PassProfessor’s Tennessee program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog. The 19,994-question Tennessee practice bank is built to PSI’s current content outlines, and enrollment opens soon. Join the notify list and we will email you when enrollment opens — then use this guide to plan your path to the exam.
This program is part of the expanding PassProfessor catalog — join the notify list and we’ll email you when enrollment opens.
The Tennessee affiliate broker exam, in one paragraph
The Tennessee affiliate broker exam is the licensing exam for Tennessee’s entry-level real estate license, administered by PSI Examination Services for the Tennessee Real Estate Commission (TREC). It has two separately scored portions: a national portion of 80 questions in 160 minutes and a Tennessee state portion of 40 questions in 80 minutes. Per PSI’s candidate bulletin, you pass each portion by answering 70% correctly — at least 56 of 80 on the national portion and 28 of 40 on the state portion. You become eligible to test after completing 60 hours of real estate principles/fundamentals, and you finish a further 30-hour Course for New Affiliates before TREC issues the license. Tennessee calls this licensee an affiliate broker — the equivalent of a salesperson in most states — because every affiliate works under a principal broker.
Who can take the Tennessee affiliate broker exam?
Tennessee’s path runs through education first, then the exam, then the license application. To sit for the affiliate broker exam, and then to be licensed, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old. PSI’s candidate bulletin puts this to you directly as one of the qualifying questions you answer on examination day.
- Complete 60 hours of real estate principles/fundamentals with a TREC-approved education provider before you test. Your school forwards proof of completion to PSI electronically, and you may not register for the examination until it has. PSI then emails you confirmation with instructions to pay and schedule.
- Complete the 30-hour Course for New Affiliates before your license is issued. Affiliate brokers licensed after December 31, 2004 must have this course finished before licensure, and its certificate goes to TREC with your license application. The two courses total 90 hours (T.C.A. § 62-13-303(b)(2); Rule 1260-05-.03) — but only the first 60 stand between you and the exam.
- Hold a high school diploma or its equivalent and provide proof of graduation with your license application, as TREC’s application requirements specify.
- Answer PSI’s qualifying questions honestly. On examination day you will be asked whether you have held a professional license, whether you have prior convictions or disciplinary sanctions, and related questions. A “yes” answer to some of them can affect your ability to become licensed — passing the exam does not, by itself, guarantee a license.
- Meet the two-year rule if it applies to you. Under Rule 1260-01-.01(4), no person is eligible for examination or licensure until two years have passed from the later of the end of probation, parole, or conviction, or release from incarceration. The restriction applies to all felonies, and to misdemeanors involving the theft of money, services, or property.
- Be fingerprinted for licensure. TREC requires fingerprints for all initial applications (T.C.A. § 62-13-303(l)). Fingerprinting is a licensing requirement, not a testing requirement — you do not need it to sit for the exam, but your license application does.
- Plan for errors and omissions insurance and a firm. Your license application includes proof of errors and omissions coverage, and an affiliate broker license only operates through an affiliated firm under a principal broker — the broker who supervises your work and through whom you are paid.
Two special cases worth knowing:
- Candidates licensed in another state must meet the same educational criteria as Tennessee residents, must affiliate with a firm licensed in Tennessee whose principal broker is licensed in Tennessee, and must consent to suits in Tennessee courts. A candidate who has passed an ARELLO-certified examination at the same license level in another jurisdiction may request a waiver of the national portion, with proof sent to TREC.
- Retest and out-of-state candidates establish exam eligibility through a request in their online CORE account rather than through a school; TREC staff review the request and enter the candidate into PSI’s system.
The exam, piece by piece
The exam is one computer-based test in two portions, built from PSI’s published content outlines. The portions are scored separately, and everything below is the affiliate broker exam — the broker exam is a different, larger test.
| Portion | Scored questions | Time | Required to pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| National (Real Estate Principles and Practices) | 80 | 160 minutes | 56 correct (70%) |
| Tennessee state portion | 40 | 80 minutes | 28 correct (70%) |
| Total | 120 | 240 minutes | 70% on each portion, separately |
The national portion (80 scored questions, 160 minutes)
PSI publishes the national outline with percentage weights for affiliate broker candidates. Percentages of 80 questions are shown with their approximate question counts.
| National outline area | Weight | ≈ Questions |
|---|---|---|
| I. Property Ownership | 10% | 8 |
| II. Land Use Controls | 5% | 4 |
| III. Valuation | 8% | 6–7 |
| IV. Financing | 10% | 8 |
| V. Contracts | 19% | 15 |
| VI. Agency | 13% | 10 |
| VII. Property Disclosures | 7% | 6 |
| VIII. Property Management | 3% | 2–3 |
| IX. Transfer of Title | 6% | 5 |
| X. Practice of Real Estate | 12% | 10 |
| XI. Real Estate Calculations | 7% | 6 |
Under those headings the outline tests, among other things: real and personal property, legal descriptions (metes and bounds, lot and block, government survey), encumbrances and forms of ownership; government and private land-use controls; appraisals and the sales-comparison, cost, and income approaches, plus CMAs, BPOs, and AVMs; loan concepts, loan types, and the federal lending rules (RESPA, TILA/Regulation Z, TRID, ECOA); general contract law and purchase and lease contracts; agency creation, agent duties, and agency disclosures; property-condition and environmental disclosures; landlord–tenant law and management duties (the outline’s supervisory-responsibility subtopics are marked broker-only and are excluded from the affiliate broker exam); deeds, title insurance, closing, foreclosure, short sales, and probate transfers; fair housing, antitrust, Do-Not-Call, and licensee duties; and transaction calculations — seller net proceeds, buyer funds at closing, prorations, transfer fees, PITI estimates, equity, capitalization rate, and loan-to-value.
The Tennessee state portion (40 scored questions, 80 minutes)
PSI publishes the state outline with exact item counts for affiliate broker candidates.
| Tennessee outline area | Items | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission | 4 | The Commission’s purpose; persons and disputes outside its jurisdiction; complaints, notifications, and hearings; disciplinary actions |
| Licensing Requirements | 4 | Examinations; education; other qualifications; changes of status, name, or address; firm licenses and license display; renewal; errors and omissions insurance |
| Broker/Affiliate Relationships | 5 | How compensation may be paid; permitted affiliations; the broker’s supervisory responsibility; changes of affiliation; ownership of affiliates’ listings |
| Handling of Documents and Record Keeping | 4 | Responsibility for records; how long records are kept; what must be kept; handling offers and transaction documents and leaving copies; Commission access to records |
| Handling of Trust/Escrow Funds | 4 | Permissible disbursements; general account requirements; commingling and improper use; depository and account requirements; interest and non-liquid valuables as earnest money; deposit deadlines |
| Agency and Disclosure Issues | 6 | General agency duties and creation of agency; disclosure of agency relationships; material facts and misrepresentation; disclosure of the agent’s own interest; handling of offers; designated agents; facilitators; dual agency |
| Advertising and Marketing | 7 | Owner/agent advertising requirements; “for sale” signs; brokerage company and team advertising; internet advertising; information required in advertised listings; gifts and prizes; social media advertising |
| Other Improper Activities and Consumer Protection | 3 | Improper listing agreements; discrimination; other misconduct |
| Special Areas of Practice | 3 | Timeshare; property management; commercial/industrial real estate |
| Total | 40 |
Three structural facts that shape how you should prepare:
- Contracts and agency carry the national portion. Together they are 32% of the national questions (19% + 13%) — roughly 25 of your 80. No other pair of areas comes close.
- Advertising is the single largest Tennessee topic. At 7 of 40 items, Advertising and Marketing outweighs every other state area, and Agency and Disclosure Issues follows at 6. Tennessee’s facilitator default — a licensee is a facilitator, not an agent, until a written agency agreement says otherwise — sits inside that second area and is unlike the agency law most national materials teach.
- There are two scores, not one. Each portion must independently reach 70%. The Tennessee portion is one-third of the questions but it is a full, separate pass/fail decision.
Experimental questions. In addition to the scored items, PSI’s bulletin states that a small number (5 to 10) of experimental questions may be administered during the examination. They are not scored, but they do count against your examination time, and you cannot identify them. PSI uses them to develop future exams. The only correct strategy is to treat every question as scored and pace for the extra questions, not just the 120.
The passing standard, explained
Per PSI’s Score Reporting table, you pass the national portion with at least 56 of 80 questions correct and the state portion with at least 28 of 40 — 70% on each portion.
Unlike scaled-score exams, Tennessee publishes its affiliate broker standard directly as the share of questions you must answer correctly, portion by portion. Two consequences:
- A blended score tells you nothing. 84 of 120 overall is not a pass if the split is wrong. A candidate who answers 62 national and 22 state questions correctly has 70% overall and has still failed the Tennessee portion. Prepare and measure each portion on its own line.
- Your score report is immediate and specific. Your score is displayed on screen at the end of the examination, and a score report is emailed to you. If you fail, the emailed report includes a diagnostic report indicating your strengths and weaknesses by examination type — that diagnostic is the starting point for a retake plan. Scores are not given out over the telephone, for confidentiality.
Fees and registration, step by step
Keep the payments separate in your mind — the exam fee goes to PSI, and it is not the license application.
| Payment | Amount | Paid to | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full affiliate broker exam (both portions) | $63 | PSI | When you schedule |
| National portion only (retake) | $37 | PSI | When you schedule the retake |
| State portion only (retake) | $26 | PSI | When you schedule the retake |
PSI states that registration fees are not refundable or transferable, and that the exam fee is valid for one year.
The sequence, in order:
- Finish your 60 hours. Complete the real estate principles/fundamentals course with a TREC-approved provider. The school forwards your completion to PSI electronically — you cannot register for the exam until it has.
- Watch for PSI’s eligibility email. Once PSI approves your eligibility, it emails confirmation with instructions on how to pay and schedule.
- Create your PSI account and schedule. Go to PSI’s Tennessee page (test-takers.psiexams.com/tnre) or call PSI at (855) 340-3710. Your first and last name in the account must match your government-issued ID exactly. Choose your format: a PSI test center, or remote proctoring from your own computer.
- Pay the $63 exam fee as part of scheduling.
- Take the exam (see the test-day section below). Your score appears on screen when you finish, and the report is emailed to you.
- Finish the licensing steps. Complete the 30-hour Course for New Affiliates if you have not already, complete fingerprinting, arrange errors and omissions coverage and your firm affiliation, and apply for your license through CORE at core.tn.gov within one year of passing. TREC measures that year from the day you pass your first exam (T.C.A. § 62-13-304).
Rescheduling follows PSI’s rule, mirrored on TREC’s PSI page: you may cancel and reschedule an appointment without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received 2 days before the scheduled examination date, online or by calling PSI. Voicemail or email is not an acceptable form of cancellation. Miss the appointment, arrive after the start time, cancel late, or arrive without proper identification, and the registration is invalid and the fee is forfeited.
Retakes and score validity
- Retake only what you failed. The portions are scored separately. Pass one and fail the other, and you retake only the failed portion — at the single-portion fee ($37 national / $26 state).
- Your pass has a shelf life. Per PSI’s candidate bulletin, the passing score for one section is valid for two (2) retakes of the failed section or one (1) year, whichever comes first. Pass the national portion, and you have that window to pass the state portion before the national pass expires.
- First failure: retake promptly. A candidate who fails a first attempt may retake as soon as they want — but a new appointment cannot be scheduled on the same day as the attempt; scheduling opens the day after. TREC’s guidance puts it as: candidates may schedule a retake 24 hours after the failed exam, and a candidate who tests unsuccessfully on a Monday can call Tuesday and, space permitting, retest as early as Friday.
- After the second failed attempt, the pace changes. From then on, a candidate must wait thirty (30) days between any subsequent failed exams before retaking. There is no same-week third attempt.
- No extra coursework is imposed for retakes. The retake rules above are the whole of it in the bulletin; the 30-day spacing rule does not apply to the one-part timeshare salesperson and acquisition agent exams.
- The license clock is separate. Independently of retake windows, you must apply for your license within one year of passing. Let that year lapse and the passing scores no longer support an application.
Test day
- Arrive at least 30 minutes early for sign-in and identification verification. Arrive late and you may not be admitted — and the fee is forfeited.
- Bring the right identification. TREC’s PSI page directs you to bring your admission notice and a photo ID bearing your signature. PSI’s bulletin requires one form of valid state-issued identification — a driver’s license or state ID — bearing your signature and photograph; it also lists a US passport, US military ID, US alien registration card, and Canadian government-issued ID. Your registration name must match your ID exactly. Fail to bring proper ID, or bring a name that does not match, and you will not be allowed to test and the fee will not be refunded.
- The exam is by computer, with a tutorial first. Questions appear on screen; before you start, an introductory tutorial walks you through the mechanics. You may be given scratch paper and a pencil, which you return at checkout.
- Personal items stay out. PSI’s security procedures bar reference materials, electronic devices of any kind (phones, smart watches, earbuds, handheld calculators), hats and headgear not worn for religious reasons, bulky outerwear, bags, food, drinks, and writing materials from the testing area; prohibited items go into secure storage or back to your vehicle. Expect check-in inspection, and expect the exam to be terminated — and reported — for giving or receiving assistance or communicating exam content.
- Restroom breaks are limited. Once seated at a test center, you may leave the room only to use the restroom and only with the proctor’s permission — and you receive no extra time for it.
- Remote proctoring has its own rules. Choose the remote format and you must first pass PSI’s compatibility checks (audio/video, webcam, and system). You can launch the test within 30 minutes of your booked time; if you have not started within 15 minutes after it, you forfeit the fee or eligibility. Breaks are not allowed during remote-proctored examinations — PSI advises candidates who cannot complete the exam without a break not to register for the remote format.
- Commenting on questions is allowed — and is the only review. During the exam you may click the comments button on any question. PSI and the Commission review substantive comments and may re-evaluate results if a discrepancy is found; that comment process is the only review of examination materials available to candidates.
- Results are immediate. Your score displays on screen at the end, and the score report is emailed to you. Screenshots or photos of the exam or your results are never permitted, during or after the session.
How to study for this exam
PSI’s own advice, printed in the bulletin, is the right frame: obtain a current copy of the Candidate Information Bulletin and use the examination content outline as the basis of your study, read materials that cover all the topics in the outline, take notes, and study frequently in periods of about 45 to 60 minutes. A plan built on that structure:
- Give contracts and agency their combined weight. At 19% and 13%, they are nearly a third of the national portion. Learn general contract law (validity, enforceability, termination, remedies) and purchase/lease contracts as one connected subject, and agency creation, duties, and disclosures as another — the exam tests them through scenarios, not definitions alone.
- Start the Tennessee portion earlier than feels necessary. It is a separate pass, and its content exists only in Tennessee law: the Commission’s disciplinary powers, the 3-year record-keeping duty and what a file must contain, escrow account rules and deposit timing, the facilitator default and designated agency, and the advertising rules that make up the largest single state topic. None of it is covered by national textbooks.
- Learn the Tennessee specifics as specifics. This portion rewards exact knowledge — which form, which deadline, which account, whose consent in writing. Study it as a list of Tennessee rules to be known cold, not as general principles to be reasoned through.
- Do the math by hand until it is automatic. Real estate calculations are 7% of the national portion and appear inside other areas too: seller net proceeds, buyer funds at closing, prorations, PITI estimates, equity, capitalization rate, loan-to-value, discount points. The skill is setting up the computation correctly under time pressure.
- Practice at full length, portion by portion. Sit the national portion as 80 questions in 160 minutes and the state portion as 40 in 80 — two minutes per question is the real pace, and experimental questions consume part of it. Score each portion separately every time; a blended percentage hides exactly the failure this exam produces most.
- Use a failed attempt’s diagnostics properly. If you do fail a portion, PSI’s emailed diagnostic report shows your strengths and weaknesses by examination type. Rebuild around the weak areas inside the retake rules — promptly after a first failure, and with the 30-day spacing in mind after a second.
PassProfessor’s Tennessee practice bank (19,994 questions — 13,347 national and 6,647 Tennessee) is built area-by-area on these same PSI outlines, with topic drills for each outline area and fresh blueprint-weighted practice exams on every attempt. The Tennessee Real Estate Exam Prep program page shows the full coverage table — and the notify list there will email you when enrollment opens.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Tennessee real estate exam? The affiliate broker exam has 120 scored questions — 80 on the national portion and 40 on the Tennessee state portion — plus 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions PSI may mix in. The experimental questions do not affect your score but do count against your time.
What is the passing score for the Tennessee real estate exam? 70% on each portion, separately. Per PSI’s candidate bulletin, that is at least 56 of 80 correct on the national portion and at least 28 of 40 correct on the Tennessee portion. Passing one portion does not offset failing the other.
Does Tennessee require pre-licensing education before the exam? Yes — 60 hours of real estate principles/fundamentals with a TREC-approved provider must be completed before you test, and your school sends proof to PSI before you can register. A further 30-hour Course for New Affiliates must be completed before your license is issued, for 90 hours in total.
How much does the Tennessee real estate exam cost? $63 for the full affiliate broker exam, paid to PSI when you schedule. A single-portion retake costs $37 for the national portion or $26 for the state portion. PSI states the fees are not refundable or transferable.
How do I register for the Tennessee real estate exam? Your education provider first submits your eligibility to PSI electronically. PSI emails confirmation, and you then schedule and pay on PSI’s Tennessee page (test-takers.psiexams.com/tnre) or by calling PSI at (855) 340-3710, choosing a test center or remote proctoring.
Can I take the Tennessee real estate exam online? Yes. PSI offers the exam at test centers and by remote proctoring. Remote candidates must pass PSI’s computer compatibility checks, launch within 30 minutes of the booked time and start within 15 minutes of it, and take no breaks during the exam.
What happens after I pass the Tennessee exam? You apply for your affiliate broker license through CORE at core.tn.gov within one year of passing. The application requires the completed 30-hour Course for New Affiliates, fingerprints, proof of errors and omissions insurance, proof of high school graduation, and your affiliation with a licensed firm under a principal broker.
How long is my passing score on one portion valid? Per PSI’s candidate bulletin, a passing score on one section is valid for two retakes of the failed section or one year, whichever comes first. If the window closes before you pass the other portion, the passed portion must be taken again.
If I fail, how soon can I retake the Tennessee exam? After a first failure, as soon as scheduling allows — a new appointment cannot be made the same day, but you may schedule from the next day. After a second failed attempt, you must wait 30 days between subsequent failed exams before retaking.
Do I need fingerprints to take the exam? No. Fingerprints are required for the initial license application under T.C.A. § 62-13-303(l), not for testing. PSI’s bulletin is explicit that fingerprinting is not a requirement for testing, but is a requirement for an initial real estate license.
What is an affiliate broker? Tennessee’s name for its entry-level licensee — the equivalent of a salesperson in most states. An affiliate broker must work through a firm under a principal broker, may be paid only through that firm, and does not operate independently.
What if I am already licensed in another state? You must meet the same education criteria as a Tennessee resident, affiliate with a Tennessee-licensed firm whose principal broker is licensed in Tennessee, and file a consent to suits. If you passed an ARELLO-certified exam at the same license level elsewhere, you may request a waiver of the national portion, sending proof to TREC before you reserve.
What ID do I need on test day? One form of valid, unexpired government-issued photo identification bearing your signature — a state driver’s license or state ID is the standard; PSI’s bulletin also accepts a US passport, US military ID, alien registration card, or Canadian government ID. The name must match your registration exactly, and you should also bring your admission notice.
Does PassProfessor’s program satisfy the 60-hour or 30-hour course requirements? No. PassProfessor is exam preparation only and provides no pre-licensing education credit. The 60-hour principles course and the 30-hour Course for New Affiliates must be taken with TREC-approved education providers.
Disclaimer
PassProfessor is an independent exam-preparation provider and is not affiliated with the Tennessee Real Estate Commission, PSI, or any state agency or exam vendor. This guide is general information about the Tennessee affiliate broker licensing exam, current as of October 2026; TREC and PSI publications govern if anything here differs from them.