Real estate exam study guide

Allocate hours by outline weight, memorize a short list of numbers and formulas, and test yourself more than you reread.

Updated 2026-09-23 · 2 sources · By the RealEstateExamKit team

Turn outline weights into study hours (30-hour plan)

24 hours split by national item counts + 6 hours of state portion. PSI states: use the PSI percentages on the [national exam page](/national-exam/).
Area (Pearson VUE items)Hours
Real property characteristics, legal descriptions and property use (11)3.3
Forms of ownership, transfer and recording of title (9)2.7
Property value and appraisal (11)3.3
Real estate contracts and agency (16)4.8
Real estate practice (10)3.0
Property disclosures and environmental issues (9)2.7
Financing and settlement (7)2.1
Real estate math calculations (7)2.1
State portion (your state outline)6.0

Cheat sheet: formulas and constants

Item Value
Acre 43,560 sq ft
Section 1 sq mile = 640 acres
Mile 5,280 ft
Cap rate NOI / value
Value NOI / cap rate
GRM price / gross rent
LTV loan / lesser of price or appraisal
1 point 1% of the loan amount
Mill $1 per $1,000 of assessed value
Proration annual amount / 360 or 365 x days

30 / 14 / 7-day plans

  1. 30 days out

    Baseline test, then one outline area per day in weight order; 15 minutes of math daily; state portion twice a week.

  2. 14 days out

    Switch to mostly questions: 50 per day mixed, review every miss. State portion daily.

  3. 7 days out

    Two timed simulations, cheat-sheet review, no new material after day 2.

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Sources

  1. Pearson VUE - Texas Real Estate Candidate Handbook (national salesperson outline, effective March 1, 2025) (accessed 2026-09-23)
  2. PSI - Georgia Real Estate Commission Candidate Information Bulletin (national portion outline) (accessed 2026-09-23)