What Changed for the Texas Real Estate Exam in 2026

If you studied from older material or a friend's notes, the structure is familiar, but the current sources matter. Two updates took effect in 2025 but define the exam and licensing environment candidates are using in 2026. The remaining updates took effect during 2026 itself. Here is the change log, what each item means for your prep, and what did not change. For a claim-by-claim check, use Texas real estate exam facts.

What changed for the Texas real estate exam in 2026?

Five update areas matter for 2026 candidates: the national content outline effective March 1, 2025; the TREC fee schedule effective December 15, 2025; SB 1968, IABS 1-2, and the current Texas state-law outline effective January 1, 2026; plus revised TREC contracts and disclosures that became effective during 2026. The item counts and passing standard did not change.

The January law and outline changes, together with the TREC forms that became effective later in 2026, are clear signs that older study material needs checking. Current Pearson and TREC documents control where older notes disagree.

SB 1968: written buyer agreements for residential buyers

As of January 1, 2026, SB 1968 requires a written agreement with a prospective residential buyer before a license holder shows residential property. If no property will be shown, the agreement is due before the license holder presents the buyer's offer. The agreement can state that the license holder does not represent the buyer when the only act is a limited showing. For the exam, this reinforces agency and written-agreement concepts.

This is a legal change, not just an outline revision. Section 1101.563 requires the written agreement for brokerage with a prospective residential buyer. Section 1101.562 separately defines when a broker may conduct a limited showing without representing the party.

How to treat it in your prep

For your prep, treat it as an agency topic rather than a headline:

• Know that the written agreement comes before a residential showing, or before presenting an offer if no property will be shown.
• Keep representation separate from a limited showing without representation. The agreement must say which relationship applies.
• Do not confuse the written buyer agreement with the IABS notice, which is a disclosure, not a representation contract.
• Keep the Texas intermediary brokerage rules straight, since written representation feeds into how a broker can act for both sides.

The revised IABS 1-2 is required for use as of January 1, 2026. TREC says the notice now reflects the non-representation status and written-agreement requirements created by SB 1968. The form also removes references to subagency. TREC separately cautions that subagency was not eliminated as a legal concept, even though SB 1968 removed two references to it from TRELA. For exam questions, keep the form change, the statutory change, and that legal caveat separate.

For the full breakdown of who it covers, the required terms, and the buyer-vs-tenant trap, see SB 1968: the written buyer agreement rule.

The SB 1968 guide separates the two statutes and links the current TREC explanation and IABS form.

Current fees: TREC and Pearson display different exam amounts

TREC's fee schedule effective December 15, 2025 lists a $206 online sales agent application and, for the examination, a fee Pearson VUE now charges at $58 paid to the exam provider, and a $37 fingerprint fee. Pearson VUE's September 2026 candidate handbook now lists $58 for a sales examination. Because the exam fee is paid to Pearson at reservation, confirm the amount shown during booking rather than relying on an older total.

This is a conflict between two current official publications, not a reason to hide one figure. Using Pearson's current $58 amount, the application, exam, and fingerprint baseline is about $301. That total excludes pre-license education and any optional preparation.

The $206 figure is the original online sales agent application total, not just its base charge. The working baseline assumes one exam appointment and fingerprinting. For the component breakdown and payees, see the TREC fee schedule guide. For education and other costs, see how much a Texas real estate license costs.

Current TREC contract and disclosure forms effective in 2026

TREC's live contracts page now lists several 2026 form revisions. The seller's and buyer's temporary residential leases, Forms 15-7 and 16-7, became effective January 5. The Seller's Disclosure Notice 55-1 and lead-based-paint addendum 56-0 became effective May 28. On July 1, six revised base contracts became effective: 20-19, 23-20, 24-20, 25-17, 30-18, and 9-18. The same date brought Amendment 39-11, the property-owners-association addendum 36-11, and the new water-rights disclosure 61-0, among other revisions.

For exam preparation, learn the form's purpose and when a promulgated form is required; do not turn every revision number into a flash card. For practice, use TREC's live page instead of an old PDF library. Form 61-0 is especially distinctive because TREC adopted it to provide information about groundwater and surface-water rights associated with the property.

The current Texas state-law outline used in 2026

The Texas sales agent state-law outline in use during 2026 took effect January 1, 2026. It has 6 areas and 40 scored items. Use that outline for your study allocation. Do not apply the broker outline's Case Studies section to the sales agent exam.

The state portion is where outdated material does the most damage, because state law moves faster than national concepts.

• The sales agent state portion is still 6 areas and 40 scored items.
• Special Topics carries a small share of those items, so do not over-study it at the expense of agency and contracts.
• The Case Studies section belongs to the Texas broker state-law outline, not the sales agent exam. If a study guide lists it for the sales agent test, that guide is wrong.

For the area-by-area map and the full sales-agent-vs-broker breakdown, see the new Texas state-law outline. For the full structure of both portions, see the Texas real estate exam format and how many questions are on the exam.

The national content outline (effective March 1, 2025)

Pearson VUE's current national content outline took effect March 1, 2025. The national portion is still 8 areas and 80 scored items. Study from the current outline so your topic emphasis matches what is tested now.

National concepts change less often, but Pearson VUE periodically refreshes the outline, and the version in force took effect March 1, 2025. The portion is still 8 areas and 80 scored items. The practical takeaway is the same as the state change: pull the current outline and let it set your study emphasis rather than trusting older notes. For the area-by-area map and where the points are, see the new national content outline.

What did not change

The exam is still 120 scored items, 80 national and 40 state, with a 240-minute total time limit, and you still need 56 of 80 national and 28 of 40 state to pass. Both portions are still scored separately.

It is easy to read a list of changes and assume the whole exam was rebuilt. It was not.

• Still 80 scored national items and 40 scored state items, 120 total.
• Still 56 of 80 national and 28 of 40 state to pass, each portion scored on its own.
• Still 240 minutes of testing time when you take both portions in one appointment.
• The national-portion waiver for qualifying out-of-state license holders still applies.

Pearson's documents still conflict on the total number of presented items in a combined appointment. The content outlines list 5 unscored national items and 10 unscored state items, while the handbook's combined row says 125 total. Do not turn those figures into an invented 135-item official total. The stable number is 120 scored items. See the exam format guide for the full disclosure.

So the structure you study to is stable. What you must refresh is the content map, fees, SB 1968, and the current TREC forms used in contract questions and practice.

What is not an exam change yet

TREC has announced a job task analysis and future review of qualifying education and licensing-exam content. That work may lead to later revisions, but it does not replace the current Pearson VUE content outlines. Until TREC or Pearson publishes an effective change, study the March 1, 2025 national outline and January 1, 2026 Texas state-law outline.

Related 2026 updates

Two changes you may hear about are practice and tax updates, not exam-structure changes. The NAR settlement changed compensation practice and buyer agreements, and Texas raised its homestead exemptions. Neither changes the exam's structure.

• The NAR settlement changed how buyer-agent compensation and buyer agreements work from August 2024. It is industry practice, not a TREC rule, so study the concepts it highlights rather than the settlement itself.
• The Texas homestead exemption and appraisal-cap updates raised several dollar figures. Pearson's outline includes homestead protections and tax exemptions but does not promise that current amounts will never be tested. If your study material uses exemption amounts, verify that the figures are current.

Frequently Asked Questions

For quick answers to every common Texas exam question, see the Texas real estate exam FAQ.

What is the biggest 2026 change for Texas candidates?

SB 1968 is the biggest new legal rule for candidates: it requires a written agreement before a residential showing or, when there is no showing, before presenting the buyer's offer. The 2026 TREC form revisions are the biggest current-form update, so use the live forms page rather than an old forms packet.

Did the Texas real estate exam get harder in 2026?

No. The item counts and passing standard did not change. The exam is still 120 scored items, 80 national and 40 state, and you still need 56 of 80 and 28 of 40 to pass. The changes are to content outlines, fees, a buyer-agreement rule, and the current TREC form set.

Did TREC raise its fees?

TREC's fee schedule effective December 15, 2025 lists a $206 online application, an examination fee Pearson VUE now charges at $58, and a $37 fingerprint fee. Pearson VUE's September 2026 handbook lists $58 for a sales examination. Confirm the amount shown by Pearson when you reserve. Using $58, the working application, exam, and fingerprint baseline is about $301 before education.

Is Case Studies on the Texas sales agent exam now?

No. Case Studies is a section of the Texas broker state-law outline, not the sales agent exam. If a study source lists it for the sales agent test, that source is out of date or wrong.

Do I need to restudy everything because of the new outlines?

No. Refresh your material so it matches the current outlines, learn the SB 1968 written-agreement rule, and replace stale contract forms. The exam's structure, combined-appointment timing, and passing standard are unchanged.

Sources and Methodology

Reverified September 1, 2026. Pearson VUE publication 094401 supplies both outline effective dates and the scored-item map. The September 2026 candidate handbook supplies the passing lines, appointment timing, and Pearson's current $58 sales examination fee. The page reports both that fee conflict and the handbook's conflict with the outlines on total presented items rather than silently choosing a convenient figure. TREC's fee schedule supplies the $206 application total and still displays $43 for the sales examination, which is the conflict this page reports rather than resolving. The enrolled SB 1968 text and current TREC guidance support the written-agreement, non-representation, and IABS changes. TREC's live contracts page supplies the 2026 form IDs and effective dates. TREC's future curriculum work is treated as monitoring news, not as an effective exam change.

Official Source Links

• TREC fee schedule
• Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate content outlines
• Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook
• Texas Legislature: SB 1968
• TREC: current SB 1968 practice guidance
• TREC: IABS 1-2 required as of January 1, 2026
• TREC: current contracts and form effective dates
• TREC: future curriculum and job task analysis
• 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. Fees, content outlines, effective dates, and the scope of recent laws can change, so confirm the current TREC fee schedule, the Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook and content outlines, and the text of SB 1968 before you register, pay, or test.