Free California (CA) Real Estate Practice Exam 2026
Ten questions at a time, drawn from 3,596 California salesperson questions — the CA state portion and the national portion, the same mix the real exam uses. Every answer comes with an explanation.
Questions
150
Time limit
180 min
To pass
70%
Source: DRE candidate handbook. Salesperson licence.
Put your result to work
Use California practice questions to choose what to review
This independent sample is for California salesperson exam preparation, not the broker exam or an approved prelicensing course. DRE’s exam format and content outline are the official references.
A worked study example
Suppose you miss two agency questions and one calculation. Review the agency concept behind both misses, explain it in your own words, then attempt a new agency question. Repeating the same answer from memory is not evidence that the concept has transferred.
What this does not tell you
A short practice score cannot predict your DRE result. Track why you missed each question rather than treating a small sample as full coverage of the official outline.
Official references · independent EstatePass example
Explore California exam preparation →Turn a practice result into your next study session.
This short California sample helps you spot topics to review. Create an account to continue in your study dashboard. Practice scores are not a guarantee of an exam result; full-bank access depends on your plan.
- The complete California question bank, state portion included
- Full-length timed mock exams scored against the real pass mark
- Review available practice options in your dashboard
What the California state portion tests
These are the CA-specific subjects in our bank, with the number of questions behind each one. They are what separates the California exam from every other state's.
Practice of Real Estate Disclosures
410 questions- A buyer in California receives the TDS from the seller of a home in Sacramento. The TDS was hand-delivered to the buyer …
- A licensed California broker intends to open a branch office in a city different from the main office. Under Cal. B&P Co…
- A seller in Santa Cruz, California, provides the NHD to a buyer. The NHD shows the property is in both a Seismic Hazard …
- A California listing agent conducts a visual inspection and notices no visible defects. However, the agent knows from a …
Property Ownership Land Use Controls
325 questions- A California neighbor has used a strip of an adjacent owner's land to access a hiking trail for seven continuous years. …
- A California licensed land surveyor (regulated under the Professional Land Surveyors' Act, Business & Professions Code §…
- A property owner in California holds a fee simple absolute estate. Which of the following BEST describes the owner's rig…
- A licensee is concerned about a construction project going on next to a property she is selling. Where would she be BEST…
Laws of Agency Fiduciary Duties
321 questions- A California real estate broker represents both the buyer and the seller in a residential transaction. The broker explai…
- Under California law, which of the following statements about net listings is NOT accurate?
- A California real estate salesperson wants to change from Broker A to Broker B. Under California law, what must happen?
- A California salesperson negligently misrepresents a property's condition to a buyer while showing one of the employing …
Transfer of Property
260 questions- An investor in California holds title to a commercial property through an LLC. The investor wants to sell the property. …
- Richard wants to convey his California property to his business partner. His attorney prepares a deed that includes cove…
- A California real estate agent explains to a client that California is a 'race-notice' recording state. This means that …
- A California buyer discovers that the property she purchased has a cloud on the title — specifically, an old lis pendens…
Property Valuation Financial Analysis
252 questions- A California buyer purchases a newly built home in a subdivision that has supplemental property taxes. What triggers the…
- A California appraiser needs to determine the appropriate cap rate using the band of investment method. The property wil…
- An appraiser in California is estimating external obsolescence for a residential property adjacent to a state-designated…
- A California property has been identified as a former methamphetamine manufacturing site and has received a decontaminat…
General Principles of Agency
226 questions- Without prior permission, Quinn Brooks signs a small repair authorization on behalf of the owner. The owner later approv…
- A buyer under a buyer-representation agreement receives an earnest money refund after a failed deal. The agent deposits …
- A buyer representation agreement should specify:
- Jamie Cruz signs a listing agreement with broker Skyler Simmons. What role does Simmons's brokerage hold in the resultin…
Valuation Market Analysis
151 questions- In October 2026, appraiser Caleb Moore is reviewing an income statement for Oak Place. The property's NOI is $67,500, th…
- Under USPAP, what is the purpose of the Competency Rule?
- An example of functional obsolescence is:
- In August 2026, appraiser Omar Lewis is valuing a small retail strip. Potential gross income is $96,000, vacancy and col…
Property Disclosures
150 questions- A 1978 ranch home is on the market. During inspection, the buyer's environmental specialist samples the wall insulation …
- Which of the following is NOT a hidden condition?
- In a state that requires a written disclosure of a home's condition to the buyer, the disclosure form is filled out by:
- The purpose of the Closing Disclosure under TILA-RESPA is to:
Land Use Controls Regulations
133 questions- A homebuyer purchases a lot in a planned community. The deed references a recorded declaration of covenants, conditions,…
- A board of adjustment is reviewing an owner's request for relief from a zoning ordinance. All of the following are commo…
- A homeowner in an HOA community wants to install solar panels on her roof. The CC&Rs do not address solar panels. The HO…
- Permission to depart from a requirement of the zoning ordinance for a single parcel is obtained through a:
Counts are live from the California question bank, which mixes the national portion with California-specific law.
What the national portion tests
Every state exam shares this half. The questions below are the same ones a candidate in any state would see.
Contracts
394 questions- After a property inspection reveals minor cosmetic issues, the buyer demands $20,000 in credits. The seller refuses, and…
- A buyer wants to demonstrate serious intent when submitting an offer. What financial deposit typically accompanies the o…
- Under a traditional contract for deed, what risk does the buyer face if the seller has an existing mortgage on the prope…
- Under a contract for deed, the buyer defaults after making five years of payments. In some jurisdictions, what protectio…
Financing
356 questions- A buyer wants to purchase a home but cannot qualify for a conventional loan. The seller agrees to carry the entire purch…
- During the annual escrow analysis on Priya's loan, the servicer wants to maintain an escrow cushion equal to three month…
- Before the scheduled foreclosure sale, Lena Howard pays the past-due installments, late fees, and allowed expenses so th…
- Lena Chen is buying a home for $350,000 and is making a 20% down payment. Her lender will charge 2 discount points on th…
Real Estate Math
203 questions- A county charges $40 to record the first page of a deed and $7 for each additional page. If a deed is 3 pages long, what…
- A property sells for $300,000 with a 6% commission split equally between the listing broker and the selling broker. The …
- A buyer is purchasing a property for $450,000 with an 80% LTV loan. Buyer closing costs are $9,500, the earnest money de…
- A transfer tax is charged at $1.00 per $500 of sale price (rounded up to the nearest $500). If the property sells for $3…
Property Ownership
192 questions- A roofing contractor replaced shingles on a home for $18,400, but the owner refused to pay. After following the required…
- Emma owns only a life estate in a rural tract, with title to pass to her nephew at Emma's death. Without the nephew's co…
- In February 2026, title examiner Rachel noticed that a metes and bounds description ended at a different point than wher…
- In June 2026, Jared sold the oil and gas rights under his ranch to Mesa Energy but kept the surface estate. After record…
Practice of Real Estate
147 questions- A broker uses cloud-based transaction management software to store all transaction files, including contracts, disclosur…
- Two competing brokerages agree that each will refer commercial clients to the other and neither will compete for the oth…
- A landlord refuses to rent a unit in a 40-unit apartment complex to a family with children, claiming the property is 'ad…
- A mortgage ad states 'Only 5% down and payments from $1,950 per month.' Which advertising concept explains why extra fed…
Leasing & Property Management
76 questions- A written apartment lease begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year with no need for notice to terminat…
- A property management agreement authorizes the manager to spend up to $500 on emergency repairs without prior owner appr…
- A property manager deposits tenant security deposits into the manager's personal checking account and uses the funds to …
- A residential tenant stops paying rent after the landlord ignores two months of written requests to repair a furnace tha…
Counts are live from the California question bank, which mixes the national portion with California-specific law.
About 51% pass the California exam first time
Which means roughly 49 in 100 do not, and pay to sit it again. The gap is rarely knowledge — it is untimed studying meeting a timed exam. See how every state compares.
California practice exam questions
Is this California real estate practice exam free?
Yes. The practice sample on this page needs no account. Each question shows the correct answer and an explanation after you answer it. Create an account to continue in the dashboard; access limits and additional features depend on your plan.
How many questions are on the real California exam?
150 scored questions, with 180 minutes to answer them and 70% needed to pass. DRE publishes the current figures in its candidate handbook.
Does the practice exam cover California state law?
Our California bank holds 1,798 state-portion questions alongside 1,798 national ones. A short practice set is a sample, not a reproduction of the official exam blueprint.
Is this the same as a California real estate practice test?
Yes — practice exam, practice test and test questions all mean the same thing here. The CA questions on this page are the same bank either way, drawn from the state portion and the national portion together.
Are there California real estate exam questions in PDF form?
Yes, as a study guide rather than a question dump: the California exam guide PDF covers the format, the passing score and what the CA state portion tests. The questions themselves stay on this page, because each one shows why the wrong options are wrong — which a printed answer key cannot do.
How hard is the California real estate exam?
Hard enough that most candidates who fail did not run out of knowledge, they ran out of practice: you need 70% across 150 questions in 180 minutes, with no time to reason slowly. The questions are not tricky so much as specific — they test whether you know which rule applies, not whether you have heard of it.
Are California real estate flashcards better than practice questions?
They do different jobs. Flashcards drill vocabulary and figures — the things you either know or do not. Practice questions test whether you can pick the right rule when a situation could plausibly fit two of them, which is what the exam actually asks. Most candidates need both, and running out of practice questions is the more common failure.
What score should I get before booking the California exam?
Aim to sit comfortably above 70% on full-length practice, not just at it. Exam-day nerves and unfamiliar wording cost most candidates a few points, so a practice average that only just clears the line usually is not enough.
CA cheat sheet
The rules that decide pass or fail, each with the source it came from.
California exam prep
A study plan built from the same outline, weighted by what the exam actually asks.
Full-length mock exam
Timed, full length, scored against the real pass mark.
California licence guide
Requirements, fees, schedule and how to apply.