A licensee moves, or changes the trade name of the business. Within how long must the Commission have written notice under Regulation 14-3?S.C. Code Regs. 14-3
A person who holds no auctioneer license owns and manages a business entity that wants an auction firm license. What does Section 40-6-235 ask of that person?S.C. Code Section 40-6-235(A)(3)(b)
After what date of the renewal period is an unrenewed license lapsed under Regulation 14-12?S.C. Code Regs. 14-12(C)
An applicant affirms no conviction of a felony or a crime involving fraud or moral turpitude during how long a period before applying?S.C. Code Section 40-6-230(A)(4)
An applicant for an auctioneer license has not served an apprenticeship. How many hours of classroom instruction in auctioneering are required instead?S.C. Code Section 40-6-230(A)(3)
An applicant has failed the written examination twice. What limit then applies?S.C. Code Section 40-6-230(A)(3)
An apprentice auctioneer wants to go on renewing the apprentice license. What does Section 40-6-240 allow?S.C. Code Section 40-6-240(A)
An apprentice's association with the supervisor ends. What must the supervisor do with the apprentice's license?S.C. Code Regs. 14-15(E)
Show all 78 questions (70 more)
Licenses, the Commission and exemptions, continued
An owner offers nothing but his own goods at an auction. Which fact brings the sale back under Chapter 6?S.C. Code Section 40-6-370(1)
An unlicensed volunteer conducts an auction on behalf of a religious organization. What does the exception in Section 40-6-370(5) depend on?S.C. Code Section 40-6-370(5)
At least how many Commission members must be licensed auctioneers who are active in the auction profession?S.C. Code Section 40-6-10(B)
Chapter 6 applies to all auctions held in South Carolina except those Section 40-6-370 names. Which of these does it name?S.C. Code Section 40-6-370(7)
Every second year an auctioneer reports continuing education credit earned at Commission-approved classes. How much does Regulation 14-2 call for?S.C. Code Regs. 14-2(A)
For a license based on a license from another state, as of what date are that state's requirements compared with South Carolina's?S.C. Code Section 40-6-270(A)
For how many consecutive years must an auctioneer have held a valid South Carolina license before being appointed supervisor of an apprentice?S.C. Code Regs. 14-15(B)
For how many years is a member of the Auctioneers' Commission appointed under Section 40-6-10?S.C. Code Section 40-6-10(A)
The Governor appoints the Auctioneers' Commission. Of how many members is it composed?S.C. Code Section 40-6-10(A)
In the definitions of Section 40-6-20, what does the term "auction firm" cover?S.C. Code Section 40-6-20(3)
May a licensed auctioneer work as an auctioneer for an auction firm that holds no firm license and is not exempt from holding one?S.C. Code Regs. 14-16
May a South Carolina municipality enact an ordinance to license auctioneers?S.C. Code Section 40-6-320
Of the 80 hours of supervised training an apprentice must complete, how many are auctioneering?S.C. Code Regs. 14-15(D)
What does an apprentice auctioneer need before agreeing to conduct an auction?S.C. Code Section 40-6-220(B)
What fee does an applicant for an auctioneer license pay the Commission to obtain the credit report?S.C. Code Section 40-6-230(A)(5)
What makes a sale an "absolute auction" under Section 40-6-20(1)?S.C. Code Section 40-6-20(1)
What understanding must an applicant show on the auctioneer's written examination under Section 40-6-230?S.C. Code Section 40-6-230(A)(3)
When is a real estate firm exempt from auction firm licensure?S.C. Code Section 40-6-235(C)
Which auction business is exempt from auction firm licensure under Section 40-6-235(B)?S.C. Code Section 40-6-235(B)
Within what span must an apprentice's supervised training be completed under Regulation 14-15?S.C. Code Regs. 14-15(D)
Agreements, escrow, records and advertising 17
A licensed auctioneer works directly for a licensed auction firm that keeps an active escrow account. What may the auctioneer do on a license application?S.C. Code Section 40-6-300(C)
A sale is advertised only as an "estate auction". When may property from outside the estate be sold at it?S.C. Code Section 40-6-310
After signing the written agreement to sell an owner's property, for how long must the auctioneer hold on to at least one copy?S.C. Code Section 40-6-290(A)
An apprentice advertises a sale with the supervisor's approval. What must appear alongside the apprentice's own particulars?S.C. Code Regs. 14-4(D)
The Commission demands the written agreement for an auction to be held within ten days of the demand. When must the licensee produce it?S.C. Code Regs. 14-11(A)
How may the Commission inspect a licensee's records of trust or escrow funds?S.C. Code Section 40-6-300(D)
How must a licensee notify the Commission of a change of bank or account number of the escrow account?S.C. Code Section 40-6-300(B)
How soon after the Commission's demand must a licensee produce copies of escrow account records?S.C. Code Regs. 14-11(B)
May a licensee let an unlicensed bid caller cry bids at an auction?S.C. Code Regs. 14-6
Minimum opening bids are required at a sale. What does Section 40-6-280 make unlawful?S.C. Code Section 40-6-280
Regulation 14-4(A) says licenses are to be prominently displayed. Where?S.C. Code Regs. 14-4(A)
Regulation 14-4(B) names what each advertisement must carry about the auctioneer or firm conducting the sale. What is it?S.C. Code Regs. 14-4(B)
Unless the owner is paid in that time, within how long must a licensee deposit funds received for another person in the trust or escrow account?S.C. Code Section 40-6-300(A)
What must a licensee record on receiving goods for auction, before their sale?S.C. Code Section 40-6-290(B)
When is no written agreement with the owner required for a sale at auction?S.C. Code Section 40-6-290(A)
Which document must be on the auctioneer at each auction he conducts, under Section 40-6-290(C)?S.C. Code Section 40-6-290(C)
With what kind of institution must a licensee who handles auction proceeds maintain the trust or escrow account?S.C. Code Section 40-6-300(A)
Auctioneer Recovery Fund 12
After the fund pays a claim, the licensee must repay the fund before being licensed again. At what yearly rate does interest run?S.C. Code Section 40-6-350(B)
At least how much must be maintained in the Auctioneer Recovery Fund for recovery and guaranty purposes?S.C. Code Section 40-6-330(A)
Before filing a claim against the fund, what must the claimant have done?S.C. Code Section 40-6-340(A)(2)
The Commission forwards a recovery fund claim to the auctioneer by certified mail. Within how long must a verified answer be filed?S.C. Code Section 40-6-340(C)
For what may the Commission use the contents of the fund above $100,000?S.C. Code Section 40-6-330(C)
How long after discovering the loss does a claimant have to file a claim against the fund?S.C. Code Section 40-6-340(A)(4)
Several transactions by one auctioneer produce valid claims within a single calendar year. At what total does the liability of the Auctioneer Recovery Fund stop?S.C. Code Section 40-6-360(3)
Three bidders are aggrieved by a single transaction and each proves a loss. At what sum does the Auctioneer Recovery Fund stop paying on that transaction?S.C. Code Section 40-6-360(2)
What is the most a fund contribution fee assessed under Section 40-6-330(B) may be in a year?S.C. Code Section 40-6-330(B)
Where does money in the fund above $125,000 at the end of the fiscal year go?S.C. Code Section 40-6-330(D)
Which licensees are exempt from contributing to the Auctioneer Recovery Fund?S.C. Code Section 40-6-330(E)
Which of these may a claimant recover from the Auctioneer Recovery Fund?S.C. Code Section 40-6-360(1)
Discipline and penalties 10
A court of competent jurisdiction adjudges a licensee mentally incompetent. What happens to the license?S.C. Code Section 40-6-110(B)
A licensee pleads nolo contendere to a felony. How does Section 40-6-110(A)(7) treat the plea?S.C. Code Section 40-6-110(A)(7)
A person is convicted of violating Chapter 6. What kind of crime does Section 40-6-200 make it?S.C. Code Section 40-6-200
The Commission finds four violations by one licensee. What is the most the fines may total?S.C. Code Section 40-6-120(C)
For how long, at most, may a judge issue a temporary injunction ex parte at the Commission's request?S.C. Code Section 40-6-100(B)
Money belonging to another comes into a licensee's possession through an auction sale. What is the outer limit for accounting for it or paying it over?S.C. Code Section 40-6-110(A)(3)
What is the most the Commission may fine for each violation under Section 40-6-120(C)?S.C. Code Section 40-6-120(C)
Where does a person aggrieved by a final action of the Commission appeal under Regulation 14-10?S.C. Code Regs. 14-10
Which final order of the Commission does not become public knowledge?S.C. Code Section 40-6-120(B)
Which practice does Section 40-6-110(A)(6) name as a ground for action against a licensee?S.C. Code Section 40-6-110(A)(6)
Uniform Commercial Code: sale by auction 5
A bidder has second thoughts after calling out a bid. How late may the bid be taken back under Section 36-2-328(3)?S.C. Code Section 36-2-328(3)
At a forced sale a bid is made for the seller without notice. Does the buyer's option to avoid the sale under Section 36-2-328(4) apply?S.C. Code Section 36-2-328(4)
At what point does Section 36-2-328(2) treat the sale of a lot as complete?S.C. Code Section 36-2-328(2)
In an auction with reserve, what may the auctioneer do with the goods before announcing completion of the sale?S.C. Code Section 36-2-328(3)
The terms of sale say "without reserve." After bids are called for on a lot, when may it be pulled from the sale?S.C. Code Section 36-2-328(3)
Auction math 6
A buyer bids $350 a head on 24 calves, and a 5 percent buyer's premium applies. What does the buyer owe?Own arithmetic question; the answer is worked from the numbers in the question
A house is struck off at $240,000. A 3 percent buyer's premium is added, and the terms ask a deposit of 10 percent of that total on sale day. What is the deposit?Own arithmetic question; the answer is worked from the numbers in the question
After a 15 percent commission is taken, the seller receives $10,200. What did the goods sell for?Own arithmetic question; the answer is worked from the numbers in the question
An estate's goods bring $62,400 at auction and the auctioneer's commission is 12 percent. What is the commission?Own arithmetic question; the answer is worked from the numbers in the question
The fund pays a $6,000 claim against a licensee. With simple interest at the 8 percent a year that Section 40-6-350 sets, what does the licensee owe after one year?Own arithmetic question; the answer is worked from the numbers in the question
Timberland measuring 48.5 acres is struck off at $3,200 for each acre. What does the whole tract bring?Own arithmetic question; the answer is worked from the numbers in the question
How this list was compiled: South Carolina Code of Laws Title 40, Chapter 6 (Auctioneers' Commission) and Section 36-2-328 (sale by auction), read on October 14, 2026 on the South Carolina Legislature's site (https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t40c006.php and https://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t36c002.php); and South Carolina Code of Regulations Chapter 14, Regulations 14-1 to 14-16, read the same day (https://www.scstatehouse.gov/coderegs/Chapter%2014.pdf). The examination's subjects are from Regulation 14-1 and the Commission's Examination page (https://llr.sc.gov/auc/exam.aspx); its length, time and passing score are from the Auctioneers Candidate Information Bulletin dated September 10, 2025 (https://llr.sc.gov/auc/pdfs/SC_Prov_Auctioneers_CIB.pdf). Each law question names its section and links to it; each math question is arithmetic on the numbers it gives. Licence: Own work. Every question, wrong choice and explanation was written for this site from the text of the law, and the math questions use made-up figures. Nothing comes from the state examination, a testing service, a prep course or an exam question pool.
How it works
This unofficial South Carolina auctioneer license practice test asks 78 of our own questions on the Commission's statute and regulations, the sale by auction section of the Uniform Commercial Code and auction math. Not affiliated with the South Carolina Auctioneers' Commission.
Read the full guide
What the South Carolina auctioneer exam tests
Regulation 14-1 lists three things: fundamentals of auctioneering, auctioneer contracts, bid calling, advertisement, ethical practices and mathematics; the Commission's statutes and regulations; and the South Carolina Uniform Commercial Code as it relates to auction and bulk sales.
What is left out
Bid calling, the fundamentals taught in auction school and bulk sales are not asked.
Where the answers come from
Title 40, Chapter 6 and Section 36-2-328 of the South Carolina Code of Laws and Regulations 14-1 to 14-16, read on the Legislature's site on October 14, 2026.
Funds held for another go into the trust or escrow account within three business days, unless the owner is paid in that time (Section 40-6-300).
The Auctioneer Recovery Fund pays no more than $10,000 for one transaction and $20,000 for one licensee in a calendar year (Section 40-6-360).
An auction may not be conducted or advertised as "absolute" if minimum opening bids are required (Section 40-6-280).
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the South Carolina auctioneer exam?
100, with 240 minutes allowed and a passing score of 70, by the Commission's Candidate Information Bulletin dated September 10, 2025. The timed test on this page is half that length: 50 questions in 120 minutes.
How do you get an auctioneer license in South Carolina?
Be 18 or older, complete a one-year apprenticeship or 80 hours of approved classroom instruction, pass the written examination, and give the Commission a criminal history record and a satisfactory credit record (Section 40-6-230).
Do you need a license to be an auctioneer in South Carolina?
Yes. No person may sell or offer to sell goods or real estate at auction without a license, unless Section 40-6-370 excepts the sale, such as an owner's own goods not acquired for resale or an auction under a judicial order (Section 40-6-250).
Does South Carolina require a bond for auctioneers?
No. The Commission's FAQ says a bond is not required. South Carolina has an Auctioneer Recovery Fund, kept at $100,000 or more to pay claims of persons injured by licensees (Section 40-6-330).