Texas Real Estate Exam Day: What to Bring, What Happens, and How Scoring Works

Short answer: arrive 30 minutes early with two current IDs whose name exactly matches your registration, and bring your own financial calculator if you want one; the test center does not provide calculators. Everything else stays in a locker. You leave with your score in hand. The details below come from the Pearson VUE Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook dated September 2026.

Before exam day: booking

• You can book only after TREC sends your eligibility letter, which carries the ID number you need to register. That comes after you finish pre-licensing education and file your application.
• Book online or by phone with Pearson VUE, at least 24 hours ahead. Walk-in exams are not available.
• The fee is paid when you book, by card or voucher; the handbook dated September 2026 lists $58. Payment is not accepted at the test center.
• To change or cancel, call Pearson VUE at least 48 hours before the exam. With proper notice you can move the fee to a new date or ask for a refund; without it, the fee is forfeited.

What to bring

• Two forms of current identification, both with a signature, in English. The primary one must be government-issued with a photo, such as a driver's license, state ID or passport. The secondary one can be a Social Security card or a debit or credit card. The name must exactly match your registration, and an ID that expired yesterday counts as expired.
• A calculator, if you want one. It is optional but recommended. It must be a hand-held, battery or solar financial calculator with no alphabetic keys. A calculator that fails is not grounds for extra time.

If you do not have the required IDs, you are not admitted, you are counted as absent and the fee is forfeited.

What you cannot bring in

No personal items go into the testing room: phones, watches, wallets, bags, hats, coats, books, notes, pens or pencils. You store them where the administrator tells you or leave them in your car. Scratch paper is not allowed; the administrator gives you materials for notes, which stay in the room. Studying is not allowed in the test center, and friends and family cannot wait inside.

Check-in and the clock

• Arrive 30 minutes before your appointment. If you are late without having changed your reservation in time, you are not admitted and the fee is forfeited.
• Before the exam you take a short computer tutorial. Its time does not count against your exam time. The exam clock starts when you see the first question.
• If you take both portions you get 240 minutes (4 hours) in total; a single portion alone is 150 minutes (National) or 90 minutes (State). The clock does not stop for breaks.

How the exam is scored

• The National portion has 80 scored questions plus 5 unscored pretest questions. The State portion has 40 scored questions plus 10 pretest questions. Pretest questions look exactly like the rest, so answer everything.
• Your score is the number you answer correctly. To pass, you need 56 of 80 on the National portion and 28 of 40 on the State portion, which is 70% on each.
• Two numbers are not given at the test center and must be memorised: 43,560 square feet in an acre and 5,280 feet in a mile. Proration questions tell you whether to use a 360- or 365-day year and who owns the day of closing.

Your score report

You leave the test center with your official score report marked pass or fail. If you fail a portion, the report shows your score and how many questions you answered correctly in each content area of that portion; the questions themselves are never released. You retake only the portion you failed, and you can book again after 24 hours. Our retake plan shows how to use those content-area numbers. If you pass and your background check is clear, TREC emails your license within 5 to 10 business days.

A one-minute checklist

1. Two current IDs, exact name match, both signed.
2. A financial calculator without letters, if you want one.
3. Arrive 30 minutes early.
4. Know 43,560 square feet per acre and 5,280 feet per mile.
5. Answer every question.

Want a dry run first? Our 10-question sample needs no signup, and a paid pass adds timed full-length mock exams for each portion (pricing).

State RE PREP™ is an independent practice platform. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) or Pearson VUE, which administer the actual exam. Exam rules change; confirm current details in the Pearson VUE candidate handbook before you book.