Texas Real Estate Sales-Agent Practice Exam
Sales agent
Texas asks for 180 hours of qualifying education before you sit an exam that is graded in two separate parts. You must pass both, and passing one does not carry the other.
- Questions
- 135
- Scored
- 120
- Time
- 240 min
- To pass
- 70% on each portion
15 of those questions are unscored pretest items, mixed in without being marked. Answer every question as if it counts.
Two portions, scored separately
You have to pass both. A strong score on one portion does not make up for a weak score on the other, and if you fail only one you retake only that one.
- National portion85 questions, 80 scored · 150 minutes · 56 of 80 correct to pass
- Texas portion50 questions, 40 scored · 90 minutes · 28 of 40 correct to pass
What exam day looks like
You get 135 items in four hours: 85 on the national portion and 50 on the Texas portion. Of those, 120 are scored, 80 national and 40 Texas; the other 15 are unscored pretest items mixed in without being marked.
The national portion needs 56 of 80 correct. The Texas portion needs 28 of 40. Both are 70 percent, but they are counted separately, so you can clear one and still fail the exam.
| Portion | Items | Scored | Time | To pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | 85 | 80 | 150 min | 56 correct |
| Texas | 50 | 40 | 90 min | 28 correct |
Where the Texas questions come from
The 40 scored Texas items follow the Pearson VUE outline: 11 on agency and brokerage, 9 on standards of conduct, 9 on contracts, 5 on special topics, 3 on licensing and 3 on commission duties and powers.
Agency and contracts together make up half the portion, which is why intermediary rules and promulgated forms deserve the most attention. Case study items appear on the broker exam, not this one.
After you pass
You need a sponsoring broker on file with TREC before performing any brokerage activity. Until then the license is inactive and any work done is unlicensed activity.
Ninety hours of Sales Agent Apprentice Education are due before the first renewal, after which the requirement drops to 18 hours of continuing education every two years, including eight hours of Legal Update.
Common questions
- If I fail one portion, do I retake both?
- No. You retake only the portion you failed, which is one of the practical advantages of separate scoring. After three failures on a portion you must complete 30 additional qualifying hours for it.
- What is intermediary status?
- It is what Texas uses instead of dual agency, which the state abolished. A broker may act as intermediary only with written consent from both parties, and may appoint associates to advise each side. National study material that describes dual agency is simply wrong for Texas.
- Can I use a contract form other than a TREC form?
- Only where the transaction type has no promulgated form, or where the property owner requires their own. Filling in blanks on a promulgated form is permitted; drafting original clauses is the unauthorized practice of law.