Real Estate License Exam Requirements & Prerequisites
Everything you need to know before registering for the Real Estate License Exam, eligibility, cost, format, and what to expect on exam day.
Cost
$50-$100
Provider
State Real Estate Commissions
Validity
2-4 years (renewal required)
Available
USA
Education
Check official exam requirements
Experience
6-12 months of relevant experience recommended
Specific Requirements
- Prelicensing education, completed before the exam in most states. Arizona requires salesperson and broker candidates to complete all prelicensing education before taking an examination.
- A background or fingerprint requirement in many states. Arizona requires a Level 1 Non-IVP Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card obtained through azdps.gov under A.R.S. 41-1758.03.
- Licensed experience for broker candidates. Arizona requires it for all broker applicants and asks for the Broker Candidate Experience Verification Form LI-226 plus a certified licence history.
- An exam reservation made in advance. Pearson VUE requires Arizona reservations at least 24 hours before the desired date, and does not offer walk-in examinations.
- Payment of the exam fee at the time of reservation by credit card, debit card or voucher. Payment is not accepted at the Arizona test center, and fees are non-refundable and non-transferable except under the change and cancel policy.
- Acceptable identification. Arizona requires two forms of current signature identification, both in English, with names matching the registration exactly. California accepts only a state driver's licence or DMV ID card, a passport, or a United States military ID.
- Timing that fits your state's licence window. Arizona requires the exam to have been passed within one year prior to the licence application date, and California allows unlimited retakes only within the two-year period following the filing of the original application.
Number of Questions
85 items on the national/general salesperson exam: 80 scored plus 5 unscored pretest items that are mixed in and not identified. Arizona's state salesperson paper is 65 items, 60 scored plus 5 pretest. Arizona's broker exam is 195 items, 180 scored plus 15 pretest. California's salesperson exam is 150 questions and its broker exam 200. Texas's sales agent state law portion is 40 scored items plus 10 pretest items.
Duration
150 minutes for the Pearson VUE national/general salesperson exam. State portions run separately: Arizona allows 90 minutes for its 65-item state paper and 315 minutes for its 195-item broker exam. California, which administers its own exam, allows 3 hours for the 150-question salesperson exam and 4 hours for the 200-question broker exam. Arizona instructs candidates to report to the test center 30 minutes before the exam begins; California asks examinees to arrive 30 minutes early.
Question Format
Multiple choice throughout. California states answers are selected from four choices, Knowledge items, which require recalling a specific fact or definition, Application items, which require applying knowledge to a described situation, Analysis items, which require examining a fact pattern to draw a conclusion or make a decision, Math calculation items, 7 of the 80 scored general items, all classified as application or analysis rather than knowledge, Unscored pretest items, which look identical to scored items and are used to gather statistics for future exams
Passing Requirement
Set by each state agency. Arizona requires 75 percent. California requires 70 percent for salespersons and 75 percent for brokers. Maryland requires at least 70 percent on each portion. Each portion of a two-part exam must clear its own bar independently.
How It Is Delivered
Computer-based at a test center in most states. Arizona real estate examinations are expressly not available through OnVUE online proctoring and must be taken at a Pearson authorized test center in Arizona. PSI offers online remote proctoring for some state programs, including Tennessee. California administers its own exams and offers an electronic format at its Fresno, La Palma, Oakland, Sacramento and San Diego sites.
Languages Offered
Language availability is set by the individual state licensing agency rather than by any national body. Pearson VUE's Arizona handbook requires identification documents to be in English and lists no alternate exam language. Check your own state's candidate handbook, since some agencies do publish additional language options and others do not.
Visit the official State Real Estate Commissions certification page
Create an account and select your exam
Choose a test center or online proctoring option
Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
Score Scale
Percent correct on a 0 to 100 percent scale, reported per portion. Arizona states the score is the percentage of questions answered correctly. Failed score reports also carry a per-content-area diagnostic percentage.
Score You Need
Set by each state agency. Arizona requires 75 percent. California requires 70 percent for salespersons and 75 percent for brokers. Maryland requires at least 70 percent on each portion. Each portion of a two-part exam must clear its own bar independently.
How It Is Calculated
Every form is built to the published content outline, and Pearson VUE applies statistical equating so that forms of differing difficulty produce comparable results. Unscored pretest items are excluded from the score. Scoring is compensatory within a portion and conjunctive across portions: strength in appraisal offsets weakness in financing on the same paper, but a passing national portion does not rescue a failing state portion. No deduction is published for wrong answers.
When You Get Results
Immediate in both Pearson VUE and California DRE electronic delivery. Arizona issues a printed score report at the test center with pass or fail plus content-area diagnostics, a licence application link for passers and reexamination information for failers. California provides electronic exam results on completion and normally mails further correspondence within five business days; it tells passers only that they passed, and gives failers the actual score with per-subject percentages.
In raw terms: Arizona's 75 percent bar means 60 of the 80 scored items on the general salesperson paper and 45 of the 60 scored items on the state paper. California's 70 percent salesperson bar means 105 of 150 questions, and its 75 percent broker bar means 150 of 200.
- Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo)
- Appointment confirmation email
- For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet
What are the prerequisites for the Real Estate License Exam?
Prelicensing education, completed before the exam in most states. Arizona requires salesperson and broker candidates to complete all prelicensing education before taking an examination.. A background or fingerprint requirement in many states. Arizona requires a Level 1 Non-IVP Arizona Fingerprint Clearance Card obtained through azdps.gov under A.R.S. 41-1758.03.. Licensed experience for broker candidates. Arizona requires it for all broker applicants and asks for the Broker Candidate Experience Verification Form LI-226 plus a certified licence history.. An exam reservation made in advance. Pearson VUE requires Arizona reservations at least 24 hours before the desired date, and does not offer walk-in examinations.. Payment of the exam fee at the time of reservation by credit card, debit card or voucher. Payment is not accepted at the Arizona test center, and fees are non-refundable and non-transferable except under the change and cancel policy.. Acceptable identification. Arizona requires two forms of current signature identification, both in English, with names matching the registration exactly. California accepts only a state driver's licence or DMV ID card, a passport, or a United States military ID.. Timing that fits your state's licence window. Arizona requires the exam to have been passed within one year prior to the licence application date, and California allows unlimited retakes only within the two-year period following the filing of the original application..
How much does the Real Estate License Exam cost?
The Real Estate License Exam exam costs $50-$100. This includes the exam fee only, study materials are additional.
How do I register for the Real Estate License Exam?
Visit the official State Real Estate Commissions certification page → Create an account and select your exam → Choose a test center or online proctoring option → Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
What should I bring to the Real Estate License Exam?
Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo). Appointment confirmation email. For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet.
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