How many hours of education do I need?

One hundred thirty-five hours across three college-level courses: Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, and one approved elective.

How long is my application valid?

Two years, which gives more room to retake than Texas allows at one year.

Why is the renewal cycle four years?

California simply uses a longer cycle, paired with a larger requirement: 45 hours of continuing education including mandatory ethics, agency, trust fund handling, fair housing, risk management, and implicit bias courses.

California salesperson

California writes and administers its own exam rather than using a national vendor. It is one integrated paper of 150 questions with California law woven through every topic, and every question is scored.

Questions: 150
Scored: 150
Time: 180 min
To pass: 70%

What exam day looks like

One hundred fifty questions in three hours at a Department of Real Estate examination center. You need 105 correct, which is 70 percent. There is no remote proctoring and no national testing vendor.

There are no unscored pretest items. Unlike Florida and Texas, every question on the paper counts.

Subject area	Share of the exam
Practice of real estate and disclosures	25 percent
Laws of agency and fiduciary duties	17 percent
Property ownership and land use	15 percent
Property valuation and financial analysis	14 percent
Contracts	12 percent
Financing	9 percent
Transfer of property	8 percent

Why there is no separate state section

Because California law is inside every topic rather than set apart, you cannot revise it as a block at the end. A question about agency is a question about California agency law, and a question about disclosure is a question about the Transfer Disclosure Statement.

That changes how to study. In Texas you can drill the state portion separately. Here the state material has to be learned alongside the principle it modifies.

What California does differently

Dual agency is permitted with informed written consent, where Florida prohibits it. The agent carries a statutory duty to conduct a reasonably competent visual inspection of accessible areas, an obligation with no equivalent in Florida or Texas. Contingencies do not expire on their own; the standard form uses active removal.

Trust fund handling is the most audited part of California practice. A broker may hold up to $200 of personal funds in the trust account, must deposit within three business days, and must reconcile monthly against separate records for each beneficiary.

Common questions

How many hours of education do I need?: One hundred thirty-five hours across three college-level courses: Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, and one approved elective.
How long is my application valid?: Two years, which gives more room to retake than Texas allows at one year.
Why is the renewal cycle four years?: California simply uses a longer cycle, paired with a larger requirement: 45 hours of continuing education including mandatory ethics, agency, trust fund handling, fair housing, risk management, and implicit bias courses.

Exam structure and requirements change. Confirm current figures with the state authority and the exam vendor before relying on anything here.