How Hard Is the Texas Broker Exam? National vs State Portion

Broker scoring is different from salesperson scoring

The Pearson Texas real estate handbook, September 2026 edition, was reviewed October 24, 2026. It gives broker passing requirements of 60 correct answers on the national examination and 38 on the state examination. These are raw passing counts, not the number of candidates who pass.

The national outline has 80 scored items and five unscored pretest items. The broker state outline has 50 scored items and five to ten unscored items. Its scheduling table allocates 150 minutes nationally and 90 minutes to the state portion. Answer every item: pretest questions are not identified to candidates.

The salesperson difficulty guide uses different cut scores. Familiarity with that exam can help with core concepts, but a salesperson practice result should not be relabelled a broker result. In particular, dividing a raw passing count by all displayed items, including pretest items, gives a misleading percentage.

Case studies change the way you read

The state broker outline includes ten case studies, using narrative and contract cases. That calls for more than recognition of a definition. You need to retain the facts, identify the governing issue and respond to the question actually asked about the case or contract.

In practice, first identify the parties and their roles. Then mark the event or instruction that changes the answer. If several questions refer to one case, reread the relevant facts rather than carrying an assumption from the previous question. Treat this as a study technique, not a prediction of official examination wording.

Keep a separate log for contract interpretation, agency and brokerage issues, and calculations. A single blended practice percentage can hide a persistent state-law weakness. Explain each correction in a new example after a gap; the ability to recognise yesterday’s answer is weak evidence that you can apply the rule under time pressure.

Performance reports need a period and population

TREC’s exam topic reports are the appropriate place to look for official performance information. When reading a report, select broker rather than sales agent, identify the national or state portion, and preserve the reporting period and attempt population.

This guide does not quote an unverified current broker pass percentage. A historical first-attempt rate cannot establish your personal probability of passing, and a topic-level result is not a licence approval rate. Use such reports to frame preparation questions, not to replace your own diagnostic evidence.

Protect the application and remaining attempts

Texas’s three-failure education requirement is a separate constraint from exam difficulty. The third-failure guide explains the additional qualifying education and processing steps. Review your official result record and application expiry before reserving again. Completing more independent practice does not satisfy TREC’s required qualifying education.

The Texas delivery guide covers the physical Pearson appointment. Confirm eligibility through TREC and use the correct Pearson programme. EstatePass is independent practice, not a TREC-approved qualifying education provider or the examination vendor. Start with the broker hub for relevant preparation and keep the official handbook as the source for your examination requirements.