their own short list. Recognition feels like knowledge; only recall scores points.