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Texas
180
Colorado
168
Oregon
150
California
135
Nevada
120
Ohio
120
Utah
120
South Dakota
116
Delaware
99
Iowa
96
Kentucky
96
Arizona
90
Idaho
90
Illinois
90
Indiana
90
Louisiana
90
Minnesota
90
New Mexico
90
North Dakota
90
Oklahoma
90
South Carolina
90
Tennessee
90
West Virginia
90
Georgia
75
New Jersey
75
New York
75
North Carolina
75
Pennsylvania
75
Missouri
72
Wisconsin
72
Montana
70
Nebraska
66
Florida
63
Alabama
60
Arkansas
60
Connecticut
60
Hawaii
60
Kansas
60
Maryland
60
Mississippi
60
Virginia
60
Washington
60
Maine
55
Wyoming
54
Rhode Island
45
Alaska
40
Massachusetts
40
Michigan
40
New Hampshire
40
Vermont
40

Hardest Real Estate Exams by State 2024

Hardest Real Estate Exams by State 2024

Becoming a Real Estate Agent in the US

Internationally speaking, real estate agents generally have a governing body that they adhere to. With most countries smaller than the United States, it is much easier to regulate and govern the activities that are related to housing and purchasing land, buildings, and all associated items.

With the sheer size of the United States, every single jurisdiction will have different laws and rules that govern them, including both the acceptance and ongoing conduct of the agents and realty themselves. It is always best to check with your local and state real estate commission on the practices and guidelines for becoming licensed.

Most Difficult States To Obtain Your Real Estate License

Texas is largely considered the most difficult state to obtain your real estate license. Many factors go into this, primarily the sheer size of the state. Texas is also the prime destination for immigration internationally and domestically alike.

You must be 18 years of age or above, an American citizen or legal alien, as well as a legal resident of Texas to pursue your real estate license. When you apply, you must meet the Texas Real Estate Commission's qualifications of honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness. This last part is why obtaining a license is so tricky, as the esoteric nature of this intangible requirement makes it difficult to ascertain what exactly you need to do to qualify as an upstanding citizen.

Once you have met these requirements, you must be able to pass certain knowledge and background checks. Texas requires 180 hours of pre-licensing education and a clean record. The exam itself consists of 125 questions. To pass, applicants must pass 56 out of 85 questions in the national section and 21 out of 40 in the state section. Only 60% of test takers pass on the first try. This is proof that the exam is quite challenging.

More Lenient States

There are many states that offer a real estate license without being too stringent on the rules. Some of these states include Alaska, Massachusetts, and Mississippi. Generally speaking, as long as you are able to pass a course, are 18 years of age, and have no prior convictions, you can qualify to become a real estate agent.

North Carolina, for example, is one of the easiest states to obtain your license. North Carolina does not even require its agents to be residents of the state, the only requirement is that you are a US citizen or a legal alien. Most other states also require a GED or high school completion, but North Carolina does not have such educational requirements.

While it may seem like the cutoff is very low, those who are accepted must conduct 75 hours of education and submit applications to the real estate commission. After the 120-question exam is passed and is sponsored by brokers, another licensing course must be taken afterward. There is no mention of a criminal record as well, meaning that background checks do take that into consideration, but may not restrict prior convicted felons from obtaining their license if they are indeed trying to fix their life in good faith.

Hardest Real Estate Exams by State 2024

  • Some states do not publish their average passing rates at real estate exams.
  • In most (but not all) states, real estate exams are split between questions that apply to national guidelines and those that apply specifically to state guidelines. These sections are often scored independently and the applicant must attain a passing score on both portions in order to pass the test as a whole.

50 Rows

State
Real Estate Exam Req. Hours Coursework
RE Exam Pass Rate (%)
RE Exam # of National Questions
RE Exam # of State Questions
RE Exam Total Questions
RE Exam Passing Score
RE Exam Passing Score (%)
Additional Details
Texas18057.69854012556 + 210%
Must score 56/85 on national portion and 21/40 on state portion
Colorado16877807415475%
Oregon15015050200113 + 3870%
Must score 113/150 on national portion and 38/50 on state portion
California1354515070%
Nevada120804012075%
Ohio12080401208470%
Utah120805013056 + 3570%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 35/50 on state portion
South Dakota1161005716875%
Exam includes 11 broken simulation questions in addition to national and state portions.
Delaware9962804012056 + 2870%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 28/40 on state portion
Iowa96804012056 + 2870%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 28/40 on state portion
Kentucky9650805013075%
Arizona9060-6619575%
15 of the 195 questions are unscored pre-test questions.
Idaho90805012056 + 2870%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 28/40 on state portion
Illinois90451004014075 + 3075%
Must score 75/100 on national portion and 30/40 on state portion
Indiana90755012560 + 3875%
Must score 60/75 on national portion and 38/50 on state portion
Louisiana90805513556 + 4075%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 40/55 on state portion
Minnesota90805013060 + 3875%
Must score 60/80 on national portion and 38/50 on state portion
New Mexico90805013060 + 3875%
Must score 60/80 on national portion and 38/50 on state portion
North Dakota90611004014070 + 3070%
Must score 70/100 on national portion and 30/40 on state portion
Oklahoma90551309170%
South Carolina9056804012056 + 2870%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 28/40 on state portion
Tennessee9047.5804012056 + 2870%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 28/40 on state portion
West Virginia901005015070 + 3570%
Must score 70/100 on national portion and 35/50 on state portion
Georgia7550-601005215275 + 3975%
Must score 75/100 on national portion and 39/52 on state portion
New Jersey751107770%
New York7560755370%
North Carolina753980401208470%
Pennsylvania7573804012060 + 3075%
Must score 60/80 on national portion and 30/40 on state portion
Missouri721004014070 + 3075%
Must score 70/100 on national portion and 30/40 on state portion
Wisconsin7214010575%
Montana70803311356 + 2370%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 23/33 on state portion
Nebraska6664805013060 + 3875%
Must score 60/80 on national portion and 38/50 on state portion
Florida634710075%
Alabama60551004014070%
Arkansas6050707014049 + 4970%
Must score 49/70 on both state and national portions.
Connecticut6060803011070%
Hawaii6056/46805013056 + 3570%
Must score 56/80 on general portion and 35/50 on state portion Pass rate is 56% for general portion ...
Kansas60803011056 + 2170%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 21/30 on state portion
Maryland6052803011056 + 2170%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 21/30 on state portion
Mississippi60804012056 + 3072%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 30/40 on state portion
Virginia6057804012056 + 3072%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 30/40 on state portion
Washington6071/751003013070%
Pass rate is 71% on national portion and 75% on state portion.
Maine55804012060 + 3075%
Must score 60/80 on national portion and 30/40 on state portion
Wyoming54804012060 + 3075%
Must score 60/880 on national portion and 30/40 on state portion
Rhode Island45805013056 + 3570%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 35/50 on state portion
Alaska4080401200%
Alaska's scoring system is atypical. The score is calculated on a scale from 1-100 and 75 is a passi...
Massachusetts40804012056 + 2870%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 28/40 on state portion
Michigan4011570%
New Hampshire4070804012056 + 2870%
Must score 56/80 on national portion and 28/40 on state portion
Vermont401001000%
Each question is averaged to determine a minimum passing score that demonstrates the amount of knowl...

Sources