NCNorth Carolina

Real estate exam prep

At a glance

The exam, in numbers.

Questions: 140 multiple-choice (100 national + 40 state)
Time: 240 minutes (4 hours)
Passing score: 71% national (at least 71/100) AND 72.5% state (at least 29/40), scored independently
Pre-license education: 75 hours, NCREC-approved Broker Pre-Licensing course at an NCREC-approved school
Post-license education: 90 hours within 18 months of issuance (three 30-hour courses); unique NC requirement
License type: Provisional Broker (entry-level; converts to Broker upon completion of post-license)
Administered by: Pearson VUE on behalf of NCREC
Format: computer-based testing at Pearson VUE centers, plus an online proctored option
Exam fee: $66 per attempt, paid to Pearson VUE at scheduling
Retake wait: none; reschedule with Pearson VUE as soon as a slot is available
Score validity: a passed section stays valid for 180 days while you retake the other
Result: issued at the testing center; passing scores valid for 180 days

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

A new licensee in North Carolina doesn't get a regular real estate license. They get a Provisional Broker license, and they have eighteen months from the date of issuance to complete 90 hours of post-license education (three 30-hour courses called Post-201, Post-202, and Post-303) at an NCREC-approved school. Finish all three on time and the Provisional designation drops; the license converts to a regular Broker license. Miss the deadline on any of the three and the license becomes inactive until the post-license courses are complete. The 90-hour post-license requirement is unique to North Carolina among the states, and the structure shapes how the entry exam itself is framed: the test is a Provisional Broker exam, designed to qualify someone for an 18-month conditional credential, not a full broker license.

The exam is administered by Pearson VUE on behalf of the North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC). The format is 140 multiple-choice questions over 240 minutes, scored as 100 national items + 40 state items. The passing standard is 71% on the national portion and 72.5% on the state portion (effectively 71/100 national and 29/40 state), scored independently. Both must be cleared in the same exam attempt within a 180-day testing window.

This guide walks through the NCREC content outline, how to study, and what exam day looks like at a Pearson VUE center.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 8, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

North Carolina runs the exam in two scored sections, with the national portion (100 items) covering general real estate principles and the state portion (40 items) covering North Carolina-specific licensing law, agency, and regulations. The state portion is anchored on N.C.G.S. Chapter 93A and the related rules in 21 NCAC 58A.

National portion (100 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. North Carolina candidates should know the state operates under a title-theory model with deeds of trust as the standard mortgage instrument, and the NC Residential Property and Owners' Association Disclosure Statement layers on top of national content in many scenario questions.

State portion (40 scored items)

The state portion is anchored on the License Law and NCREC rules. The major topic areas:

License Law and NCREC. N.C.G.S. Chapter 93A, NCREC's structure and powers, the Provisional Broker / Broker / Broker-in-Charge tier structure, license issuance and renewal, continuing education requirements, and the standards for license suspension and revocation.
Agency and brokerage relationships. NC agency rules require the licensee to present the Working with Real Estate Agents Disclosure (WWREA) at first substantial contact. The state recognizes seller agency, buyer agency, dual agency, and designated agency, with the WWREA disclosure governing the timing and consent mechanics. The exam tests these in scenario form.
NC Residential Property and Owners' Association Disclosure. Required under N.C.G.S. § 47E for most residential transfers, with specific exemptions and a buyer-rescission right tied to delivery timing. The Owners' Association portion is testable separately for properties subject to HOA rules.
Trust account rules and Broker-in-Charge requirements. NC requires every brokerage office to designate a Broker-in-Charge with specific qualifications and responsibilities, and the trust account compliance rules are tied to the Broker-in-Charge designation. The exam tests the responsibilities, the qualification requirements, and the consequences of non-compliance.
Fair housing. The federal Fair Housing Act layered with the NC State Fair Housing Act (Chapter 41A), which adds protected classes and applies to additional transactions.
Disclosure of material facts and license law violations. NC's "material fact" definition is broader than several other states', requiring disclosure of facts the licensee knows or reasonably should know about the property or the transaction. The exam tests scenarios where the line between disclosure and confidentiality applies. License law violations and the NCREC disciplinary process are tested directly.

Standout state-specific content

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

The Provisional Broker / Broker-in-Charge structure. Most states have a salesperson-broker tier; NC has a three-tier structure (Provisional Broker, Broker, Broker-in-Charge) with the BIC designation carrying specific firm-level responsibilities. The exam tests both the tier requirements and the BIC's role in trust account compliance and supervision.
The WWREA disclosure timing. The Working with Real Estate Agents Disclosure must be presented at first substantial contact, before any confidential information is exchanged. Failing to deliver, delivering late, or skipping the consumer's signed acknowledgment is testable misconduct.

§ 03 How to study

North Carolina's 75-hour pre-license course covers the national and state outlines, but the post-license framework changes the study strategy. The Provisional Broker exam tests entry-level material; the post-license courses (which begin after passing) cover advanced practice. Studying for the entry exam means focusing on the pre-license curriculum and the state portion, not on the post-license content that comes later.

What works in NC is volume on practice questions tied to both the national outline and the NC state outline, with extra reps on the WWREA disclosure mechanics, the Broker-in-Charge requirements, and the NC Residential Property Disclosure rules. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of practice questions before sitting.

Passd's North Carolina 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 WWREA disclosure, the BIC structure, NC Fair Housing, 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 North Carolina:

Read the Working with Real Estate Agents Disclosure form. NCREC publishes it; the timing rules are testable in scenario form.
Memorize the post-license deadlines. You're not tested on the post-license content for the entry exam, but the structure of the requirement (18 months, three 30-hour courses, consequences for late completion) shows up in license-law questions.
Plan for 4 hours of focused work. The NC exam is on the longer side. Practice timed mocks at the full 4-hour length; pacing on the 100-item national portion and the 40-item state portion within the same 4-hour budget requires planning.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

The North Carolina Provisional Broker exam is administered at Pearson VUE testing centers across NC and at additional Pearson VUE centers in nearby states. Pearson VUE also offers an online proctored option for candidates who prefer to test from a quiet home environment. You schedule directly through Pearson VUE after NCREC has approved your pre-license course completion and authorized you to test.

On exam day:

Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled in-person appointment, or log in to the Pearson VUE OnVUE platform with the lead time it specifies.
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 NCREC application.
Personal items go in a locker at Pearson VUE centers. Phones, smart watches, study materials, food, and bound notes stay outside the testing room. The OnVUE rules cover the same items in the testing space.
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 (or display on screen for OnVUE). The report shows pass or fail per section (national and state separately) plus your numeric score on each. A passing score is valid for 180 days; the Provisional Broker license application has to be filed within that window. Candidates who fail one section can retake just that section, paying the per-section fee each time.

§ 05 Common mistakes

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

Treating the state portion as a sidebar. 40 items on the state portion is one third of the scored exam, but it carries 50% of the pass weight because of the dual-section rule. The state portion also has the higher passing threshold (72.5% vs 71% national).
Underestimating the WWREA disclosure mechanics. The form has to be presented at first substantial contact and signed. The exam tests scenarios where the timing is off (presented too late, signed by the wrong party, refused by the buyer).
Confusing the Broker / Broker-in-Charge tiers. Provisional Broker, Broker, and Broker-in-Charge each have different responsibilities. BIC carries firm-level trust account and supervision duties that the other tiers don't. The exam tests the distinctions.
Forgetting that "material fact" in NC is a broader standard. NC's material fact definition requires disclosure of facts the licensee knows or reasonably should know about the property or transaction. Generic national materials may use a narrower definition. The NC scenario questions reward the broader standard.
Not understanding the 180-day testing window. A passing score is valid for 180 days from the exam date for purposes of filing the Provisional Broker application. Candidates who pass and delay the application past the window have to retake the exam.
Showing up without a name match. Names on the IDs must match the NCREC application exactly. Mismatches can mean a missed appointment.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the North Carolina Provisional Broker exam?

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

How is the exam scored?

71% required on the national portion (at least 71/100) AND 72.5% required on the state portion (at least 29/40), scored independently. Failing one section means failing the exam.

How long is the exam?

240 minutes (4 hours) total.

What's a Provisional Broker?

The entry-level NC real estate license. Passing the exam earns you a Provisional Broker license. You then have 18 months from the date of issuance to complete 90 hours of post-license education (three 30-hour courses). Completing all three on time converts the license to a regular Broker; missing the deadlines makes the license inactive until completion.

Where do I take the exam?

At a Pearson VUE testing center, or via Pearson VUE's OnVUE remote proctored option. NC has Pearson VUE centers in major cities, with additional centers in nearby states.

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

75 hours of NCREC-approved Broker Pre-Licensing coursework, completed at an NCREC-approved school before submitting the application.

How long is my passing score valid?

180 days from the exam date for purposes of filing the Provisional Broker license application with NCREC.

Can I retake just the section I failed?

Yes. Pearson VUE allows retakes of the failed section only, with a per-section fee.

How much is the North Carolina exam fee?

$66 per attempt, paid to Pearson VUE when you schedule. Each retake is the same amount.

How long must I wait between retakes?

There's no statutory waiting period in North Carolina. You can reschedule with Pearson VUE as soon as a slot is available.

Ready to see how prepared you are?

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

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