Before scheduling the Illinois real estate broker examination, you need to satisfy the applicable eligibility and education requirements.
For most first-time broker candidates, this means meeting the minimum age and education requirements, completing 75 hours of qualifying Illinois broker pre-license education, becoming eligible through PSI, and registering for the correct examination.
This guide explains the Illinois broker exam requirements, education requirements, eligibility period, registration rules, passing standards, identification requirements, retesting rules, and what happens after you pass.
For the standard Illinois broker licensing path, candidates generally need to:
These requirements apply to the standard first-time broker examination path.
Different requirements can apply to attorneys and applicants already licensed in another jurisdiction.
A standard Illinois real estate broker candidate must be at least:
18 years old
This is the minimum age for the broker licensing path.
The managing broker license has different requirements, so applicants should make sure they are reviewing information for the correct license category.
If you are entering the Illinois real estate profession for the first time, the broker license is generally the relevant starting point.
Illinois broker candidates must also satisfy the minimum general education requirement.
For the standard broker path, you need to have:
or
A college degree is not required for the standard Illinois broker examination path.
However, the high school education requirement is separate from the required real estate pre-license education.
Before taking the Illinois broker examination under the standard qualification route, candidates must successfully complete:
75 class hours of approved real estate education
The required curriculum is generally divided into:
This portion covers the primary real estate principles, laws, transactions, calculations, and professional concepts students need to understand.
This portion focuses more heavily on practical application, situations, and real estate scenarios.
Together:
60 Hours + 15 Hours = 75 Hours
Illinois broker pre-license education covers a broad range of subjects.
Students may study topics such as:
The course is intended to prepare students with the knowledge needed for the Illinois broker examination and future professional practice.
Not every real estate course qualifies a student for the Illinois broker examination.
Your required education should be completed through an appropriate education provider and course that satisfies current Illinois requirements.
Before enrolling, confirm:
Do not assume that a general online real estate course automatically makes you eligible for the Illinois licensing examination.
Current examination guidance states that qualifying broker pre-license education is valid for:
Two years after satisfactory completion
This means you should continue moving through your exam preparation and testing process after completing the course.
Do not complete the education and then delay the licensing exam indefinitely.
Keep your:
organized so you can track your eligibility period.
Illinois has contracted with PSI Services LLC to administer the real estate licensing examinations.
Before a standard broker candidate can schedule the examination, PSI needs to verify the applicable education requirement.
The current process requires candidates to:
Do not assume that finishing the broker course automatically creates your exam appointment.
The eligibility and scheduling process must still be completed.
Current PSI instructions require standard broker candidates to upload the applicable course certificate when becoming eligible to test.
Before uploading your document, check:
Keep your own copy even after the documentation has been submitted.
If PSI cannot verify your eligibility, you may not be able to move forward with scheduling until the issue is resolved.
The first and last name in your PSI examination account should match the name shown on your current valid government-issued identification.
Avoid using:
A mismatch between the name on your exam registration and identification can create problems during check-in.
Review this information before completing your appointment.
PSI administers several Illinois real estate examinations.
Make sure you select the examination that corresponds to your licensing path.
For most first-time candidates, this means the:
Illinois Real Estate Broker Examination
Do not accidentally register for:
Different examinations have different eligibility requirements and content.
The current standard Illinois Broker Examination fee is:
$58
Candidates should confirm the current amount when scheduling because examination fees can change.
Current PSI instructions state that examination fees are generally:
Make sure you are prepared to take the test before completing payment and scheduling.
Current PSI scheduling allows candidates to choose between:
You complete the examination at an approved testing location.
You complete the exam using a qualifying computer and private testing environment while being monitored remotely.
Remote testing requires additional technical preparation, including compatibility checks for:
Choose the testing format that allows you to follow the examination rules reliably.
Candidates need acceptable identification when taking the broker examination.
Your identification should meet current PSI requirements and match the name used for registration.
Before your appointment, verify:
Do not wait until exam day to check your identification.
Failure to present proper identification can prevent you from taking the examination and may result in forfeiture of the examination fee.
The current broker examination has two scored portions:
| Exam Portion | Scored Items | Passing Score | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 100 | 70% | 150 minutes |
| Illinois State | 40 | 75% | 90 minutes |
Candidates must satisfy the passing requirement for both portions.
The national portion tests broad real estate principles and practices.
The state portion tests Illinois-specific law, licensing requirements, disclosures, and professional rules.
The national broker examination currently contains:
100 scored items
The passing score is:
70%
The time allowed is:
150 minutes
The national examination covers major topics such as:
Students should use the current examination content outline to guide their preparation.
The Illinois-specific broker portion currently contains:
40 scored items
The passing score is:
75%
The time allowed is:
90 minutes
The Illinois portion includes topics involving:
Passing only the national portion does not complete the examination requirement if the state portion remains unsuccessful.
Not necessarily.
If you pass one portion and fail the other, current PSI procedures generally require you to retake only the portion you failed.
For example:
You would generally retake the Illinois state portion.
You would generally retake the national portion.
Your score report can include diagnostic information to help guide your preparation for the failed portion.
Current PSI rules allow standard Illinois broker candidates up to:
Four attempts
during the applicable:
Two-year eligibility period
These attempts should be used carefully.
If you do not pass an examination attempt, review your score information and identify weak areas before immediately scheduling another test.
Repeatedly taking the examination without improving your preparation can use up the available attempts unnecessarily.
Under current PSI rules, a standard Illinois broker candidate who fails the fourth attempt must complete the:
75-hour broker pre-license education again
and then retake the entire examination.
This means the four-attempt limit is important.
After an unsuccessful attempt:
Before scheduling your examination, you should be familiar with the major content areas in the official outline.
Important national areas include:
Important Illinois areas include:
Do not schedule the examination simply because your education hours are complete.
Make sure you understand the material.
The eligibility requirements tell you whether you are allowed to test.
They do not tell you whether you are prepared to pass.
Practice questions can help identify:
When you miss a question, study the concept behind the answer rather than memorizing the correct choice.
PSI states that examinations may contain approximately:
5 to 10 experimental questions
These questions:
Because you cannot identify which questions are experimental, treat every question seriously.
The scored examination structure remains based on the national and Illinois portions described in the official exam summary.
Current PSI rules state that your examination registration can become invalid and your fee can be forfeited if you:
If you need to change your appointment, follow PSI's official cancellation or rescheduling procedures.
Do not simply skip the appointment and assume the same fee can be used later.
Current PSI rules allow candidates to cancel and reschedule an appointment without forfeiting the fee if the cancellation is received at least:
Two days before the scheduled examination date
Use PSI's official website or speak with the appropriate PSI representative according to the current instructions.
Planning ahead can prevent losing your examination fee because of a late cancellation.
Candidates who require examination accommodations should review PSI's current accommodation process before scheduling or testing.
PSI provides accommodation procedures for eligible candidates under applicable accessibility requirements.
If you need an accommodation:
An approved accommodation may affect how your examination appointment is arranged.
Current PSI guidance provides a separate qualification category for attorneys.
A broker candidate admitted to practice law by the Illinois Supreme Court may qualify under the attorney category.
Current instructions state that qualifying attorney candidates do not need to upload pre-license education documents before scheduling and do not require the same prior education eligibility process as standard candidates.
This is a specific exception.
Someone who is not admitted to practice law by the Illinois Supreme Court should not assume the attorney exemption applies.
An applicant who already holds an equivalent real estate license in another state or jurisdiction may follow Illinois's separate licensure by endorsement path.
Current broker endorsement eligibility includes requirements involving:
The endorsement examination and eligibility rules differ from the standard first-time Illinois broker route.
If you already hold an out-of-state real estate license, review the current endorsement requirements instead of assuming you need the standard 75-hour course.
Passing both examination portions is a major milestone, but it is not the same as receiving an Illinois broker license.
After passing, candidates still need to complete the applicable licensing process.
This can include:
Do not begin licensed brokerage activity merely because you passed the examination.
Current PSI guidance states that a candidate must apply for licensure with IDFPR within:
One year after passing the appropriate examination
A candidate who does not submit the application and meet the applicable licensing requirements within that period can lose the examination accreditation and may need to retake the appropriate examination.
Passing the exam should therefore be followed by timely completion of the licensing process.
Illinois requires brokers to be sponsored by a sponsoring broker for licensed brokerage activity.
The sponsoring broker relationship is separate from passing the exam.
When researching brokerages, compare areas such as:
Your first brokerage can have a significant effect on how you learn the practical side of the profession.
Use this checklist before scheduling your examination:
Standard candidates should complete and document the required education before becoming eligible to test.
Not every course qualifies for Illinois broker examination eligibility.
Pre-license education is valid for a limited period.
Your exam registration information should match your identification.
Make sure you select the Illinois Broker Examination for the licensing path you are pursuing.
Both required portions must ultimately be passed.
Standard broker candidates have a limited number of attempts during the eligibility period.
You still need to complete the Illinois licensing process after passing.
Meeting the minimum exam requirements gets you eligible to test.
A strong education and study plan helps you become ready to pass.
Illinois Broker Academy provides education and learning resources for individuals preparing for the Illinois real estate broker licensing process.
Structured preparation can help you work through the required curriculum, review major examination topics, practice questions, strengthen difficult areas, and approach the licensing exam with a clearer plan.
If you need to register:
If you want to understand the exam structure:
If you want to review tested subjects:
If you want practice questions:
Illinois Broker Exam Questions
If you need a study guide:
Illinois Broker Exam Study Guide
If you are still completing education:
If you have already passed:
Under the standard broker qualification route, candidates must generally be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, and successfully complete 75 class hours of qualifying real estate pre-license education before becoming eligible for the examination.
Standard Illinois broker candidates generally need 75 hours of qualifying pre-license education, consisting of 60 hours of Broker Pre-License Topics and 15 hours of Broker Pre-License Applied Real Estate Principles.
No college degree is listed as a requirement for the standard broker examination path. Candidates generally need a high school diploma or GED along with the required real estate pre-license education.
Standard Illinois broker candidates must be at least 18 years old.
Current PSI guidance states that qualifying broker pre-license education is valid for two years after satisfactory completion.
Current PSI instructions require standard broker candidates to upload the applicable course certificate as part of the eligibility process. PSI reviews the information before approving the candidate to schedule.
The current PSI Candidate Information Booklet lists the standard Broker Examination fee as $58. Candidates should verify the fee when registering because it can change.
Yes. Candidates must ultimately pass both required portions. The current passing score is 70% for the national broker portion and 75% for the Illinois state portion.
The current examination has 100 scored national items and 40 scored Illinois state items. PSI may also include a small number of unscored experimental questions.
Standard broker candidates currently have up to four attempts to pass the examination during their two-year eligibility period.
Current PSI rules require a standard broker candidate who fails the fourth attempt to retake the 75-hour broker pre-license education and then retake the entire examination.
Current PSI procedures generally require you to repeat only the portion you failed, subject to your remaining eligibility and examination attempts.
Current PSI guidance provides a separate qualification category for candidates admitted to practice law by the Illinois Supreme Court. Qualifying attorney candidates do not follow the standard pre-license education eligibility process before scheduling.
Yes. Illinois uses a separate endorsement process for qualifying out-of-state brokers. Current endorsement requirements include an active equivalent license in good standing and completion of a 30-hour Broker Pre-License Endorsement Course through an approved provider.
No. Passing the exam satisfies the examination requirement, but candidates must still complete the applicable IDFPR licensing process and sponsorship requirements before beginning licensed brokerage activity.
Current PSI guidance states that candidates must apply for licensure and meet the applicable licensing requirements within one year after passing the appropriate examination or risk losing the exam accreditation.
Students can review the current PSI Candidate Information Booklet and IDFPR broker requirements. Those looking for structured Illinois broker education and exam preparation can also explore Illinois Broker Academy.