QUICK ANSWER
On the Texas sales agent exam you can miss up to 24 of the 80 scored national items and up to 12 of the 40 scored state items and still pass. You need 56 correct on national and 28 correct on state, so your miss budget is 24 and 12, about 30 percent on each portion. The budgets do not combine: missing fewer on national does not let you miss more on state, because you must pass each portion separately.
EXAM PREP ONLY
This guide explains the Texas sales agent exam miss budget. It is not legal or licensing advice. The counts come from the Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook and the raw passing scores set by TREC, which can change. Verify the current handbook before your test date.
This is the reassurance question, and the answer is genuinely reassuring: you do not need to be perfect. You do need to clear each portion on its own.
How many questions can you miss and still pass?
Snippet answer: You can miss up to 24 of the 80 scored national questions and up to 12 of the 40 scored state questions on the Texas sales agent exam. That is because you need 56 correct on national and 28 correct on state, which leaves a 24 and 12 miss budget, roughly 30 percent on each portion.
| Portion | Scored items | Correct to pass | You can miss | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | 80 | 56 | 24 | 30% |
| Texas state | 40 | 28 | 12 | 30% |
So a perfect score is not the bar. Roughly seven out of ten correct on each portion passes. For the cut scores behind these numbers, see what the passing score is.
The miss budget is per portion, not shared
Snippet answer: The 24 and 12 miss budgets are separate. A strong national score does not buy you extra room on the state portion. You must reach 56 on national and 28 on state independently.
This is where the reassurance has a catch. The exam is two separately scored portions, so the budgets never pool.
- Miss 5 on national and 13 on state: you fail, because 13 state misses is over the 12 budget, even though national was nearly perfect.
- Miss 24 on national and 0 on state: you pass, because each portion is within its own budget.
One exception to "pass both": if you hold an active license in another state and passed an ARELLO-approved national exam, TREC may waive the national portion, so only the Texas state budget of 12 applies.
Pretest items are not free misses
Snippet answer: The miss budget applies to scored items only. Pearson VUE mixes in unscored pretest items, but you cannot tell them apart from scored items, so do not treat them as a buffer. Answer every question as if it counts.
Pearson VUE's per-portion outlines list 5 pretest items on the national portion and 10 on the state portion, on top of the 120 scored items, so you answer more than 120 questions. Those pretest items do not count toward your score, and they are not labeled. You cannot know which question is a freebie, so the only safe plan is to answer all of them carefully. For the full count breakdown, see how many questions are on the exam.
How much cushion should you actually aim for?
Snippet answer: Aim well above the minimum, not at it. Targeting about 64 of 80 on national and 32 of 40 on state gives you roughly an 80 percent practice goal, so a few surprise questions or misreads do not push you under the line.
The miss budget tells you the floor. It is not a target. Two reasons to aim higher in practice:
- Exam-day pressure and tricky wording cost points you would not lose at home.
- You do not know which items are pretest, so you cannot spend your budget on purpose.
A practical practice goal is about 80 percent on each portion. That is an editorial study target, not an official rule. If your practice scores sit right at 56 and 28, you are one bad morning from a retake. Build a cushion with steady study and Texas math drills.
BUILD THE CUSHION
Practice past 56 and 28, not just up to them.
Pass Texas runs full national and Texas state sets so you can see your real margin on each portion before test day. Math Coach and Trap Library included. Native Texas exam prep. Original questions. No copied exam questions. Not affiliated with TREC or Pearson VUE. Not a pass guarantee.
What if you miss too many on one portion?
Snippet answer: If you go over the miss budget on a portion, you fail that portion and retake only that one. Your score report shows how many questions you answered correctly in each content area, so you know where to study before the retake.
You do not lose a passed portion. If national passed and state did not, you keep national and retake state. The score report gives diagnostic feedback on the failed portion, and the three-attempt rule explains the extra education required after repeated failures. If one portion keeps beating your budget, work through how to pass the section you keep failing.
Frequently Asked Questions
For quick answers to every common Texas exam question, see the Texas real estate exam FAQ.
How many questions can you get wrong on the Texas real estate exam?
You can miss up to 24 of the 80 scored national questions and up to 12 of the 40 scored state questions. You need 56 correct on national and 28 on state, about 70 percent on each portion.
How many can you miss on the national portion?
Up to 24. The national portion has 80 scored items and you need 56 correct, so 24 misses is the limit before you fail that portion.
How many can you miss on the Texas state portion?
Up to 12. The state portion has 40 scored items and you need 28 correct, so 12 misses is the limit before you fail that portion.
Can a strong national score make up for a weak state score?
No. The portions are scored separately, so the miss budgets do not combine. You must reach 56 on national and 28 on state independently.
Do missed pretest questions count against my budget?
No. Pretest items are unscored, so missing one does not hurt your result. But they are not labeled and look exactly like scored questions, so you cannot treat them as free misses. Answer everything carefully.
What percentage do you need to pass the Texas real estate exam?
About 70 percent on each portion: 56 of 80 scored national and 28 of 40 scored state. Aiming for roughly 80 percent in practice gives you a safer cushion.
KNOW YOUR MARGIN
See whether you clear 56 and 28 with room to spare.
Run full-length Texas practice and watch your miss count on each portion. Then close the gap on the weaker side before you book. Native Texas exam prep. Original questions. No copied exam questions. Not affiliated with TREC or Pearson VUE. Not a 180-hour pre-license course or a pass guarantee.
Sources and Methodology
This article was reviewed against official Pearson VUE and TREC materials on June 24, 2026. The miss budgets are calculated directly from the raw passing scores in the Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook, which states that sales agent candidates need 56 of 80 scored national items and 28 of 40 scored state items, set by the Texas Real Estate Commission and reported as a raw score. Subtracting the required correct answers from the scored item counts gives the 24 and 12 miss budgets. The handbook also states that candidates must pass both portions, that pretest items are unscored, and that an applicant who holds an active out-of-state license and passed an ARELLO-approved national exam may have the national portion waived. The 80 percent practice target is an editorial study recommendation, not an official requirement. Cut scores and exam structure can change, so verify the current Pearson VUE handbook before your test date.
Official Source Links
- Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook
- Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate content outlines
- TREC: Become a Real Estate Sales Agent
This post is educational content for Texas real estate sales agent candidates. It is not legal, tax, or licensing advice. Passing standards, item counts, and exam structure can change, so confirm the current Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook and TREC requirements before you register or test.