AZArizona

Real estate exam prep

At a glance

The exam, in numbers.

Questions: 180 total scored multiple-choice across two separate exams (100 State + 80 General), plus up to 15 unscored pretest items
Time: approximately 5 hours combined (the two exams are scheduled and timed separately; check Pearson VUE for the current per-exam time allotment when scheduling)
Passing score: 75% on EACH exam, scored independently
Pre-license education: 90 hours ADRE-approved + 6 hours mandatory Contract Writing = 96 hours total
License type: Real Estate Salesperson (entry-level; brokers take a separate exam under different prerequisites)
Administered by: Pearson VUE on behalf of ADRE
Format: computer-based testing at Pearson VUE centers in Arizona; the two exams are scheduled as separate appointments
Effective date of restructure: January 1, 2026 (candidates who took the old combined exam before the effective date are not affected)
Exam fee: $75 per exam, paid to Pearson VUE at scheduling (the State and General exams are billed separately)
Retake wait: 24 hours; Pearson VUE won't schedule the same exam less than a day after a fail
Score validity: a pass on either exam stays valid for 12 months while you sit and pass the other

Arizona real estate exam: format, score, what to expect in 2026

Arizona restructured its real estate salesperson exam on January 1, 2026. The old combined exam, which delivered national and state questions in a single sitting, is gone. In its place, the Arizona Department of Real Estate (ADRE) now requires candidates to sit two completely separate exams: a 100-question State exam covering Arizona-specific real estate law and a separate 80-question General exam covering national principles. The two exams are scheduled individually through Pearson VUE, paid for individually, and can be taken in any order. Both must be passed (75% on each) before ADRE will issue the salesperson license. The restructure also added a 6-hour mandatory Contract Writing course on top of the existing 90-hour pre-license curriculum, so the total seat-time before the two exams is 96 hours.

The exam is administered by Pearson VUE on behalf of ADRE. The combined format under the new structure is 180 scored questions plus up to 15 unscored pretest items, delivered as two separate exams over a combined 5 hours of testing time (approximately 165 minutes for the 100-question State exam and 90 minutes for the 80-question General exam, scheduled separately). The passing standard is 75% on each exam, scored independently.

This guide walks through the post-restructure ADRE content outline, how to study for the two-exam structure, and what exam day looks like at a Pearson VUE center.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 8, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

Under the post-restructure format, the State exam (100 items) and General exam (80 items) are separate test events. Each has its own content outline. ADRE publishes both in the current Arizona Real Estate Examination Information document.

State exam (100 scored items)

The State exam is anchored on ARS Title 32, Chapter 20 (the Arizona real estate statute) and the ADRE rules at A.A.C. Title 4, Chapter 28. The major topic areas:

License Law and ADRE. ARS Title 32 Chapter 20, the Commissioner's powers, license issuance and renewal, the salesperson-broker affiliation rules, continuing education, and license suspension and revocation.
Agency in Arizona. Arizona recognizes seller agency, buyer agency, dual agency, and limited agency. Disclosure rules require the licensee to provide the Arizona Real Estate Agency Disclosure form at first substantive contact. Dual agency requires informed written consent.
Arizona Residential Real Estate Disclosure. The Seller's Property Disclosure Statement (SPDS) is required for most residential transfers, with statutory exemptions and buyer-rescission rights tied to delivery.
Contract Writing and Arizona-specific contract forms. This is the area the new 6-hour mandatory pre-license course directly supports. The exam tests the standard Arizona Association of REALTORS (AAR) Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract, the addenda and disclosure forms commonly attached, and the rules for licensee preparation versus attorney drafting.
Trust accounts and brokerage operations. ADRE rules on trust account compliance, escrow handling, advertising compliance, and supervision are tested in scenario form.
Arizona Subdivision Public Report rules. Arizona requires a Public Report for new subdivisions, governed by ADRE. The licensee's responsibilities for delivering the Public Report and the buyer's rescission rights are testable.
Fair housing. Federal Fair Housing layered with Arizona's Fair Housing Act (ARS § 41-1491 et seq.).

General exam (80 scored items)

The General exam mirrors the standard Pearson VUE national real estate outline used in many other Pearson VUE jurisdictions. Topic areas: real property characteristics, ownership and title, value and appraisal, contracts and agency, real estate practice, disclosures and environmental issues, financing and settlement, and math. Arizona candidates should know the state operates under a deed-of-trust model (similar to California), and several national questions on financing and foreclosure assume the Arizona deed-of-trust framing implicitly.

Standout state-specific content

Two Arizona content areas almost always confuse candidates who studied from generic national materials:

The two-exam structure under the January 2026 restructure. Most state exams combine national and state content into one sitting. Arizona now separates them, which means the State exam is its own event with its own pacing and its own scheduling. Candidates who imported a one-sitting mental model from another state may book the wrong sequence or miss the need to schedule both.
The Arizona Subdivision Public Report rules. Arizona's Public Report requirement for new subdivisions is more detailed than the corresponding rules in many other states, and the testable mechanics (when delivery is required, what the report contains, the buyer-rescission right) come up in scenario questions on the State exam.

§ 03 How to study

Arizona's post-restructure curriculum is 96 hours total (90 pre-license + 6 Contract Writing). The pre-license courses cover the State and General content areas; the Contract Writing course is a focused 6-hour block on the AAR forms and the licensee's role in completing them. Study time should weight the State exam roughly 100/180 of total study effort and the General exam 80/180, mirroring the question counts.

What works in Arizona post-restructure is treating the State exam as the harder gate (it has the larger question count and the more state-specific content), and using practice questions tied to the post-2026 ADRE outline rather than older Arizona materials that predate the restructure. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of practice questions across both exams.

Passd's Arizona question bank is organized by both the State and General content outlines, with per-area accuracy tracked so you know whether your weak spot is contract writing, the Subdivision Public Report rules, agency, or finance before booking. Your Passd Score updates as you answer and gives a single read on whether each exam is in reach yet. Tier details are on the pricing page.

A few specific things help in Arizona:

Read the AAR Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract end-to-end. The Contract Writing course supports this, but reading the actual contract once with attention to the deadlines and addenda mechanics beats reading three different study guides.
Schedule the two exams in the right order for your study rhythm. ADRE doesn't require a particular sequence. Many candidates take the General exam first (it's shorter and more familiar), then the State exam. Others do the reverse to lock down the harder one first.
Check current study materials for the post-restructure date. Arizona test-prep materials published before January 2026 reflect the old combined-exam structure. Confirm any study guide is updated for the new two-exam format.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

Each Arizona exam is administered at Pearson VUE testing centers across Arizona. You schedule each separately through Pearson VUE after ADRE has approved your pre-license course completion and authorized you to test.

On exam day:

Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment. Late arrivals can be turned away.
Bring two forms of valid signature identification, one of them government-issued with photo (driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID). Names must match the ADRE application.
Personal items go in a locker. Phones, smart watches, study materials, food, and bound notes stay outside the testing room.
Calculators are permitted with restrictions: silent, battery-operated, non-printing, and without an alphabetic keypad.
The exam is closed-book.

Results print at the testing center after each exam. Each exam is reported separately as pass or fail with a numeric score. Candidates who pass both move into the licensure phase: ADRE application, broker sponsorship, fingerprint and background check, and the license fee. Candidates who fail one exam can retake just that exam, paying the per-exam fee.

§ 05 Common mistakes

Arizona candidates who fail the exam tend to fail in a handful of specific ways:

Studying from materials that predate the January 2026 restructure. Arizona test-prep books published before the effective date reflect the old combined-exam structure. The post-restructure exams have different question counts and different scheduling mechanics.
Skipping the Contract Writing course practice. The 6-hour mandatory Contract Writing course supports the contract-writing portion of the State exam directly. Candidates who completed the course as a checkbox without retaining the AAR form mechanics tend to underperform on the contract questions.
Underestimating the Subdivision Public Report rules. Arizona's Public Report requirement is more detailed than many states'. The exam tests the delivery rules and the buyer-rescission mechanics in scenario questions.
Booking the State exam before being ready. The State exam is the longer, more state-specific event. Failing it costs another appointment fee. Many candidates do well to take the General exam first as a confidence builder and warm-up for the testing-center process.
Not knowing the deed-of-trust framing. Arizona uses deeds of trust for most residential mortgages. Candidates who studied a generic national mortgage model without the deed-of-trust variant miss the foreclosure and lien-priority questions.
Showing up without an unexpired ID or a name match. Pearson VUE turns candidates away for ID problems. Names on the IDs must match the ADRE application.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the Arizona real estate salesperson exam?

180 scored multiple-choice questions total: 100 on the State exam and 80 on the General exam. The two exams are delivered as separate test events.

How is the exam scored?

75% required on EACH exam, scored independently. You need at least 75/100 on the State exam AND at least 60/80 on the General exam.

How long is the exam?

The two exams together total approximately 5 hours of testing time, scheduled and clocked separately. Confirm the current per-exam time allotment with Pearson VUE when scheduling.

Why are there two separate exams now?

ADRE restructured the exam effective January 1, 2026, separating the previously combined exam into a 100-question State exam and an 80-question General exam. The change was paired with a new 6-hour mandatory Contract Writing course in pre-license education.

Where do I take the exam?

At a Pearson VUE testing center in Arizona. You schedule each exam separately through Pearson VUE.

What pre-license education do I need before the exam?

96 hours total: 90 hours of ADRE-approved pre-license coursework plus 6 hours of mandatory Contract Writing. All completed at ADRE-approved schools before submitting the salesperson license application.

Do I have to take both exams in the same session?

No. The State exam and the General exam are separately scheduled events. You can sit them weeks apart if that works for your study schedule. Both must be passed before the license issues.

Can I retake just the exam I failed?

Yes. If you pass one exam and fail the other, you retake only the failed exam, paying the per-exam fee.

How much is the Arizona exam fee?

$75 per attempt, paid to Pearson VUE when you schedule. Each retake is the same amount.

How long must I wait between retakes?

24 hours. Pearson VUE won't let you book the same exam less than a day after a failure, but you can schedule the moment the 24-hour window passes.

How long is my passing score valid?

A pass on either the State or General exam stays valid for 12 months. If you pass one and fail the other, you have 12 months to pass the failed exam before you have to re-test the other.

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