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.

Texas 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: 125
Scored: 120
Time: 240 min
To pass: 70%

5 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 125 items in four hours: 85 on the national portion and 50 on the Texas portion. Of those, 120 are scored and the rest 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

The case study questions

Ten of the forty scored Texas items are case studies: a scenario followed by several questions that all depend on reading it correctly. A careless read costs multiple questions at once, which makes them disproportionately expensive.

They typically involve an agency situation or a contract sequence, which is why intermediary rules and promulgated forms deserve more attention than their raw question count suggests.

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.

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