- What the Three Sections Actually Are
- How the Exam Is Delivered and Scored
- Domain 1: Real Property Law, Descriptions, and Contracts
- Domain 2: Conveyancing, Interest Calculations, and Oil and Gas Lease
- Domain 3: Ethics
- Seven Review Chapters vs. Three Exam Sections
- Sequencing Your Preparation by Domain
- Fees, Retakes, and Deadlines by Section
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Registered Professional Landman exam has three sections: law/descriptions/contracts, conveyancing/interest calculations/leases, and ethics.
- You need at least 70 in each section; a strong score in one cannot offset a failing one.
- The initial exam runs two hours and is delivered through Meazure Learning, in a testing center or by live remote proctoring.
- No official domain percentages are published, so do not trust any blog quoting exact weights.
What the Three Sections Actually Are
The American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) administers the Registered Professional Landman credential, and its testing page organizes the examination into three sections. Everything in this guide is anchored to those three headings, because they are the structure the issuer itself uses:
- Real Property Law, Descriptions, and Contracts
- Conveyancing, Interest Calculations, and Oil and Gas Lease
- Ethics
Two things are worth stating plainly up front. First, AAPL does not publish percentage weights for these sections, and it does not identify which one carries the most questions. Any site that tells you "Domain 2 is 45% of the exam" is guessing. Second, this is a landwork credential, not a generic business or real estate license. The content assumes you already work with title, leases, and mineral interests, and it tests whether you can apply that knowledge precisely. If you are still deciding whether the credential fits your career, our overview of what RPL certification is covers the basics, and the RPL requirements guide walks through eligibility.
How the Exam Is Delivered and Scored
The initial RPL examination is computer-delivered through Meazure Learning (formerly Scantron). You can sit it at a testing center or take it with ProctorU live remote proctoring. The initial exam is two hours long. The exact number of questions, the split between scored and unscored items, the mix of response types, and the cohort pass rate have not been verified, so avoid planning around a specific question count you read elsewhere. For what the data does and does not show, see our breakdown of the RPL pass rate.
The 70-in-each-section rule
Passing requires a minimum grade of 70 in each of the three sections. This is not an averaged overall score. A candidate who aces the ethics section but scores below 70 on interest calculations does not pass that calculations section, regardless of how well the rest went. AAPL also withholds exact candidate scores, so you will learn pass or fail by section rather than a numeric breakdown. For a deeper treatment, read our guide to the RPL passing score.
What you may and may not bring
Issuer-supplied online calculator and reference resources do not mean you can bring unrestricted personal books or calculators. Treat anything outside the supplied tools as off-limits unless AAPL's current testing guidance says otherwise, and review the issuer's Helpful Tips document before exam day. Because Section 2 involves interest calculations, practicing with the tools you will actually be allowed to use is part of preparation, not an afterthought.
Domain 1: Real Property Law, Descriptions, and Contracts
The first section bundles three subjects that every working landman touches daily: the law of real property, the way land is described, and the law of contracts. It is the foundation on which the other two sections rest, because you cannot calculate an interest or evaluate a lease without understanding what interest in land exists and how it is legally identified.
Real Property Law
Candidates must understand how interests in land are created, held, and transferred, and how the surface and mineral estates relate to each other.
- Estates and interests in land, including how ownership can be divided
- Surface estate versus mineral estate and why the distinction drives landwork
- Forms of co-ownership and what they mean for leasing and division of interest
- Title concepts that connect to examination of records
Property Descriptions
Landmen are paid to read and interpret descriptions accurately, because an error here propagates into every document that follows.
- Metes and bounds descriptions and how to follow a boundary traverse
- Rectangular survey (section, township, range) descriptions and fractional aliquot parts
- Lot and block descriptions from recorded plats
- Spotting ambiguities, gaps, and overlaps in a description
Contract Law
Leases, assignments, and agreements are contracts, so the section tests whether you understand what makes an agreement enforceable and what undermines it.
- Essential elements of a valid contract
- Interpretation of ambiguous terms
- Remedies and consequences of breach at a conceptual level
- How contract principles apply to land transactions
Candidates often underestimate Section 1 because the vocabulary feels familiar from daily work. The exam, however, rewards precise definitions and the ability to apply them to a described fact pattern. If you want a quick-reference companion while you review, our RPL cheat sheet condenses the must-know facts.
Domain 2: Conveyancing, Interest Calculations, and Oil and Gas Lease
The second section is where classroom knowledge meets the arithmetic and drafting realities of the oil and gas business. It combines three subjects: how interests are transferred, how ownership fractions are computed, and how the oil and gas lease itself operates.
Conveyancing
Conveyancing covers the instruments that move interests in land and the rules around recording and priority.
- Types of conveyance instruments and what each accomplishes
- Reservations and exceptions in a deed and their effect on what was actually conveyed
- Recording concepts and the significance of record notice
- How a chain of title is built from successive conveyances
Interest Calculations
This is the most mechanical part of the exam and the one most likely to catch candidates who rely on memory instead of practice.
- Computing net mineral acres from gross acres and fractional ownership
- Determining royalty and working interest decimals
- Tracing how a conveyance of a fraction changes everyone's share
- Checking that computed interests reconcile to a whole
Oil and Gas Lease
The lease is the central document of the industry, and the exam expects you to read its provisions and understand their practical consequences.
- Core lease clauses and what each one is designed to do
- Term, habendum, and how a lease is maintained or allowed to expire
- Royalty provisions and the obligations they create
- Pooling and similar provisions at a conceptual level
This section also reflects the work that drives hiring. Landmen who handle leasing, title curative, and ownership reports are valued for exactly these skills, which is why employers in energy and land services pay attention to the credential. To see how that translates to roles, explore RPL jobs and the RPL salary guide, and weigh them in our analysis of whether the RPL is worth it.
Domain 3: Ethics
The third section stands alone, and that separation is significant. Because passing requires 70 in every section, ethics is not a throwaway add-on: failing it means retaking it, even if you dominated the technical material.
Ethics
The section tests professional conduct as it applies to landwork and to membership in AAPL.
- The professional standards that govern a landman's duties to clients, landowners, and the public
- Handling conflicts of interest and confidential information
- Honesty and accuracy in dealings with mineral owners and other parties
- Applying a code of conduct to a described situation rather than reciting it
Ethics questions usually present a scenario and ask what a professional should do. The strongest preparation is reading the AAPL code of ethics carefully and practicing the habit of identifying whose interests are at stake. Ethics also follows you after certification: recertification requires 25 CE credits that include two ethics credits, so the subject remains part of your professional life.
Seven Review Chapters vs. Three Exam Sections
Candidates frequently get confused because the AAPL review course description lists seven topics, while the exam itself has three sections. The distinction matters, so here is how the two relate:
| Official Exam Section | Related Review-Course Chapters |
|---|---|
| Real Property Law, Descriptions, and Contracts | Real Property Law; Property Descriptions; Contract Law |
| Conveyancing, Interest Calculations, and Oil and Gas Lease | Conveyancing & Interest Calculations; Oil & Gas Lease |
| Ethics | Ethics |
| (Orientation material) | AAPL & the Landman |
Sequencing Your Preparation by Domain
Since no weights are published, a sensible plan gives each section enough time to clear a 70 and puts the hardest, most cumulative material in the middle when your energy is highest. The schedule below is an illustration tied to the content of each section, not an official recommendation. For a fuller plan, see our RPL study guide, and if you are gauging effort, our piece on how hard the RPL exam is sets expectations.
Descriptions and Real Property Law
- Practice reading metes and bounds and rectangular survey descriptions until it is automatic
- Review estates, co-ownership, and the surface/mineral split
Contracts and Conveyancing
- Cover contract elements, then tie them to deeds, reservations, and exceptions
- Work through chain-of-title examples
Interest Calculations and the Lease
- Drill ownership-fraction problems with the tools you will be allowed to use
- Read lease clauses and note the practical effect of each
Ethics and Full Review
- Study the code of ethics through scenario questions
- Take timed practice under the two-hour limit and review misses by section
Calculations get their own week because they are the skill most dependent on repetition. Ethics goes last not because it is minor, but because scenario reasoning is easier once you have the technical vocabulary fresh. Track your practice results per section, since the exam penalizes a weak section even when your overall performance is strong. Our RPL practice tests let you drill by content area so you can see exactly which section is below the line.
Fees, Retakes, and Deadlines by Section
The sectioned structure shapes the retake rules. If you fall short on one or more sections, you retest only the failed sections rather than the whole exam. Eligibility and fee mechanics are worth understanding before you apply, and our RPL certification cost breakdown gives the full picture.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Application fee | USD 150 |
| Initial examination fee | USD 65 (total USD 215 before membership, preparation, or scheduling extras) |
| Failed-section retake | USD 55 per section |
| Retests allowed | Up to two on failed sections, within one year of the initial exam |
| Retake appointment lengths | 45 minutes, 45 minutes, and 30 minutes respectively |
| Optional study guide (16th edition) | USD 50 for members, USD 62.50 for nonmembers |
Timing rules are strict. The initial examination must be taken within one year of approval, and if you do not pass all required sections by the deadline, you must begin a new application process. There is no nonmember route to certification, and eligibility includes one year of AAPL Active Membership, five qualifying credit years (with no more than three education credit years), and recent landwork of at least two years with a bachelor's degree or four years without one. Two qualified sponsors are also required. Because scheduling windows matter, check our RPL exam dates guide before you commit to a plan, and see the requirements article for sponsor details.
If you are earlier in your research and still sorting out terminology, our explainers on what RPL stands for and what RPL is are a good starting point, and our RPL training overview covers preparation options.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Registered Professional Landman examination has three sections: Real Property Law, Descriptions, and Contracts; Conveyancing, Interest Calculations, and Oil and Gas Lease; and Ethics. These are the section headings AAPL uses on its testing page.
AAPL has not published percentage weights, so no section can be verified as the most heavily weighted. Because you must score at least 70 in each section, plan to prepare all three rather than gambling on a perceived heavy section.
No. The passing standard is a minimum grade of 70 in each of the three sections, not an overall average. Failing one section means retaking that section even if you passed the others.
No. The review course lists seven unweighted preparation topics, but the exam itself is organized into three sections. The chapters are a useful study map, not an official domain list or a guarantee of complete exam coverage.
You retake only the failed section for USD 55 per retake. Up to two retests on failed sections are allowed within one year of the initial examination. If you do not pass every required section by the deadline, you must start a new application process.
The three-section structure rewards balanced preparation: solid property and contract fundamentals, accurate conveyancing and interest math, and sound ethical judgment. Build your plan around clearing 70 in each, use the review chapters as a study aid rather than a rulebook, and test yourself by section with the RPL Exam Prep practice questions before you sit for the real thing.