Guide · pass rates and difficulty · checked Oct 2026
How hard is the real estate exam? What the states publish
Only one exam on this site has an official pass rate we could verify, and it is a low one: on the Florida broker exam, DBPR counted 46% of first-time takers passing in early 2025. For Georgia, Tennessee, Arizona and Alabama we found no statewide pass rate from the commission or the test vendor, so this page judges difficulty by what their bulletins do publish: how many questions, how the pass mark works, and what a failed attempt costs you.
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Not affiliated with any state commission or test provider.
- 46%Florida broker, first-time takers
- 29–30%Florida broker, repeat takers
- 4 of 5state exams here with no statewide rate we could verify
The pass rates a regulator actually published
| Fact | Detail | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass rate | 46% of first-time takers in January and February 2025as of Feb 28, 2025 · DBPR monthly figure | DBPR / Pearson VUE: Exam Performance Summary, Jan–Feb 2025 (FREAB April 2025 meeting packet) [1] | |
| Pass rate, repeat takers | 29% of repeat takers in January 2025 and 30% in February 2025as of Feb 28, 2025 · DBPR monthly figure | DBPR / Pearson VUE: Exam Performance Summary, Jan–Feb 2025 (FREAB April 2025 meeting packet) [1] | |
| Repeat takers | 242 of 423 graded in January 2025, 244 of 472 in February 2025as of Feb 28, 2025 · DBPR monthly figure | DBPR / Pearson VUE: Exam Performance Summary, Jan–Feb 2025 (FREAB April 2025 meeting packet) [1] |
Repeat takers made up over half of takers and passed at 29–30%. What that means for planning, and the retake rules: Florida broker exam facts.
The other four states on this site are Georgia (PSI), Tennessee (PSI), Arizona and Alabama (both Pearson VUE). As of October 2026 we found no statewide pass rate for their salesperson exams in a commission report or a vendor bulletin, so this page prints none. When one appears at the source, it goes into the table above with its date.
The 50-state pass-rate tables
Several prep sites rank every state by pass rate. None of the tables we checked links a commission or vendor report for Georgia, Tennessee, Arizona or Alabama, and their figures disagree with one another. A school’s own pass rate is a different number again: it counts only that school’s students.
What the bulletins say about difficulty
| Exam | Scored questions | Passing score | Testing time | Fail one part | Practice | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia salesperson | not stated | not published | not published | not stated | Practice Facts | [2][3][4] | |
| Tennessee affiliate broker | 120 | 70% each | 240 min | failed portion only | Practice Facts | [5] | |
| Arizona salesperson | 140 | 75% each | 240 min | separate exams | Practice Facts | [6] | |
| Alabama salesperson | 120 | scaled 70 overall | 3.5 hours | whole exam | Practice Facts | [7] | |
| Florida broker | 100 | 75 of 100 | 3.5 hours | one exam | Practice Facts | [8][9][10] |
A pass rate hides three things this table shows.
- How the pass mark is counted. Arizona and Tennessee score each part on its own, in percent correct, so a weak state section fails you even after a strong national one. Alabama reports a single overall scaled score: the two parts are combined, and a solid national score can carry a shaky state score. Why a scaled 70 is not 70 percent: national exam facts.
- What a fail costs. Tennessee lets you retake only the portion you failed. Arizona books and scores General and State as separate exams, but its handbook never says a passed one carries over (see Arizona exam facts). Alabama sends you back for the whole exam, and only within its 6-month window; after that the prelicense course starts over. Waiting periods for every state: retakes by state.
- Where the points sit. Florida’s broker exam has no national portion, and its points split 45/40/15 between law, principles and practices, and math: law outweighs math three to one, and all of it is Florida’s own writing.
Georgia is the hard case to plan for: PSI and the Commission publish no pass mark as a number and no testing time. With no number to aim at, the safe target is every section of the Georgia outline.
How hard the license is, not only the exam
| Exam | Pre-license education | Required course besides pre-license | Age and schooling | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia salesperson | 75 hours | 25 hours | 18, high school | [4][11] | |
| Tennessee affiliate broker | 60 hours | 30 hours | 18, high school | [5][12] | |
| Arizona salesperson | 90 hours | 6 hours | 18 | [6][13] | |
| Alabama salesperson | 60 hours | 30 hours | 19, high school | [7][14][15][16] | |
| Florida broker | 72 hours | 60 hours | 18, high school | [17][18] |
The exam is one step of several. Course hours before it run from 60 hours in Alabama to 90 hours in Arizona, and Tennessee adds 30 hours of new-affiliate coursework before the license. The Florida broker license needs 24 months as an active sales associate before you may sit the exam.
Each state’s steps, in order: Georgia, Tennessee, Arizona, Alabama and the Florida broker license. What it all costs: license cost by state.
Find your weak areas before test day
Practice on your phone
National portion: practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app. Not affiliated with any state commission or test provider.
Every salesperson exam on this site includes the national portion, and on the Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee exams it is the larger part. The practice app explains every option, right or wrong.
Practice by state
- National portion practice test National portion questions in Pearson VUE proportions, every option explained
- Georgia salesperson practice test Georgia-portion questions by section, every option explained
- Tennessee affiliate broker practice test Questions on the Tennessee state portion from all nine PSI areas, every option explained
- Arizona salesperson practice test State exam questions by outline weight plus a General block, every option explained
- Alabama salesperson practice test State-law questions by outline weight plus general items, all explained
- Florida broker practice test Broker-level questions on Florida law, escrow, relationships, closing math and investment
Related guides
- National portion facts questions, time and pass marks by state
- License reciprocity which part you sit when you move
- License cost by state
- Real estate math the formulas and worked steps
Sources
- DBPR / Pearson VUE: Exam Performance Summary, Jan–Feb 2025 (FREAB April 2025 meeting packet) www2.myfloridalicense.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- PSI: Georgia Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (7/1/2026) test-takers.psiexams.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 520-1-.04 (licensing, examinations) law.cornell.edu · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Georgia Real Estate Commission: obtaining a real estate license grec.state.ga.us · checked Oct 24, 2026
- PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) test-takers.psiexams.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Pearson VUE: Arizona Real Estate Candidate Handbook #090300 (02/2026) pearsonvue.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Pearson VUE: Alabama Real Estate Candidate Handbook #093300 (Aug 2024, fees eff. Aug 1, 2025, rev. 02/2026) pearsonvue.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- DBPR: Candidate Information Booklet, Real Estate Broker Examination (effective March 2024; archived copy) web.archive.org · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Fla. Admin. Code 61J2-2 (examinations) flrules.org · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Pearson VUE: Florida Real Estate and Appraiser fact sheet #091001 pearsonvue.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 520-1-.05 (renewal, continuing education) law.cornell.edu · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Tennessee Real Estate Commission: how to become an affiliate broker tn.gov · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Pearson VUE: Obtaining an Arizona Real Estate License #090303 pearsonvue.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Ala. Admin. Code ch. 790-X-1 (Real Estate Commission) admincode.legislature.state.al.us · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Ala. Admin. Code ch. 790-X-2 (licensing) admincode.legislature.state.al.us · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Code of Ala. §34-27-33 (temporary and original salesperson licenses) alison.legislature.state.al.us · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Fla. Admin. Code 61J2-3 (education) flrules.org · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Fla. Stat. § 475.17 (qualifications) leg.state.fl.us · checked Oct 24, 2026
Questions about difficulty
What percentage of people pass the real estate exam?
There is no national pass rate, because each state adds its own law part and sets its own pass mark. Of the states on this site, only Florida has a statewide figure we could verify at the source: 46% of first-time takers on its broker exam.
Can you fail one part of the real estate exam and keep the other?
In Tennessee, yes: you retake only the failed portion, within limits (Tennessee retake rules). Arizona books and scores its General and State exams separately, but its handbook does not say a passed exam carries over, so confirm with Pearson VUE before you rebook. In Alabama, no: a fail means the whole exam again. The Florida broker exam is a single test, and Georgia’s bulletin does not say.
How soon can I retake the real estate exam?
Georgia: from the next day. Arizona and Florida: after 24 hours. Tennessee: the next day at first, then a 30-day wait after the second attempt. Alabama: as often as you like within its 6-month window.
Is the Florida broker exam harder than a salesperson exam?
It asks for more before you get in (24 months as a sales associate and the 72 hours of Course II) and is entirely Florida-written. Its first-time pass rate of 46% cannot be compared with the salesperson exams here, because the other states publish no statewide figure we could verify.