Getting into the real estate industry can be fun but the first step is always to register with an approved Texas real estate education provider to begin your pre-license education (classroom or online) so you can then take your exam to get your license.
If your application to become a real estate sales agent is accepted by the real estate commission and you allowed to sit for the exam, you need to schedule your exam with the test provider. Once the exam is scheduled, you need to follow the steps detailed below.
Admission and testing policies
You should arrive at the testing center at least 30 minutes in advance of the exam start time so that there is time to complete any necessary sign-in procedures These include being photographed, having your palms scanned and signing the candidate rules agreement regarding cheating during, or tampering with the exam.
Candidates must show two forms of current signature identification. The primary source must be government-issued and photo bearing with a signature. The secondary source can be a Social Security card, debit, or credit card containing a valid signature.
Applicants will be given an opportunity to take a tutorial on the personal computer on which the exam will be administered.
Items allowed at exam
No personal items are allowed into the test center, they must be stored outside the testing room. The examination provider is not responsible if they are lost or stolen during the exam.
Inadmissible personal items include cell phones, hand-held computers, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) or other similar electronic devices, watches, purses, firearms, hats, coats, bags, notes, pens, and pencils. Likewise, no dictionaries, books, pagers, scratch paper or reference materials are permitted.
However, approved calculators are allowed and recommended. These include hand-held, battery or solar-powered financial calculators. No calculator containing an alpha character will be allowed.
Studying is not allowed in the testing center. Visitors, children, family members, or friends will not be allowed. Eating, drinking, chewing gum, smoking and making noise that disturbs other candidates is strictly prohibited.
Exam structure
The real estate exam consists of two parts, one is national and other is state. The national section contains 80 scored questions of which 10 percent involve mathematical calculations. An additional five questions are included but they are not scored. Candidates have 150 minutes or two-and-a-half hours to complete the exam. They must answer 56 scored questions correctly to pass the exam.
The state portion contains 30 scored questions and five to ten unscored ones. Candidates have 90 minutes to answer 21 scored questions correctly.
All questions are multiple choice and are approved by a panel of Texas real estate experts.
Candidates must take both parts of the exam. If one part is passed, it need not be retaken if the candidate fails the other. Both parts must be passed within one year after the application for the license has been filed with the commission. Candidates are given three opportunities to pass both pats during the one-year period.
After that, an additional 30 classroom hours of qualifying courses must be completed for each failed part of the exam. After completing the additional education courses, the candidate may then apply to retake the exam. Another fee of $54 is required.
Test results
Once the exam is completed and before leaving the test center, candidates receive a score report indicating either pass or fail.
If the applicant fails the exam
Candidates who fail one or both sections may reschedule the exam. A minimum of 24 hours must be allowed between the time the exam is scheduled and taken. A fee of $54 applies for a re-take.
The TX real estate commission allows only three attempts to pass both portions within one year from the time the application for the license is filed. Otherwise, additional coursework is required.
If the applicant passes both parts of the exam
When an applicant passes both parts of the exam and satisfies all the other requirements, such as the determination of moral character and fingerprinting, the commission will send the applicant an inactive real estate license letter to their email address within two business days.
If not all the requirements have been satisfied, the commission will advise the applicant accordingly.
Applying for an active real estate license
After being notified that the person has an inactive sales agent license, the new license holder needs to find a sponsoring real estate broker. Together, they must submit a Sales Agent Sponsorship Form to the commission.
