How do I take the Texas real estate exam?

Here's the path from coursework to test day:

• Complete pre-licensing education: pass all six required 30-hour courses from a Texas Real Estate School like School Estate.
• File your application: submit it online through TREC's REALM portal once you've completed all six courses. TREC reviews it and issues your exam authorization; TREC says to allow up to four weeks.
• Schedule your exam: once TREC authorizes you, reserve a test time and location with Pearson VUE online or by phone, at least 24 hours ahead. The $43 exam fee is paid when you reserve.
• Know the format: the national portion has 80 scored questions (56 correct to pass) plus 5 unscored pretest questions, 85 total. The state portion has 40 scored questions (28 correct to pass) plus 10 unscored pretest questions, 50 total. Both portions are graded independently and must be passed within one year of your TREC application.

Get your real estate license courses with School Estate here.

Want to try a few sample questions first? See our Texas real estate practice test page. See more common questions on our full FAQ page.

What do I need to bring on exam day?

Per Pearson VUE's Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook, you must present two forms of current, unexpired, signature identification. The name on both must exactly match the name on your registration.

Pearson VUE does not recognize grace periods — an expired ID is rejected even if Texas allows a grace period for renewal. Candidates who don't present the required items are denied admission, marked absent, and forfeit the exam fee.

What actually happens at the test center?

• Arrive 30 minutes early. You'll check in with the test center administrator, who reviews your ID and photographs you for the score report.
• Sign the Candidate Rules Agreement. This confirms you understand the testing rules. Violating it can void your exam and your fee.
• Take a short computer tutorial. This doesn't count against your exam time.
• Complete the exam. The clock starts the moment you see the first question. Both portions combined get you 240 minutes (4 hours).
• Walk out with your results. You'll receive a pass/fail score report before you leave the test center.

What if I don't pass?

Each portion is scored independently, so you only retake the portion you failed. You have one year from the date TREC filed your application to pass both. Reservations for a retake can't be made at the test center — you'll need to wait 24 hours and book online or by phone, paying the exam fee again for that attempt.

You get three attempts at each portion within your one-year application window. If you fail the same portion three times, TREC requires additional qualifying education before you can retest: 30 more hours if you failed just one portion three times, or 60 hours if you failed both. School Estate reports the extra course(s) to TREC for you, and you upload a copy of your third failed score report through the REALM portal; once TREC authorizes you to reschedule, you get three more attempts.

Separately, every School Estate student who completes the School Estate Commitment within 14 days of enrolling gets extended exam prep access and a personalized study plan at no added cost if they don't pass — for up to 18 months from enrollment.

For how to walk in ready to avoid a retake in the first place, see how to pass the Texas real estate exam on the first try.

Texas real estate exam questions.