You passed the Texas exam. Here's exactly what happens next.
Passing doesn't make you active. This is the path from a passing score to an active license you can actually work under, and your first duties once you get there.
After you pass, TREC issues an inactive license. After an active Texas broker accepts your sponsorship, TREC considers it effective when it appears correctly in the REALM portal. Do not perform brokerage services while the license is inactive. If you are still preparing for the appointment, start with the complete exam-day hub.
Six steps from score to active license.
Each step depends on the one before it. Passing is not an instant activation, and current TREC processing delays can stretch the wait.
A passing score is one requirement. TREC must also receive your exam record and clear your background check before it can issue the license.
Your first sales agent license is inactive. TREC currently warns that REALM integration delays can make Pearson's 5-to-10-business-day estimate unreliable.
After TREC notifies you that the inactive license has been issued, request sponsorship from an active Texas broker in the REALM portal.
The broker reviews and accepts the sponsorship request in REALM. Both brokers and sales agents can initiate and accept sponsorship changes there.
TREC says sponsorship is effective when it appears correctly in REALM, even if the public License Holder Search has not updated yet. The public listing can lag by a few hours.
Once the sponsorship is effective, follow the brokerage's policies for forms, advertising, disclosures, compensation, E&O coverage, and transaction review.
Get these right from day one.
Activation is the start of the job, not the end of the process. These habits keep your first transactions clean.
Did you confirm active status?
Do not rely on assumption. Verify your license is active before you list, show, negotiate, or advertise. An inactive license is not permission to work.
Do you know the IABS rule?
Provide the Information About Brokerage Services (IABS) notice at the first substantive communication about a specific property. Build the habit immediately.
Who reviews your first contracts?
Use your broker's supervision. Do not learn the TREC promulgated forms for the first time in front of a client.
How does compensation flow?
All brokerage compensation comes through your sponsoring broker. A client or another broker cannot pay you directly.
What is your 90-day business plan?
The license is the gate, not the business. Decide how you will find your first clients before the slow weeks arrive.
If you failed a portion instead
- If you failed one portion, you retake only that portion. A passed section remains valid for one year from the date you passed it.
- You must wait 24 hours before scheduling a retake, and the sales exam fee applies again.
- After a third consecutive failed examination, TREC requires 30 additional classroom hours if you failed one section or 60 hours if you failed both.
- Use the diagnostic categories on your score report to target weak areas instead of re-studying everything.
Where this fits in the path
Activation is the final licensing step. If you have not lined up a broker yet, start with the sponsoring-broker guide. For the whole sequence from the beginning, see the full licensing guide, and for what comes at renewal, the renewal & CE guide.
I passed the Texas real estate exam. Can I start working?+
Not yet. Passing the exam is not the same as having authority to perform brokerage services. TREC must issue your inactive license, then an active Texas broker must accept your sponsorship. TREC says the sponsorship is effective when it appears correctly in REALM. Do not work while your license remains inactive.
How do I activate my Texas real estate license?+
Wait until TREC notifies you that your inactive license has been issued, then request sponsorship from an active Texas broker through the REALM portal. Once the request is accepted and the sponsorship appears correctly in REALM, TREC considers it effective. Do not perform brokerage services while the license is inactive.
How long after passing until I can work?+
There is no dependable fixed number of days. Your exam record and background check must clear, TREC must issue the inactive license, and a broker must accept your sponsorship. TREC currently warns that REALM integration problems are delaying some applications and that Pearson's 5-to-10-business-day notice is not accurate. Check your REALM status and TREC's current Processing Dates page.
What do I have to do at my first renewal?+
Before your first renewal (within two years), you complete 90 hours of Sales Agent Apprentice Education (SAE), which must include the 30-hour Real Estate Brokerage course, plus Legal Update I and II. Later renewals require 18 hours of continuing education every two years.
What if I failed one portion of the exam?+
You retake only the failed portion after waiting 24 hours to schedule. A passed section remains valid for one year from its passing date. After a third consecutive failed examination, TREC requires additional qualifying education: 30 classroom hours if you failed one section or 60 hours if you failed both.