- The MAI General Comprehensive Examination is offered in three windows: April 1-30, August 1-31 and November 1-30.
- Required course examinations must be completed at least six weeks before the window you select, per the current overview.
- Each of the four modules is scheduled separately and may be taken in any order, subject to Pearson VUE center availability.
- Each module costs USD 150, so four first attempts total USD 600, excluding courses, dues and other designation fees.
The Three Testing Windows at a Glance
Unlike exams you can book on almost any weekday, the MAI General Comprehensive Examination runs in defined windows. According to the Appraisal Institute's Comprehensive Examination Overview (updated October 5, 2026), the windows are:
| Window | Dates | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | April 1-30 | 30 days |
| Summer | August 1-31 | 31 days |
| Fall | November 1-30 | 30 days |
That cadence means a missed deadline can cost you months, not days. If you miss the cutoff for April, the next opportunity is August. Treat the window calendar as the fixed frame around which everything else in your plan is built, including the courses you take, the study time you block and the funds you set aside.
Testing is delivered at Pearson VUE Professional Testing Centers. We did not verify a remote or adaptive version of this particular examination, so plan on traveling to a center and confirm current delivery options with the Appraisal Institute before you commit to a date.
The Six-Week Course-Exam Deadline
The single most consequential scheduling rule is the one that happens before the window opens. The current overview states that required course examinations must be completed at least six weeks before the selected testing window. Counting backward from the first day of each window:
- For the April window, finish required course exams roughly six weeks before April 1, which is mid-February.
- For the August window, the equivalent point falls around mid-June.
- For the November window, it falls around mid-September.
Those are approximations of "six weeks before the window starts"; confirm the exact cutoff against the issuer's current language rather than relying on our arithmetic. The older-effective guidebook uses softer, advisory "should" wording for this timing, while the current overview presents it as a deadline. Because the two documents differ, the conservative approach is to follow the stricter current wording.
The practical effect is that course completion, not exam-day readiness, is often your real bottleneck. A candidate who finishes the last prerequisite course exam late can be fully prepared for the content yet locked out of the next window. For a fuller picture of the courses that feed this deadline, see our guide to MAI requirements, eligibility and prerequisites.
Who Can Actually Schedule
Dates matter only if you are eligible to sit. According to the issuer's designation page, comprehensive-exam access depends on General Candidate for Designation status and completed required education. On the standard route, the designation requirements include Certified General Real Property Appraiser status or an accepted equivalent, a bachelor's or higher degree if you are not already a Certified General appraiser, Standards education, Fair Housing, AI Business Practices and Ethics, and passing the course examinations: Advanced Income Capitalization, Advanced Market Analysis and Highest & Best Use, Advanced Concepts & Case Studies, and Quantitative Analysis.
Do not confuse scheduling gates with designation requirements
Full MAI designation also requires the General Demonstration of Knowledge, 4,500 specialized experience hours over at least 36 months within 10 years, and the designated membership application. We did not verify that those experience hours are a separate prerequisite for scheduling every module, so do not assume either way. Ask the Appraisal Institute what applies to your specific pathway.
- Window deadlines govern the comprehensive modules.
- Experience and Demonstration of Knowledge timelines run on their own clocks.
- Alternative pathways exist; the Experience Credit Candidate Guidebook and Candidate for Designation Policy Manual document them.
One more distinction: the Excel diagnostic mentioned in the issuer's MAI FAQ belongs to the designation education courses, with an exception for candidates challenging all four course examinations. It is separate from the comprehensive exam's calculator and spreadsheet conditions, so do not fold it into your window timeline.
Four Modules, Four Appointments
The General Comprehensive Examination is four computer-delivered multiple-choice modules, each with 50 scored questions, for 200 scored questions in aggregate. Additional unscored items may appear, and no fixed public count is published. Each module is a separately scheduled appointment with its own time allowance:
| Module | Time allowed |
|---|---|
| General Concepts | 210 minutes |
| Cost Approach, H&BU, Feasibility | 210 minutes |
| Income Capitalization Approach | 240 minutes |
| Sales Comparison Approach | 240 minutes |
Added together, that is 900 minutes, or 15 hours. But the 15 hours is a calculation across four separate sittings, not one continuous marathon. Every module must be passed individually, so a strong result in one does not offset a weak result in another.
Because each appointment is long, think about your calendar in terms of energy as well as availability. A 240-minute sitting is a half-day commitment once you add travel, check-in and identification checks. Scheduling two of the long modules on consecutive days is possible only if your center has the seats, so verify availability early. For a breakdown of how the content is organized across these modules, read our complete guide to the four MAI exam domains.
Choosing a Module Order
The overview confirms that modules can be selected in any order, subject to center availability. The issuer does not publish a recommended sequence, so any ordering advice below is editorial judgment, not issuer guidance.
Option A: Foundation first
Start with General Concepts, then move into Cost Approach, H&BU, Feasibility. The logic is that highest and best use, feasibility and the general framework underpin later valuation work. This suits candidates who feel least settled on fundamentals.
Option B: Hardest first
Many candidates prefer to confront Income Capitalization Approach early while their motivation is highest, then finish with the modules where they feel more comfortable. Module III is also the only one with a basic formula list provided, which changes how you prepare for it versus the others.
Option C: Match the module to your recent work
If your daily practice leans heavily on sales comparison, you might schedule Sales Comparison Approach first to bank a quick pass, then devote remaining study time to modules that feel less familiar. This can build confidence and reduce the pressure on the final sittings.
Test-Day Conditions That Affect Scheduling
Several conditions shape how you plan the logistics of each appointment:
- Closed book. Notes, books and financial tables are prohibited.
- One calculator. You may use one financial calculator at a time. Its memory must be cleared before and after testing, and calculator manuals are prohibited.
- Two valid forms of identification. Verify that both are current and match your registration name before the appointment.
- Embedded spreadsheet. An optional embedded spreadsheet is available but is not graded.
- Formula list. A basic formula list is provided only for Module III, Income Capitalization Approach.
If you plan to rely on a particular calculator, practice with that exact model well before your appointment, including clearing its memory. Discovering a keystroke gap in the testing room is an avoidable mistake. Because you may sit four separate appointments, you will repeat these checks each time.
When Results Arrive and What Comes After
Results are normally accessible five to ten business days after the testing window ends. That detail surprises many candidates: the wait is measured from the close of the window, not from your individual sitting. If you test on April 3, you should not expect an answer in a week; plan around the window's end date.
This has a direct planning consequence. If you fail a module, you cannot re-test it in the same window based on information you do not yet have. Your next realistic attempt is the following window, which means a gap of months. That gap is worth using well. The issuer's critiques identify tested subject categories and missed-question counts, and the guidebook recommends using them to target re-exam study and to compare weak areas against your prerequisite-course critiques.
The issuer does not publish a numerical cut score. Each module has a specific passing score, and the examination is not graded on a curve, but the number itself is confidential. Our article on the MAI passing score explains what is and is not publicly known, and our pass-rate analysis explains why anecdotes from forums and vendors should not be treated as outcome statistics.
Fees Tied to Each Attempt
Scheduling and money are linked, because each module is a separate paid appointment. The exam fee is USD 150 per module, or USD 600 by arithmetic for four first attempts. Registration is candidate-only, and no separate member versus nonmember examination tariff is published. Retakes are priced per module attempt under current rules, so confirm the figure at registration.
Those exam fees are only one slice of the cost. Course tuition, materials, membership dues and designation charges are separate. The candidate fee page also lists USD 300 for the experience application and USD 100 for the designation application, plus General Demonstration of Knowledge options: USD 350 for the traditional demonstration report or research project, USD 1,850 for the General Capstone Program, and USD 150 for thesis/dissertation or peer-reviewed publication. Fees may change annually. For the full picture, see our MAI certification cost breakdown.
Working Backward From a Window
Because the six-week course deadline and the fixed windows create hard edges, the most reliable way to plan is backward from your target window. This is the one place where we offer a study-sequencing framework, tied to the actual modules. The week allocations below are editorial suggestions, not issuer guidance or official weights.
General Concepts and Cost Approach, H&BU, Feasibility
- Build the framework that supports every approach to value.
- Work highest and best use and feasibility reasoning as connected steps, not isolated definitions.
Income Capitalization Approach
- Give this module the longest runway; it has the longest time allowance at 240 minutes.
- Drill with your actual exam calculator and learn its memory-clearing routine.
Sales Comparison Approach
- Practice reasoning through adjustments and reconciliation under time pressure.
Review and critique-driven correction
- Revisit prerequisite-course critiques to find recurring weak categories.
- Confirm identification, center availability and appointment times.
If you are returning after a long break from coursework, extend the early weeks rather than compressing the later ones. The modules assume you can move fluidly between concepts, so rebuilding fundamentals first usually pays off. For a deeper walkthrough, our MAI study guide covers preparation in more detail, and you can test your readiness with questions on the main practice test site. If you are weighing how demanding the sequence is, see how hard the MAI exam really is.
Key Takeaway
Pick your target window first, subtract six weeks for course-exam completion, then place your four module appointments inside the window as early as center availability allows. Early booking protects your preferred order and leaves buffer if a sitting must move.
FAQ
According to the issuer's overview (updated October 5, 2026), the windows are April 1-30, August 1-31 and November 1-30. Modules can be selected in any order, subject to center availability.
The current overview says required course examinations must be completed at least six weeks before your selected window. An older-effective guidebook uses softer advisory wording, but the stricter current overview is the safer standard to follow.
No. Each module is a separately scheduled appointment with its own time allowance of 210 or 240 minutes. The roughly 15-hour total is a calculation across four sittings, and every module must be passed individually.
Results are normally accessible five to ten business days after the testing window ends, not after each individual sitting. Plan around the window's closing date when estimating your next attempt.
The fee is USD 150 per module, or USD 600 for four first attempts. Courses, materials, dues and designation charges are separate, and fees may change annually, so confirm current amounts with the Appraisal Institute.
Whichever window you choose, the pattern is the same: lock your course deadline, book early, and prepare module by module. If you are still deciding whether the investment fits your career, our MAI ROI analysis walks through the trade-offs, and you can sharpen your readiness with practice questions at realestatevaluationexam.com.