Agent take = total commission x brokerage split x agent split. The three-step chain the NY exam tests, worked end to end.
How to solve it, step by step
- Work out the total commission from the sale price first.
- Split it between the listing and selling brokerages using the co-broke split.
- Take the agent’s percentage of their own brokerage’s share — never of the full commission.
- Re-read the question to confirm whose share is being asked for.
Worked examples
What the NY exam actually asks
This is the single most common NY math question type. The exam gives you a sale price and makes you walk the whole chain: sale price to total commission, total to brokerage side, brokerage side to agent. Miss one multiplication and the answer is wrong.
Try one yourself
A home sells for $380,000 at a 6% commission. The brokerages split 50/50, and the selling agent receives 60% of their brokerage’s share. What does the selling agent earn?
Show the answer
$6,840. Total commission $22,800; the selling brokerage receives $11,400; the agent takes 60% of that = $6,840.
Common mistakes
- Splitting once and stopping. There are usually two splits: between brokerages, then between brokerage and agent.
- Assuming a 50/50 co-broke when the question states otherwise.
- Multiplying the agent’s percentage by the full commission instead of by the brokerage’s half.
Questions students ask
What does a 50/50 co-broke mean?
The listing and selling brokerages divide the total commission equally. Each brokerage then splits its half with its own agent.
Does the agent get paid by the seller?
No. The seller pays the listing broker, the broker pays the agent. Compensation flows through the brokerage.
Related formulas
- The real estate commission formula
- The T-method
- All 12 formulas — NY Real Estate Math Cheat Sheet
- Real Estate Math Calculator