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Free COS Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free COS practice test to study every exam domain.

Question 1

A property manager is calculating annual income for a tenant who is paid every two weeks (biweekly). The tenant's gross pay is $1,450 each pay period. What amount should the manager record as the tenant's annual income?

  1. $17,400
  2. $34,800
  3. $37,700
  4. $75,400
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - $37,700

Question 2

A family's total net household assets are $61,000, and those assets earned $180 in actual income over the past year. HUD's passbook savings rate is 0.40%, and the imputed-income threshold is $52,787. How much income from assets must be included in the family's annual income?

  1. $244, the imputed income, since it exceeds the actual income
  2. $180, only the actual income the assets earned during the year
  3. $424, the actual income added to the imputed income
  4. $0, because these assets fall below the $100,000 eligibility limit
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - $244, the imputed income, since it exceeds the actual income

Question 3

A family's monthly adjusted income is $1,200 and their monthly gross income is $1,350. The owner's minimum rent is $50, and the family does not live in a welfare 'as-paid' locality. What is the family's Total Tenant Payment (TTP)?

  1. $405
  2. $360
  3. $135
  4. $50
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - $360

Question 4

A family of four consists of two parents, ages 40 and 38, and their two children. One child has a chronic medical condition, and the family paid $4,500 in unreimbursed medical expenses this year on an annual income of $30,000. Under current HOTMA rules, what medical expense deduction is this family entitled to?

  1. $1,500 - the expenses exceeding 10% of their annual income that year
  2. $3,600 - the expenses exceeding 3% of their annual income that year
  3. $4,500 - the full amount of their unreimbursed medical expenses
  4. $0 - the family is not an elderly or disabled family
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - $0 - the family is not an elderly or disabled family

Question 5

A 22-year-old full-time college student applies for Section 8 assistance. She is unmarried, has no dependent children, is not a veteran, and is not a person with a disability. During the review, the owner verifies that her parents' combined income is $26,000, while the income limit for the applicable household size is $24,000. How should the owner classify her eligibility?

  1. Eligible - her own income is below the limit
  2. Ineligible - her parents' income exceeds the limit
  3. Eligible - students under 24 are exempt from income limits
  4. Ineligible - every full-time student is barred from assistance
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Ineligible - her parents' income exceeds the limit

Question 6

While completing an annual recertification, an owner runs the EIV Income Report and finds it shows $6,200 more in wages than the tenant reported on their certification. What is the owner's most appropriate next step?

  1. Discuss the discrepancy with the tenant and verify it before finalizing
  2. Accept the tenant's reported figure, since they signed the certification under penalty of perjury
  3. Immediately terminate the tenant's assistance for misreporting income
  4. Disregard the difference, since EIV figures are only estimates
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Discuss the discrepancy with the tenant and verify it before finalizing

Question 7

On July 18, a tenant reports a permanent decrease in income, which the owner verifies and processes the same month through an interim recertification. When does the tenant's reduced rent take effect?

  1. Retroactively, on July 18, when the income actually changed
  2. On August 1, the first of the month following the action
  3. 30 days after the tenant is notified of the new rent
  4. At the tenant's next annual recertification
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - On August 1, the first of the month following the action

Question 8

A tenant who uses a wheelchair asks the owner to install grab bars in the bathroom of their unit. The property receives federal financial assistance. Under Section 504, who is generally responsible for the cost of this modification?

  1. The owner, unless it would impose an undue financial and administrative burden
  2. The tenant, who is responsible for the cost and may have to restore the unit at move-out
  3. The tenant and owner each split the cost equally
  4. An outside disability agency, through a separate grant
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - The owner, unless it would impose an undue financial and administrative burden

Question 9

Which of the following situations would NOT, on its own, constitute 'good cause' for an owner to terminate a tenant's tenancy in HUD-assisted multifamily housing?

  1. The tenant seriously and repeatedly violated the terms of the lease
  2. Serious drug-related criminal activity occurred in or around the leased unit
  3. The tenant failed to pay rent for two consecutive months
  4. The tenant reported the birth of a child in the household
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - The tenant reported the birth of a child in the household

Question 10

All of the following are EXCLUDED from a family's annual income under HUD rules EXCEPT:

  1. The earned income of a household member who is under 18
  2. A one-time, lump-sum inheritance the family received
  3. Regular monthly Social Security retirement benefits
  4. Payments the family receives for the care of a foster child
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Regular monthly Social Security retirement benefits

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