California real estate license
What it takes to get licensed to sell real estate in California, from the state's official commission and exam vendor.
- Salesperson hours
- 135 (three 45-hour courses: Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, plus one elective)
- Broker requirement
- 8 statutorily-required college-level courses (far more than the 135 salesperson hours) + 2 years full-time licensed salesperson experience within last 5 years (or equivalent unlicensed experience, or a 4-year degree with RE major)
- Exam vendor
- State-administered by the California DRE itself, with PSI contracted for item development/gap analysis and as exam proctor
- Exam structure
- Salesperson exam: 150 questions, 3 hr 15 min. Exam covers both national real estate concepts and California-specific law; DRE uses raw scoring (not a scaled score) but does not clearly publish separately-scored national/state sub-scores the way PSI-vendor states do
- Passing
- 70% for Salesperson exam; 75% for Broker exam
Some California details were ambiguous on the official site when we researched this (July 2026) — double-check specifics with the commission before you rely on them.
Preparing for the California exam
PrepTempo's Salesperson and Broker courses cover the national portion — property, contracts, financing, agency, and practice — which is the same in California and the larger share of the exam. Study your California state-law portion from the commission on top of the core.
Official sources
Educational information only, researched July 2026 — not legal or licensing advice. Requirements change; confirm with the California real-estate commission. PrepTempo is not affiliated with any state commission or exam vendor.