- Exam Snapshot: The Numbers You Must Know
- National Portion Domain Weights
- State Portion Domain Weights
- Fees and Registration Mechanics
- Passing Score and Retake Rules
- Eligibility Checklist Before You Sit
- Test-Day Format Cheat Sheet
- Final-Week Review Plan by Domain
- License Renewal Facts to Remember
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The TNREAB has 120 scored items: 80 national (160 minutes) and 40 state (80 minutes), plus 5-10 unscored items.
- You need 56/80 correct on national and 28/40 correct on state to pass each section.
- Full exam costs $63 total, or $37 national-only and $26 state-only if retaking a single section.
- Advertising and Marketing is the heaviest state-side domain at 17.5% of state content.
Exam Snapshot: The Numbers You Must Know
The Tennessee Real Estate Affiliate Broker Exam (TNREAB) is governed by the Tennessee Real Estate Commission and administered through PSI testing centers, with the current bulletin dated July 1, 2025. If you only have five minutes before walking into a testing room, this is the page to skim. For a deeper walkthrough of every requirement, see the full TNREAB Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify guide.
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| National questions | 80 scored, 160 minutes |
| State questions | 40 scored, 80 minutes |
| Unscored items | 5-10 experimental (not counted toward score) |
| Passing threshold, national | 56 out of 80 |
| Passing threshold, state | 28 out of 40 |
| 2025 all-attempt pass rate, national | 42.67% |
| 2025 all-attempt pass rate, state | 71.53% |
National Portion Domain Weights
The 80 national questions are pulled from eleven content domains covering general real estate practice concepts. Memorize these weights so you can budget review time proportionally instead of studying everything equally.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Contracts | 19% |
| Agency | 13% |
| Practice of Real Estate | 12% |
| Property Ownership | 10% |
| Financing | 10% |
| Valuation | 8% |
| Property Disclosures | 7% |
| Real Estate Calculations | 7% |
| Transfer of Title | 6% |
| Land Use Controls | 5% |
| Property Management | 3% |
Contracts (19%)
This is the single largest national domain by a wide margin, so weak contract knowledge is the fastest way to miss the 56-question threshold.
- Know offer, acceptance, and consideration mechanics cold
- Understand contingencies, breach remedies, and contract termination
- Practice math-adjacent contract questions alongside Real Estate Calculations
For a full breakdown of what each of the 20 content areas actually tests, the TNREAB Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 20 Content Areas article maps every domain to sample question styles.
State Portion Domain Weights
The 40 state questions cover Tennessee-specific law and Commission rules across nine named domains: Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission, Licensing Requirements, Advertising and Marketing, Broker/Affiliate Relationships, Handling of Documents and Record Keeping, Handling of Trust/Escrow Funds, Other Improper Activities and Consumer Protection, Agency and Disclosure Issues, and Special Areas of Practice.
Advertising and Marketing (17.5%)
Because this is the single heaviest state domain, questions frequently test what an affiliate broker can and cannot do independently versus through the principal broker.
- Rules on advertising under an affiliate's own name
- Required broker identification in print and digital ads
- Team and group name restrictions
Handling of Trust/Escrow Funds
This domain tests fiduciary handling of client money, a frequent source of disciplinary action in real practice, so expect scenario-based questions.
- Timelines for depositing earnest money
- Commingling and conversion violations
- Recordkeeping obligations tied to escrow accounts
Fees and Registration Mechanics
The full TNREAB exam costs $63. If you only need to retake one half, PSI prices the sections separately: $37 for national-only and $26 for state-only. Candidates apply through PSI and schedule at a test center or via remote proctoring.
- Full exam (both sections): $63
- National-only retake: $37
- State-only retake: $26
- Fingerprints required for the initial license application
- Errors and omissions (E&O) insurance required before licensure
A complete pricing walkthrough, including how course fees and background check costs stack on top of the exam fee, is covered in TNREAB Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Passing Score and Retake Rules
Passing means clearing both thresholds: 56 out of 80 on the national section and 28 out of 40 on the state section. These are section-specific, not combined, so a strong state score cannot offset a weak national score.
Key Takeaway
If you pass one section but fail the other, the passed section stays valid for two retakes of the failed section, or one year from the pass date, whichever comes first. Schedule the retake promptly rather than letting the clock run out.
For the exact numeric breakdown of both cut scores and how they're calculated, see TNREAB Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Eligibility Checklist Before You Sit
PSI and the Tennessee Real Estate Commission enforce several prerequisites before you can schedule the exam, and a separate set before you can activate a license afterward.
- Be at least 18 years old
- Complete 60 hours of principles or fundamentals coursework before testing
- Provide proof of high school completion
- Complete the 30-hour Course for New Affiliates before licensure (not before testing)
- Submit fingerprints as part of the initial application
- Obtain E&O insurance
- Affiliate with a principal broker
- Apply for licensure within one year after passing the exam
Every prerequisite, with the reasoning behind each requirement, is explained in detail in TNREAB Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Test-Day Format Cheat Sheet
The exam is computer-based and closed book, available either at a physical PSI test center or through remote proctoring at home.
| Delivery Method | Key Rule |
|---|---|
| Test center | Standard proctored conditions |
| Remote proctored | No scratch paper permitted |
| Remote proctored | No breaks allowed during the session |
Because remote candidates cannot use scratch paper, any Real Estate Calculations questions must be worked mentally or on-screen using whatever tool PSI's software provides. Practicing math without paper ahead of time avoids a surprise on exam day. A full comparison of test-center versus remote logistics, plus how tough the exam feels in practice, is broken down in How Hard Is the TNREAB Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Final-Week Review Plan by Domain
In the last stretch before your scheduled date, aim reviews at the heaviest-weighted domains first rather than reviewing every topic equally.
Contracts and Agency
- Drill Contracts (19%) scenarios: offer, acceptance, breach, contingencies
- Review Agency (13%) fiduciary duties and disclosure obligations
Practice of Real Estate and Financing
- Cover Practice of Real Estate (12%) and Financing (10%) together since they overlap on closing mechanics
- Work Real Estate Calculations (7%) problems without scratch paper to simulate remote testing
State Domains
- Prioritize Advertising and Marketing (17.5%, the heaviest state domain)
- Review Handling of Trust/Escrow Funds and Licensing Requirements
Final Pass
- Take a full timed simulation matching the 160-minute national / 80-minute state split
- Review missed items only, avoid learning new material
This schedule pairs well with the broader prep sequence outlined in TNREAB Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and you can pressure-test your recall with timed sets on our practice test platform before exam day.
License Renewal Facts to Remember
Passing the TNREAB is only the entry point. Once licensed, affiliate brokers renew every two years and must complete 16 hours of continuing education, including the 6-hour TREC CORE course, while maintaining active E&O coverage.
- Renewal cycle: every two years
- CE requirement: 16 hours total
- Mandatory component: 6-hour TREC CORE course
- Ongoing requirement: active E&O insurance
Knowing these renewal facts matters even before you sit the exam, since some candidates weigh licensing costs against long-term career value. If you're still deciding whether the license is worth pursuing, Is the TNREAB Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 lays out the tradeoffs, and TNREAB Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis looks at earnings potential once licensed.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 120 scored questions: 80 national items in 160 minutes and 40 state items in 80 minutes, plus 5-10 unscored experimental items that can appear in either section.
You need at least 56 out of 80 correct on the national section and 28 out of 40 correct on the state section. Both thresholds must be met independently.
A national-only retake costs $37 and a state-only retake costs $26, compared to $63 for the full exam covering both sections.
No. Remote candidates may not use scratch paper and cannot take breaks during the session, unlike some test-center conditions.
A passed section remains valid for two retakes of the failed section or one year from the pass date, whichever limit comes first.
For a plain-language primer on what the acronym covers before you dive into domain-level prep, start with What Is TNREAB? or the quick reference at TNREAB Meaning, then return to this cheat sheet as your final review before test day.