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. You become active, and able to work, only when an active Texas broker accepts your sponsorship in TREC's REALM portal and TREC issues the active license. Confirm active status before you do any real estate work.
Six steps from score to active license.
Each step depends on the one before it. The fastest path is one where your sponsoring broker is already lined up.
Once you meet all requirements, TREC issues an inactive sales agent license. It is real, but it is not yet authority to work for the public.
Submit a sponsorship request to an active Texas broker through TREC's REALM portal. Ideally you lined this up before exam day.
The broker accepts your request in REALM. This is the moment your status changes from inactive to active.
After acceptance, TREC issues the active license. Confirm active status before you perform any brokerage activity.
Policies, forms, CRM, E&O, transaction process, and supervision. Learn the IABS and consumer-disclosure habits from day one.
Within two years you complete 90 hours of SAE (including the 30-hour Real Estate Brokerage course) plus Legal Update I and II.
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, as long as you do so within your application period.
- You must wait 24 hours before scheduling a retake, and the sales exam fee applies again.
- You have three attempts to pass both portions before the application expires; after three failures, additional qualifying education is required.
- 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 an active license. TREC issues an inactive license after you meet the requirements. You can only work once an active Texas broker accepts your sponsorship through the REALM portal and TREC issues the active license.
How do I activate my Texas real estate license?+
Submit a sponsorship request to an active Texas broker through TREC's REALM portal. When the broker accepts, TREC issues your active license. Confirm active status before performing any real estate services.
How long after passing until I can work?+
It depends on how quickly a broker accepts your sponsorship in REALM and TREC processes it. If you lined up a broker before exam day, activation can be fast. TREC processing times vary, so check the 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 within your application period, after a 24-hour wait. You have three attempts to pass both portions before the application expires; after three failures, additional qualifying education is required. Use your score report to focus your retake study.