ILIllinois

Real estate exam prep

At a glance

The exam, in numbers.

Questions: 140 multiple-choice (100 national + 40 state, plus a small number of unscored pretest items)
Time: 240 minutes (4 hours)
Passing score: 75% state, 70% national, scored independently
Pre-license education: 75 hours, IDFPR-approved (Real Estate Broker pre-license curriculum: 60 hours topics + 15 hours interactive)
License type: Broker (entry-level in Illinois; the salesperson tier was retired in 2010)
Administered by: PSI Services LLC on behalf of IDFPR
Format: computer-based testing at PSI centers across Illinois
Result: issued at the testing center; pass/fail per section with numeric score per section
Exam fee: $58 per attempt, paid to PSI at scheduling
Retake wait: none; reschedule with PSI as soon as a slot is available
Score validity: a passed section stays valid for 12 months while you retake the other
Sponsorship: a managing broker must sponsor the application before the license issues

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

Illinois doesn't have a salesperson license. New licensees go straight to broker. The state restructured its licensing tiers in 2010, retiring the salesperson title and creating a single entry-level broker license that everyone starts with. The next step up is managing broker (the equivalent of what most states call broker), and above that, the residential leasing agent and a handful of specialty endorsements. For someone moving from another state, this is the first thing to understand: in Illinois, a "broker" is the entry-level licensee, working under the supervision of a sponsoring managing broker. The exam reflects this in tone and content; it's a broker-level exam, even though the candidate is just starting out.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Real Estate, regulates the license. PSI Services LLC administers the exam. The format is 140 multiple-choice questions over 240 minutes (4 hours), scored as 100 national items + 40 state items. The passing standard is 75% on the state portion and 70% on the national portion, scored independently. Both must be cleared in the same exam attempt for the broker license to issue.

This guide walks through the Illinois exam content, how to study, and what exam day looks like at a PSI center.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 8, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

Illinois runs the exam in two scored sections, with the national portion (100 items) testing general real estate principles and the state portion (40 items) testing Illinois-specific licensing law, agency, and regulations. The national portion is heavier in Illinois than in many states (100 items, where most are 80), reflecting the broker-level depth.

National portion (100 scored items)

The national portion follows the standard PSI national real estate outline used in many other PSI jurisdictions. Major content areas include real property rights, ownership and title, value and appraisal, contracts and agency, real estate practice, disclosures and environmental issues, financing and settlement, and math. Illinois candidates should know that the state's lien-theory mechanics, the Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Act, and the Illinois Human Rights Act overlay on the national content in scenario questions, even on the national side.

State portion (40 scored items)

The state portion is anchored on the Illinois Real Estate License Act of 2000 (225 ILCS 454) and the related rules in 68 Ill. Admin. Code 1450. The major topic areas:

Illinois License Act and IDFPR. The structure of the License Act, the Division of Real Estate's enforcement role, the broker tier (entry-level), the managing broker tier, the residential leasing agent endorsement, license renewal cycles, continuing education requirements, and the standards for license suspension and revocation.
Agency in Illinois. Illinois recognizes designated agency (the firm-level broker designates separate licensees to represent buyer and seller within the same firm) as the default representation model, with dual agency permitted only with written informed consent. The Illinois Brokerage Disclosure Statement and the agency agreement mechanics are tested directly in scenario form.
Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Act. The state-required disclosure form for most residential transfers, the exemptions (estate sales, foreclosures, certain specific categories), and the buyer-rescission rights tied to delivery timing.
Brokerage operations and trust accounts. Trust account rules under the License Act and IDFPR rules, escrow handling, advertising compliance, supervision of brokers by managing brokers, and the standards for record retention.
Illinois Human Rights Act and fair housing. State fair housing protections that go beyond the federal Fair Housing Act (additional protected classes, including source of income for Cook County and Chicago; the Chicago Fair Housing Ordinance adds further protections).
Compensation, commission, and license enforcement. How brokers can earn and split compensation under the Act, prohibited conduct (kickbacks, referral fees outside permitted contexts), the disciplinary process at IDFPR, and the Illinois Real Estate Recovery Fund (claim mechanics, caps, licensee consequences).

Standout state-specific content

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

Designated agency as the default. Most states default to single agency or transaction brokerage. Illinois defaults to designated agency: the managing broker assigns a specific broker to represent each side of a transaction within the same firm. The Illinois Brokerage Disclosure Statement reflects this. The exam tests the consent mechanics and the disclosure timing in scenario form.
The broker tier as entry-level. Candidates who studied salesperson-level material from out-of-state references find the Illinois exam asks broker-depth questions on supervision, trust account management, and brokerage operations. The exam expects the candidate to think like a broker, even on the first license.

§ 03 How to study

Illinois's 75-hour pre-license requirement (60 hours topics + 15 hours interactive) covers the national and state outlines, but the exam tests applied judgment in scenario questions that pull from agency, contracts, and the License Act simultaneously. The 60+15 split is a feature: the interactive component is graded participation in case-study-style exercises that mirror how the exam asks scenario questions.

What works in Illinois is volume on practice questions tied to both the national outline and the IL state outline, with extra reps on designated agency and the Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Act. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of practice questions before sitting.

Passd's Illinois question bank is organized by both national and state content areas, with per-area accuracy tracked so you know whether your weak spot is designated agency, the Disclosure Act, brokerage supervision, or finance before booking the exam. Your Passd Score updates as you answer and gives a single read on whether the test is in reach yet. Tier details are on the pricing page.

A few specific things help in Illinois:

Read the Illinois Brokerage Disclosure Statement and the Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Form. Both are published by IDFPR. Reading them once with attention to the timing rules and required acknowledgments beats reading three different study guides.
Plan for 4 hours of focused work. The Illinois exam is on the longer side. The pacing is roughly 1.7 minutes per question if you split the 240 minutes across all 140 questions, but the state portion (40 items in roughly the same 4-hour budget) is faster-paced than the national. Practice timed mocks at the full 4-hour length at least twice.
Don't import "salesperson-level" mental models. Study materials from states with a salesperson tier may treat broker-level topics (trust accounts, supervision, advertising compliance for the firm) as advanced. In Illinois, those are entry-level material and tested as such.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

The Illinois broker exam is administered at PSI testing centers across Illinois (Chicago, Schaumburg, Springfield, and additional locations) and at PSI centers in nearby states. You schedule directly through PSI after IDFPR 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 IDFPR 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 the exam. The report shows pass or fail per section (national and state separately) plus your numeric score on each. Candidates who pass move into the licensure phase: managing broker sponsorship, application submission, fingerprint requirements, and the IDFPR's published license issuance window. Candidates who fail one section can retake just that section, paying the per-section fee each time.

§ 05 Common mistakes

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

Treating the state portion as a sidebar to the larger national portion. The state portion is 40 items of 140, but it carries 50% of the pass weight because of the dual-section rule. The state portion also has the higher passing threshold (75% vs. 70% national).
Studying as if salesperson-level material translates. Illinois retired the salesperson tier in 2010. Out-of-state study materials that frame broker topics as advanced confuse candidates who don't realize Illinois tests broker depth at the entry level.
Missing designated agency as the default. Designated agency is the Illinois default; dual agency is permitted only with written informed consent. Candidates who imported a default-single-agency model from generic national materials miss the consent and disclosure mechanics.
Underestimating the Illinois Human Rights Act and Chicago Fair Housing. State and city fair housing protections go beyond federal Fair Housing in Illinois, particularly in Cook County and Chicago (source of income is a protected class). The exam tests both.
Skipping the Illinois Residential Real Property Disclosure Act. The form is required for most residential transfers with specific exemptions. Late delivery triggers buyer-rescission rights, and the exam tests the timing precisely.
Booking before ready. PSI requires fees per section on retakes; failing one section costs another testing appointment and another section fee.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the Illinois real estate broker exam?

140 multiple-choice questions: 100 on the national portion and 40 on the Illinois state portion.

How is the exam scored?

75% required on the state portion AND 70% required on the national portion, scored independently. You need 30 correct of 40 state items AND 70 correct of 100 national items.

How long is the exam?

240 minutes (4 hours) total.

Does Illinois have a salesperson license?

No. Illinois retired the salesperson tier in 2010. The entry-level real estate license in Illinois is a broker license, working under a sponsoring managing broker.

Where do I take the exam?

At a PSI testing center in Illinois (Chicago, Schaumburg, Springfield, and additional locations) or at PSI centers in nearby states.

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

75 hours of IDFPR-approved coursework: 60 hours of topics plus 15 hours of interactive case-study practice. Completed at an IDFPR-approved school before submitting the broker license application.

Do I need a sponsoring managing broker before I sit for the exam?

You can sit for the exam without one, but the broker license itself does not issue until a managing broker sponsors your application through IDFPR.

Can I retake just one section if I fail?

Yes. PSI allows retakes of the failed section only, with a per-section fee. You don't retake the entire exam.

How much is the Illinois exam fee?

$58 per attempt, paid to PSI when you schedule. Each retake is the same amount.

How long must I wait between retakes?

There's no statutory waiting period in Illinois. You can reschedule with PSI as soon as a slot is available.

How long is my passing score valid?

A passed section stays valid for 12 months. If you pass national but fail state (or vice versa), you have 12 months to pass the failed section before you have to re-test everything.

Ready to see how prepared you are?

The Passd diagnostic is 20 questions across every major topic, and shows your Illinois-specific Passd Score plus which IDFPR content areas need work. Free, no credit card.

Start the Illinois diagnostic