How difficult is it to get a real estate license?

The difficulty depends mainly on the state. Education requirements range from 40 to 180 classroom hours, with Texas at the high end and several states at 40 hours. The licensing exam is passable but not easy: first-attempt pass rates commonly fall between roughly 50% and 75% depending on the state, and most states require a score of 70% to 75% to pass. Retakes are allowed, though Texas requires additional coursework after three failed attempts.

The Alabama licensing exam consists of 120 scored questions split between 80 national and 40 state-specific items, with a passing score of 70. Roughly half of first-time test takers pass on their first attempt, and Alabama Real Estate Commission (AREC) publishes per-school pass rates on its website so applicants can compare education providers. There is no limit on exam retakes within the 6-month window after course completion.

Alaska requires 40 hours of approved pre-licensing education, which is among the lowest hourly requirements in the nation. The salesperson exam consists of 120 scored questions (80 national and 40 state) with a passing scaled score of 75 on each portion, and candidates have 4 hours to complete it. The Alaska Real Estate Commission and Pearson VUE do not publish a statewide pass rate, so the difficulty cannot be assessed from an official first-attempt pass rate.

The Arizona real estate exam has a statewide first-time pass rate of approximately 60%, meaning roughly 4 in 10 first-time candidates do not pass on the initial attempt. Candidates must complete 90 hours of pre-licensing education plus a 6-hour contract writing course, obtain a Fingerprint Clearance Card, and pass two exam portions (General and State-Specific) with a score of 75% or higher on each. If a candidate passes one portion but not the other, only the failed portion needs to be retaken.

Arkansas requires 60 hours of pre-licensing education, a passing scaled score of 70 on the state exam, and a state and federal background check. Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) does not publish exam pass rates for Arkansas. The 60-hour education requirement ranks among the lower-requirement states nationally. The salesperson exam consists of 80 scored national questions and 30 scored Arkansas-specific questions, and candidates are authorized for unlimited retake attempts for one year from the date of approval.

California requires 135 hours of pre-licensing education across three 45-hour college-level courses before applicants can sit for the salesperson examination. The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions in 3 hours, and examinees must correctly answer at least 70% to pass. According to the DRE's own published data, the overall salesperson exam pass rate was approximately 51% for fiscal year 2024/2025. There is no limit on the number of exam attempts within the two-year application validity period, and the re-examination fee is $100 per attempt.

Colorado requires 168 hours of pre-licensing education and a two-part broker exam: 80 national questions requiring 60 correct to pass (75%) and 74 state questions requiring 53 correct to pass (approximately 71.6%). Both portions must be passed independently, and exam results are valid for one year from the date of each portion's passing score. The Colorado Division of Real Estate publishes quarterly first-time pass rate reports by school, allowing applicants to compare education providers by exam performance before enrolling. No maximum number of exam attempts is specified in Colorado rules or PSI exam materials; applicants may retake failed portions at a subsequent time.

Connecticut requires 60 hours of pre-licensing education and a passing score of 70% on both the national and state portions of the PSI-administered exam. The exam consists of 80 national questions and 30 state questions, and candidates may retake the exam on an unlimited basis within one year of eligibility. Connecticut does not publish a statewide pass rate, so there is no official data on how many candidates pass on the first attempt. The National Association of REALTORS® reports that REALTORS® with two years or less of experience earned a median of $8,100 in 2024, and a first sale can take four to six months or more.

The Delaware real estate salesperson exam has a reported pass rate of 60 to 72%. The exam consists of 120 scored questions (80 national and 40 Delaware-specific), with a minimum passing scaled score of 70 on each section. Candidates have up to 3 attempts within one year of completing the 99-hour pre-licensing course, and those who fail all 3 attempts must retake the entire pre-licensing course.

DC requires 60 hours of pre-licensing education and a 75% passing score on both the national and state portions of the salesperson exam, which is administered by PSI. DC-specific exam pass rates are not published by the DC Real Estate Commission. Nationally, first-attempt pass rates for real estate exams range from about 60% to 70%. The exam covers property law, finance, contracts, agency relationships, ethics, and DC-specific regulations.

The first-time pass rate for the Florida real estate sales associate exam hovers around 48 to 50%, meaning roughly half of first-time test takers do not pass. The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions with a 3.5-hour time limit, and a score of 75 out of 100 points (75%) is required to pass. Florida requires 63 hours of pre-licensing education, which is lower than many states. Candidates may retake the exam without a mandatory waiting period, but must wait 24 hours to reschedule and pay the $36.75 fee for each attempt.

Obtaining a Georgia real estate license requires completing 75 hours of pre-license education from a GREC-approved school, passing a comprehensive state licensing exam with a 75% passing score on each section, and clearing a criminal background check. First-try pass rates for the state exam are estimated at roughly half to two-thirds of candidates. A salesperson who passes the exam must apply for a license within 3 months or pay double the application fee, and must activate within 12 months or retake the exam.

Hawaii requires candidates to complete a prelicense course accredited by the Hawaii Real Estate Commission and pass a two-section licensing exam administered by PSI Services, LLC, with a 70% passing score required on each section for salesperson candidates. The license application fee is $282 or $382 depending on whether the license is issued in an even or odd numbered year. No statewide pass rate is published by the Hawaii Real Estate Commission or PSI, so the exam's difficulty cannot be quantified from official data. Hawaii does not offer full reciprocity, but candidates with current out-of-state licenses may qualify for a prelicense education equivalency or a uniform-section exam equivalency.

Idaho requires 90 hours of prelicense education in two 45-hour modules, each concluding with a final exam that requires a score of 70% or higher. The state licensing exam has a passing scaled score of 70 for salesperson candidates. First-time pass rates are 74% on the national portion and 64% on the Idaho portion, and candidates may retake either portion as many times as needed by paying the exam fee.

Obtaining an Illinois broker license requires completing 75 hours of pre-license education, passing a two-part licensing exam, and securing sponsorship from a managing broker. The exam consists of 100 national questions with a 70% passing score and 40 state questions with a 75% passing score. Candidates may attempt the exam up to 4 times within a 2-year eligibility period, and after a fourth failure must retake the full 75-hour pre-license education. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) does not publish a statewide pass rate.

Indiana does not officially publish a pass rate for the real estate broker exam. Unofficial estimates from third-party sources place the pass rate between 59% and 64%. The exam consists of 145 total questions across national and state portions, with a scaled passing score of 75 set by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency in conjunction with Pearson VUE. There is no limit on the number of retake attempts, but both portions must be passed within 1 year of completing the 90-hour pre-licensing course.

Iowa requires 96 hours of pre-licensing education, a 120-question licensing exam with a 70% passing score on each of the national and state sections, a national criminal background check, and a sponsoring broker. The Iowa Real Estate Commission and PSI do not publish official statewide pass rates. Unofficial estimates from education providers suggest roughly 46% pass the national portion and 53% pass the state portion on the first attempt, with about 60% passing both portions combined.

Kansas requires 60 hours of pre-license education, a KBI/FBI background check, and a two-part licensing exam with 110 scored questions (80 national and 30 state). The passing score is a scaled 70 on a 0-100 scale, determined by an algorithm that accounts for question difficulty rather than a simple percentage correct. The Kansas Real Estate Commission does not publish a statewide pass rate. Applicants must also affiliate with a Kansas-licensed broker before a license can be issued, and all arrests, misdemeanor charges, or felony convictions must be disclosed even if expunged.

Kentucky requires 96 hours of Commission-approved pre-license education and a minimum score of 75% on each portion of the licensing exam, which consists of 80 national questions and 50 state-specific questions. KREC's February 2024 meeting minutes show a 58.33% first-time pass rate for January 2024, meaning fewer than six in ten first-time candidates passed. Candidates who pass one portion but fail the other may retake only the failed portion within 4 months of the initial testing date. Pre-license education does not expire, so applicants can take as long as needed to prepare.

Louisiana requires 90 hours of pre-licensing education from an LREC-approved school, a licensing exam with national and state portions, a fingerprint-based background check, and sponsorship by a licensed broker. The exam passing scores are 56 out of 80 on the national portion (70%) and 40 out of 55 on the state portion (approximately 73%), with both portions passed independently. Louisiana does not publish its exam pass rates.

Maine does not publish a statewide pass rate for its real estate exam, so difficulty cannot be measured by pass-rate statistics. The Sales Agent exam requires a scaled passing score of 75 on a 0-100 scale across two portions: 80 scored national items and 40 scored Maine law items, with 4 hours total testing time. Candidates may retake the exam multiple times before the one-year course completion certificate expires. The 55-hour pre-licensing course and the exam both require a minimum score of 75%.

Maryland requires 60 hours of pre-licensing education from an approved provider, a passing score of at least 70% on both the national and state portions of the licensing exam, and affiliation with a licensed broker. The exam is administered by PSI as a computer-based test lasting two hours, with both portions requiring a minimum score of 70%. Neither the Maryland Real Estate Commission nor PSI publishes an official statewide pass rate. A criminal conviction does not automatically disqualify an applicant; the Commission reviews each conviction on a case-by-case basis.

Massachusetts is considered one of the more lenient states for real estate licensing because it requires only 40 hours of pre-licensing education, among the lowest in the nation. Candidates must be at least 18 years old, complete the 40-hour course at a Board-approved school, obtain 3 candidate endorsements, pass a criminal background check (CORI), and score at least 70% on the licensing exam. No statewide pass rate is published by the Massachusetts Board or PSI, so the exam's difficulty cannot be quantified from official sources.

Michigan requires 40 hours of approved prelicensure education for a salesperson license. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, meet a good moral character standard, pass a PSI-administered exam covering national and state-specific content, and secure a sponsoring broker to activate the license. The broker license requires 90 hours of prelicensure education and 3 years of full-time real estate experience. Michigan does not require a high school diploma or GED for licensure.

Minnesota requires 90 hours of pre-licensing education across three 30-hour courses and a passing score of 75% on both the national and state portions of the licensing exam. The exam includes 130 scored questions, 80 on the national portion and 50 on the state portion, plus unscored pretest questions. Neither the Minnesota Department of Commerce nor PSI Services publishes an official statewide pass rate.

Mississippi Real Estate Commission (MREC) and PSI do not release official pass-rate statistics for the Mississippi real estate exam. Private course providers estimate the first-time pass rate at roughly 50% to 70%. The salesperson exam consists of 120 questions across 4 hours, with passing scores of 70% on the national portion and 75% on the state portion. Mississippi requires 60 hours of pre-licensing education, which World Population Review places among the more lenient state requirements nationally.

Missouri requires 72 hours of pre-licensing education, a fingerprinting-based criminal history background check, and passing scores on both the national and state portions of the licensing exam. The salesperson exam has 140 scored questions with a 70% passing threshold on the national portion and 75% on the state portion. Missouri does not publish exam pass rates, so the difficulty cannot be quantified from official data.

Montana requires 70 hours of approved pre-licensing education for salespersons and a passing scaled score of 75 on both the national and state portions of the Pearson VUE exam. The Montana Board of Realty Regulation does not publish statewide or per-school exam pass rates. Applicants must also secure sponsorship from a licensed broker with a supervising broker endorsement and maintain errors and omissions insurance coverage.

Nebraska requires 96 hours of pre-license education, a fingerprint-based criminal background check, and a passing exam score of 75%. The salesperson exam consists of 130 questions (80 national and 50 state) with a 4-hour time limit. Candidates must answer at least 60 of 80 national questions and 38 of 50 state questions correctly to pass. The exam is administered by Pearson VUE at test centers in Omaha, Lincoln, North Platte, and Scottsbluff.

Nevada requires 120 hours of pre-licensing education, a passing score of 75% on both the national and state portions of the licensing exam, and fingerprint background clearance to obtain a salesperson license. The exam consists of 80 scored national questions and 40 scored state questions, and exam results must be dated within the last 12 months. Coursework certificates also expire after 12 months if the exam is not passed within that period.

New Hampshire requires 40 hours of pre-licensing education for a salesperson license. The licensing exam consists of 80 national questions and 40 state questions, with a 70% passing score required on both sections. New Hampshire does not publish official exam pass rate data. The process includes regulatory deadlines for taking the exam after starting the course and for submitting a license application after passing.

Obtaining a New Jersey real estate salesperson license requires completing a 75-hour prelicensure course, passing a 110-question state licensing exam with a score of at least 70% (77 correct answers), clearing a fingerprint-based background check, and securing a sponsoring broker to submit the license application. New Jersey does not offer reciprocity with any state, so all applicants, including those licensed elsewhere, must meet every NJ requirement from scratch. The exam covers both national real estate principles and New Jersey-specific laws and regulations.

New Mexico requires 90 hours of prelicensing education, a passing score of 75% on both the state and national portions of the broker exam, fingerprinting for a background check, errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, and affiliation with a sponsoring broker to activate the license. The exam must be passed within 90 calendar days of the first attempt, and the license application must be submitted within 6 months of passing. New Mexico does not publish exam pass rates, so difficulty cannot be measured by a pass-rate metric.

The New York real estate salesperson exam has a pass rate of approximately 51% as of early 2025, based on data from the New York State Real Estate Board meeting summaries. The exam is multiple choice, based on the 77-hour pre-licensing curriculum, and allows 90 minutes to complete. Results are reported as pass or fail with no numerical score. Candidates who fail may retake the exam an unlimited number of times by scheduling through eAccessNY, paying the $15 exam fee for each attempt.

North Carolina requires applicants to complete a 75-hour Broker Prelicensing Course, pass a two-part licensing exam with a score of 75 on each section, and satisfy a character review. The exam includes 140 scored items (80 National and 60 State) plus 10 unscored pretest items, with 4.5 hours of total testing time. The NCREC publishes pass rates by education provider on its website but does not publish a single statewide first-time pass rate. Applicants who fail one or both sections may retake the exam after a 10-calendar-day waiting period, with no limit on attempts during the 180-day eligibility period.

The North Dakota salesperson licensing exam includes a national portion with 100 questions (70% passing score) and a state-specific portion (75% passing score), with 4 hours of total testing time. Resident applicants must pass both portions, and PSI Services LLC administers the exam at computer testing centers in North Dakota. North Dakota Real Estate Commission (NDREC) does not publish an official statewide pass rate; third-party aggregators estimate a first-time pass rate of approximately 61%, but neither the commission nor the exam vendor verifies this figure.

Ohio requires 100 hours of pre-licensing education, a 120-question exam (80 national and 40 state questions) with a 70% passing score on both portions, and state and FBI criminal background checks. Ohio does not publish its real estate exam pass rate. The exam must be completed within 180 minutes, and applicants who pass one portion but fail the other need to retake only the failed section.

Oklahoma requires a 90-hour pre-license course, a background check, and a two-part licensing exam administered by Pearson VUE. The salesperson exam consists of 120 scored questions (80 national and 40 state) with a total time limit of 4 hours, and a passing score of 70% is required on each portion. The broker exam requires a 75% passing score on each portion. Pre-license course completion is valid for three years from the date of completion, and once an application is submitted, the candidate has one year to pass the exam.

The broker exam requires a score of 75% or better on both the national section (80 questions, 120 minutes) and the state section (50 questions, 75 minutes), and both sections must be passed. The Oregon Real Estate Agency and PSI do not publish a statewide pass rate for the exam. Candidates must also complete 150 hours of pre-license education, pass a background check, and affiliate with a managing principal broker before the license is issued.

Pennsylvania requires salesperson applicants to be at least 18 years old, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, and complete 75 hours (5 credits) of pre-licensing education from an approved provider. The licensing exam has 120 scored questions (80 national + 40 state) with a 75% passing score required on each portion, plus 5 to 10 unscored pretest items. No experience is required for salesperson licensure, but applicants must secure an employing broker before a license can be issued. A criminal background check from every state where the applicant has lived, worked, or studied in the past five years is also required.

RI requires 45 hours of pre-licensing education, a separate 3-hour Lead Paint Hazards course, and a passing score of 70 on both the National and State portions of the Pearson VUE exam. The exam consists of 80 scored national questions and 50 scored state questions. No official statewide first-time pass rate is published by the RI Department of Business Regulation or Pearson VUE.

Obtaining a South Carolina real estate license requires completing 90 hours of pre-licensing education, passing a 120-question licensing exam with a 70% minimum score on each portion, and clearing state and federal background checks. The first-time pass rate for the exam is approximately 56%, based on available testing data, though no South Carolina regulator or exam vendor officially publishes a statewide pass rate. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and hold a high school diploma or equivalent.

South Dakota requires 116 hours of pre-licensing education, a passing score of 75% on the licensing exam, and a fingerprint-based background check. The commission does not publish an official pass rate for the exam. Applicants who pass one portion need only retake the portion they did not pass, and PSI imposes no cap on retake attempts.

Tennessee requires 90 hours of pre-licensing education (60 hours of principles plus 30 hours of the Course for New Affiliates), a background check through IdentoGO, and a two-section licensing exam. The affiliate broker exam consists of 120 multiple-choice questions with a 70% minimum passing score on each section. The Tennessee Real Estate Commission and PSI do not publish an official statewide pass rate, so difficulty cannot be measured against a published benchmark.

The Texas real estate sales agent exam has a first-time pass rate of 56.12% based on TREC data covering December 2023 through November 2025, meaning slightly more than half of first-time test takers pass both the national and state portions on their first attempt. Candidates must complete 180 hours of qualifying education and pass a two-part exam with 135 total questions in 4 hours, requiring 56 correct answers on the national portion and 28 correct on the state portion. Candidates who fail either portion three times must complete additional education, 30 hours for one failed portion or 60 hours for both, before retesting.

Utah requires 120 hours of approved pre-license education and a passing scaled score of 70 on both the general and state portions of the Pearson VUE licensing exam. The exam includes 80 scored national questions and 50 scored state questions with a 4-hour time limit, and no statewide pass rate is published by the Utah Division of Real Estate or Pearson VUE. Candidates who pass one section and fail the other need to retake only the failed section within 6 months.

Vermont has one of the lower pre-licensing education requirements among U.S. states at 40 hours, and the state does not require a background check, fingerprinting, or a high school diploma for salesperson licensure. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, complete the 40-hour course, pass both the national and state exams, and affiliate with a Vermont-licensed principal broker. Vermont does not publish exam pass rates, so first-time pass rates are not publicly available.

Virginia's 2024 cumulative pass rates for the salesperson exam were 43.0% on the state portion (4,020 of 9,347 test-takers passed) and 36.4% on the national portion (2,617 of 7,178 passed), according to DPOR data. These figures include all attempts and do not distinguish first-time from repeat test-takers. DPOR does not publish a separate first-time pass rate. The licensing process requires completing 60 hours of pre-licensing education, passing both exam portions, completing a background check, and affiliating with a sponsoring broker.

The Washington broker exam requires a minimum scaled score of 70 on both the national and state portions, which together contain 130 multiple-choice questions (100 national and 30 state). According to a March 2024 Washington Department of Licensing report, 73% of first-time test takers pass the national portion and 71% pass the state portion. Candidates must complete 90 hours of pre-licensing education and pass both exam portions within 6 months of each other. If one portion is failed, only that portion must be retaken, but both must be passed within the 6-month window or both must be retaken.

Obtaining a West Virginia real estate salesperson license requires completing 90 hours of pre-licensing education and scoring 70% or higher in each subject area of the course final exam. The state licensing exam also requires a 70% passing score for salespersons, with candidates allowed 90 days or two attempts before resubmitting an application. The West Virginia Real Estate Commission does not publish official pass rates, though unofficial estimates suggest roughly half of first-time test takers pass on the first attempt.

Wisconsin requires 72 hours of pre-license education and a passing score on a 140-question exam administered by Pearson VUE. The exam uses a scaled score from 0 to 100, with a minimum passing score of 75. There is no limit on exam retakes, but the $65 fee applies to each attempt. Wisconsin does not publish statewide pass rate data.

Wyoming requires first-time salesperson applicants to complete three pre-licensing courses (Salesperson I, Salesperson II, and Wyoming Law), pass a two-part exam with a scaled score of 75 on each portion, submit two fingerprint cards for a $39 background check, and pay a $300 license application fee. The national portion has 80 scored questions in 2.5 hours and the state portion has 40 scored questions in 1.5 hours; if you pass one and fail the other, you must retake only the failed portion within 6 months. Wyoming does not publish exam pass rates, so no first-time pass rate data is available.