INIndiana

Real estate exam prep

At a glance

The exam, in numbers.

Questions: 130 multiple-choice (80 national + 50 state)
Time: 240 minutes (4 hours)
Passing score: 75% scaled score
Pre-license education: 90 hours, Indiana Real Estate Commission-approved Broker Pre-License Course
License type: Broker (entry-level in Indiana since the 2014 tier restructure; the salesperson tier was retired)
Administered by: Pearson VUE on behalf of the Indiana Real Estate Commission
Format: computer-based testing at Pearson VUE centers across Indiana
Result: issued at the testing center; pass/fail with scaled score
Exam fee: $53 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

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

Indiana licensees enter the profession as Brokers, not Salespersons. Indiana retired the salesperson tier in 2014, restructuring the licensing framework so that everyone who passes the entry-level exam is licensed as a Broker, working under a Managing Broker who supervises the firm. The exam reflects the broker-tier framing in the depth of its state-specific content: 50 items on the Indiana state portion, where most other states with a broker-tier entry use 40 items, and where the typical national average is 40 items as well. The 50-item state portion plus the 80-item national portion makes 130 scored questions total, with proportionally more of the candidate's score riding on Indiana-specific licensing law, agency rules, and trust account compliance than in a 40-item-state-portion exam.

The exam is administered by Pearson VUE on behalf of the Indiana Real Estate Commission, which sits within the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (IPLA). The format is 130 multiple-choice questions over 240 minutes, scored as 80 national + 50 state. The passing standard is a 75% scaled score on the exam.

This guide walks through the Indiana Real Estate Commission content outline, how to study for the heavier state portion, and what exam day looks like at a Pearson VUE center.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 8, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

Indiana runs the exam in two scored sections, with the national portion (80 items) covering general real estate principles and the state portion (50 items) covering Indiana-specific licensing law, agency, and regulations. The 50-item state portion is heavier than the typical 40-item state portion used in most other PSI and Pearson VUE jurisdictions.

National portion (80 scored items)

The national portion follows the Pearson VUE national real estate outline. 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. Indiana candidates should know the state operates under a lien-theory model with mortgages as the standard instrument, and the Indiana Sales Disclosure Form layers on top of national disclosure content in many scenario questions.

State portion (50 scored items)

The state portion is anchored on Indiana Code Title 25 Article 34.1 (the real estate brokers and salespersons statute) and the Indiana Real Estate Commission rules at 876 IAC. The major topic areas:

Indiana License Law and the Real Estate Commission. Indiana Code 25-34.1, the Commission's structure and powers, the Broker / Managing Broker tier structure, license issuance and renewal, continuing education requirements (a 12-hour Indiana Broker Post-License course is required of new Brokers within two years of issuance), and the standards for license suspension and revocation.
Agency in Indiana. Indiana recognizes seller agency, buyer agency, dual agency, and limited agency. The Indiana Agency Disclosure form must be presented at the first substantive contact. Dual agency requires informed written consent. The exam tests the disclosure timing and the duties owed under each relationship.
Indiana Sales Disclosure Form and Property Disclosure. Indiana requires the seller to deliver a Property Disclosure Form for most residential transfers, and a Sales Disclosure Form has to be filed with the county at closing for property tax assessment purposes. The exam tests the timing rules and the consequences of late or omitted disclosures.
Trust accounts and brokerage operations. The Indiana Real Estate Commission's trust account compliance rules, escrow handling, advertising compliance, the Managing Broker's supervisory responsibilities for affiliated Brokers, and recordkeeping standards.
Indiana fair housing. Federal Fair Housing layered with the Indiana Civil Rights Law (Indiana Code 22-9.5), which adds protected classes including disability and ancestry beyond the federal list, and the Indiana Real Estate Commission's specific advertising rules.
Indiana Land Sales Practices Act. Indiana Code 24-4.6 governs certain consumer-facing real estate practices, including specific disclosure requirements for subdivided land and bulk-property sales. The exam tests the basics for licensees who handle these transactions.

Standout state-specific content

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

The 50-item state portion. Most states use 40-item state portions. Indiana's 50 means each topic area carries more weight per item than candidates studying from generic 40-item-state materials may anticipate. Skimming any single topic risks losing recoverable percentage points fast.
The Sales Disclosure Form vs. Property Disclosure Form distinction. Indiana has two separately-required disclosure forms: the Sales Disclosure Form (filed with the county for tax assessment) and the Property Disclosure Form (delivered to the buyer for material defects). They serve different purposes, are filed with different parties, and have different deadlines. Candidates who conflate them miss the scenario questions.

§ 03 How to study

Indiana's 90-hour Broker Pre-License Course covers the national and state outlines, but the exam tests applied judgment in scenario questions that pull from Indiana Code 25-34.1, the agency disclosure rules, and the trust account compliance requirements simultaneously.

What works in Indiana is volume on practice questions tied to both the national and state outlines, with extra reps on the Sales Disclosure Form vs. Property Disclosure Form distinction, the agency disclosure timing, and Indiana Civil Rights Law. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of practice questions before sitting.

Passd's Indiana question bank is organized by both national and state content areas, with per-area accuracy tracked so you know whether your weak spot is the disclosure forms, agency, the Indiana Civil Rights Law, 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 Indiana:

Read both Indiana disclosure forms. The Indiana Sales Disclosure Form (filed with the county) and the Indiana Property Disclosure Form (delivered to the buyer) are both published. Reading them once with attention to the specific entries each requires beats reading three different study guides that summarize them.
Drill the 50-item state portion at the same intensity as the 80-item national. Most candidates split study time 80/40 in proportion to a typical exam structure. Indiana's 80/50 split warrants closer to 80/50 study time, with the state portion getting proportional reps.
Plan for 4 hours of focused work. The Indiana exam is on the longer side. Practice timed mocks at the full 4-hour length.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

The Indiana broker exam is administered at Pearson VUE testing centers across Indiana (Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend, and additional locations). You schedule directly through Pearson VUE after the Indiana Real Estate Commission 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 Commission 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, showing pass or fail with a scaled score. Candidates who pass move into the licensure phase: Commission application, Managing Broker sponsorship, fingerprint and background check, and the license fee. Candidates who fail can register for a retake, paying the per-attempt fee.

§ 05 Common mistakes

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

Underestimating the 50-item state portion. Most candidates split study time as if the state portion were 40 items. Indiana's 50 means more breadth in state-specific content and more chances to lose points if topics are skimmed.
Confusing the Sales Disclosure Form and the Property Disclosure Form. They serve different purposes (county tax assessment vs. buyer-facing material defects disclosure), are filed with different parties, and have different deadlines. The exam asks scenario questions that turn on which form applies.
Importing salesperson-level mental models from out-of-state references. Indiana retired the salesperson tier in 2014. Out-of-state materials that treat broker topics as advanced mislead candidates who don't realize Indiana tests broker depth at the entry level.
Skipping the 12-hour post-license requirement in study. New Indiana Brokers must complete a 12-hour post-license course within two years of issuance. The structure shows up in license-law questions; candidates who skip it in study miss those questions.
Missing the Indiana Civil Rights Law overlay. State-specific protected classes include disability and ancestry beyond the federal Fair Housing Act list. Candidates who studied federal Fair Housing alone miss state-specific scenario questions.
Showing up without an unexpired ID or with a name mismatch. Pearson VUE turns candidates away for ID problems. Names on the IDs must match the Commission application exactly.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

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

130 multiple-choice questions: 80 on the national portion and 50 on the Indiana state portion.

How is the exam scored?

75% scaled score across the exam. Pearson VUE applies the scaling per the Indiana Real Estate Commission's published methodology.

How long is the exam?

240 minutes (4 hours) total.

Does Indiana have a salesperson license?

No. The entry-level real estate license in Indiana is a Broker license. The salesperson tier was retired in 2014.

Where do I take the exam?

At a Pearson VUE testing center in Indiana (Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, South Bend, and additional locations).

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

90 hours of Indiana Real Estate Commission-approved Broker Pre-License coursework, completed at an approved school before submitting the broker license application.

Do I need a sponsoring Managing Broker before 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 IPLA.

What's the post-license requirement?

12 hours of Indiana-Commission-approved post-license coursework, completed within two years of license issuance. Failure to complete results in license inactivation until the post-license is done.

How much is the Indiana exam fee?

$53 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 Indiana. 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 Indiana-specific Passd Score plus which Indiana Real Estate Commission content areas need work. Free, no credit card.

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