OROregon

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
Pre-license education: 150 hours total across seven OREA-approved courses (Real Estate Law, Real Estate Practice, Real Estate Finance, Contracts, Property Management, Brokerage Administration, Real Estate Brokerage)
License type: Broker (entry-level in Oregon; the salesperson tier was retired)
Administered by: PSI Services LLC on behalf of the Oregon Real Estate Agency
Format: computer-based testing at PSI centers across Oregon
Result: issued at the testing center; pass/fail with scaled score
Exam fee: $75 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 Principal Broker must affiliate the new Broker before the license issues

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

Oregon's licensing authority is called the Oregon Real Estate Agency (OREA), not the Oregon Real Estate Commission. The naming reflects the institutional structure: OREA is a state agency with rule-making and enforcement authority, headed by an Agency-appointed Real Estate Commissioner who reports to the Real Estate Board (an advisory body), rather than the commission-as-rulemaking-body model most states use. Oregon also requires 150 hours of pre-license education across seven specific required courses (Real Estate Law, Real Estate Practice, Real Estate Finance, Contracts, Property Management, Brokerage Administration, and Real Estate Brokerage), one of the highest pre-license seat-time requirements in the United States. The seven-course structure forces candidates through specific subject areas (none can be omitted), and the structure shows up in the exam: questions reference the OREA rulebook directly and assume the candidate has worked through the seven-module curriculum.

The exam is administered by PSI Services LLC on behalf of OREA. The format is 130 multiple-choice questions over 240 minutes, scored as 80 national + 50 state. The passing standard is 75% scaled. Oregon's entry-level real estate license is a Broker license (the salesperson tier was retired); the next tier up is Principal Broker, with Property Manager as a separate license category.

This guide walks through the OREA content outline, how to study under the seven-course requirement, and what exam day looks like at a PSI center.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 9, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

Oregon 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 Oregon-specific licensing law, agency, and regulations. The state portion at 50 items is heavier than typical, reflecting the depth of OREA-specific content the seven-course pre-license curriculum prepares candidates for.

National portion (80 scored items)

The national portion follows PSI's standard 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. Oregon candidates should know the state operates under a deed-of-trust model with non-judicial foreclosure typical of Western states, and the Oregon Seller's Property Disclosure Statement (Form OREF-001 or equivalent) layers on top of national disclosure content in many scenario questions.

State portion (50 scored items)

The state portion is anchored on Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 696 (Real Estate and Escrow) and the OREA rules at Oregon Administrative Rules Chapter 863. The major topic areas:

License Law and OREA. ORS Chapter 696, OREA's structure and powers, the Broker / Principal Broker tier structure (with Property Manager as a separate category), license issuance and renewal, continuing education requirements, and the standards for license suspension and revocation.
Agency in Oregon. Oregon recognizes seller representation, buyer representation, dual agency (with informed written consent), and limited dual agency. The Initial Agency Disclosure Pamphlet must be presented at the first contact substantive enough to elicit confidential information. The exam tests the disclosure timing and the duties owed under each relationship.
Oregon Seller's Property Disclosure Statement. Required under ORS § 105.464 et seq. for most residential transfers (one-to-four family). The buyer has a five-business-day right to rescind the offer if the disclosure isn't delivered within the statutory window. Statutory exemptions apply.
Trust accounts under OREA supervision. Oregon's clients' trust account rules require Brokers and Principal Brokers to maintain segregated accounts at federally insured Oregon institutions, with specific deposit-timing rules under OAR Chapter 863. The interest treatment is governed by Oregon's IOLTA-style program for real estate. The exam tests the segregation rules in detail.
Oregon fair housing and unlawful discrimination. Federal Fair Housing layered with Oregon's Unlawful Discrimination in Real Estate statute (ORS § 659A), which adds protected classes including sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income, and marital status.
Property management as a separate licensee category. Oregon licenses Property Managers separately from Brokers. A Broker can engage in some property management activities under a Principal Broker's supervision, but full property management requires the separate Property Manager license. The exam tests the line between activities permitted under each.

Standout state-specific content

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

The seven-course curriculum and ORS Chapter 696 depth. Most states have one or two required pre-license courses. Oregon's seven distinct required courses (each covering a specific topic area) means OREA expects candidates to demonstrate depth on each. Skimming any one of the seven topic areas risks proportionally more points lost on the exam.
The Property Manager / Broker license distinction. Oregon separates property management from real estate brokerage in licensure. The line between activities permitted to each (and the activities a Broker can engage in under Principal Broker supervision versus what requires a separate Property Manager license) is testable in scenario form.

§ 03 How to study

Oregon's 150-hour seven-course pre-license curriculum covers the OREA content areas in depth. Unlike states with shorter pre-license courses, Oregon candidates often arrive at the exam with substantial coursework in each tested topic. The challenge is integration: the exam tests scenarios that pull from agency, contracts, trust accounts, and Property Management overlap simultaneously.

What works in Oregon is volume on practice questions tied to both the national outline and the OR state outline, with extra reps on the seven-course content areas, the Initial Agency Disclosure timing, the Seller's Property Disclosure rescission rules, and the Property Manager / Broker line. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of practice questions before sitting.

Passd's Oregon question bank is organized by both national and state content areas, with per-area accuracy tracked so you know whether your weak spot is agency disclosure, property management overlap, the Disclosure Statement rules, 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 Oregon:

Read the Initial Agency Disclosure Pamphlet end-to-end. OREA publishes it. The first-substantial-contact timing rule is testable in scenario form.
Know the line between Broker and Property Manager activities. Generic national materials don't break out property management as a separate license. Oregon does, and the line between what each can do is a recurring exam topic.
Plan for 4 hours of focused work. The Oregon exam is on the longer side. Practice timed mocks at the full 4-hour length.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

The Oregon broker exam is administered at PSI testing centers across Oregon (Portland, Salem, Eugene, Medford, and additional locations). You schedule directly through PSI after OREA has approved your seven-course pre-license 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 OREA 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: OREA application, Principal Broker affiliation, fingerprint and background check, and the license fee. Candidates who fail can register for a retake, paying the per-attempt fee.

§ 05 Common mistakes

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

Skimming any of the seven required courses. OREA's seven-course curriculum is structured because the agency expects depth on each topic area. Candidates who treated one or two courses as filler tend to underperform on the corresponding exam topic.
Confusing the Broker and Property Manager licenses. Oregon separates the two. A Broker can do some property management under Principal Broker supervision; a full Property Manager scope of work requires the separate Property Manager license. Candidates who imported a generic "real estate license includes property management" mental model miss the scenario questions on the line between the two.
Missing the Initial Agency Disclosure timing. The Pamphlet has to be presented at first substantial contact. Late delivery is testable misconduct.
Skipping the Seller's Property Disclosure rescission window. ORS § 105.464 gives the buyer a five-business-day rescission right tied to delivery. The mechanics are testable in scenario form.
Underestimating the Unlawful Discrimination statute. Oregon adds protected classes including sexual orientation, gender identity, and source of income beyond the federal Fair Housing Act list. State-specific scenario questions test these directly.
Importing salesperson-level mental models from out-of-state references. Oregon retired the salesperson tier; the entry-level license is Broker. Out-of-state materials that frame broker topics as advanced mislead candidates who don't realize Oregon tests broker depth at the entry level.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

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

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

How is the exam scored?

75% scaled. PSI applies the scaling per OREA's published methodology.

How long is the exam?

240 minutes (4 hours) total.

Does Oregon have a salesperson license?

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

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

150 hours total across seven OREA-approved courses: Real Estate Law, Real Estate Practice, Real Estate Finance, Contracts, Property Management, Brokerage Administration, and Real Estate Brokerage. All seven must be completed at OREA-approved schools.

Where do I take the exam?

At a PSI testing center in Oregon (Portland, Salem, Eugene, Medford, and additional locations).

Do I need a separate license to manage property?

For full property management scope, yes. Oregon licenses Property Managers separately from real estate Brokers. A Broker can engage in some property management activities under a Principal Broker's supervision, but the full Property Manager scope of work requires the separate Property Manager license.

What's the Oregon Real Estate Agency, and how is it different from a Real Estate Commission?

OREA is a state agency with rule-making and enforcement authority, headed by an Agency-appointed Real Estate Commissioner who reports to the Real Estate Board (an advisory body). The structure differs from the commission-as-rulemaking-body model most states use, where the commission itself sets rules and the appointed staff implements them.

How much is the Oregon exam fee?

$75 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 Oregon. 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 Oregon-specific Passd Score plus which OREA content areas need work. Free, no credit card.

Start the Oregon diagnostic