National vs. State Portion: What's Actually Tested on the Texas Real Estate Exam

The Texas real estate exam has two halves with two different jobs: the National (General) portion tests real estate principles that are true in every state, and the State portion tests Texas law specifically — TREC's own rules and the Real Estate License Act. They're graded independently, and the topic lists don't overlap much at all. Here's exactly what's in each, by the numbers TREC and Pearson VUE publish.

National portion — 80 scored questions across 8 areas

The National content outline is the same skeleton used across most ARELLO-approved state exams, adapted with Texas-relevant framing. Eight major topic areas:

• Real Property Characteristics, Legal Descriptions & Property Use — 11 items. Fixtures vs. personal property, legal descriptions, easements, CC&Rs, zoning.
• Forms of Ownership, Transfer & Recording of Title — 9 items. Fee simple and life estates, leasehold types, deeds, chain of title, title insurance.
• Property Value and Appraisal — 11 items. Sales comparison, cost, and income approaches; CMAs; gross rent multipliers.
• Real Estate Contracts and Agency — 16 items, the single largest section. Contract validity and performance, agency relationships, Fair Housing, risk management.
• Real Estate Practice — 10 items. Broker responsibilities, listing and buyer agreements, property management.
• Property Disclosures and Environmental Issues — 9 items. Lead paint, mold, flood zones, EPA and environmental statutes.
• Financing and Settlement — 7 items. Loan types, FHA/VA/USDA requirements, RESPA, TILA-RESPA disclosures.
• Real Estate Math Calculations — 7 items. Covered in more depth in a separate post, since the math deserves its own treatment.

That's 80 items exactly (11+9+11+16+10+9+7+7). Five additional unscored pretest questions are mixed in, indistinguishable from the scored ones.

State portion — 40 scored questions across 6 areas, all Texas-specific

The State portion is a different document entirely — Texas law, not general principles. Six topic areas:

• Commission Duties and Powers — 3 items. TREC's own composition and authority, complaint handling, the Recovery Trust Account.
• Licensing — 3 items. Who needs a license, the application process, continuing education, sponsorship changes.
• Standards of Conduct — 9 items. Professional ethics, grounds for discipline, trust accounts, advertising rules, fee splitting.
• Agency/Brokerage — 11 items, the largest State section. Disclosure duties, intermediary practice, broker–sales agent relationships, minimum services.
• Contracts — 9 items. TREC-promulgated contract forms and addenda, the Statute of Frauds, seller disclosure requirements.
• Special Topics — 5 items. Community property, homestead protections, the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, landlord-tenant issues, HOAs, foreclosure.

That's 40 items exactly (3+3+9+11+9+5). Ten additional unscored pretest questions are mixed in on top of that.

Why the split matters more than it looks like it should

Nothing on the State list is a repeat of the National list, and nothing on the National list substitutes for the State list. A candidate who studies general real estate principles thoroughly and treats Texas law as a quick add-on is preparing for roughly two-thirds of the exam. The two portions are also graded completely separately — see our breakdown of the passing score for why that matters more than it sounds like it should.

It's also why we split our own content the same way instead of blending it: National lessons and Texas State lessons live on fully separate pages, matching the exam's own boundary rather than a study-guide convention that mixes the two.