North Carolina (NC) Real Estate Exam Cheat Sheet 2026

The 8 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. 1

   A passed section expires with your 180-day window

   Both sections must be passed inside the same 180-day eligibility period. Pass one, run out of time, and the Commission forfeits that credit — you refile, pay again, and sit both sections over. The rules allow no extension for any reason. This is the single most expensive mistake in the North Carolina process.

   Source: NCREC handbook, Passing Score and 180-Day Examination Eligibility Period

2. 2

   Each attempt costs $105 on top of the exam fee

   The $105 Commission application fee is collected every time you take one or both sections, alongside Pearson’s $63 (both sections) or $53 (one section). A single failure therefore costs about $158 to put right, not $63.

   Source: NCREC handbook, Retaking the Comprehensive Examination

3. 3

   Fail both and you must keep taking both

   If you fail the national and the state section, you retake the two-part comprehensive exam on every subsequent attempt until you pass at least one. Only after one section is passed may you apply to sit the remaining section alone.

   Source: NCREC handbook, Retaking the Comprehensive Examination

4. 4

   You cannot choose to sit one section early

   If you need both sections for eligibility, you may not take only one at a scheduled appointment. The two are separately timed and separately scored, but they are booked as one comprehensive exam.

   Source: NCREC handbook, Comprehensive License Examination

5. 5

   Five unscored pretest items per section

   The 140 scored items come with 5 pretest items on each section — 150 questions on screen. They appear at random, are indistinguishable from scored items, and all scored items carry equal value.

   Source: NCREC handbook, Number and Value of Items

6. 6

   Take the tutorial — it is free time

   The exam tutorial at the start does not count against your exam time, and it shows you how to mark an item for review and jump back to it. An unanswered item is automatically scored incorrect, so guess on everything you cannot resolve.

   Source: NCREC handbook, Helpful Hints

7. 7

   Character review, not the exam, is the usual delay

   The handbook says the whole application-exam-license process can finish in about ten business days for a clean first-time pass — and names the character review as the main thing that slows it down. Disclose fully; a failure to disclose is treated more seriously than the underlying issue.

   Source: NCREC handbook, Timeframe for Obtaining a License

8. 8

   Reciprocity candidates pass under 50%

   Applicants already licensed elsewhere who only sit the North Carolina state section have an average pass rate below 50%. The Commission itself recommends serious preparation or a prelicensing course. Do not treat the state section as the easy half.

   Source: NCREC handbook, Retaking Only One Examination Section