How Many Questions Is the Texas Real Estate Exam?
The exact question breakdown
These numbers come straight from the January 2026 Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook, the company TREC hires to run the exam. Here is the full picture for the sales agent exam.
| Portion | Questions | Scored | Pretest | Time | To pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | 85 | 80 | 5 | 150 min | 56 correct (70%) |
| Texas state law | 50 | 40 | 10 | 90 min | 28 correct (70%) |
| Total | 135 | 120 | 15 | 240 min | Pass both |
One heads up. Older guides still say the state portion has 40 questions with a passing score of 21. That changed. The current Texas Sales Agent state law outline, effective January 1, 2026, lists 50 questions (40 scored plus 10 pretest), and the handbook sets the passing score at 28. Trust the current handbook numbers above.
Taking the broker exam instead? That one is 145 questions: 85 national plus a 60-question state portion, also in 240 minutes.
Scored vs. pretest questions
Of your 135 questions, only 120 count. The other 15 are "pretest" items that Pearson VUE is testing for future exams: 5 on the national portion and 10 on the state portion.
Here is the catch. Pretest questions are mixed in and look exactly like scored questions. You will never know which is which, so treat every question as if it counts. The upside: if you hit a bizarre question that seems to come from nowhere, it may be a pretest item that will not touch your score. Answer it and move on.
This also explains the passing math. You need 56 of 80 scored national questions and 28 of 40 scored state questions. Both work out to exactly 70%, and each portion is scored on its own.
Seen "125 questions" elsewhere? That figure comes from the older exam outline. The state portion's January 2026 content outline lists 50 items (40 scored plus 10 pretest), which brings the on-screen total to 135. Some official summaries and most prep sites still repeat the old number, so always plan your pacing around what you will actually see: 85 national items, then 50 state items.
How 135 questions affects your pacing
Divide the time by the questions and the exam is less scary than it sounds.
- National: 150 minutes for 85 questions is about 1 minute 45 seconds per question.
- State: 90 minutes for 50 questions is about 1 minute 48 seconds per question.
That is a generous budget. Most vocabulary and law questions take well under a minute. A smart plan: answer at roughly one minute per question on your first pass and flag anything you are unsure about. On the national portion, that leaves you around 60 minutes to rework flagged questions and math problems. On the state portion, you bank about 40 minutes.
One timing detail worth knowing: the exam ends automatically when time expires, so never leave questions blank. Your score is simply the number of questions you answer correctly, which means there is no penalty for guessing, and a blank is guaranteed wrong.
Bring a basic financial calculator if you want one. Handheld financial calculators without alpha keys are allowed but not provided, and only about 7 national questions involve math anyway.
What kinds of questions are on the exam
Every question is multiple choice. Pearson VUE builds the exam to cognitive specifications, meaning each question is classified as knowledge (recall a fact), application (use it in a situation), or analysis (work through a fact pattern to a decision). Expect scenarios, not just definitions.
The 80 scored national questions break down like this:
- Real estate contracts and agency: 16 questions
- Real property characteristics and property use: 11
- Property value and appraisal: 11
- Real estate practice, including fair housing: 10
- Forms of ownership, transfer, and recording of title: 9
- Property disclosures and environmental issues: 9
- Financing and settlement: 7
- Real estate math calculations: 7
The 40 scored state questions cover Texas law:
- Agency and brokerage: 11 questions
- Standards of conduct: 9
- Contracts, including TREC promulgated forms: 9
- Special topics such as homestead, community property, and landlord-tenant issues: 5
- TREC duties and powers: 3
- Licensing: 3
Notice where the weight sits. Contracts and agency dominate both portions. If your study time is limited, that is where it should go.
What happens if you do not pass
The two portions are scored separately, so if you pass one and fail the other, you only retake the portion you failed. You must wait 24 hours to schedule and pay the $43 exam fee again for each attempt.
You get three attempts to pass both portions within one year of filing your application with TREC. Fail either portion three times and you will need extra coursework before testing again: 30 hours if you failed one portion, 60 hours if you failed both. Fees and rules can change, so confirm current details with TREC and Pearson VUE before you schedule.
The good news: your score report prints on the spot, so you walk out knowing exactly where you stand. If you did not pass, the report shows a diagnostic breakdown by content area, which tells you precisely what to study before the retake.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions do you need to get right to pass the Texas real estate exam?
You need 56 correct answers out of 80 scored questions on the national portion and 28 correct out of 40 scored questions on the state portion. That is 70% on each portion, and both are scored independently.
Does the Texas real estate exam have unscored questions?
Yes. The national portion includes 5 pretest questions and the state portion includes 10. Pretest questions do not affect your score, but they look identical to scored questions, so answer every question as if it counts.
How long is the Texas real estate exam?
You get 240 minutes (4 hours) total, split as 150 minutes for the 85-question national portion and 90 minutes for the 50-question state portion. The exam ends automatically when time expires.
Is the Texas real estate exam all multiple choice?
Yes. All 135 questions are multiple choice. Pearson VUE classifies every question as knowledge, application, or analysis, so expect scenario-based questions and about 7 math questions, not just definitions.
Can the national portion of the Texas exam be waived?
Sometimes. If you hold an active real estate license in another state and passed the national portion of an ARELLO-approved exam, the national portion may be waived. You would then take only the 50-question Texas state portion.