State Exam

The Florida state licensing exam is separate from your TSRE end-of-course exam. After passing the state exam, you must also complete the steps needed for your license to be issued and activated before practicing real estate.

Get DBPR approval and schedule your exam

1. Submit your license application and fingerprints.
2. Wait for DBPR examination authorization. Use the candidate identifier and scheduling instructions in that authorization to book with Pearson VUE.
3. Prepare the education proof and identification required by the current candidate booklet.

You may schedule after application approval before finishing your pre-licensing course, but you must have a valid completion certificate or accepted exemption/equivalency documentation when you take the exam. A pre-licensing certificate is valid for state-exam purposes for two years; passing the state exam must occur within that period. Bring the required proof for each attempt.

Know which exam you are taking

The regular sales associate and broker state exams have 100 multiple-choice questions and require a passing score of 75%. Eligible mutual-recognition applicants take a different Florida-law exam. Use the booklet for your approved exam rather than assuming that every licensing route has the same exam.

Review the current candidate booklet for permitted items, identification, testing arrangements, and appointment rules:

• DBPR sales associate candidate information booklet
• DBPR broker candidate information booklet

If you do not pass, follow Pearson VUE’s retest instructions and confirm that your DBPR authorization and education proof remain valid. School end-of-course retake rules are separate from state-exam scheduling.

Plan your study using the official syllabus

Use the Course I: sales associate syllabus and exam study guide or Course II: broker syllabus and exam study guide for the official syllabus PDFs, Candidate Information Booklets, exam-topic weights, and a learning-objective checklist. Choose the guide for the exam you will take.

After you pass: confirm license activation

Follow the instructions provided with your passing result and in your DBPR account. Do not assume that a passing score or a license number means you may immediately begin practicing.

• Sales associates: coordinate activation and employer registration with your employing broker or other authorized registered employer.
• Brokers and broker associates: complete the activation and business or employer registration required for your intended role.
• Before practicing: verify in DBPR’s license record that your license is current and active and the required affiliations are recorded.

Section 475.42, Florida Statutes requires an active license for licensed practice and restricts a sales associate to the registered employer.

Plan for your first renewal

Check the expiration date assigned by DBPR. The usual first-renewal education is 45 hours of sales associate post-licensing or 60 hours of broker post-licensing, unless a qualifying exemption applies. An inactive license does not automatically remove that requirement. See How to Renew Your Florida Real Estate License.

Keep your course completion certificates for at least five years after completion, including after you pass the state exam. The two-year pre-licensing validity period and the five-year record-retention requirement serve different purposes.

Questions about application approval or activation should be directed to DBPR / DRE. For help with your TSRE certificate or course record, submit a support request or email info@tsre.us.