September 1, 2026
Complete 2026 guide to getting your Texas real estate license: 180 hours of courses, TREC application, Pearson VUE exam, fees, and SAE requirements.
Getting a Texas real estate sales agent license in 2026 requires completing 180 hours of pre-license education across six TREC-approved courses, passing a two-part state exam administered by Pearson VUE, submitting a TREC application with a $206 total fee, and securing a sponsoring broker before you can practice.
Quick Answer
To get a Texas real estate license, you must complete 180 hours of qualifying education, pass the Pearson VUE state exam (two portions), pass a background check, apply to TREC for $206, and be sponsored by a licensed Texas broker.
Texas prep is coming. Practice questions built for TREC, both portions.
Join the waitlist →The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC), governed by Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1101, is the state agency responsible for licensing and regulating real estate sales agents and brokers. All licensing requirements, approved education providers, and official fee schedules are published at trec.texas.gov. The state exam is administered by Pearson VUE on TREC's behalf.
Before investing time in coursework, confirm you meet TREC's baseline eligibility requirements:
If you have a criminal history, TREC allows candidates to request a Fitness Determination before beginning the process. This is optional but can save time and money if eligibility is in question.
Texas requires 180 hours of qualifying education from a TREC-approved provider, spread across six mandatory courses of 30 hours each:
Each course includes its own final exam that must be passed before completion credit is awarded. Courses can be taken online, in-person, or in a hybrid format, as long as the provider holds TREC approval. The order in which you complete the six courses is generally flexible, but most students start with Principles I and II to build a foundation before tackling Law of Agency and Law of Contracts.
These six courses are the same topics tested on the Pearson VUE exam, so studying efficiently during your coursework directly supports your exam preparation. Practice questions aligned to each topic area are one of the most effective ways to reinforce what you are learning.
You can apply to TREC online at trec.texas.gov. The total application fee is $206, broken down as follows:
Along with the application, you must have fingerprints on file with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for the required background check. TREC will provide fingerprinting instructions after your application is received. Fingerprinting has a separate fee paid directly to the fingerprinting vendor. TREC will review your background as part of the application process.
TREC recommends completing all 180 hours of qualifying education before submitting your application and having your course completion documents ready to upload. You have one year from the date your application is filed to satisfy all remaining licensing requirements.
Once TREC approves your application and your education is complete, you will receive eligibility to schedule the exam through Pearson VUE. The exam consists of two separate portions, both of which must be passed:
Both portions can be scheduled in a single combined appointment of 240 minutes total, or they can be scheduled separately. The Pearson VUE exam fee is $43 per examination appointment, regardless of whether you are scheduling one portion or both together.
To pass, candidates must answer 56 questions correctly on the National portion and 28 questions correctly on the State portion, per the January 2026 Pearson VUE Candidate Handbook. These are absolute correct-answer thresholds, not a 70% cutoff.
Each portion may be retaken independently, subject to TREC's examination and application requirements. A passing score on one portion remains valid for one year from the date your application was filed with TREC, so you would only need to retake the portion you did not pass.
If a candidate fails either portion three times, TREC requires additional qualifying education before the exam can be retaken: 30 hours for each failed portion, up to 60 hours if both portions were failed three times.
The Texas exam blog covers common weak areas on both portions and how to approach them efficiently.
Passing the exam does not automatically allow you to practice real estate in Texas. Your license must be sponsored by a licensed Texas broker to be placed in active status. If you have not secured a sponsoring broker when TREC issues your license, it will be issued in inactive status. No real estate services may be performed while a license is inactive.
Choosing a sponsoring broker is a business decision worth researching carefully. Consider factors such as commission splits, training and mentorship, office culture, and the broker's market focus. Many new agents begin the broker search before passing the exam so they can activate the license as quickly as possible.
Once licensed, the continuing education obligations are significant and should be planned for from the start.
Texas real estate licenses renew on a two-year cycle. For the first renewal, license holders must reach a total of 270 hours of qualifying real estate education. Because 180 hours were completed for the initial license, this means completing 90 additional hours of Sales Apprentice Education (SAE), including the required 30-hour Real Estate Brokerage course, plus:
Failure to complete SAE by the renewal deadline will result in license expiration.
After completing SAE, subsequent renewals require 18 hours of continuing education every two-year period, broken down as:
Texas agency law was updated effective January 1, 2026, under SB 1968. There are now four representation types under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1101: seller representation, buyer representation, intermediary, and non-representation. A written agreement is required before acting in a representation capacity.
The Information About Brokerage Services (IABS) form, revised effective January 1, 2026, must be provided at the first substantive communication concerning specific real property, subject to applicable exceptions.
An intermediary is a broker who represents both the buyer and seller in the same transaction, with written consent from both parties. This is a heavily tested concept on the State portion of the exam.
AhaPrep is a Texas-specific exam prep tool built around the actual topics and question formats tested on the Pearson VUE exam. It covers both the National and State portions with practice questions organized by subject area, making it straightforward to identify weak spots and focus study time where it matters most.
Texas exam prep is coming to AhaPrep
Practice questions for both the National and State portions, built for TREC. Join the waitlist.
Join the waitlist →Keep studying
AhaPrep is not affiliated with Pearson VUE or TREC.