The Hardest Part of the Texas Real Estate Exam, by the Numbers
You don't have to guess what's hard. Every quarter, Pearson VUE publishes how Texas candidates actually scored in each content category, and TREC posts the reports. This page reads the latest one for you.
Two findings: the Texas State Law portion — not the National — is what fails people, and within each portion the weak categories are consistent quarter after quarter.
Updated · Facts cited to TREC and Pearson VUE — sources at the end of this page.
The short answer
The Texas State Law portion is the hardest part: it passed only 49–50% of first-time candidates in the latest Pearson VUE reports, versus 63–66% for the National portion. Within it, Contracts (62%) and Agency & Brokerage (62%) score lowest; on the National side, Real Estate Math (66%) and Real Estate Practice (66%) are weakest.
Portion vs portion: where candidates actually fail
The state portion is only 40 questions and 90 minutes, but it halves the field. The likely reason is material: national concepts are covered by every textbook ever written, while intermediary practice, promulgated forms, and TREC's specific rules exist only in Texas — and out-of-state or generic prep material teaches them wrong or not at all.
| Period | National portion | Texas State Law portion |
|---|---|---|
| December 2025 | 63% (957 tested) | 50% (963 tested) |
| January–February 2026 | 66% (810 tested) | 49% (815 tested) |
Inside the state portion: the weak categories
Look at the shape of the problem: Contracts and Agency & Brokerage carry 20 of the 40 questions, and the average first-timer scores about 62% on both — eight points under the bar. Licensing, which everyone studies first, is nearly free points at 91%. The exam is lost on the heavy categories, not the obscure ones.
| Category | Questions | Avg. correct |
|---|---|---|
| V. Contracts | 9 | 62.0% |
| IV. Agency & Brokerage | 11 | 62.3% |
| III. Standards of Conduct | 9 | 67.7% |
| I. Commission Duties & Powers | 3 | 67.9% |
| VI. Special Topics | 5 | 76.0% |
| II. Licensing | 3 | 90.7% |
Inside the National portion
| Category | Questions | Avg. correct |
|---|---|---|
| VIII. Real Estate Math Calculations | 7 | 65.7% |
| V. Real Estate Practice | 10 | 66.1% |
| II. Forms of Ownership, Transfer & Recording | 9 | 69.2% |
| VII. Financing & Settlement | 7 | 69.8% |
| I. Property Characteristics & Legal Descriptions | 11 | 71.8% |
| III. Property Value & Appraisal | 11 | 74.9% |
| VI. Property Disclosures & Environmental Issues | 9 | 75.0% |
| IV. Real Estate Contracts & Agency | 16 | 81.0% |
'Hardest on average' is not 'hardest for you'
These are population averages. Plenty of candidates ace agency and bleed out on appraisal. The averages tell you where to be suspicious; only measurement tells you where you stand. PassDeed's free diagnostic covers all fourteen blueprint domains — the same categories as these tables — in about 15 minutes, reports the evidence behind each measured domain, flags low-confidence estimates, and gives the overall Readiness Score a stated confidence range.
Frequently asked questions
What is the hardest part of the Texas real estate exam?
By Pearson VUE's own data, the Texas State Law portion: it passed only 49–50% of first-time candidates in the December 2025 – February 2026 reports, versus 63–66% for the National portion. Its lowest-scoring categories are Contracts and Agency & Brokerage, both averaging about 62% correct against a 70% bar.
Is the national or state portion of the Texas exam harder?
The state portion, and it isn't close: roughly 50% of first-timers pass it versus roughly 65% for the national portion in the latest quarterly reports.
Is there a lot of math on the Texas real estate exam?
Seven scored questions on the National portion — the lowest-scoring national category (about 66% average correct), but small enough that math alone rarely fails anyone. The dangerous categories are the heavyweight ones: state Contracts and Agency & Brokerage at 9 and 11 questions.
How is 'hardest' measured here?
Two ways, both from official data: the first-time pass rate per portion, and the average percent-correct per content category from Pearson VUE's quarterly exam topic report. Averages are population-level — your own weak areas may differ, which is what a diagnostic is for.
Find out exactly where you stand
The free diagnostic measures you against every blueprint domain — the same content areas as your exam's score report — in about 15 minutes, and reports a Readiness Score with a stated confidence range. No card required.
Sources
- TREC — Exam Topic Reports for Sales Agents and Brokers (Pearson VUE, quarterly)
- REI Exam Topic Report, December 2025 – February 2026 (PDF)
Fees, rules, and statistics above were verified against these sources on the update date shown at the top of the page. Rules change — always confirm current requirements with TREC and Pearson VUE before acting.
Keep reading: Texas Exam Pass Rate · Reading Your Score Report · Failed the Texas Exam: What Next · Texas exam prep
PassDeed is not affiliated with or endorsed by TREC, FREC, the DBPR, the California DRE, Pearson VUE, or any state regulatory body. Passing standards are set by each state. Verify current requirements at trec.texas.gov (Texas), myfloridalicense.com (Florida), or dre.ca.gov (California).