Tennessee Real Estate Exam Prep and Crash Course

Tennessee's real estate exam is administered by PSI. Candidates may register for the exam online or by calling PSI at 855-340-3710.  

Current processing time: The Tennessee Real Estate Commission typically processes real estate licenses in 1-2 weeks.

Affiliate Broker Exam

• Applicants must have a high school diploma and:
• Must complete an application and submit with a photograph of the applicant
• Must have completed 90 hours of real estate education (education provider will provide this documentation electronically).

This includes:

• 60 of those hours must cover the topic of real estate principles/fundamentals and must be completed in order to qualify to take the licensing exam
• The remaining 30 hour Course for New Affiliates must be completed before the license is issued 

After completing ALL portions of the exam, candidate must apply for the real estate license online within 6 months of passing the examination. This application must include:

• Must provide proof of errors and omissions insurance
• Must pay exam fee ($39) and license fee ($91)

Broker Exam

• Must submit the completed Broker Examination Application to TREC at the following address:
• Candidate must obtain approval from the Tennessee Real Estate Commission before scheduling a broker exam
• If the candidate was licensed ON OR BEFORE May 12, 1988, the candidate must have been engaged as a real estate licensee for least 24 months OR hold a bachelor's degree with a major in real estate for at least 12 months
• If the candidate was licensed ON OR BEFORE May 12, 1988, the candidate must have held an active real estate license for at least 36 months OR hold a bachelor's degree with a major in real estate for at least 24 months
• Must have successfully completed 120 classroom hours of approved real estate education, 30 of which must be an Office/Broker Management approved by the Tennessee Real Estate Commission
• Candidates must provide eligibility verification from TREC
• Must pay exam fee ($39) and license fee ($91)

Affiliate Broker Examination: The exam consists of a national portion that includes 80 questions, and a state-specific portion that includes 40 questions.  Candidates have 160 minutes to complete the national portion and 80 minutes to complete the state portion. ‍

Broker Examination: The exam consists of a national portion that includes 75 questions and a state-specific portion that includes 50 questions. Candidates have 150 minutes to complete the national portion and 90 minutes to complete the state portion.

The exam is in multiple-choice format and is given by computer. It may be taken at the following locations: Chattanooga, Dyersberg, Jackson, Johnson City, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville.

The following categories are featured on both the Affiliate Broker and Broker Licensing Exam. The percentages show the make-up of how many questions you should expect from each category.

The national portion covers the following topics:

• Property ownership (Affiliate broker 8%; Broker 10%)
• Land use controls and regulations (Affiliate broker 5%; Broker 5%)
• Valuation and market analysis (Affiliate broker 7%; Broker 7%)
• Financing (Affiliate broker 10%; Broker 8%)
• General principles of agency (Affiliate broker 13%; Broker 11%) 
• Property condition and disclosures (Affiliate broker 6%; Broker 7%)
• Contracts (Affiliate broker 17%; Broker 18%)
• Transfer of title (Affiliate broker 8%; Broker 7%)
• Practice of real estate (Affiliate broker 13%; Broker 14%)
• Real estate calculations (Affiliate broker 10%; Broker 8%)
• Leasing and property management (Affiliate broker 3%; Broker 5%)

The state portion covers the following topics:

• Duties and powers of the Real Estate Commission (Affiliate broker 4 items; Broker 6 items)
• Licensing requirements (Affiliate broker 4 items; broker 5 items)
• Advertising and marketing (Affiliate broker 7 items; broker 7 items)
• Broker/Affiliate relationships (Affiliate broker 5 items; broker 6 items)
• Handling of documents and record keeping (Affiliate broker 6 items; broker 4 items)
• Handling of trust/escrow funds (Affiliate broker 4 items; broker 7 items)
• Other improper activities and consumer protection (Affiliate broker 3 items; broker 3 items)
• Agency and disclosure issues (Affiliate broker 6 items; broker 7 items)
• Special areas of practice (timeshare, property management, commercial/industrial real estate) (Affiliate broker 3 items; Broker 3 items)

Affiliate Broker Examination: A passing score is 70% or higher.

Broker Examination: A passing score is 75% or higher.

All applicants are required to bring 2 forms of identification. These must be current and include a signature. 

The primary identification can be any one of the following:

• State-issued driver's license 
• State-issued identification card 
• US government-issued Passport
• US government-issued military identification card 
• US government-issued Alien Registration card
• Canadian government-issued identification 

The secondary identification can be any one of the following: 

• Credit card (signed)
• Social Security card 

Temporary identification and student/employment identification are not accepted.  

• Tennessee Real Estate Commission
• Tennessee Broker Exam Application 
• Tennessee Real Estate Licensing Guide