Failed the Florida Real Estate Sales Associate Exam? How Retakes, Question Reviews and Fees Work

Short answer: If you fail the Florida Real Estate Sales Associate exam, you can schedule it again with Pearson VUE and pay the exam fee again; the DBPR booklet effective January 2025 does not list a waiting period or a limit on attempts. You may review the questions you answered incorrectly on your most recent exam if you request the review within 21 days of the exam date. Watch two 2-year clocks in s. 475.181 of the 2026 Florida Statutes: your course completion becomes invalid, and your application expires, if you have not passed within 2 years.

What your result report tells you

You get an official, photo-bearing exam result report immediately after you finish. A passing grade is 75 points or higher out of 100. If you fall short, the report is your record of the attempt; check that the information on it is correct before you leave the test center. If a later statistical review changes the answer key in a way that affects your score, the booklet says you will be sent an amended grade report 2 to 3 weeks after the exam.

Reviewing the questions you missed

The DBPR booklet says candidates who fail are entitled to review the questions they answered incorrectly, under terms set by the DBPR. The key rules:

• Only your most recent exam can be reviewed, and only the questions you answered incorrectly.
• 21-day deadline: the request must be made within 21 days from the date of the exam. You schedule it online with Pearson VUE or by phone.
• Where: reviews are held at a Pearson VUE testing center under the same security rules as the exam. Only you may attend, and proper identification is required.
• No notes: there is no talking or note taking of any kind during the review.
• Time: candidates are usually given one-half of the exam administration time. For the three-and-a-half-hour sales associate exam, that would be about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
• Cost: under s. 455.217(3) of the 2026 Florida Statutes, applicants bear the actual cost for the department to provide an examination review. The booklet does not print a dollar amount.

Challenging a question

During the review you may note in writing, on the computer, any objection to a question you answered incorrectly. Challenges must be submitted in writing during the scheduled review; anything submitted after you leave the review room is not accepted. The Bureau of Education and Testing has a psychometrician and subject matter experts review the challenge. Responses take about 21 days on average, and the only answer you receive is "credit" or "no credit" for each challenged question. Credit applies only to the candidate who reviewed and challenged.

Retaking the exam: fees and scheduling

You book the retake the same way as the first attempt, through Pearson VUE online or at 1.888.204.6289, paying by credit card, electronic check or voucher. The January 2025 booklet does not state the exam fee in dollars. It does say Pearson VUE vouchers can be redeemed within 12 months from the date they are issued. Check the current fee when you schedule.

Avoid losing a fee you have already paid:

• Cancel early: contact Pearson VUE at least 2 days before your appointment. Cancelling less than 2 days before, or missing the exam, may forfeit your exam fees.
• Bring your certificate: you must present your prelicensing course completion certificate every time you test. Without it you will not be admitted, you are still responsible for that day's fee, and you will have to pay a new test fee for any future exam.
• Arrive on time: a candidate who cannot be accommodated because of unexcused tardiness is liable for that day's test fee in addition to the new test fee and is classified as a "No Show."
• Excused absences: illness, a death in the immediate family, a disabling traffic accident, a court appearance or jury duty, or military duty can be excused if you send written documentation to Pearson VUE no later than four days after the original exam date.

The 2-year limits that matter most

Retakes are not open-ended. Section 475.181(2) of the 2026 Florida Statutes says that if you do not pass the licensing exam within 2 years after your successful course completion date, the course completion is invalid for licensure. The DBPR booklet adds that the course is good for two years from completion and an expired course will not be accepted at the exam site, even if your authorization to test is still valid. The same statute says your application expires 2 years after the date it was received if you have not passed the exam.

If your course has expired, you would need to complete the 63-hour prelicensing course again before testing; see Florida license steps and education.

How to prepare for the next attempt

• Use the review well. You cannot take notes, so go in with a plan: note mentally which content areas your missed questions came from.
• Weight your study. Two areas are 12% each (brokerage activities and contracts). See the 19 content areas and their percentages.
• Fix high-yield rules. Brokerage relationships (a 7% area) and escrow rules (part of the 12% brokerage area) carry a lot of points; see transaction broker vs. single agent and escrow rules.
• Practice math. About 10 points are real estate mathematics under Rule 61J2-2.029. Work problems in our computations and closing lesson and the rest of the Florida course.

Independent exam-prep guide. Not affiliated with the Florida Real Estate Commission, the DBPR or Pearson VUE. Always confirm current requirements with the DBPR.