Texas real estate exam
Texas splits its exam the way most states do: a national portion covering general real estate practice, and a state portion covering Texas law. You sit both in one 240-minute appointment, and they are scored and passed separately.
The two portions
The two portions are scored independently, which has a practical consequence people find out the hard way: fail one and you retake only that one. It also means the national portion can travel — a candidate already licensed in another state who passed an ARELLO-approved national exam may have the Texas national portion waived.
| Exam | Items | Time | To pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales agent — national portion | 85 | 150 min | 56 correct answers |
| Sales agent — state portion | 50 | 90 min | 28 correct answers |
| Broker — national portion | 85 | 150 min | 60 correct answers |
| Broker — state portion | 60 | 90 min | 38 correct answers |
Delivered by Pearson VUE, under contract to TREC. Every figure here comes from the documents listed at the foot of this page, with the date each was read.
Requirements and fees
- Exam fee
- $43 sales agent, $39 broker
- Non-refundable and non-transferable, paid when the reservation is made.
- Total appointment
- 240 minutes for both portions
- Sales agent sits 125 items in total; broker sits 145.
- Scoring
- Raw score — the number of questions answered correctly
- Not a percentage. TREC set the line with Pearson VUE after a study of each exam, and forms are statistically equated so no version is easier than another.
- Before you can book
- An eligibility letter from TREC
- Reservations cannot be made without it, and walk-in exams are not available.
- Background check
- Fingerprints required, per §1101.3521 of the Texas Real Estate License Act
- A license does not issue until TREC has the DPS and FBI reports and clears the check, even after a pass.
- Retakes
- Only the portion you failed, three attempts
- A 24-hour wait before rebooking, and the whole thing must happen within one year of the date the application was filed. After three failures: 30 more hours of qualifying education if you failed one portion, 60 if you failed both.
- After a pass
- License document emailed by TREC in 5–10 business days
- Once the background check has cleared.
What this page does not tell you
- The qualifying education hours TREC requires before you may apply. TREC publishes this and it is the commission’s figure to give, not the exam vendor’s — trec.texas.gov refused connections from this network on 22 August 2026, so rather than repeat a number from a review site, this page sends you to TREC for it.
Practice the material this exam is built on
These questions cover the general real estate principles every state tests — the eight content areas of the national outline. They do not cover Texas statute and commission rule, which no national bank does; for that, the state’s own published material is the source.
CERCLA, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, is best known for:
Why the national portion is the one to study first
The national portion is 85 items to the state portion’s 50, and it is the same body of material Pearson VUE tests in every state it serves — which means every hour spent on it is portable, and the practice tests on this site are built to its published outline.
The state portion is Texas law: the Real Estate License Act in Chapter 1101 of the Occupations Code, TREC’s own rules in Chapters 531 to 543 of Title 22 of the Administrative Code, and the Texas-specific corners of homestead, community property and seller disclosure. There is no shortcut through it and no national bank covers it.
What a raw passing score actually means for you
Texas publishes a number of correct answers rather than a percentage, and the number is set against the scored items rather than the total. A sales agent needs 56 correct on the national portion and 28 on the state portion. Both portions carry unmarked pretest items that do not count toward your score and cannot be identified, so answering everything is strictly better than leaving anything blank.
Frequently asked
- How many questions are on the Texas real estate exam?
- A sales agent sits 125 items in total: 85 on the national portion and 50 on the state portion, in a single 240-minute appointment. A broker sits 145 — 85 national and 60 state.
- What score do you need to pass the Texas real estate exam?
- Texas reports a raw score. A sales agent needs 56 correct answers on the national portion and 28 on the state portion; a broker needs 60 and 38.
- If I fail one portion, do I have to retake both?
- No. You retake only the portion you failed, provided you do it within one year of the date your application was filed with TREC.
- How much does the Texas real estate exam cost?
- $43 for a sales agent examination and $39 for a broker examination, paid when you make the reservation. The fee is non-refundable.
- Can I skip the national portion if I am licensed in another state?
- It may be waived. Pearson VUE’s Texas handbook states that a candidate holding an active license in another state who passed an ARELLO-approved national exam may have the national portion waived. TREC decides eligibility.
Other states
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of the documents below, with the date it was read. Requirements change; if a source has moved on since that date, the source is right and this page is out of date.
- Pearson VUE — Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook (#094400, January 2026) Read August 22, 2026
Page facts last verified August 22, 2026.
Independent exam preparation. Real Estate Exam Bank is not a state-approved pre-licensing course and completing anything here does not satisfy any state education requirement. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by any state real estate commission, Pearson VUE, or PSI. Practice questions here are original study material, not the official exam.