QUICK ANSWER

The Texas sales agent exam has 120 scored questions: 80 national and 40 Texas state. You need 56 national and 28 state correct, and you must pass the portions separately. The current Pearson VUE outlines have 8 national areas and 6 state-law areas. A third consecutive failed examination triggers additional qualifying education. A passed portion remains valid for one year from its passing date when you reapply within that period.

INDEPENDENT, SOURCE-CHECKED GUIDE

Pass Texas is not affiliated with TREC or Pearson VUE. This page compares recurring online claims with current TREC, Pearson VUE, Texas statutory, and Texas Comptroller sources. It does not copy live exam questions or claim access to confidential test content.

120
scored questions
56 / 28
separate passing lines
240 min
both portions
$43
each exam appointment

Old exam-prep pages often mix different exams, quote a superseded fee, or turn an ambiguous Pearson table into a confident number. This page gives you the short answer first, explains the source conflict when there is one, and sends you to the full guide that owns each topic.

Texas Real Estate Exam Facts at a Glance

Question Accurate answer Why another answer may be stale
How many scored questions? 120: 80 national and 40 Texas state Some pages mix scored and unscored items
What scores pass? 56 national and 28 state "70%" is mathematically true but less precise than the raw passing lines
How long is the exam? 150 minutes national, 90 minutes state, 240 minutes for both Some pages quote one portion or add check-in time
How many content areas? 8 national and 6 Texas state for sales agents Case Studies is a broker-only area
How many total presented items? Pearson's documents conflict, so do not publish a made-up reconciled total The handbook says 125 for both, while its own per-portion rows and the outlines imply 135
What happens after three failures? A third consecutive failed examination triggers additional qualifying education Older summaries call it three attempts per portion
Does a passed portion expire with the application? It remains valid for one year from its passing date if you reapply within that year Older pages treated application expiration as an automatic score eraser
What does one attempt cost? $43 Old pages quote a prior vendor fee
Is there an official pass rate? TREC's current provider table reports 56.12%, with important limits Third-party percentages often omit the definition and counts
Is Case Studies on the sales agent exam? No The broker outline has it, the sales agent outline does not

Fact 1: The Exam Has 120 Scored Questions

The Texas sales agent exam contains 80 scored national questions and 40 scored Texas state-law questions. Those portions are scored separately.

This is the clean number to use in study plans, score calculators, and explanations. Unscored pretest questions may be mixed into an appointment, but they do not change the 120 scored questions that determine whether you pass.

Use the Texas real estate exam format guide for the appointment layout and the question-count guide for the scored-versus-pretest distinction.

Fact 2: The Passing Scores Are 56 and 28

Pearson VUE reports raw scores. A sales agent candidate needs:

Portion Scored questions Correct answers needed Questions that can be missed
National 80 56 24
Texas state 40 28 12

Both lines equal 70%, but the raw numbers are better because that is how the handbook states the standard. A strong national score cannot offset a failed Texas score, and a strong Texas score cannot offset a failed national score.

The passing-score guide explains the raw-score rule. The score calculator shows the margin on each portion without combining the two.

Fact 3: The Time Limit Is 150 Minutes Plus 90 Minutes

Pearson allows 150 minutes for the national portion and 90 minutes for the Texas state portion. When you take both portions in one appointment, the testing time is 240 minutes.

That does not mean you should divide the time evenly. The national portion has twice as many scored questions. Practice the portions separately first, then rehearse the switch from national concepts to Texas-specific law.

Check-in, identity verification, and the tutorial are not reasons to arrive late. Follow the arrival instructions in your Pearson confirmation. The exam-day checklist covers what to bring and what happens before the clock starts.

Fact 4: Pearson's 125 Versus 135 Item Conflict Is Real

Pearson's current content outlines list 80 scored plus 5 unscored national items and 40 scored plus 10 unscored state items. Taken literally, those per-portion figures imply 135 presented items.

The candidate handbook's appointment table lists 85 items for national, 50 for state, and 125 for both. The combined row does not reconcile with the two portion rows.

The honest answer is not to choose the larger number and call it official. It is also not to hide the conflict. Use these stable facts:

  • 120 questions are scored.
  • The national passing line is 56 of 80.
  • The state passing line is 28 of 40.
  • The national time is 150 minutes.
  • The state time is 90 minutes.
  • Pearson does not identify which questions are unscored.

The format guide keeps the conflicting source figures attributed to their documents.

Fact 5: The Sales Agent Exam Has 14 Content Areas

The current outline has 8 national areas and 6 Texas state-law areas.

The national outline is effective March 1, 2025:

  1. Real Property Characteristics, Legal Descriptions, and Property Use
  2. Forms of Ownership, Transfer, and Recording of Title
  3. Property Value and Appraisal
  4. Real Estate Contracts and Agency
  5. Real Estate Practice
  6. Property Disclosures and Environmental Issues
  7. Financing and Settlement
  8. Real Estate Math Calculations

The Texas Sales Agent Law outline is effective January 1, 2026:

  1. Commission Duties and Powers
  2. Licensing
  3. Standards of Conduct
  4. Agency and Brokerage
  5. Contracts
  6. Special Topics

Case Studies appears in the separate Texas Broker Law outline. It is not a seventh state area for sales agent candidates. Study the national outline and Texas state-law outline rather than a blended broker-and-sales-agent chart.

Fact 6: The Rule Is a Third Consecutive Failed Examination

TREC Rule 535.57 is not best summarized as "three tries per portion." The trigger is a third consecutive failed examination.

After that examination, additional qualifying education is required before another attempt or a new application:

  • 30 classroom hours when the national part was failed on the third examination
  • 30 classroom hours when the state part was failed on the third examination
  • 60 classroom hours when both parts were failed on the third examination

The exact facts matter when a candidate has passed one portion, reapplied, or taken the portions on different dates. Use the three-attempt rule guide for the scenarios and the failed-exam hub for the recovery plan.

Fact 7: A Passed Portion Can Survive Application Expiration

TREC says each exam section result remains valid for one year from its passing date. If you reapply less than one year after passing one section, you do not need to retake that section.

You still must satisfy the new application's requirements and pass both sections within the applicable licensing timeline. The point is narrower: expiration of the old application does not erase a section immediately.

The passed-portions guide explains the timing, while the passed-national, failed-state guide covers the common retake sequence.

Fact 8: Current Baseline Fees Are About $286

The current published baseline is:

Charge Amount Paid to
Original online sales agent application total $206 TREC
Examination appointment $43 per attempt Pearson VUE
Fingerprinting About $37 Fingerprint vendor
Approximate baseline $286 Multiple payees

The $206 figure is the online application total, including listed component charges. It does not include pre-license education. The $43 examination charge applies again when you schedule another attempt.

Use the TREC fee guide for the component charges and Texas real estate license cost guide for education and first-year budgeting.

Fact 9: TREC Publishes an Official Provider-Aggregate Pass Rate

TREC's current provider table reports 29,980 sales agent examinations, 16,824 first-attempt passes, and a 56.12% pass rate.

That percentage needs its definition. TREC counts a pass when a student included in the table passes both portions on the first attempt. Results are attributed to the education provider from which the student completed most qualifying coursework during the applicable period.

It is useful evidence about provider outcomes. It is not a forecast of your personal chance, and it does not show which portion you are ready to pass. See how hard the Texas exam is for the full interpretation and use the readiness calculator only as a study-planning rubric.

Fact 10: Texas Has No License Reciprocity

Texas does not offer reciprocity that automatically converts an out-of-state real estate license into a Texas license.

TREC may exempt an applicant from the national portion when the applicant holds an active license in a state that participates in ARELLO's national exam accreditation. TREC reviews the license history and decides whether the exemption applies. The applicant still has to meet Texas application, education, state-exam, background, and sponsorship requirements unless TREC confirms another specific exception.

The Texas reciprocity and national-waiver guide keeps those two ideas separate.

Fact 11: SB 1968 Is Texas Law, the NAR Settlement Is Not

SB 1968 took effect January 1, 2026. Section 1101.563 requires a written agreement when a Texas license holder performs brokerage for a prospective buyer of residential real property, before showing residential property or before presenting an offer if no property will be shown.

Section 1101.562 separately permits a limited showing without representation when its conditions are met. The written agreement may document that limited relationship, but it must not be confused with a full buyer-representation agreement.

The NAR settlement led to separate NAR and MLS policy changes. It is not a Texas statute or TREC rule. Study SB 1968 for Texas law and the NAR settlement guide for the policy comparison.

How to Check a Texas Exam Claim

When a number or rule looks questionable, use this order:

  1. Check the current Pearson VUE Texas candidate handbook for appointment, scoring, identification, and scheduling rules.
  2. Check the current Pearson VUE Texas content outlines for areas and item counts.
  3. Check TREC for licensing rules, fees, pass-rate definitions, application guidance, and forms.
  4. Check the Texas statute when the claim is legal.
  5. Compare the effective date and document revision with the date of the page making the claim.
  6. Keep an unresolved source conflict visible instead of forcing the numbers to agree.

TREC is considering future education and exam-content work through a job task analysis. That is future development, not a replacement for the currently effective Pearson outlines.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the Texas real estate exam?

There are 120 scored questions: 80 national and 40 Texas state. Pearson's documents conflict on the total number of scored plus unscored items in a combined appointment, so rely on the 120 scored total.

What score do you need to pass the Texas real estate exam?

You need 56 correct answers out of 80 scored national questions and 28 correct answers out of 40 scored state questions. Each portion must be passed separately.

Is Case Studies on the Texas sales agent exam?

No. Case Studies is a 10-item section on the Texas broker law outline. The Texas sales agent state-law outline has 6 areas and 40 scored questions.

What is the Texas real estate exam pass rate?

TREC's current provider table reports a 56.12% first-attempt sales agent pass rate, based on 16,824 passes from 29,980 examinations. It is a provider-attributed aggregate for students included in the table, not your personal probability.

Do I lose a passed portion when my TREC application expires?

Not immediately. TREC says each passed section remains valid for one year from its passing date. If you reapply within that year, you do not need to retake the passed section.

Does Texas have real estate license reciprocity?

No. Texas does not have reciprocity. TREC may exempt a qualifying active out-of-state license holder from the national exam portion after reviewing the applicant's license history.

Is Pass Texas an official TREC or Pearson VUE website?

No. Pass Texas is an independent exam-prep product. Official requirements come from TREC, Texas law, and Pearson VUE. This page links those sources so you can verify the claims directly.

Sources and Methodology

Every numbered fact on this page was checked against the current source that owns it. Pearson VUE owns exam format, outline, and passing-score material. TREC owns Texas licensing rules, fees, application guidance, and provider pass-rate definitions. Texas statutes own legal requirements such as SB 1968. Where Pearson's own documents conflict, the conflicting figures remain attributed rather than being merged into a number neither document publishes.

This page is educational exam-preparation content for Texas sales agent candidates. It is not legal or licensing advice. Confirm requirements with TREC, Pearson VUE, and the controlling Texas law before making an application, scheduling, or brokerage decision.