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Texas Sales Agent · Six State areas · Free study guide

Texas real estate state exam study guide.
Know what to study next.

Study six areas: Commission Duties and Powers, Licensing, Standards of Conduct, Agency/Brokerage, Contracts and Special Topics. Use the outline below to choose a lesson, check your reasoning with an example, then practice that subject. This guide covers Texas State Law for Sales Agent candidates.

See all 6 areas Take the state practice test

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Quick answer

The Texas Sales Agent State Law exam has 40 scored items across six areas, plus 10 unidentified pretest items. The separate State appointment allows 90 minutes; the passing score is 28 correct out of 40. National and State must be passed separately. Answer every item because you cannot identify the unscored ones. Official outline and candidate handbook.

Official 2026 sales-agent outline

All 6 Texas state-law areas.

The counts below are scored-item totals published by Pearson VUE. The three largest areas total 29 of 40 items. The other areas still matter. Pearson does not publish individual State subtopic weights.

Texas Sales Agent State Law: the six official scored-item totals
AreaScored itemsFree questions
Commission Duties and Powers3 of 40Practice TREC Duties & Powers
Licensing3 of 40Practice Licensing
Standards of Conduct9 of 40Practice Standards of Conduct
Agency and Brokerage11 of 40Practice Agency & Brokerage
Contracts and Promulgated Forms9 of 40Practice Contracts & Forms
Special Topics5 of 40Practice Special Topics

Source: Pearson Sales Agent outline, effective January 1, 2026. The study suggestions below are ours.

Area 1 · Foundation

Commission Duties and Powers

3 scored items, or 7.5% of the scored state portion. Know who makes the law, who enforces it, how a complaint moves, and which penalties TREC can impose.

Start here: Make two short notes: who writes statutes and rules, and how complaint investigation, hearings and review differ.

Read the area guide Practice this area Open the cheat sheet
Official subtopics
  • A. General Powers
  • B. Handling of Complaints
  • C. Penalties for Violation
Distinctions to check
  • The Legislature enacts TRELA; TREC adopts rules under the authority the law gives it.
  • The six industry members of TREC must be brokers. Advisory committees do not replace the Commission.

TRELA §§1101.051, 1101.151 and 1101.254

Area 2 · Foundation

Licensing

3 scored items, or 7.5% of the scored state portion. Decide whether the activity needs a license, whether an exemption applies, and whether the sales agent currently has authority to act.

Start here: For each scenario, sort five facts: actor, activity, expected payment, exemption, and active authority.

Read the area guide Practice this area Open the cheat sheet
Official subtopics
  • A. Activities Requiring License
  • B. Licensing Process
  • C. License Maintenance and Renewal
Distinctions to check
  • Passing the exam is not permission to begin brokerage. A sales agent needs an active license and sponsoring broker.
  • An inactive license does not permit brokerage, even if a former sponsoring broker is willing to supervise.

TREC Rules 535.120-535.122

Area 3 · Largest areas

Standards of Conduct

9 scored items, or 22.5% of the scored state portion. Apply Texas conduct rules to ethics, discipline, legal-form boundaries, trust money, compensation, rebates, and advertising.

Start here: Separate similar violations, especially commingling versus conversion and form completion versus legal drafting.

Read the area guide Practice this area Open the cheat sheet
Official subtopics
  • A. Professional Ethics and Conduct
  • B. Grounds for Discipline
  • C. Unauthorized Practice of Law
  • D. Trust Accounts
  • E. Splitting Fees
  • F. Rebates
  • G. Advertising
Distinctions to check
  • Fidelity puts the client’s interests first while still requiring fair treatment of others.
  • A sales agent sends trust money to the sponsoring broker immediately. The broker’s default deposit deadline runs from the broker’s receipt.

TREC Rules 531.2 and 535.146(b)

Area 4 · Largest areas

Agency and Brokerage

11 scored items, or 27.5% of the scored state portion. Recognize disclosure duties, intermediary practice, minimum services, supervision, broker responsibility, and assistant limits.

Start here: Master intermediary, IABS, written buyer agreements, appointments, and who the broker or sales agent represents.

Read the area guide Practice this area Open the cheat sheet
Official subtopics
  • A. Disclosure
  • B. Intermediary Practice
  • C. Duties to Client (including Minimum Services)
  • D. Broker-Sales Agent Relationships
  • E. Broker’s Responsibility for Acts of Sales Agent
  • F. Appropriate Use of Unlicensed Assistants
Distinctions to check
  • IABS explains brokerage services; it does not create representation or supply intermediary consent.
  • Intermediary consent and appointments are separate steps. Without appointments, license holders do not give advice favoring either party.

TRELA §§1101.558-1101.560

Area 5 · Largest areas

Contracts and Promulgated Forms

9 scored items, or 22.5% of the scored state portion. Know which TREC form fits, what a license holder may enter, how the Statute of Frauds applies, and when seller disclosure is required.

Start here: Study the current forms by purpose and trigger, then drill option, financing, disclosure, and amendment scenarios.

Read the area guide Practice this area Open the cheat sheet
Official subtopics
  • A. Promulgated Contracts, Forms, and Addenda
  • B. Statute of Frauds
  • C. Seller Disclosure Requirements
Distinctions to check
  • The Broker-Lawyer Committee drafts standard forms; TREC adopts them. Mandatory and voluntary forms have different use rules.
  • Rule 537.11 permits informational entries and certain conspicuous edits specifically instructed in writing by a principal. It does not authorize an agent to invent legal clauses.

TREC Rules 537.1 and 537.11; TRELA §1101.254

Area 6 · Breadth

Special Topics

5 scored items, or 12.5% of the scored state portion. Cover 11 smaller Texas-law subjects without treating them as one vague catchall category.

Start here: Make one rule card for each official subtopic, then practice mixed fact patterns that force you to identify the subject first.

Read the area guide Practice this area Open the cheat sheet
Official subtopics
  • A. Community Property
  • B. Homestead Protections and Tax Exemptions
  • C. Deceptive Trade Practices Act
  • D. Wills and Estates
  • E. Landlord-Tenant Issues
  • F. Foreclosure and Short Sales
  • G. Recording Statutes
  • H. Mechanic's and Materialman's Liens
  • I. Veterans Land Board
  • J. Home Owners Associations
  • K. Equitable Interest
Distinctions to check
  • A name on a deed does not by itself settle whether property is separate or community.
  • Homestead creditor protection, a tax exemption and an appraisal limitation answer different questions.
  • A real estate license does not provide blanket DTPA immunity. Check the statutory exceptions.

Family Code §§3.001-3.003

Compare homestead protection, tax exemptions and appraisal limits. See also DTPA §17.49(i).

A practical study order

How to study for the Texas State exam.

New to State law? Begin with the framework, then study one topic at a time. If you are retaking, use your report and unfamiliar practice questions to choose where to begin. This is a suggested sequence, not a required timetable.

Pass 1

Build the Texas framework

Learn TREC versus TRELA, licensing authority, representation, and the limits on legal work. Separate the law, the regulator and the people in the transaction before applying a rule.

Pass 2

Work through the three largest areas

Agency/Brokerage, Standards of Conduct, and Contracts account for 29 of 40 scored items. Give weak topics here enough time, then revisit the smaller areas too.

Pass 3

Cover Special Topics deliberately

Make a rule card for each of the 11 named subjects. Include the fact that triggers the rule and one exception or distinction to check.

Pass 4

Explain the deciding fact

After every miss, write the fact that changed the answer. The goal is to recognize the rule in a new scenario, not memorize a familiar question.

Pass 5

Finish with mixed State practice

Try a timed State set without notes. Review guesses as well as misses, then revisit the lesson behind each error. Repeated questions can make a score look stronger than your understanding.

Make the next session specific

Which State topic should you study first?

Use the number missed, the size of the area and mistakes that repeat in practice. The lowest correct count alone can send you to the wrong starting point.

A smaller correct count does not always mean a bigger gap.

Suppose an illustrative report shows 2 of 3 correct in Commission Duties and Powers, and 6 of 11 in Agency/Brokerage. That means one item missed in Commission and five in Agency. Agency is worth investigating first, even though its correct count is higher.

  1. Try a few free Agency/Brokerage questions. Note which rules you miss or guess.
  2. If intermediary consent is the problem, read the intermediary lesson. Explain who must consent and what appointments change.
  3. Try a different scenario, then return to the other five State areas. One report is a starting point, not a complete picture.

This example uses made-up scores to show the calculation. Pearson treats category results as general study guidance and recommends reviewing every area. Read its score explanation.

Keep your own notes in the score-report worksheet, or build a retake plan with a printable practice-error log.

Can you explain one rule from each State area?

Try answering aloud before opening each explanation. These six original examples help you choose a lesson. They are not live exam questions or a scored readiness test.

Commission: are TREC’s six industry seats open to either brokers or sales agents?

No. The statute specifies brokers. TREC has nine members: six qualifying licensed brokers and three public members. A sales-agent license alone does not meet the broker-seat requirement. Check the role named in the question before choosing a number. TRELA §1101.051.

Licensing: can an inactive sales agent negotiate for a buyer if a former sponsoring broker says it is fine?

No. The license must be active. Permission from a broker does not reactivate an inactive license. The agent must meet the reactivation requirements and establish sponsorship through TREC’s process before doing brokerage. Rules 535.120 and 535.122.

Conduct: an agent pushes a quick sale because they need the commission. Which canon is the clearest fit?

Fidelity. The agent is putting a personal interest ahead of the client. Integrity addresses avoiding misrepresentation; competency addresses knowledge, judgment and skill. The commission motive is the deciding fact here. Review the three canons and Rules 531.2-531.4.

Agency: both clients give valid intermediary consent, but no agents are appointed. May an agent recommend an offer price?

No. Consent permits the intermediary relationship; it does not authorize advice favoring a party. Appointments require authorization in the consent and written notice to all parties. An appointed license holder may then advise their assigned party. Review intermediary with and without appointments and TRELA §§1101.559-1101.560.

Contracts: a resale condominium looks like a detached house. Does that make Form 20-19 the right choice?

No. Start with condominium ownership. For a resale using the applicable TREC form, use the Residential Condominium Contract (Resale), Form 30-18. Form 20-19 excludes condominium transactions. Building appearance does not change the ownership type. See the form-selection trainer and TREC’s condominium form.

Special Topics: a spouse inherits a house during marriage. Does the timing alone make it community property?

No. Property inherited by a spouse is separate property. Family Code §3.001 includes property acquired by gift, devise or descent. “Acquired during marriage” is not enough; how the spouse acquired it matters. Keep ownership classification separate from a question about homestead protections. Family Code §§3.001-3.003.

Use current materials

What changed, and what is current.

The outline tells you what can be tested. Current statutes, rules, and forms tell you which version of the rule to apply.

The current state outline began January 1, 2026

Use the Sales Agent State Law section of Pearson publication 094401, effective January 1, 2026. The same PDF contains a separate Broker outline with different weights and an additional Case Studies area.

Read the official content outline ↗

Residential buyer agreements now have a pre-showing trigger

Since January 1, 2026, a license holder performing brokerage for a prospective residential buyer must enter the written agreement required by TRELA Section 1101.563 before showing property, or before presenting an offer if no property will be shown. TREC also explains the separate showing-only, nonrepresentation path.

Read TREC's 2026 buyer-agreement guidance ↗

Current forms matter more than old course handouts

Check the form number and effective date on TREC's site before studying an old handout. The current list includes the groundwater and surface-water rights disclosure, Form 61-0, effective July 1, 2026, and Seller's Disclosure Notice 55-1, effective May 28, 2026. Learn when a form applies as well as what it says.

Check current TREC forms ↗

Keep practicing between study sessions

Work on the Texas rules you keep missing.

Use Pass Texas on your phone or in your browser. Read the explanation after each practice answer, keep your app progress in your account, and come back to the State topic you need next.

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A 30-question diagnostic, National Contracts and Agency practice, and selected study guides.
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The website State test and topic questions stay free. To save a timed website result to your web-app account, use “Save my score to my account” after submitting. Opening the app does not import your score report or study plan.

Questions candidates ask

Texas state exam study guide FAQ.

Can I use this guide if I passed National but failed State?

Yes. Use your State results to choose a starting topic, then review all six areas. Pearson says candidates retake only the failed portion within the eligibility period. Check your application deadline and any additional-education requirement before reserving another attempt.

Is the free State practice test timed like the official exam?

The website test has 40 scored practice questions and a 72-minute timer. It scales the official separate State appointment's 90 minutes for 50 total items to a set with no pretest questions. A practice result is study feedback, not an official result or a prediction that you will pass.

Which Texas state-law area has the most questions?

Agency/Brokerage is the largest at 11 scored items. Its six named subtopics cover disclosure, intermediary practice, client duties and minimum services, broker-sales agent relationships, broker responsibility, and unlicensed assistants. The Broker outline lists Enforcing Compensation Agreements separately; the Sales Agent outline does not.

Are TREC-promulgated forms tested on the Texas exam?

Yes. Promulgated contracts, forms, and addenda are an official Contracts subtopic. Study what each current form is for, the fact that triggers it, and the boundaries on what a license holder may add or change.

Do I need to memorize statute numbers?

Use section numbers to find and check rules. For study, concentrate on what the rule requires, who it applies to and which fact changes the answer. Pearson does not publish a separate quota for statute-number recall.

Did the Texas state exam change in 2026?

Yes. The current Texas Sales Agent State Law outline became effective January 1, 2026. Texas law also added written-agreement requirements for prospective residential buyers. The National outline has its own effective date: March 1, 2025.

Does Texas test dual agency?

Texas tests intermediary practice. When one broker agrees to represent both parties, the broker must act as an intermediary under Texas law. Do not answer a Texas state-law question by importing a generic dual-agency rule from the national portion.

Is this the same as the full Texas real estate exam study guide?

No. This guide covers only the six Texas state-law areas. The full study guide covers all 14 areas across both the national and state portions.
Use the right companion page

Choose your next study resource.

Full 14-area study guide

Use this when you need the national and Texas portions together.

Texas state-law cheat sheet

Use this for a compact final review after you understand the rules.

Texas versus national

Use this to separate Texas-specific rules from general exam rules.

TREC forms guide

Use this to learn the current forms, addenda, triggers, and common traps.

Primary-source review

Official sources used for this guide.

Last reviewed: October 13, 2026. This guide and its six examples were checked against requirements and rules in effect through October 12, 2026. Pearson supplies the exam outline and scoring requirements; Texas statutes and TREC supply the rule and form references. Study routines and made-up scores are editorial guidance. Linked topic banks retain their own review dates.

  1. Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate Content Outlines, publication 094401, revision 01/2026
  2. Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook, September 2026, revision 08/2026
  3. TREC Rules and Laws
  4. TREC 2026 residential buyer-agreement guidance
  5. TREC Contracts and Forms
  6. Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1101, TRELA
  7. Texas Family Code §§3.001-3.003: separate and community property
  8. Texas Business and Commerce Code §17.49(i): DTPA license-holder exemption and exceptions
  9. Texas Constitution Article XVI §50: homestead protection
  10. Texas Comptroller: property tax exemptions
  11. Texas Tax Code §23.23: residence homestead appraisal limitation
  12. TREC Form 20-19: One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale)
  13. TREC Form 30-18: Residential Condominium Contract (Resale)