Illinois Real Estate Exam Prep & Study Guide
What the Illinois exam actually asks, in the order worth studying it. The weightings below are not an estimate — they are each subject's share of the 3,109 Illinois questions in our bank.
Questions
140
Time limit
240 min
To pass
70%
Exam fee
$58
Source: IDFPR candidate handbook. Salesperson licence.
What to study first for the Illinois exam
Ordered by how many questions sit behind each subject. Studying front to back spends the same hours on a subject worth 6% as on one worth 22%.
- 122%690 questions
Practice of Real Estate
- 212%368 questions
Contracts
- 310%323 questions
Financing
- 47%226 questions
General Principles of Agency
- 57%208 questions
Property Ownership
- 66%199 questions
Real Estate Math
- 76%180 questions
Agency
- 86%171 questions
Transfer of Title
The Illinois state portion, subject by subject
IL-specific law is where out-of-state study material stops helping. These are the subjects our bank covers, with real questions under each.
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 Skyler Simmons. In the resulting sale, whose interests does the listing broker…
Agency
180 questions- In November 2026, Drew Keller asks when the dual-agency disclosure form must be presented to a client. What is the most …
- In February 2026, Jordan Hayes is working with a consumer but no written agreement sets a different agency relationship.…
- Under Illinois law, does dual agency automatically exist whenever both the buyer and seller are represented by licensees…
- Under Illinois law, what is the maximum number of sponsored licensees that a managing broker can supervise?
Transfer of Title
171 questions- At a training session in Decatur, Parker Lopez assumes that Cook County uses the same one-third assessment system as the…
- In Illinois, what is the maximum household income limit for a senior citizen to qualify for the Senior Citizens Assessme…
- An Illinois property owner believes their assessment is higher than the fair market value of their property. Which of th…
- Why are Illinois real estate closings typically structured so that the seller credits the buyer for a portion of the cur…
Property Disclosures
151 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?
- A Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) must be provided by:
- The purpose of the Closing Disclosure under TILA-RESPA is to:
Valuation Market Analysis
149 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…
Land Use Controls Regulations
128 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…
- Seeking an exemption from zoning requirements requires a:
Mandated Disclosures
118 questions- At a training session in Oak Park, Micah Keller asks what Illinois radon materials a residential seller generally must p…
- Under the Illinois Radon Awareness Act (420 ILCS 46), what disclosure obligation does a seller of residential real prope…
- Under the Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Act, at what point in the transaction must the seller deliver th…
- After delivering the original disclosure report but before closing, a seller becomes aware that the report contained a m…
Transfer of Property
114 questions- Under TRID rules, the lender must deliver the Closing Disclosure to the borrower at least how many business days before …
- A deed is properly recorded in the county records before a later purchaser checks title. Even if the later purchaser nev…
- At closing, the seller's existing mortgage balance of $185,000 must be paid off from the sale proceeds. On the seller's …
- An attorney examining the abstract of title discovers a gap in the chain where a deed from 1952 does not match the grant…
Counts are live from the Illinois question bank, which mixes the national portion with Illinois-specific law.
The national portion, subject by subject
Shared with every other state exam, and usually the larger half of the paper.
Practice of Real Estate
690 questions- Under the Illinois Real Estate License Act of 2000, which statement most accurately defines the role of a 'designated ma…
- During a brokerage meeting in Wheaton, Hayden Monroe fails to file or pay Illinois state income taxes and then renews wh…
- Under the Illinois Human Rights Act, which of the following characteristics is a protected class in housing transactions…
- A continuing-education chart compares requirements for brokers first licensed before November 1, 2023. Which statement b…
Contracts
368 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…
- During an Illinois exam-prep session on illinois contract practice and form provisions in Joliet, the instructor lists t…
- Under a traditional contract for deed, what risk does the buyer face if the seller has an existing mortgage on the prope…
Financing
323 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…
- On an Illinois mortgage-closing worksheet, how are discount points typically calculated?
- Before the scheduled foreclosure sale, Lena Howard pays the past-due installments, late fees, and allowed expenses so th…
Property Ownership
208 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…
Real Estate Math
199 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…
Leasing & Property Management
80 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 …
- All of the following are landlord-tenant law concepts EXCEPT
Counts are live from the Illinois question bank, which mixes the national portion with Illinois-specific law.
Studying for the Illinois exam
How long should I study for the Illinois real estate exam?
Most candidates need four to eight weeks alongside a job. Working every Illinois question in our bank at a realistic 30 questions an hour is roughly 104 hours — but the useful measure is not hours, it is whether your practice scores sit above the pass mark on questions you have not seen before.
What is on the Illinois real estate exam?
Two portions. The national portion covers principles every state shares. The IL portion covers Illinois law — in our bank that is General Principles of Agency, Agency, Transfer of Title, Property Disclosures and more.
Which Illinois topic should I study first?
Practice of Real Estate carries the most questions in our Illinois bank (690, about 22% of it), so it is the highest-leverage place to start. After that, work down the list below rather than studying front to back.
Is a Illinois exam prep course required?
Pre-licensing education is required by IDFPR; exam prep is not. They are different purchases and people often conflate them — the course satisfies the legal hours, prep is practice on questions. Check the current requirement in the IDFPR handbook before buying either.
Illinois practice exam
Ten questions with explanations, free, no account.
Full-length mock exam
Timed and scored against the real pass mark.
Exam-day checklist
What to bring, what to expect, what disqualifies you.