California (CA) Real Estate Exam Cheat Sheet 2026
CA: 150 questions, 180 minutes, 70% to pass, $100 in exam fees. Below are the 6 rules that decide pass or fail, each with its source.
The 6 rules worth memorising
Not subject knowledge — that comes from practice questions. These are the procedural rules candidates lose the exam to: how the threshold is applied, what a partial fail means, and the deadlines that void a pass.
- 1
One exam, state law throughout
California does not split the test into national and state portions. Every content area mixes general principles with California-specific law, so there is no separate "state portion" to cram.
Source: DRE, Taking the Examination
- 2
Results in about 5 business days
Results are posted to the eLicensing account. Only pass/fail is reported for a pass; a fail shows a breakdown by area.
Source: DRE, Taking the Examination
- 3
Two years to pass
The application is valid for two years from the date it is filed. Retakes within that window pay the $100 fee each time; there is no attempt limit.
Source: DRE, Fees
- 4
Live Scan fingerprints are mandatory
No license issues without a completed fingerprint clearance. Applicants inside California use Live Scan; the fee is separate from DRE fees.
Source: DRE, Fees
- 5
Salesperson: 135 hours in three courses
Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, and one elective from the DRE list. A course may not be completed in less than 2½ weeks; at most two courses in any five-week period.
Source: DRE, Education Courses
- 6
Renewal every 4 years, 45 hours CE
First renewal has specific required subjects (ethics, agency, trust funds, fair housing, risk management, management and supervision, implicit bias).
Source: DRE
What the California salesperson exam covers (150 questions, one exam)
Straight from the official outline. Study the top of this list first.
Practice of real estate and disclosures
25%Trust account handling · Fair housing · Advertising · Required disclosures — TDS, natural hazard, agency, Mello-Roos · Property management
Laws of agency and fiduciary duties
17%Agency disclosure form · Dual agency · Fiduciary duties · Termination of agency
Property ownership and land use controls
15%Estates and ownership forms · Legal descriptions · Zoning, CC&Rs, easements · Government controls
Property valuation and financial analysis
14%Approaches to value · Appraisal process · Investment analysis
Contracts
12%Listing agreements · Purchase agreements · Leases · Statute of frauds · Contract remedies
Financing
9%Loan types · Government programs · Lending laws · Foreclosure
Transfer of property
8%Title and deeds · Escrow · Recording · Tax aspects
If you fail
Reschedule for $40. Re-examination is $100 each time, unlimited attempts within the two-year application window.
Where these came from
Figures read from the source on 2026-08-18.
Questions
Is there a California real estate exam cheat sheet PDF?
This page is the cheat sheet, and it stays on the web on purpose: every rule below cites the bulletin or commission page it came from, so you can check it against the current source. A printed PDF goes stale the moment State revises a figure, and most of the ones being sold do not say where their numbers came from.
What should I memorise for the CA state portion?
The rules that decide pass or fail rather than the ones that are merely interesting: how the 70% threshold is applied, what happens if you fail one portion, and the deadlines that void a pass. Those are the 6 below. Subject knowledge comes from practice questions, not from a list.
How current is this California cheat sheet?
Every figure was read from the source on 2026-08-18, and each rule names its source below. Where DRE has revised something since, the source link is the authority — not this page.