- TXREB refers to the Texas Real Estate Broker Exam, administered by Pearson VUE for the Texas Real Estate Commission.
- The combined exam has 145 items across a 150-minute national portion and a 90-minute Texas-law portion.
- Passing requires 60 correct national answers and 38 correct state answers, including 10 case-study items.
- Applicants need 270 qualifying education hours, 630 related hours, and 720 experience points before testing.
What TXREB Actually Means
TXREB stands for the Texas Real Estate Broker Exam - the licensing test the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) requires before an agent can practice as a broker in Texas. It is not a designation you display after your name; it is the exam gate itself. Passing it, alongside meeting education and experience requirements, converts a salesperson's license into a broker license.
Because several unrelated credentials in other industries also happen to abbreviate to "TXREB," it's worth being precise: on this site, and in this article, TXREB means one thing only - the Texas broker licensing exam delivered through Pearson VUE testing centers. If you've searched for background on the acronym before landing here, our companion pieces on What Is TXREB? and TXREB Meaning cover the same definition from different angles.
Who Administers the Exam
The Texas Real Estate Commission licenses brokers and sets the content outline; Pearson VUE administers the actual computer-based test at testing centers around the state. The exam fee is $39, which is paid as part of scheduling your test session once TREC has approved your application.
This division of labor matters practically: TREC decides what you need to know (education hours, experience, the content outline), while Pearson VUE decides how and where you sit for the test. Scheduling logistics, testing windows, and rescheduling rules are covered in more depth in TXREB Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling, and a full cost breakdown - including the $39 exam fee alongside education costs - is in TXREB Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
How the Exam Is Structured
The combined broker examination is really two exams delivered back-to-back in one appointment:
- National portion: 80 scored items plus 5 unscored items (85 total), 150 minutes, testing general real estate principles used across the country.
- Texas-law portion: 50 scored items plus 10 unscored items (60 total), 90 minutes, testing state-specific statutes, rules, and practice.
That's 145 items total across both sections. To pass, you need 60 correct answers on the national portion and 38 correct on the state portion - two separate thresholds, not one blended score. The state portion also includes 10 case-study items built around narratives and TREC-promulgated contract forms, which behave more like applied scenarios than straight recall questions.
| Portion | Scored Items | Unscored Items | Time | Passing Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National | 80 | 5 | 150 minutes | 60 correct |
| Texas Law | 50 | 10 | 90 minutes | 38 correct |
For the exact math behind these thresholds and what they mean in percentage terms, see TXREB Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Key Takeaway
Treat the national and state portions as two exams you must each pass on their own terms - a strong national score doesn't offset a weak state score.
The 15 Domains Behind the Acronym
The content outline behind TXREB spans 15 domains, split across the national and state frameworks. Knowing which domains carry the most weight tells you where to spend your limited study hours.
National Domains (1-8)
These mirror general real estate knowledge tested nationwide, current under the outline effective March 1, 2025.
- Real Property Characteristics, Legal Descriptions, and Property Use
- Forms of Ownership, Transfer, and Recording of Title
- Property Value and Appraisal
- Real Estate Contracts and Agency
- Real Estate Practice
- Property Disclosures and Environmental Issues
- Financing and Settlement
- Real Estate Math Calculations
Texas-Specific Domains (9-15)
These come from the Texas outline effective April 15, 2020, and are where broker-level candidates often lose the most points.
- Commission Duties & Powers
- Licensing
- Standards of Conduct
- Agency & Brokerage - 20% of the state portion
- Contracts
- Special Topics
- Case Studies - 20% of the state portion
For a domain-by-domain breakdown with study priorities for each of the 15 areas, walk through TXREB Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 15 Content Areas.
What You Must Complete Before Sitting for It
TXREB isn't an exam you can walk into cold. TREC requires broker applicants to document a substantial education and experience record first:
- 270 qualifying education hours completed through approved coursework.
- 630 related education hours, which includes the mandatory six-hour Broker Responsibility Course.
- Four years of active licensed experience within the preceding five years.
- At least 720 experience points, documented through your license activity.
- Fingerprint and background check clearance through TREC's approved process.
Two substitutions can ease the related-hours burden: a bachelor's degree can satisfy up to 300 of the 630 related education hours, and qualifying experience above the 720-point minimum can substitute for up to 300 related hours as well. Combined thoughtfully, these substitutions can meaningfully shorten your coursework timeline.
A full walkthrough of every prerequisite, including how points are calculated, is available in TXREB Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Turning the Acronym Into a Study Plan
Once you understand what TXREB tests, the smartest way to prepare is to sequence your review around the two outlines rather than studying everything at once.
National Foundations
- Property characteristics, ownership forms, and appraisal basics
- Financing, settlement math, and contract fundamentals shared nationwide
Texas Statute and Commission Rules
- Commission Duties & Powers, Licensing, and Standards of Conduct
- Memorize where TREC authority starts and stops
Agency, Brokerage & Case Studies
- Drill Agency & Brokerage scenarios - the highest-weighted state domain
- Practice Case Studies against real TREC-promulgated contract forms
Because Case Studies and Agency & Brokerage each carry 20% of the state portion, they deserve dedicated review blocks rather than being folded into general contract review. If you want a condensed reference to keep nearby during this final stretch, the TXREB Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts compresses the highest-yield facts onto a single page. For a broader first-attempt strategy that ties study sequencing to the exam's scoring structure, see the TXREB Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. You can also build timing comfort with full-length practice sessions on our practice test platform before test day.
What "Passing" TXREB Actually Requires
Because the national and state portions are scored independently, a candidate who fails only one side doesn't have to retake the entire exam. As long as your application remains active, you can retake just the portion you failed. The catch is a cap: three failed attempts on either portion triggers a requirement for additional qualifying education before you're allowed to test again.
This makes early diagnostic testing valuable - knowing which portion is weaker before your first attempt lets you allocate review time proportionally instead of splitting it 50/50. Understanding how difficult each portion tends to feel in practice, and where candidates typically lose points, is covered in How Hard Is the TXREB Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026, and broader pass-rate context is discussed in TXREB Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Who Cares About This Credential
Passing the Texas Real Estate Broker Exam is the gateway to supervising other agents, opening your own brokerage, or taking on transaction responsibilities that salespersons legally cannot. Brokerages hiring for broker-level roles, team-lead positions, and independent brokerage ownership all require this credential as a baseline. Once licensed, active brokers must renew every two years and complete 18 hours of continuing education to stay current.
If you're weighing whether the time and education investment is worth pursuing at all, Is the TXREB Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and TXREB Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis lay out the practical tradeoffs. For where broker-licensed professionals actually find work after passing, see TXREB Jobs, and for structured coursework options that satisfy the education hours described above, browse TXREB Training.
Whatever stage you're at, running timed practice sets that mirror the real 150-minute and 90-minute splits is one of the most reliable ways to confirm you're ready - you can start that on our TXREB practice test site before scheduling with Pearson VUE.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a license exam. Passing TXREB, combined with meeting TREC's education and experience requirements, is what upgrades a Texas real estate license from salesperson to broker.
145 total items: 80 scored plus 5 unscored national questions, and 50 scored plus 10 unscored Texas-law questions, including 10 case-study items.
You need 60 correct answers on the national portion and 38 correct answers on the state portion. Each portion is scored and passed separately.
The exam fee itself is $39, paid when scheduling through Pearson VUE. This is separate from the cost of required qualifying and related education hours.
You can retake only the portion you failed while your application stays active. However, three failed attempts on a portion requires completing additional qualifying education before another try.