PassProfessor’s Washington program. The 19,998-question Washington practice bank is built to PSI’s current broker outline, and enrollment is open. Use this guide to plan your path to the exam.
The Washington broker exam, in one paragraph
The Washington broker exam is the licensing exam for Washington’s entry-level real estate license — the broker license — administered by PSI Services LLC for the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL). It has two separately scored portions taken by computer: a national portion of 100 questions in 150 minutes covering real estate principles and practices, and a Washington state portion of 30 questions in 90 minutes covering Washington licensing law, licensee rules, and agency. You pass with a scaled score of 70 on each portion. Before you can schedule, you complete 90 clock hours of approved pre-licensing education — 60 hours of Real Estate Fundamentals and 30 hours of Real Estate Practices — and after you pass both portions you submit fingerprints for a background check and apply to DOL for the license, within one year of passing.
Who can take the Washington broker exam?
Washington’s entry-level license is the broker license. There is no salesperson tier: a newly licensed broker works under a managing broker at a licensed real estate firm. To qualify for a broker’s license, DOL requires that you:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have a high school diploma or equivalent.
- Complete 90 clock hours of approved real estate education — a 60-hour course in Real Estate Fundamentals and a 30-hour course in Real Estate Practices — from a DOL-approved education provider, before you make an examination appointment.
- Complete the examination within two years of completing the Fundamentals and Practices courses. Exam approval expires two years from the date you completed your courses.
- Pass both portions of the broker exam — national and state — within six months of each other (see Retakes and score validity).
- Submit fingerprints for a background check after passing — DOL is explicit that you must pass your test before submitting fingerprints — and apply for the license within one year of passing.
Two sequencing points trip up more candidates than the exam itself:
- Register as a student with PSI before you finish your course. DOL directs candidates to register with PSI Testing Excellence while completing their education; your school then sends your course completions to PSI (DOL notes this can take up to seven days), and PSI notifies you when you are eligible to schedule.
- Fingerprints come after the exam, not before. Candidates who fingerprint early have the order backwards — DOL’s process is education, exam, fingerprints, application.
PassProfessor note: our program is exam preparation only. It does not provide any of the 90 hours of pre-licensing education — those courses must be taken from a DOL-approved school.
A note on reciprocity: brokers licensed in another jurisdiction may, after DOL reviews and approves their qualifications and license history, take only the state portion. If that is your path, DOL’s approval comes first, and the approval window for the reciprocity exam is six months from the approval date.
The exam, piece by piece
The exam is a single computer-based examination program with two portions, built from the content outlines in PSI’s Washington Real Estate Commission Candidate Information Bulletin (© 2024, dated 3/28/2024). You schedule the portions through PSI and may test at a PSI test center or by remote proctoring.
The national portion — Real Estate Principles and Practices (100 scored questions, 150 minutes)
| Section | Share of the national portion | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| I. Property Ownership | 10% | Real and personal property, land characteristics and legal descriptions, encumbrances, types of ownership |
| II. Land Use Controls | 5% | Government rights in land, government and private land-use controls |
| III. Valuation | 8% | Appraisals, the sales, cost, and income approaches, comparative market analysis |
| IV. Financing | 10% | Loan concepts and terminology, types of loans, financing and lending law (RESPA, Regulation Z, TRID, ECOA) |
| V. Contracts | 19% | General contract law, purchase and lease contracts, contingencies, multiple offers and counteroffers |
| VI. Agency | 13% | Agency relationships, agent duties, agency disclosures |
| VII. Property Disclosures | 7% | Property condition disclosures, environmental and government disclosures, material facts and defects |
| VIII. Property Management | 3% | Property manager duties, landlord and tenant rights and obligations |
| IX. Transfer of Title | 6% | Deeds, title insurance and searches, the closing process, special transfers |
| X. Practice of Real Estate | 12% | Antidiscrimination and fair housing, brokerage practice and duties |
| XI. Real Estate Calculations | 7% | Transaction calculations (seller net, buyer funds, prorations, transfer fees, PITI) and general concepts (equity, capitalization rate, loan-to-value, points) |
| Total | 100% |
The Washington state portion (30 scored questions, 90 minutes)
| Section | Questions on the exam | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| I. General Rules | 4–5 | Definitions; powers and duties of the Real Estate Commission and the Director; investigations and sanctions; the Real Estate Research Center |
| II. Licensing Requirements | 8 | Activities requiring a license; eligibility; types of licenses; license maintenance, renewal, and fees; license status; education requirements |
| III. Washington Statutes and Rules Governing Licensee Activity | 13 | The firm’s relationship with affiliated licensees; prohibited conduct and disciplinary grounds; compensation; handling of monies and trust accounts; recordkeeping and audits; office requirements; property management; supervision; advertising rules |
| IV. Real Estate Brokerage Relationships — Agency | 4–5 | Types of agency (seller agency, buyer agency, dual agency, other); disclosure of real estate relationships; agency duties; written consent of the parties |
| Total | 30 |
Four structural facts that shape how you should prepare:
- Contracts is the national portion’s center of gravity. At 19 of 100 questions, general contract law and purchase/lease contracts outweigh any other national section by half again. Agency (13) and Practice of Real Estate (12) follow.
- Washington law is 30 of 130 scored questions — 23% of the exam — and one section dominates it. Statutes and Rules Governing Licensee Activity alone is 13 of the 30 state questions: trust accounts, compensation, prohibited conduct, recordkeeping, advertising. It is concrete, statute-based material that rewards direct study.
- Each portion passes or fails on its own. There are two scaled scores, not one combined result. A strong national performance cannot carry a state portion below 70.
- The managing broker exam is a different test. Its national portion includes scenario-based items scored up to two points, its state portion is longer, and its passing standard is a scaled 75. Nothing in this guide’s broker figures should be carried over to it.
Experimental questions. In addition to the scored items above, PSI administers a small number — 5 to 10, per the bulletin — of unscored experimental questions during the examination. They will not be scored, but they do count against your examination time, and they are not identified. PSI uses them to develop future examinations. The only workable strategy is to treat every question as scored and pace for the full sitting.
The passing standard, explained
You pass each portion with a scaled score of 70 — 70 on the national portion and 70 on the state portion, independently.
A scaled score is not a percentage of questions answered correctly. The bulletin explains the mechanism directly: scaled scores are reported because different forms of the examination may differ slightly in difficulty, and the passing standard is a consistent level of performance. PSI computes scaled scores by setting the raw passing score on each form equal to the scaled score required to pass. The raw number of correct answers needed can therefore vary slightly from form to form, while the scaled score required to pass — and the level of knowledge it represents — does not change. Two consequences:
- There is no honest “70% of practice questions” target. You cannot convert a practice percentage into a predicted scaled score. The safe approach is to practice until full simulations in both portions sit comfortably above the passing zone, with no outline section left weak — because each portion’s scaled result is computed on that portion alone.
- Your score report is the only official reading. Your score is displayed on screen at the end of the examination and a score report is emailed to you. If you fail a portion, the emailed report includes diagnostic information indicating your strengths and weaknesses — the starting point for a retake plan.
For broker candidates, note the contrast the bulletin draws: the managing broker examination requires a scaled score of 75 on each of its examinations. The 70 standard in this guide is the broker standard, stated exactly as the bulletin states it.
Fees and registration, step by step
Keep the payments separate in your mind — they go to different places at different times.
| Payment | Amount | Paid to | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker examination fee | $210 | PSI | When you schedule |
| Fingerprinting and background check | IdentoGO’s fee (separate) | IdentoGO | After you pass, when you attend your fingerprint appointment |
| License application fee | DOL’s fee (separate) | Washington DOL | With your license application, after passing |
The examination fee is not refundable or transferable, and it is forfeited if you do not test within one year of the date PSI receives it.
The sequence, in order:
- Complete your 90 hours — 60 hours of Real Estate Fundamentals and 30 hours of Real Estate Practices — with a DOL-approved provider, and register as a student with PSI (select “Washington” in the Student User section) before you complete your course.
- Wait for eligibility. Your school sends your course completions to PSI — DOL notes this can take up to seven days. PSI emails you when you are eligible to schedule. If PSI has no record of you, contact your education provider.
- Schedule and pay with PSI. Book online through PSI’s Washington portal (test-takers.psiexams.com/ware) or by phone at 855-746-8168. Choose a test center or remote proctoring. The name on your account must match your government-issued ID.
- Take the exam. Arrive 30 minutes early (see Test day). Your score appears on screen at the end, and your score report is emailed to you.
- Submit fingerprints — after passing. Schedule through IdentoGO, DOL’s electronic fingerprinting vendor, and pay its fee for the fingerprinting service and background checks. DOL notes it can take up to 14 business days to receive results from the Washington State Patrol.
- Apply for the license within one year of passing. Wait until DOL has received your exam results — DOL warns that applying before that notification can delay processing. DOL emails you a link to the online application (you should receive it within 72 hours of passing); a paper application by mail is also available. Your passing score report from PSI includes the license application paperwork as its second part.
Retakes and score validity
- Retake only what you failed. If you fail any portion, you repeat only that portion. Your score report includes diagnostic scoring information and reapplication instructions.
- The six-month rule joins the portions. Candidates who pass only one portion must pass the other portion within six months of passing the first. Fail to do so and the entire examination must be taken again. DOL adds the operational teeth: PSI’s system will not let you schedule a retake more than six months after passing the other exam, and a rescheduled exam taken more than six months after passing the other portion earns no credit.
- Cancel or reschedule early if you must. You may cancel and reschedule without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received two days before the scheduled examination date (for a Monday appointment, notice by the previous Saturday), through PSI’s website or by speaking to a PSI representative — voicemail is not an acceptable form of cancellation. Miss the window, arrive late, fail to appear, or arrive without proper identification, and the fee is forfeited.
- Score validity. Your exam results are valid for one year: apply for your license inside that year or you must reapply to take the exam, and DOL notes you may have to meet additional education requirements. Separately, your underlying exam approval expires two years from the date you completed your pre-licensing courses.
Test day
- Arrive 30 minutes early for sign-in, identification, and familiarization. Arriving after your start time can mean no admission and a forfeited fee.
- Bring the required identification. DOL instructs candidates to bring two current (not expired) forms of identification that include your current name and signature, match the name on your application, and include at least one with your current photograph. The PSI bulletin lists the acceptable ID types — state driver’s license or ID card, US passport, US military ID (not allowed for remote testing), US alien registration card, or foreign government passport or ID. A mismatch or missing ID forfeits the day and the fee.
- Know the room rules before you sit down. You will be given scratch paper and a pencil at a test center, returned at check-out. Prohibited items include reference materials, electronic devices of any type, hats and bulky outerwear, bags, food, drinks, and your own pens or paper. One bulletin detail surprises candidates: physical calculators are allowed at test centers but not on remote-proctored exams.
- Remote proctoring is stricter, not looser. On a remotely proctored exam you may not use scratch paper, breaks are not allowed, your webcam view, lighting, and connection are monitored throughout, and you may not change computers or spaces. Start within 15 minutes of your booked time or you forfeit the fee or eligibility — run PSI’s compatibility check (audio, video, webcam, system) well before test day.
- The tutorial is free time. An introductory tutorial of up to 15 minutes, with sample questions, precedes the exam and does not count against your examination time. Use it.
- Pace for the whole sitting. One question appears at a time, minutes remaining display at the top of the screen, and you may return to questions and change answers while time remains. The national portion allows 150 minutes for 100 scored questions plus any experimental items; the state portion allows 90 minutes for 30 — the state portion is not a sprint despite its size, and its statute questions reward careful reading.
- Results are immediate. Your score is displayed on screen at the end of the examination and your score report is emailed to you; a duplicate can be requested from PSI if needed.
How to study for this exam
The outline is the syllabus — PSI publishes exactly what the exam covers, section by section, and the weights above are question counts, not suggestions. A plan built on that structure:
- Give contracts its weight, then agency and practice. Nineteen of the 100 national questions are contracts — validity, offer and acceptance, contingencies, leases, breach and remedies. Agency (13) and Practice of Real Estate (12), including fair housing and antidiscrimination, are the next tier. Together those three sections are 44% of the national portion.
- Start the Washington sections early, not last. The state portion is 30 questions and a separate pass/fail hurdle. Its center is Statutes and Rules Governing Licensee Activity (13 questions): trust-account handling, compensation rules, prohibited conduct, recordkeeping, office requirements, and advertising. Licensing Requirements (8) is the second block — who needs a license, license types and status, renewal and education rules. These are concrete statutory facts; they reward direct, repeated drilling more than any other material on the exam.
- Treat calculations as a learnable system. Real Estate Calculations is 7% of the national portion, and the outline names its whole territory: seller’s net proceeds, buyer funds needed at closing, tax and other prorations, transfer fees, PITI estimates, equity, capitalization rate, loan-to-value, and discount points and origination fees. Learn each formula as a procedure and drill it until the setup is automatic.
- Practice at full length, in both portions, against the clock. 100 questions in 150 minutes and 30 questions in 90 minutes are two different pacing problems, and each portion must independently reach a scaled 70. Simulate each portion at its real length and timing, and judge your readiness portion by portion — never as one blended score.
- Use your diagnostics if you have to retake. A failing score report breaks your performance down by examination type. Rebuild the plan around the weak sections it names rather than re-reading everything — and mind the six-month window while you do it.
This program’s Washington practice bank (19,998 questions — 15,304 national and 4,694 Washington) is built section-by-section on this same outline, with topic drills for every section above and full practice exams generated fresh at the real 100-to-30 portion split. The Washington Real Estate Exam Prep program page shows the full coverage table and enrollment.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Washington real estate exam? The broker exam has 130 scored questions: a national portion of 100 questions in 150 minutes and a Washington state portion of 30 questions in 90 minutes. PSI also administers a small number of unscored experimental questions — 5 to 10, per the candidate bulletin — which do not affect your score but do count against your time and cannot be identified.
What is the passing score for the Washington broker exam? A scaled score of 70 on each portion, separately, per the PSI candidate bulletin. A scaled score is not a percentage: PSI sets each form’s raw passing score equal to the scaled passing score, so every form demands the same level of knowledge. Note that the managing broker exam — a different license — requires a scaled 75.
Is the Washington license called a salesperson license? No. Washington’s entry-level license is the broker license, issued by the Department of Licensing. Brokers provide brokerage services under the supervision of a managing broker at a licensed firm; “managing broker” and “designated broker” are the senior roles above it.
Does Washington require pre-licensing education? Yes — 90 clock hours from a DOL-approved provider before you make an examination appointment: 60 hours of Real Estate Fundamentals and 30 hours of Real Estate Practices. You must complete the examination within two years of completing those courses.
How much does the Washington broker exam cost? The broker examination fee is $210, paid to PSI when you schedule, per the current candidate bulletin. The fee is non-refundable and non-transferable and is forfeited if you do not test within one year of PSI receiving it. The license application fee (to DOL) and the fingerprinting fee (to IdentoGO) are separate payments made after you pass.
How do I register for the Washington real estate exam? Register as a student with PSI before you complete your pre-licensing course, selecting “Washington” in the Student User section. Your school sends your course completions to PSI, PSI notifies you when you are eligible, and you then schedule online through PSI or by calling 855-746-8168 and pay the $210 fee.
Can I take the Washington real estate exam online? Yes. The candidate bulletin provides for scheduling either at a test center or by remote proctoring. Remote exams carry stricter rules: no scratch paper, no physical calculator, no breaks, and a webcam-monitored room. Test-center exams are offered at PSI sites across Washington, including Bellevue, Bremerton, Ellensburg, Everett, Kennewick, Olympia, Richland, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, and Yakima, and at PSI centers in other states.
What happens after I pass the Washington exam? Submit your fingerprints through IdentoGO — after passing, not before — and apply for your license within one year of passing. Wait until DOL has received your exam results before applying; DOL emails you a link to the online application, generally within 72 hours of passing. Your PSI passing score report also includes the license application as its second part.
How long is my Washington exam score valid? One year. DOL requires your license application within one year of passing the exams; if your results expire first, you must reapply to take the exam and may face additional education requirements. Your exam approval itself expires two years from the date you completed your pre-licensing courses.
If I fail, how soon can I retake the Washington exam? You retake only the portion you failed, following the reapplication instructions on your score report. The binding constraint is the six-month rule: the remaining portion must be passed within six months of passing the first, PSI will not schedule a retake beyond that window, and missing it means retaking the entire examination.
What ID do I need at the testing center? DOL instructs candidates to bring two current, unexpired forms of identification bearing your current name and signature and matching your application, at least one with your current photograph. The PSI bulletin lists acceptable types, including a state driver’s license or ID card and a US passport. Arriving without proper identification forfeits the exam and the fee.
Are calculators allowed on the Washington exam? At test centers, yes — the bulletin permits physical calculators. On remote-proctored exams, no: physical calculators are prohibited, along with scratch paper. Choose your testing format with that difference in mind if calculator use matters to your math approach.
Does PassProfessor’s program satisfy the 90-hour education requirement? No. PassProfessor is exam preparation only and provides no pre-licensing education credit. The 90 hours — Real Estate Fundamentals (60) and Real Estate Practices (30) — must be completed with a DOL-approved education provider.
Where do I find the official exam information? The Department of Licensing’s real estate broker pages at dol.wa.gov and PSI’s Washington Real Estate Commission Candidate Information Bulletin, which carries the exam table, the full content outlines, and the scheduling, retake, and test-day rules. Every exam fact in this guide comes from those two sources.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider and is not affiliated with the Washington State Department of Licensing, the Washington Real Estate Commission, PSI, or any state agency or exam vendor. This guide is general information about the Washington broker licensing exam, current as of October 2026; DOL and PSI publications govern if anything here differs from them.