Texas sales agent exam prep
Texas real estate exam study guide.
Study what moves the score.
A practical study guide for the 14 Texas sales agent content areas across the national and state portions, organized by item count, likely miss patterns, and what to drill next.
Source review completed August 30, 2026
Quick answer
Pearson's handbook lists the combined sales appointment as 125 items and 240 minutes. For study planning, work from the scored content outlines: 80 scored national items and 40 scored Texas state-law items across 14 content areas, and you must pass both portions separately. Do not study all topics equally. Start with the highest-item weak areas, then use math drills, trap-wording practice, and timed mixed sets to confirm readiness.
14
official content areas
120
scored items across both portions
70%
raw equivalent on each portion
240
minutes on exam day
Read the official numbers correctly
One appointment figure. One scored blueprint.
Pearson VUE's handbook lists the combined Sales appointment as 125 items in 240 minutes. Its content outlines separately allocate 80 scored National items and 40 scored Texas State items, with pretest questions mixed in and not identified. Because the published appointment total and separate outline totals do not reconcile, this guide does not add them together.
National passing line
56 of 80
Texas State passing line
28 of 40
How this page ranks areas
120 scored
01
Repair the score core
Start with the areas worth at least an eighth of the portion that scores them. Together they account for 82 of 120 scored items, so they give you the largest repair surface.
02
Separate math from law
Math is not one skill. Split commission, prorations, property tax, LTV, interest, and income formulas so you can see which setup is failing.
03
Use mixed practice last
Mixed practice is a readiness check after topic repair. If you use it too early, it only tells you that everything feels messy.
Official outline, practical order
The 14 content areas, ranked by score impact.
The item counts come from the Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate content outlines. Pass Texas groups areas representing at least at least an eighth of their own portion as Score core, at least a twelfth as Stabilizer, and the rest as Final pass. The National and Texas State portions are scored separately, so an area is measured against the portion that scores it rather than against a 120-item total nobody is graded on. These tiers are study guidance, not official Pearson VUE labels.
Score core8 topics82 items, 68% of scored blueprint
Stabilizer4 topics32 items, 27% of scored blueprint
Final pass2 topics6 items, 5% of scored blueprint
Showing 14 of 14 content areas
16 scored itemsReal Estate Contracts and AgencyScore core
16 of 80 scored items on the National portion, 16 of 80 National.
What to review
Contract essentials, the Statute of Frauds, offer and acceptance, contract classification, breach and remedies, plus how agency is created, terminated, and what duties are owed to clients versus customers. The single heaviest area on the national portion.
Common miss
Confusing void, voidable, unenforceable, executory, and executed. Those labels change the legal result.
Next drill
Sort every missed item by miss type: contract formation, classification, breach, remedy, or agency duty.
11 scored itemsReal Property Characteristics, Legal Descriptions, and Property UseScore core
11 of 80 scored items on the National portion, 11 of 80 National.
What to review
Real versus personal property and fixtures, the physical and economic characteristics of land, the three legal-description methods, and public and private land-use controls.
Common miss
Answering fixture and land-use questions from common sense instead of the legal test (MARIA / intent) and the rule that the more restrictive control wins.
Next drill
Practice classification scenarios: fixture or personal property, which description method, and which control governs.
11 scored itemsProperty Value and AppraisalScore core
11 of 80 scored items on the National portion, 11 of 80 National.
What to review
Market value versus price, principles of value, the three approaches (sales comparison, cost, income), the three types of depreciation, and CMA versus BPO versus appraisal.
Common miss
Choosing the wrong valuation approach before calculating, or adjusting the subject instead of the comparable.
Next drill
For every appraisal miss, name the approach first, then solve the math or make the adjustment (Comparable Better Subtract).
10 scored itemsReal Estate PracticeScore core
10 of 80 scored items on the National portion, 10 of 80 National.
What to review
A broker's responsibilities, listing and brokerage agreements, federal Fair Housing, and risk management (supervision, antitrust, fraud, required insurance).
Common miss
Missing the protected class in a Fair Housing scenario, or not spotting an antitrust violation like price-fixing in casual conversation.
Next drill
Drill listing types, the protected classes, and the four antitrust violations until the correct action is automatic.
9 scored itemsForms of Ownership, Transfer, and Recording of TitleStabilizer
9 of 80 scored items on the National portion, 9 of 80 National.
What to review
The bundle of rights, estates (fee simple, defeasible, life estate), concurrent ownership, liens, mineral and surface rights, valid deed requirements, voluntary and involuntary transfer, and how recording gives notice and priority.
Common miss
Mixing deed validity with recording protection. A deed is valid between the parties even though recording protects against later third-party claims.
Next drill
Build a deed-and-title checklist and a co-ownership comparison (survivorship versus passes-to-heirs).
9 scored itemsProperty Disclosures and Environmental IssuesStabilizer
9 of 80 scored items on the National portion, 9 of 80 National.
What to review
Property-condition and environmental hazards (lead-based paint, asbestos, radon, mold, USTs, flood), the federal statutes (CERCLA/SARA, EPA), and a licensee's disclosure obligations and liability.
Common miss
Forgetting that CERCLA liability is strict, joint-and-several, and retroactive, so a buyer can be liable for a prior owner's contamination.
Next drill
Drill hazard recognition and the Phase I versus Phase II distinction, plus what federal law requires versus state law.
7 scored itemsFinancing and SettlementStabilizer
7 of 80 scored items on the National portion, 7 of 80 National.
What to review
Financing instruments and clauses, loan programs and lender requirements, federal financing regulation (TILA/Reg Z, TRID, RESPA, ECOA), and what happens at settlement and closing.
Common miss
Treating a RESPA kickback like a normal referral fee, or blending loan-program rules (FHA, VA, USDA, conventional) into one bucket.
Next drill
Drill note versus deed of trust, the loan programs, TRID timing, and the RESPA anti-kickback rule.
7 scored itemsReal Estate Math CalculationsStabilizer
7 of 80 scored items on the National portion, 7 of 80 National.
What to review
Area and acreage, valuation math, commission and splits, loan financing costs, settlement and proration math, investment returns, and property-management calculations.
Common miss
Starting arithmetic before naming the formula, and assuming a 365-day year or who owns the closing day when the question specifies it.
Next drill
Use mixed math sets. Before each calculation, write the formula name, units, and the proration convention the question states.
3 scored itemsCommission Duties and PowersFinal pass
3 of 40 scored items on the Texas State portion, 3 of 40 Texas State Law.
What to review
TREC's composition, duties, and powers, how complaints are investigated and heard, penalties for violations including unlicensed activity, and the Real Estate Recovery Trust Account.
Common miss
Thinking TREC writes the statute. The Texas Legislature writes TRELA; TREC enforces it and adopts the rules.
Next drill
Map the complaint sequence (investigation, hearing, appeal) and separate the Legislature's role from TREC's.
3 scored itemsLicensingFinal pass
3 of 40 scored items on the Texas State portion, 3 of 40 Texas State Law.
What to review
Activities requiring a license and exemptions, business entities, the licensing process (education, exam, sponsorship, denial, appeals), and license maintenance and renewal.
Common miss
Assuming a license alone lets you practice. A Texas sales agent must be sponsored by an active broker to perform brokerage.
Next drill
Make a rule card for each requirement and deadline: trigger, required action, and consequence.
9 scored itemsStandards of ConductScore core
9 of 40 scored items on the Texas State portion, 9 of 40 Texas State Law.
What to review
Professional ethics, grounds for discipline, the unauthorized practice of law, trust accounts, fee splitting, rebates, and advertising rules under the TREC Rules.
Common miss
Confusing commingling (mixing trust funds with operating funds) with conversion (using trust funds for the broker), or missing a blind-ad advertising violation.
Next drill
Drill trust-account handling, what counts as the unauthorized practice of law, and advertising rules that require the broker's name.
11 scored itemsAgency and BrokerageScore core
11 of 40 scored items on the Texas State portion, 11 of 40 Texas State Law.
What to review
Texas agency disclosure (IABS), intermediary practice, duties and minimum services, broker-sales-agent relationships, and proper use of unlicensed assistants. The heaviest state-portion area.
Common miss
Calling a single broker representing both sides 'dual agency.' Texas uses the intermediary relationship with written consent, not dual agency.
Next drill
Drill intermediary mechanics: written consent, appointed license holders, and the broker's responsibility for a sales agent's acts.
9 scored itemsContracts and Promulgated FormsScore core
9 of 40 scored items on the Texas State portion, 9 of 40 Texas State Law.
What to review
TREC-promulgated contracts, forms, and addenda, the Statute of Frauds, the termination-option period, and the statutory Seller's Disclosure Notice.
Common miss
Assuming a license holder may draft custom legal clauses. Rule 537.11 allows authorized form completion and limited informational or written-instruction changes, but not agent-drafted language that affects legal rights, obligations, or remedies.
Next drill
Learn the major forms and addenda, the option-period mechanics, and which transactions require the seller's disclosure.
5 scored itemsSpecial TopicsScore core
5 of 40 scored items on the Texas State portion, 5 of 40 Texas State Law.
What to review
Community property, homestead protections and tax exemptions, the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, wills and estates, landlord-tenant, foreclosure and short sales, recording, mechanic's liens, the Veterans Land Board, and HOAs.
Common miss
Confusing the homestead tax exemption (reduces taxable value) with the homestead creditor protection (blocks forced sale). They are separate.
Next drill
Drill community versus separate property, the two homestead concepts, and the DTPA consumer remedies.
Texas State Law directories
All six Texas State Law areas, in official order.
The state outline effective January 1, 2026 contains 40 scored items and 10 pretest items. Use each owner page for the rule, the companion sheet for recall, and topic practice for application.
Use this page well
Turn the guide into a 7-day repair loop.
If you already have a score report or diagnostic result, do not start from the top blindly. Use the weakest high-weight topic first, then move through this loop until your mixed practice stops exposing the same miss.
- Day 1List weak topics and mark each official weight.
- Days 2 to 4Repair the heaviest weak topic with scenario practice.
- Day 5Run math or wording drills for the miss type you keep repeating.
- Day 6Take a timed mixed set and log every miss by topic.
- Day 7Retest only after the same weak topic stops leaking points.
Mistakes students make
The study traps that make the exam feel bigger.
Most study-guide mistakes are planning mistakes. Fix the order, add retrieval practice, and the 14 content areas become easier to manage.
Equal timeStudying a 3-item topic like a 16-item topicThe official outline is weighted by item count. Your time should be weighted too.
Passive reviewReading without retrievalAfter each topic, close the notes and explain the rule in your own words before you answer questions.
Fake confidenceRepeating familiar questionsIf you only drill questions you recognize, your score rises without your readiness rising.
Late mathSaving formulas for the final weekSmall daily math sets beat one long panic session at the end.
Related resources
What to use with this study guide.
FAQ
Texas exam study guide questions.
What should I study first for the Texas real estate exam?
Start with the highest-item content areas: Real Estate Contracts and Agency, property characteristics, value and appraisal, real estate practice, and the Texas state-law areas of agency/intermediary and standards of conduct. Then use practice questions to expose the weak rules inside those topics.
Is this study guide a pre-license course?
No. This page is exam prep. Texas sales agent candidates still need to follow TREC licensing requirements, including the required pre-license education or an accepted equivalent.
How many topics are on the Texas sales agent exam?
The exam covers 14 content areas: 8 on the national/general portion (80 scored items, outline effective March 1, 2025) and 6 on the Texas state-law portion (40 scored items, outline effective January 1, 2026). A candidate must pass both portions separately.
How many questions are on the Texas real estate exam?
Use two official figures for two different purposes. Pearson VUE's combined Sales appointment table lists 125 items in 240 minutes. The content outlines allocate 80 scored National items and 40 scored Texas State items, plus separate pretest counts. Those published totals do not reconcile, so this guide uses the 120 scored items for study weighting and reports the 125-item appointment figure exactly as the handbook presents it.
Can I pass by reading a study guide only?
Reading helps you organize the rules, but passing usually requires retrieval practice, scenario questions, math setup practice, and timed mixed review. Treat this guide as the map, not the whole workout.
How should I use this if I already failed once?
Use any performance information from your result report, then map each weak topic to the official weight. Repair the highest-weight weak topics first before taking another full mixed practice set.
Methodology and sources
Content-area names, item counts, exam length, scoring, and candidate logistics were checked against current TREC and Pearson VUE materials. Study priorities and drill suggestions are Pass Texas coaching guidance, not official TREC rules. Facts and links were last checked August 30, 2026.
Turn reading into practice
A study guide should point to the next session.
Use the topic guide to understand the exam, then check readiness, try sample wording, drill math, and move into app practice when you need repetition.
01ReadinessCheck if you should book, wait, or drillStart with the free readiness calculator before you spend another week guessing.Check readiness →02SampleTry Texas-style questionsUse five exam-style questions to feel the wording, pacing, and trap answers.Try 5 questions →03MathDrill the formulas that cost pointsMove into mixed math once you know the formulas but still miss setups.Start math drill →04AppTurn the gap into a study plan1,377 Texas-specific questions, Math Coach, Trap Library, and offline study for $59.99 once.See the app →