VAVirginia

Real estate exam prep

At a glance

The exam, in numbers.

Questions: 120 multiple-choice (80 national + 40 state)
Time: 150 minutes total (105 minutes for national + 45 minutes for state, separately clocked)
Passing score: 70% national (56/80) AND 75% state (30/40), scored independently
Pre-license education: 60 hours, VREB-approved Pre-License Salesperson course
License type: Salesperson (entry-level; brokers take a separate exam under different prerequisites)
Administered by: PSI Services LLC on behalf of VREB and DPOR
Format: computer-based testing at PSI centers in Virginia
Result: issued at the testing center; pass/fail per section with numeric score per section
E&O insurance: mandatory for all active VA brokers (testable on the state portion)
Exam fee: $60 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

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

Virginia scores its real estate salesperson exam against two different passing thresholds. The 80 national items require 70% to pass (at least 56 correct). The 40 state items require 75% to pass (at least 30 correct). The two sections are scored independently, and they're administered with their own separately-clocked time blocks: 105 minutes for the national portion and 45 minutes for the state portion. Most state real estate exams that split into national and state sections use the same passing threshold for each (70/70 in Texas, 75/75 in Pennsylvania) or pool the time and let the candidate allocate. Virginia does neither. The asymmetric thresholds plus asymmetric time blocks are testable consequences of the way the Virginia Real Estate Board (VREB) approaches credentialing: the state portion is the more closely guarded gate.

The exam is administered by PSI Services LLC on behalf of VREB, which sits within the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR). The format is 120 multiple-choice questions over 150 total minutes (the 105 + 45 split above), scored as 80 national + 40 state. There's one further detail Virginia licensees should know up front: VREB requires every active broker to maintain Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance, and the requirement is testable on the state portion.

This guide walks through the VREB content outline, how to study for the dual-threshold structure, and what exam day looks like at a PSI center.

Written by

Chris Reese

May 8, 2026

§ 01 What's tested

Virginia runs the exam in two scored sections with separate time blocks and separate passing thresholds. The national portion (80 items, 105 minutes, 70% required) covers general real estate principles. The state portion (40 items, 45 minutes, 75% required) covers Virginia-specific licensing law, agency, and regulations.

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. Virginia candidates should know that the state operates under a title-theory model with deeds of trust as the standard mortgage instrument, and the Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act overlays national disclosure content.

State portion (40 scored items)

The state portion is anchored on Virginia Code Title 54.1, Chapter 21 (the statute governing real estate brokers, salespersons, and rental location agents) and the VREB regulations at 18 VAC 135-20. The major topic areas:

License Law and VREB regulation. Virginia Code Title 54.1 Chapter 21, VREB's structure and powers, the salesperson-broker affiliation rules, license issuance and renewal cycles, continuing education requirements, the post-license education required of new licensees within their first year, and the standards for license suspension and revocation.
Agency and brokerage relationships. Virginia recognizes seller agency, buyer agency, dual agency, and designated agency. The Virginia Brokerage Disclosure must be presented at the first substantive contact. The exam tests the disclosure timing, the duties owed under each relationship, and the consent mechanisms in scenario form.
Virginia Residential Property Disclosure Act. Virginia Code § 55.1-700 et seq. requires the seller to deliver a Residential Property Disclosure Statement for most residential transfers. Virginia is unusual in being a "buyer beware" disclosure regime: the seller's statement is largely "as-is" with limited affirmative obligations. The exam tests the exemptions and the buyer's rights when the form is delivered late.
Common Interest Community Ownership Act and condominium / HOA disclosures. Virginia Code § 55.1-1800 et seq. (condominiums) and § 55.1-2300 et seq. (cooperatives) require specific disclosures. POA disclosures are required for HOA properties.
Trust accounts and brokerage operations. VREB regulations on escrow handling, advertising compliance, supervision, and recordkeeping.
Mandatory Errors and Omissions insurance. All active Virginia brokers (including salespersons working under them) are covered by mandatory E&O insurance arranged through VREB or by privately-secured equivalent coverage. The requirement is tested directly: the obligation, the minimum coverage, and the consequence of letting coverage lapse.
Fair housing. Federal Fair Housing layered with the Virginia Fair Housing Law (Virginia Code § 36-96.1 et seq.), which adds protected classes and applies to additional transactions.

Standout state-specific content

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

Mandatory E&O insurance. Most states leave E&O as a brokerage-level decision. Virginia mandates it at the licensee level, with VREB administering or accepting equivalent privately-secured coverage. The requirement, the minimum coverage limits, and the consequences of a lapse are testable.
The "buyer beware" disclosure regime. Virginia's Residential Property Disclosure Statement is mostly an "as-is" notice with limited affirmative seller obligations, in contrast to several other states' more affirmative disclosure regimes. Candidates who studied a generic national disclosure model often miss the Virginia-specific buyer-due-diligence framing.

§ 03 How to study

Virginia's 60-hour pre-license course covers the national and state outlines, but the exam tests applied judgment in scenario questions that pull from agency, contracts, and Title 54.1 simultaneously. The course teaches each topic in isolation; the exam wants integration.

What works in Virginia is volume on practice questions tied to both the national and state outlines, with extra reps on the Virginia Brokerage Disclosure timing, the E&O insurance requirement, and the Residential Property Disclosure Act mechanics. Most who pass have worked through somewhere in the low thousands of practice questions before sitting.

Passd's Virginia 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 Brokerage Disclosure, E&O insurance, the Disclosure Act, 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 Virginia:

Read the Virginia Brokerage Disclosure form. VREB publishes it. Reading it once with attention to the timing rules beats reading three different study guides that summarize it.
Drill the asymmetric pacing. 105 minutes for 80 national items is about 1.3 minutes per question; 45 minutes for 40 state items is just over 1 minute per question. The state portion is the faster-paced section. Practice timed mocks that respect the per-section time blocks.
Memorize the E&O insurance numbers. The minimum coverage, the lapse consequences, and the procedure for verification are all testable. Knowing the requirement exists isn't enough.

§ 04 What to expect on exam day

The Virginia salesperson exam is administered at PSI testing centers across Virginia. You schedule directly through PSI after VREB 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 VREB 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 per section plus your numeric score on each. Candidates who pass move into the licensure phase: VREB application, sponsoring broker arrangements, fingerprint and background check requirements, and the first-year post-license education requirement. Candidates who fail one section can retake just that section, paying the per-section fee.

§ 05 Common mistakes

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

Underestimating the asymmetric thresholds. 75% on the state portion is a higher bar than the 70% national threshold. Candidates who study to a "70% across the board" mental model tend to underperform on the state side. The state portion needs proportionally more focused study.
Burning national-portion time on the state portion. The national and state sections have separate time blocks (105 + 45 minutes). You can't reallocate. Candidates who finish the national section early and assume the leftover time rolls into the state side will be surprised when the clock resets.
Skimming the E&O insurance requirement. It's mandatory for all active Virginia brokers and salespersons. The exam tests the minimum coverage, the lapse consequences, and the verification procedure directly.
Treating Virginia as a more affirmative disclosure regime. The Residential Property Disclosure Statement is largely "as-is" with limited seller obligations. Candidates who imported a more-affirmative-disclosure model from another state miss the Virginia-specific framing.
Misreading the Brokerage Disclosure timing. The form has to be presented at first substantive contact. Late delivery is testable misconduct.
Skipping the post-license education requirement in study. New Virginia licensees must complete a post-license education requirement within the first year of issuance. The structure of the requirement (hours, deadlines, consequences) shows up in license-law questions.

§ 02 Frequently asked questions

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

120 multiple-choice questions: 80 on the national portion and 40 on the Virginia state portion.

How is the exam scored?

70% required on the national portion (at least 56/80) AND 75% required on the state portion (at least 30/40), scored independently. The state portion has the higher passing threshold.

How long is the exam?

150 minutes total: 105 minutes for the national portion and 45 minutes for the state portion. The time blocks are separate; you can't reallocate unused national time to the state section.

Where do I take the exam?

At a PSI testing center in Virginia. PSI has multiple Virginia centers across the state.

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

60 hours of VREB-approved Pre-License Salesperson coursework, completed at an approved Virginia real estate school before submitting the salesperson application.

What's the E&O insurance requirement?

All active Virginia brokers and salespersons must maintain Errors and Omissions insurance, either through a VREB-arranged group policy or via privately-secured equivalent coverage. The minimum coverage limits, the lapse consequences, and the verification procedure are published by VREB.

Can I retake just the section I failed?

Yes. PSI allows retakes of the failed section only, with a per-section fee. You don't retake the entire 120-question exam.

Why is Virginia's state portion threshold higher than the national?

VREB sets the state portion threshold at 75% on the theory that Virginia-specific licensing law deserves a higher bar than the national real estate principles common to most states. The asymmetry is intentional.

How much is the Virginia exam fee?

$60 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 Virginia. 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 Virginia-specific Passd Score plus which VREB content areas need work. Free, no credit card.

Start the Virginia diagnostic