Texas (TX) Real Estate Exam Cheat Sheet 2026
TX: 125 questions, 240 minutes, 56/85 national + 28/40 state, $43 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
Two sections, each valid one year
Pass one section and fail the other, and you have one year from the passing date to pass the other before that result expires.
Source: TREC, Become a Sales Agent
- 2
Three fails means more education
A candidate who fails the same section three times must complete additional qualifying education (30 hours per failed section) before testing again.
Source: TREC Rule 535.62
- 3
Promulgated forms are mandatory — with exceptions
License holders must use TREC-promulgated contract forms except when acting only as a principal, when a federal agency requires its own form, or when a lawyer drafts the form for the transaction.
Source: TREC Rule 537.11
- 4
IABS on first substantive contact
The Information About Brokerage Services notice must be provided at the first substantive communication about a specific property.
Source: TRELA § 1101.558
- 5
Intermediary, not dual agent
Texas replaced dual agency with the intermediary relationship: a broker may represent both parties only with written consent, and may appoint associates to each side.
Source: TRELA § 1101.559
- 6
Fingerprints and background check first
TREC issues no license without a fingerprint-based background check through IdentoGO; a criminal history can be reviewed in advance for a fee.
Source: TREC, Become a Sales Agent
What the Texas section covers (40 scored questions)
Straight from the official outline. Study the top of this list first.
Commission duties and powers
TREC structure and rulemaking · Enforcement and disciplinary process · Recovery Trust Account
Licensing
Who needs a license and exemptions · Sponsorship requirement for sales agents · Renewal, SAE and CE
Standards of conduct
Canons of professional ethics · Advertising rules and team names · Prohibited acts and penalties
Agency and brokerage
Information About Brokerage Services (IABS) form · Intermediary relationship · Broker–sponsor obligations
Contracts and forms
Mandatory use of TREC-promulgated forms · Exceptions to mandatory use · Option period, earnest money, addenda
Special topics
Seller's Disclosure Notice · Homestead and community property · Water, mineral and MUD disclosures
If you fail
Retake the failed section only, paying the exam fee each time. After a third failure of the same section, additional education is required before a fourth attempt.
Where these came from
- TREC — Become a Sales Agent
- TREC — Fee Schedule effective December 15, 2025
- Pearson VUE — TREC candidate handbook (publication 094400)
Figures read from the source on 2026-08-18.
Questions
Is there a Texas 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 Pearson VUE revises a figure, and most of the ones being sold do not say where their numbers came from.
What should I memorise for the TX 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 Texas cheat sheet?
Every figure was read from the source on 2026-08-18, and each rule names its source below. Where TREC has revised something since, the source link is the authority — not this page.