How Many Questions Are on the Texas Real Estate Exam? (TREC 2026 Guide)

The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) sales agent exam has 125 questions total: 80 scored on the National section, 40 scored on the State section, and 15 unscored pretest items mixed in. You have 4 hours total — 150 minutes for the National section, then 90 minutes for the State section. You must score 70% on EACH section independently to pass. That's 56 of 80 correct on National, AND 28 of 40 correct on State. The exam is administered by Pearson VUE on behalf of TREC at testing centers throughout Texas. It's in-person, computer-based, and you get your pass/fail result for each section immediately at the testing center.

Unlike California's single 150-question unified exam, Texas splits the test into two distinct, separately-scored sections: • National section: 80 questions, 150 minutes, 70% to pass (56 of 80). Covers general real estate principles that apply across the U.S. — property ownership, agency basics, financing, contracts, valuation, math. • State section: 40 questions, 90 minutes, 70% to pass (28 of 40). Covers Texas-specific law — TREC rules and powers, licensing, standards of conduct, Intermediary status, IABS form, TREC-promulgated contracts, homestead, community property, foreclosure procedures. You take both sections in one sitting. Between sections, there's no required break, but you can take an unscheduled break (the clock keeps running on the section you're on). The sections are scored independently. If you pass National but fail State, you only retake State — the National pass stays valid for up to a year.

TREC publishes the percentage weight of each topic within each section. National section (80 questions): • Real Property Characteristics, Legal Descriptions, Property Use: ~9% • Forms of Ownership, Transfer, Recording of Title: ~9% • Property Value and Appraisal: ~9% • Real Estate Contracts and Agency: ~21% • Real Estate Practice: ~15% • Property Disclosures and Environmental Issues: ~10% • Financing and Settlement: ~12% • Real Estate Math Calculations: ~15% State section (40 questions): • Commission Duties and Powers: ~15% • Licensing: ~17.5% • Standards of Conduct: ~20% • Agency and Brokerage (Intermediary, IABS): ~12.5% • Contracts (TREC-promulgated forms, Option Fee): ~30% • Special Topics (homestead, community property, foreclosure): ~5% The State section's heaviest weights are Contracts (12 questions) and Standards of Conduct (8 questions). If you only had time to deeply study three areas of TX-specific law, those two plus Licensing would cover ~67% of the State section.

150 minutes for 80 questions is 1:52 per question on National. 90 minutes for 40 questions is 2:15 per question on State. That sounds like more time per question on State, but State questions tend to be longer (scenario-based, with TREC rule citations) and have more law to recall. Most candidates finish National with 15-30 minutes to spare and finish State with 10-15 minutes to spare. If you find yourself running out of time on a section, your best move is to flag tough questions, answer everything else, and come back to the flagged ones. The Pearson VUE software lets you mark questions and review at the end.

Three takeaways: 1. Practice with the two-section format. Generic 100-question practice exams don't prepare you for the mental switch between national principles and Texas-specific law mid-exam. Take full 80+40 practice exams with separate timers. 2. Weight your study time by section AND topic. Spend ~67% on National content (it's 67% of the scored questions), but DON'T neglect the State section. The smaller question count means each State question carries more weight (2.5% each) — and the State section has the lowest pass rate. 3. Take at least three full two-section practice exams before test day. Not just topic quizzes. Full 80+40, with the timer running, in one sitting. This trains the stamina you'll need on test day. Day One generates full-length TX practice exams that mirror TREC's exact two-section format — separate timers, per-section pass/fail badges in the results, and statute-cited explanations for every question. Three or four of these before exam day is the highest-leverage thing you can do.