Florida exam calculator

    Cap rate, NOI, and GRM calculator, built for income-property exam traps.

    Calculate capitalization rate, net operating income, value, and gross rent multiplier while keeping debt service out of the wrong formula.

    Quick answer

    Cap rate equals NOI divided by value. Value equals NOI divided by cap rate. NOI equals gross income minus vacancy and operating expenses. GRM equals value divided by gross rent. The exam trap is mixing gross income, net income, and mortgage payments.

    Cap rate
    NOI / value

    Cap rate measures net operating income compared with property value.

    Value
    NOI / cap rate

    When cap rate and NOI are known, divide NOI by the cap rate decimal.

    NOI
    Income - expenses

    NOI starts with gross income, then subtracts vacancy and operating expenses.

    GRM
    Value / gross rent

    GRM uses gross rent, not NOI. That is the whole trap.

    Exam trap
    Ignore debt

    Mortgage payments are not operating expenses in a cap rate question.

    Calculator

    Separate gross rent, NOI, cap rate, and GRM before calculating.

    What are you solving for?

    Income-property math is mostly a sorting problem before it is math.

    Exam rule: NOI is property income before debt service and income tax. If a mortgage payment is listed in a cap rate question, it is usually there to distract you.
    Capitalization rate
    9.29%
    NOI is $79,000.00. Value is $850,000.00. Cap rate is 9.29%.
    NOI trap

    Cap rate uses net operating income, not gross rent. Subtract vacancy and operating expenses when the question gives them.

    Debt trap

    Debt service is not subtracted for NOI in a cap rate problem. It matters for cash flow, not property-level NOI.

    GRM trap

    GRM uses gross rent. Cap rate uses NOI. Mixing those two formulas creates a clean-looking wrong answer.

    Annual gross incomeGiven as annual
    $120,000.00
    Vacancy lossGross income x vacancy percent
    $6,000.00
    Operating expensesSubtracted for NOI
    $35,000.00
    Net operating incomeGross income minus vacancy and operating expenses
    $79,000.00
    Debt service ignored for NOIUse only if the question asks for cash flow
    $48,000.00
    GRM input rentAnnual gross income
    $120,000.00
    Common exam trap

    Cap rate is NOI divided by value. GRM is value divided by gross rent. The exam may put both gross rent and expenses in the same question to see whether you know which formula you are using.

    Setup chooser

    Sort the income before choosing the formula.

    Income-property questions look busy because they include rent, vacancy, expenses, value, cap rate, and sometimes a mortgage payment. Only some of those numbers belong in NOI.

    Is the question asking for cap rate, value, NOI, or GRM?

    Name the formula before sorting the numbers. Cap rate uses NOI. GRM uses gross rent. They are not interchangeable.

    Did the problem give gross rent, vacancy, and expenses?

    Calculate NOI first. Gross rent minus vacancy minus operating expenses equals NOI.

    Did the problem include a mortgage payment?

    Ignore debt service for cap rate and NOI unless the question asks for cash flow. Debt is a common distractor.

    Is the rent monthly or annual?

    Annualize monthly rent before calculating NOI. For GRM, use the period the question expects.

    Worked examples

    Four income-property patterns to drill before test day.

    These examples cover direct cap rate, value from income, NOI setup, and the GRM formula switch.

    Basic cap rate
    Must-know formula

    $160,000 NOI and $2,000,000 value

    $160,000 / $2,000,000
    8 percent cap rate

    Cap rate is a percent, so convert the decimal after dividing.

    Find value
    Income approach

    $90,000 NOI at a 7.5 percent cap rate

    $90,000 / 0.075
    $1,200,000 value

    Divide by 0.075, not by 7.5.

    Build NOI
    Common setup trap

    $120,000 gross income, 5 percent vacancy, $35,000 expenses

    $120,000 - $6,000 - $35,000
    $79,000 NOI

    Vacancy is subtracted before cap rate is calculated.

    GRM
    Formula switch

    $300,000 value and $2,500 monthly gross rent

    $300,000 / $2,500
    120 monthly GRM

    GRM uses gross rent. Cap rate uses NOI.

    Mistakes students make

    The mistakes that turn income math into a guessing game.

    The exam is usually testing whether you know what belongs in NOI and what belongs in a different formula.

    Debt error

    Subtracting the mortgage payment from NOI

    Debt service changes investor cash flow, not property-level NOI. The exam loves placing it in the question as a distractor.

    Gross vs net

    Using gross rent in the cap rate formula

    Cap rate uses NOI. If expenses and vacancy are given, calculate NOI before dividing by value.

    GRM mix-up

    Using NOI in a GRM problem

    GRM is value divided by gross rent. It is a rough multiplier, not a net-income formula.

    Decimal miss

    Dividing by 7.5 instead of 0.075

    When solving value from cap rate, convert the percent to a decimal first. Otherwise the value will be far too small.

    Final ask miss

    Stopping at NOI when the question asks for value

    Many income-property questions require a first step and a final step. Re-read the last sentence before choosing.

    Official references

    Exam context and appraisal standards.

    This calculator is built for exam practice, not appraisal work. Use DBPR and Pearson VUE for candidate materials and The Appraisal Foundation for USPAP and appraisal standards context. Reviewed May 2026.

    How do you calculate cap rate on the Florida real estate exam?+

    Divide net operating income by property value, then convert the decimal to a percent. If NOI is $160,000 and value is $2,000,000, cap rate is 8 percent.

    How do you calculate NOI?+

    Start with gross income, subtract vacancy loss, then subtract operating expenses. Do not subtract mortgage payments, income taxes, depreciation, or capital improvements for a basic cap rate problem.

    How do you find value from NOI and cap rate?+

    Divide NOI by the cap rate decimal. For example, $90,000 divided by 0.075 equals $1,200,000.

    What is the difference between cap rate and GRM?+

    Cap rate uses net operating income divided by value. GRM uses value divided by gross rent. Cap rate is net-income based. GRM is gross-income based.

    Is this calculator for live investment underwriting?+

    No. It is built for Florida real estate exam preparation. Real investment analysis can include financing, taxes, reserves, capital expenditures, lease quality, market risk, and professional appraisal judgment.

    Try it without help

    A rental property produces $120,000 in annual gross income. Vacancy is 5 percent. Operating expenses are $35,000. The property is worth $850,000. What is the cap rate?

    Vacancy loss: $120,000 x 0.05 = $6,000. NOI: $120,000 - $6,000 - $35,000 = $79,000. Cap rate: $79,000 / $850,000 = 9.29 percent.

    Practice after calculating

    The calculator sorts the numbers.
    The app builds formula recognition.

    Pass Florida includes 1,002 Florida-specific questions, Math Coach for 14 calculation types, Trap Library drills, and offline access for one $39.99 purchase. No subscription. No copied exam questions. No fake reviews.

    Sources reviewed May 2026: DBPR candidate information booklets, Pearson VUE Florida Real Estate exams, and The Appraisal Foundation USPAP overview. This page is for exam preparation, not appraisal, tax, legal, investment, or underwriting advice.