RES Exam 2027 Changes: New Units, Green Mark and AML

Every RES exam from 1 January 2027 follows CEA's 2027 syllabus. The format stays the same: two papers, 2.5 hours each, 60 Section A questions and 20 Section B case-study questions per paper. What changes is the content. Paper 2 gains three new units: 3.2 professional practice, ethics and conduct, 3.4 anti-money laundering (PMLPFTF) obligations and 3.9 green buildings and leases. The foreign worker housing unit is gone, four units have new titles, and the RES course goes from at least 50 hours to at least 65.

The syllabus page lists every unit. This guide goes one level deeper: what each new unit actually asks you to do, the facts behind it, and the trap examiners can set. Everything below was checked on 1 Nov 2026 against CEA's 2027 syllabus (version 1.0), CEA's FAQ on the revision (version as at 27 Aug 2025) and the other sources listed at the end. RESPrep is an independent practice site, not CEA or a course provider.

When the 2027 syllabus starts

CEA's FAQ says the revised syllabus applies to examinations from 1 January 2027, and that 2025 and 2026 sittings use the 2017 syllabus. So the 31 Oct and 1 Nov 2026 sitting was the last one on the old content. If your next attempt is in 2027, you sit the new syllabus, whether it is your first try or a re-sit.

One rule carries over unchanged. CEA's exam page (last updated 2 Jun 2026) says you are not tested on government policy changes announced or implemented within one month before the exam. Anything older than that is fair game.

The exam format does not change

CEA's FAQ answers this directly: no change in format or duration. The 2027 syllabus sets out the same structure on its page 3.

The levels matter more than they look. CEA says an L3 outcome can be asked directly or through practical scenarios and case studies. Both ethics outcomes and four of the five AML outcomes are L3, so expect them as client situations, including in Section B where each question is worth 2 marks. For the full exam structure, see the RES exam format guide.

New unit 3.2: Professional practice, ethics and conduct

CEA recommends 2.5 training hours for this unit, and both of its learning outcomes are L3. Ethics was already examinable under the 2017 syllabus, inside the regulation unit. What is new is that it now stands alone, at the apply level, and names two things the old syllabus did not: managing ethical dilemmas, and how you treat other agents.

What is tested

• Professionalism and integrity: act honestly and fairly, base advice on evidence you can support, and send clients to a solicitor, tax adviser or valuer when a matter is beyond you.
• Ethical dilemmas in three named areas: advertising and marketing, co-broking, and making a profit versus protecting the consumer.
• Duties to clients and the public: disclose anything that could affect your independence, keep client information private and secure, and keep conflicts of interest to a minimum.
• Conduct towards other agents, under CEA's Practice Guidelines on Conduct of Estate Agents and Real Estate Salespersons towards one another (the PGC).

The facts behind it

• CEA listed the PGC on 20 Mar 2023, and it took effect on 24 Mar 2023, replacing the 2014 guidelines on conduct between salespersons.
• You must co-broke with all other agents unless your client tells you in writing not to (PGC para 20). Co-broking terms and the fee are agreed in writing before the deal closes (paras 25 to 26).
• You must not solicit or accept a client you know, or ought to know, is under another agent's exclusive agreement (para 12). A salesperson leaving an agency must not persuade its clients to cancel their exclusive agreements, before or after leaving (para 16).
• You must not criticise another agent's services, conduct or fees, and reposting someone else's criticism on social media counts (para 9).
• Under the Code of Ethics and Professional Client Care, you owe honesty and fairness to all persons, not only your client (para 6(3)). A conflict is declared in writing as soon as possible, and a referral fee needs the client's prior written consent, with both the fact and the amount disclosed in advance (para 13).

The Code of Ethics lesson covers the paragraphs CEA quotes most.

New unit 3.4: PMLPFTF obligations (anti-money laundering)

PMLPFTF stands for the prevention of money laundering, proliferation financing and terrorism financing. CEA recommends 2.5 training hours. The 2017 syllabus only listed the PMLPFTF Regulations by name. The 2027 unit makes AML its own topic, sets four of its five outcomes at L3, and names three more statutes: the CDSA, the TSOFA and the United Nations Act.

What is tested

• The purpose of the AML rules and the salesperson's role in spotting suspicious deals.
• Your duties under the Estate Agents (PMLPFTF) Regulations 2021, the CDSA, the TSOFA and the UN Act.
• Customer due diligence (CDD) with CEA's checklists, explaining to a client why you need it, and knowing when enhanced CDD and screening apply.
• Risk assessment with suspicious indicators, for existing clients as well as new ones, and finding the beneficial owner.
• When to file a suspicious transaction report (STR), the duty to give the police information on terrorism financing, and the legal and reputational consequences of getting it wrong.

The facts behind it

• The Estate Agents Act and the PMLPFTF Regulations were amended with effect from 1 Jul 2025: proliferation financing was added, due diligence on unrepresented counterparties was added, and HDB residential rentals were exempted from CDD. CEA expected full compliance for transactions from 1 Jan 2026.
• CDSA s 45: if you know or have reasonable grounds to suspect that property is linked to crime, you report it to the Suspicious Transaction Reporting Office (STRO) as soon as reasonably practicable, whether or not the deal completes. For an individual, the penalty for not reporting is a fine of up to S$250,000, up to 3 years' jail, or both.
• STRs are filed through STRO's SONAR system. A salesperson files through their agency, and is not expected to investigate (CEA's AML page, updated 22 Jan 2026).
• TSOFA s 8: if you hold, or know of a transaction in, property belonging to a terrorist or terrorist entity, you must inform the police immediately.
• The UN Act gives effect to UN Security Council sanctions. Screening checks clients against TSOFA's terrorist list and persons designated under UN Act regulations.
• For AML breaches committed on or after 1 Jul 2025, disciplinary penalties are counted per contravention, and a money laundering, proliferation financing or terrorism financing conviction, in Singapore or elsewhere, makes a person not fit and proper for registration.

For the CDD steps themselves, see AML and CDD for property agents.

See how much has stuck: sit a free RES mock exam, no sign-up needed. Or see the passes for the full question bank.

New unit 3.9: Green buildings and leases

This is the one genuinely new topic. CEA recommends 1 training hour, and all three outcomes are L2 (understand), so expect direct questions on what Green Mark is and what a green lease contains, more than long scenarios.

What is tested

• The objectives of BCA's Green Mark Certification Scheme.
• Its key criteria, and how to explain the benefits of a certified building to a buyer or tenant.
• Common green-lease clauses in six areas: energy efficiency, water efficiency, sustainable materials, waste management, indoor environmental quality, and the comfort and well-being of occupants.

The facts behind it

• Green Mark is run by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), not CEA or URA. It was launched in January 2005 and rates the environmental performance of new and existing buildings.
• Green Mark version 7 took effect on 2 Sep 2026. BCA accepts applications under the previous standard, GM:2021, until 31 Mar 2027; from 1 Apr 2027 all new applications are assessed under version 7 only (BCA circular, 2 Sep 2026). Version 7 adds a standalone BCA Energy Rating, with tiers from EE45 to Positive Energy, and a new SLE70 tier for buildings that save at least 70% energy.
• A holistic Green Mark combines the energy rating with points across five sustainability sections: Intelligence, Health and Wellbeing, Whole Life Carbon, Resilience and Maintainability.
• A Green Mark certificate is valid for 3 years and the owner must recertify. Version 7 can extend this to 5 years for buildings that keep meeting their energy target.
• Green Mark certification itself is largely voluntary. The legal minimum standard for new buildings applies at 5,000 m² gross floor area or more, for projects first submitted for planning permission from 1 Dec 2021 (BCA, page updated 2 Sep 2026).
• A green lease is a contract between landlord and tenant. BCA publishes a voluntary Green Lease Toolkit, and no Singapore law requires green-lease clauses in a tenancy.

Removed: foreign worker housing

The 2017 unit on foreign worker housing (unit 4.7) is removed. Its rules on approved housing types and MOM's housing requirements are no longer examinable. The immigration checks on tenants and occupiers are not gone: the 2027 leasing units (4.5 and 4.6) still test the Immigration Act and Women's Charter checks, including verifying a foreign tenant's immigration and employment status.

Four units with new titles

Units after the new ones are renumbered, so a 2017 unit number in old notes may now point to a different topic. Check the syllabus page before you rely on a unit number.

What it means if you are re-sitting in 2027

If you missed a paper at the 31 Oct and 1 Nov 2026 sitting, your next attempt will be on the 2027 syllabus. CEA's FAQ settles the practical questions:

• Your pass in the other paper stays valid. A modular pass counts if it falls within two years of your RES course completion date, and you only re-sit the paper you failed (FAQ A11).
• You do not retake the course if your exam date is within two years of finishing it (FAQ A5). After two years you must complete the course again.
• Bridging courses are optional. You can self-study the new topics instead, and a bridging course does not extend your certificate (FAQ A8 to A10).

The next sitting is Paper 1 on Sat 13 Mar 2027 and Paper 2 on Sun 14 Mar 2027, both from 9.30am. A sensible plan: sit a free timed mock to see where your marks went, read the three new lessons, then drill your weakest topics with the full bank. A pass gives you every question, lesson and mock, paid once with no auto-renew. If you are still deciding whether to re-sit at all, the re-sit guide covers fees and the two clocks that matter.

Sources

All checked on 1 Nov 2026 unless noted.

• CEA, Real Estate Salesperson Examination Syllabus 2027 (version 1.0, date issued 1 Jan 2027).
• CEA, Anticipated FAQs on revision of RES Examination Syllabus (version as at 27 Aug 2025).
• CEA, Prepare for the real estate salesperson examination (last updated 2 Jun 2026).
• CEA, Practice guidelines and circulars (last updated 15 Aug 2025), for the PGC.
• CEA, Preventing money laundering, proliferation financing and terrorism financing (last updated 22 Jan 2026).
• Statute sections (CDSA s 45, TSOFA s 8, Code of Ethics paras 6 and 13, PGC paras 9 to 26) as read on Singapore Statutes Online and in the PGC on 11 Oct 2026.
• BCA, Green Mark Certification Scheme (last updated 9 Oct 2026).
• BCA, Green Mark Version 7 (last updated 23 Oct 2026) and BCA industry circular on the launch of GM v7 (2 Sep 2026).
• BCA, regulatory requirements for new buildings and major additions and alterations (last updated 2 Sep 2026).