The California real estate salesperson exam

70% for the salesperson examination, which is 105 of the 150 questions. The broker examination requires 75% of 200 questions over four hours.

Three hours for 150 multiple choice questions, which works out to about 72 seconds per question. Plan to arrive 30 minutes early, and note that the examination is offered in person only at one of five state centers.

No. DRE states that because the examination is qualifying in nature, examinees who pass are not informed of their final score. You are told the actual score, and the percentage correct in each subject area, only when you are unsuccessful.

No. DRE explicitly states that the overall score cannot be obtained by averaging the percentages. The content areas carry different approximate weights, and the notice does not reveal the exact question count from each area on your form. Use the percentages to prioritize review, not to claim an exact reconstructed score.

There is no numerical limit during the two-year period following the filing of your original application. Each salesperson reexamination currently costs $100. After two years you must file a new application, meet the current qualification requirements, and pay the applicable fee again.

DRE does not publish a separate deduction for an incorrect answer. It defines passing by the percentage answered correctly. An unanswered question cannot add to your correct total, so give every question an answer before time expires.

No. Under Civil Code section 1798.40(e) you cannot inspect your book or answer sheet after the session ends. The per-area breakdown on a failed result notice is the only diagnostic information you will receive.

The current salesperson examination fee is $100 for an original attempt and $100 for each reexamination. A rescheduled salesperson examination currently costs $40. DRE fees are nonrefundable.

No. The California salesperson examination is administered electronically, but only in person at a DRE examination center. It is not a remote test that you can take from home.

DRE currently administers electronic examinations in Fresno, La Palma, Oakland, Sacramento, and San Diego. DRE also describes La Palma as the Los Angeles vicinity in its scheduling system. Availability depends on capacity and demand at each site.

In August 2026, 51% of all salesperson examinations administered received a passing result. That figure combines first attempts and retakes. DRE has published first-time results for earlier fiscal-year cohorts, which should be labeled with their own period. Neither statistic predicts an individual candidate's result.

The exam draws from seven areas: Practice of Real Estate and Disclosures, Agency, Ownership and Land Use, Valuation and Financial Analysis, Contracts, Financing, and Transfer of Property. DRE publishes approximate weights for each area, with Practice and Disclosures carrying the largest share at 25%.

Yes. DRE says applicants must demonstrate knowledge of arithmetic used in real estate and business opportunity practice. Expect calculations to appear inside topics such as valuation, financing, commissions, prorations, property measurements, and transfer taxes rather than as a separate math section.

DRE's published material conflicts. Its prohibited-items list names calculators, while a regulation reproduced on the same page permits certain silent, battery-operated, nonprogrammable pocket calculators. The safest plan is to treat a calculator as prohibited unless your current schedule notice or the examination staff expressly allows it.

Yes. Submit form RE 413 with the documentation DRE requires for your situation. DRE specifically instructs candidates not to schedule a reasonable-accommodation examination through eLicensing. Follow the current RE 413 submission instructions instead.