24h
Typical minimum waiting period
$15–Fee
Retake fee range across states
9
States require extra education after multiple failures
What Happens After You Fail
Failing the real estate exam is common and not the end of your career path. In almost every state, you can schedule a retake as soon as the next available testing appointment — usually within a few days.
Most states allow unlimited retakes within your eligibility period (typically 1 year from your initial application approval). You pay only the exam fee for each retake — you do not need to resubmit your full license application or pay the application fee again.
9 states require additional education after 3–4 consecutive failures: Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas. If you're in one of these states, it's especially important to study strategically before your next attempt.
If you passed one section but failed the other, most states let you retake only the failed section. Your passing score is held for the remainder of your eligibility period.
Don't Fail Again
Students who use practice exams before retaking pass at nearly double the rate. Our state-specific questions target the concepts you missed.
Find Your State's Practice TestRetake Rules by State
Click any state name to go directly to that state's practice test. Fees shown are per attempt (exam fee only, not application fee).
| State | Wait | Retake Fee | Attempt Limit | Extra Ed? | Vendor | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 24 hours | $85 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Alaska | 24 hours | $100 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Arizona | 24 hours | $75 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Arkansas | 24 hours | $75 per attempt | Unlimited within 6-month eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| California | After receiving failure notification; no specific official waiting period published by DRE | $100 per attempt | Unlimited within 2-year eligibility period | No | eLicensing (DRE) | ⚠ Unclear |
| Colorado | 24 hours | $44.95 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Connecticut | 24 hours | $65 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Delaware | 24 hours | $65 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Florida | 24 hours | $36.75 per attempt | Unlimited within 2-year eligibility period from course completion | No | Pearson VUE | ⚠ Unclear |
| Georgia | 24 hours | $88 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | Yes | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Hawaii | 24 hours | $68 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Idaho | 24 hours | $75 per attempt | Unlimited within 6-month eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Illinois | 24 hours | $58 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | Yes | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Indiana | 24 hours | $53 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Iowa | 24 hours | $95 per attempt | Unlimited within 6-month eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Kansas | 24 hours | $65 per attempt | Unlimited within 6-month eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Kentucky | 24 hours | $72 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Louisiana | 24 hours | $60 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | Yes | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Maine | 24 hours | $65 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Maryland | 24 hours | $46 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Massachusetts | 24 hours | $54 per attempt | Unlimited within 2-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Michigan | 24 hours | $79 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Minnesota | 24 hours | $68 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Mississippi | 24 hours | $60 per attempt | Unlimited within 6-month eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Missouri | 24 hours | $62 per attempt | Unlimited within 6-month eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Montana | 24 hours | $82 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Nebraska | 24 hours | $75 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Nevada | 24 hours | $100 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | Yes | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| New Hampshire | 24 hours | $65 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| New Jersey | 24 hours | $55 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| New Mexico | 24 hours | $75 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| New York | Next available appointment | $15 per attempt | Unlimited within 2-year eligibility period from course completion | Yes | DOS eAccessNY | ✓ Confirmed |
| North Carolina | 10 calendar days | $64 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | Yes | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| North Dakota | 24 hours | $95 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Ohio | 24 hours | $36 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | Yes | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Oklahoma | 24 hours | $60 per attempt | Unlimited within 6-month eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Oregon | 24 hours | $75 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Pennsylvania | 24 hours | $49 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | Yes | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Rhode Island | 24 hours | $65 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| South Carolina | 24 hours | $63 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| South Dakota | 24 hours | $82 per attempt | Not clearly published — confirm with state licensing authority | No | Pearson VUE | ⚠ Unclear |
| Tennessee | 24 hours | $39 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Texas | 24 hours | $43 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | Yes | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Utah | 24 hours | $59 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | Pearson VUE | ✓ Confirmed |
| Vermont | 24 hours | $65 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Virginia | 24 hours | $60 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Washington | Next available appointment | Fee not clearly published on public state source; confirm with PSI | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ↗ Confirm w/ vendor |
| West Virginia | 24 hours | $65 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Wisconsin | 24 hours | $65 per attempt | Unlimited within 1-year eligibility period | No | PSI | ✓ Confirmed |
| Wyoming | 24 hours | $82 per attempt | Not clearly published — confirm with state licensing authority | No | Pearson VUE | ⚠ Unclear |
States That Require Extra Education After Multiple Failures
After 3 consecutive failures on the same section, candidates must complete additional pre-license education before retaking.
After 4 consecutive failures, must complete additional pre-license coursework before retaking.
After 4 failures, must complete an additional 45 hours of pre-license education before retaking.
After 3 consecutive failures on the same section, candidates must complete additional education before retaking that section.
If the 2-year eligibility period expires (from completing the 77-hour course), candidates must retake the pre-license course before re-testing.
After 3 consecutive failures, the NC Real Estate Commission may require additional pre-license education before approving further attempts.
After 3 consecutive failures on the same section, must complete a 40-hour pre-license refresher course.
After 3 consecutive failures on either section, candidates must complete additional pre-license coursework before retaking.
After three exam failures, additional education is required before further attempts.
How to Pass on Your Next Attempt
Most candidates who fail do so by 2–5 questions. That means a small, targeted improvement in your weakest areas is usually enough to pass. Here's a 5-step plan:
Review your score report
Your score report breaks down performance by topic. Identify the 2–3 topics where you scored lowest — these are your highest-leverage study areas.
Focus on weak topics only
Don't re-study everything. If you scored well on contracts but poorly on finance and agency, spend 80% of your study time on finance and agency. Re-studying strengths feels productive but doesn't move the needle.
Browse practice questions by topic →Take timed practice exams
Practice under exam conditions — full-length, timed, no notes. This builds test-taking stamina and reveals whether your weak areas are improving.
Take a timed mock exam →Drill the concepts you keep getting wrong
Use our retry-missed-questions feature to create a custom quiz from only the questions you've answered incorrectly. Repeat until your accuracy exceeds 80% on your weak topics.
Start a practice quiz →Memorize key formulas and numbers
Math, fair housing protected classes, and agency duties account for 20–30% of the exam. Our cheat sheet covers everything you need to memorize.
Review the exam cheat sheet →Data verification note
The following states do not clearly publish their attempt limit or retake policy details: California, Florida, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming. We recommend contacting the state licensing authority directly to confirm retake rules before scheduling.
Sources & methodology
Data compiled from official state real estate commission websites, Pearson VUE and PSI candidate handbooks, and state administrative codes. Last verified June 2026. Retake policies may change — always confirm with your state's licensing authority before scheduling.
Fees shown are exam fees only (paid to the testing vendor per attempt). They do not include license application fees, background check fees, or pre-license education costs. Some states may charge different fees for retaking only one section vs. both sections.
Pass Your Retake With Confidence
75,000+ state-specific practice questions. Timed mock exams. Personalized study plans that target your weak areas. Built for candidates who need to pass on their next attempt.