Colorado Real Estate Practice Test (Free)
The Colorado real estate broker (associate broker level) exam has 154 questions and a 3 hours 50 minutes limit. Below are the exact numbers the CO exam uses, and a free practice test to see where you stand.
The Colorado exam at a glance
- License
- Real Estate Broker (Associate Broker level)
- Administered by
- PSI Services LLC, under contract with the Colorado Division of Real Estate
- Total questions
- 154 (80 national and 74 Colorado-specific)
- Time limit
- 3 hours 50 minutes
- Passing score
- Two portions, and both must be passed. National portion: 60 of 80 correct (75%). Colorado state portion: 53 of 74 correct (about 72%). The two portions carry different pass lines, so there is no single passing percentage. You may pass them on different dates, and if you fail one you retake only that portion. A 15-minute tutorial before the exam does not count against the 230 minutes.
- How it is taken
- By PSI, either in person at PSI test centers in Colorado or remotely online with a live proctor (PSI remote proctored). Both formats are scheduled through test-takers.psiexams.com/core or by phone at (855) 744-0313.
- If you fail
- You cannot book a new appointment on the same day you tested, because of processing and score reporting. A candidate who tests unsuccessfully on a Wednesday can call the next day and, depending on space, retest as soon as Friday. Only the failed portion is retaken and it costs the retake fee of $42.50. Passing scores on either portion are accepted only within one year, and the license application must be filed within one year of passing the entire exam or both portions must be retaken.
What Colorado requires before you can sit the exam
- Minimum age
- 18+
- Pre-license education
- 168 hours
- Real Estate Law and Practice (48 hours)
- Colorado Contracts and Regulations (48 hours)
- Real Estate Closings (24 hours)
- Practical Applications (32 hours)
- Trust Accounts and Record Keeping (8 hours)
- Current Legal Issues (8 hours)
- Exam / application fee
- $44.95
- License term
- 3 years
- Background check
- Fingerprints and a criminal history check are required.
Free Colorado practice questions
10 questions written for the Colorado exam, drawn from 12 in the ApexAgent bank. The correct answer and the reasoning are under each one.
1. What is the entry-level real estate license in Colorado called?
- A. Salesperson
- B. Sales associate
- C. Associate broker ✓
- D. Independent broker
Why: Colorado abolished the salesperson tier. Under C.R.S. 12-10-201 and the Division of Real Estate licensing structure, the entry-level credential is the Associate Broker; every licensee is a broker, and supervision rests with the Employing Broker. 'Salesperson' and 'sales associate' are titles used in other states.
2. Which Colorado statute creates the Real Estate Commission and states how many members it has?
- A. C.R.S. 12-10-201
- B. C.R.S. 12-10-206 ✓
- C. C.R.S. 12-10-203
- D. C.R.S. 12-10-408
Why: C.R.S. 12-10-206 creates the real estate commission as a five-member body appointed by the governor. Section 12-10-201 is the definitions section, 12-10-203 covers applications for a license, and 12-10-408 governs broker disclosures.
3. How is the five-member Colorado Real Estate Commission made up, and how long do members serve?
- A. Five brokers, each serving two-year terms
- B. Four brokers and one public member, each serving four-year terms
- C. Three brokers (one with property management experience) and two public members, each serving three-year terms ✓
- D. Three brokers and two public members, each serving six-year terms
Why: C.R.S. 12-10-206 provides for three real estate brokers who have at least five years of Colorado real estate experience, one of whom has substantial property management experience, plus two representatives of the public at large. Members serve three-year terms.
4. Under Colorado law, which brokerage relationship applies to a broker who has not entered into a written single-agency agreement with a party?
- A. Seller's agent by default
- B. Buyer's agent by default
- C. Transaction-broker ✓
- D. Dual agent
Why: C.R.S. 12-10-403(2) states that a broker is considered a transaction-broker unless a single agency relationship is established through a written agreement with the party to be represented. Dual agency is separately barred by C.R.S. 12-10-406.
5. In a transaction-broker relationship in Colorado, what is the broker's agency status?
- A. Agent of the seller only
- B. Agent of the buyer only
- C. Agent of both parties as a dual agent
- D. Not an agent of either party ✓
Why: C.R.S. 12-10-407(1) states that a broker engaged as a transaction-broker is not an agent for either party. The transaction-broker still owes the duties listed in 12-10-407(2), such as presenting all offers and counteroffers in a timely manner and disclosing adverse material facts.
6. What does Colorado law say about a broker establishing dual agency in a transaction?
- A. It is allowed with written consent of both parties
- B. It is allowed only for residential transactions
- C. It is prohibited ✓
- D. It is allowed if the broker is the employing broker
Why: C.R.S. 12-10-406 states plainly that a broker shall not establish dual agency with any seller, landlord, buyer, or tenant. Colorado instead uses designated brokers under C.R.S. 12-10-403(6) so one firm can represent each side without creating dual agency.
7. How must a Colorado broker establish a single agency relationship with a seller or a buyer?
- A. By verbal agreement at first contact
- B. Through a written agency agreement with the party to be represented ✓
- C. By posting the relationship on the listing
- D. By default, whenever the broker shows a property
Why: C.R.S. 12-10-408(2)(b) requires a broker intending to establish a single agency relationship to enter into a written agency agreement with the party to be represented, disclosing the duties in C.R.S. 12-10-404 or 12-10-405 as applicable. Notice of the single agency relationship must also be given to the other prospective party in a timely manner.
8. What is the minimum age to apply for a Colorado real estate broker license?
- A. 18 ✓
- B. 19
- C. 21
- D. There is no minimum age
Why: C.R.S. 12-10-203 requires an applicant for a broker's license to be at least eighteen years of age, and the PSI Candidate Information Bulletin states the same. There is no age restriction on taking the examination itself; the age applies to applying for the license.
9. How many hours of qualifying education does Colorado require for an associate broker license?
- A. 90 hours
- B. 120 hours
- C. 168 hours ✓
- D. 180 hours
Why: Commission Rule 2.1 and the Division of Real Estate qualifying-education page require a minimum of 168 hours: Real Estate Law and Practice 48, Colorado Contracts and Regulations 48, Real Estate Closings 24, Practical Applications 32, Trust Accounts and Record Keeping 8, and Current Legal Issues 8. A degree with a major in real estate can substitute.
10. Colorado brokers renew on a three-year license cycle. How much continuing education is required, and how much of it is the Commission-developed update?
- A. 8 hours total, with 4 hours of Commission update
- B. 16 hours total, with 8 hours of Commission update
- C. 24 hours total, with 12 hours of Commission update ✓
- D. 36 hours total, with 24 hours of Commission update
Why: C.R.S. 12-10-213 requires 24 hours of credit for renewal of a three-year license, 12 of which must be Commission-developed credits (the four-hour Annual Commission Update taken in three different years). A newly issued license expiring December 31 of the year issued carries no continuing education obligation.
Want more Colorado-specific questions? Practice the full Colorado state-law set.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Colorado have a real estate salesperson license?
- No. Colorado licenses only brokers. The entry level is the Associate Broker, and everyone who holds a Colorado real estate license is a broker. That is why qualifying education runs to 168 hours rather than the shorter salesperson totals used in most states. Study material written for other states will call it a salesperson exam, but that title does not exist here.
- How many questions are on the Colorado real estate exam, and how long is it?
- 154 questions across two portions. The national portion has 80 questions in 120 minutes and the Colorado state portion has 74 questions in 110 minutes, for 230 minutes total if you sit both in one visit. A tutorial of up to 15 minutes precedes the exam and is not counted against your time. Colorado is unusual in having 74 state-law items, because the state portion covers both Colorado statute and the Commission-approved forms and contracts.
- What score do you need to pass the Colorado real estate exam?
- Both portions have their own cut score. On the national portion you need 60 of 80 correct, which is 75 percent. On the Colorado state portion you need 53 of 74 correct, which is about 72 percent. You do not have to pass both on the same day, but a passing score on either portion is accepted only within one year, and the application must follow within one year of passing the entire exam.
- How much pre-license education does Colorado require?
- 168 hours of qualifying education, taken through a nationally accredited college or university or a school approved by the Colorado Department of Private and Occupational Schools. The hours are prescribed by subject: Real Estate Law and Practice 48 hours, Colorado Contracts and Regulations 48 hours, Real Estate Closings 24 hours, Practical Applications 32 hours, Trust Accounts and Record Keeping 8 hours, and Current Legal Issues 8 hours. A college degree with a major in real estate can substitute for the 168 hours.
- How soon can you retake the Colorado real estate exam, and what does it cost?
- You cannot reschedule on the same day you tested. You can call PSI the next day and, space permitting, sit the exam as soon as the day after that. You retake only the portion you failed, and the retake fee is $42.50 (the first sitting is $44.95). Your passing score on either portion lasts one year, so plan around that clock if you split the portions across dates.
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- PSI Services LLC, Colorado Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (Updated 10/1/2023). Exam summary table: Broker National 80 questions, 60 correct, 120 minutes; Broker State 74 questions, 53 correct, 110 minutes. Both portions must be passed, may be passed on different dates, and no passing score is accepted beyond one year. Fees: first time $44.95, retake $42.50. Experimental questions: a small number (5 to 10) may be administered, are not scored, but do count against exam time. Tutorial up to 15 minutes does not count against exam time. Retake scheduling and same-day restriction. Test center and remote proctored delivery. Apply within one year of passing the entire examination. Minimum age 18. (verified 2026-10-03)
- Colorado Division of Real Estate, Broker License Application Requirements (applicants who never held a license: 168 hours of education or a real estate major degree; passing grade on national and state portions of the Colorado Real Estate Broker's Exam, results good one year from each portion's passing score; fingerprint background check; 168-hour course breakdown: Law and Practice 48, Colorado Contracts and Regulations 48, Trust Accounts and Recordkeeping 8, Current Legal Issues 8, Real Estate Closings 24, Practical Applications 32) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Colorado Division of Real Estate, Broker Qualifying Education (minimum of 168 hours of qualifying education through a nationally accredited college or university or a DPOS-approved school; course list and hours; Employing Broker adds 24 hours of Brokerage Administration) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Colorado Division of Real Estate, Broker Applications, Documents and Fees (fee table: Broker Application $83; Base Rate Renewal $252; Broker Examination Fee $44.95; Certified License History $15). Also states online renewal opens 45 days before expiration with a 31-day grace period, and that a licensee whose license expires can reinstate within 3 years. (verified 2026-10-03)
- Colorado Division of Real Estate, Broker Steps for Initial Licensure (PSI is the current exam vendor for the Division of Real Estate; contact PSI Candidate Care Center at 855-744-0313; errors and omissions insurance must be in place before obtaining an active license) (verified 2026-10-03)
- C.R.S. 12-10-203, Application for license (applicant must be at least eighteen years of age; commission sets the minimum passing score on the examination) (verified 2026-10-03)
- C.R.S. 12-10-206, Real estate commission created (commission of five members appointed by the governor; three real estate brokers with at least five years of Colorado experience, one with substantial property management experience, and two public members; members serve three-year terms) (verified 2026-10-03)
- C.R.S. 12-10-403, Relationships between brokers and the public (broker is a transaction-broker unless a single agency relationship is established by written agreement; designated broker provisions; use of commission-approved forms when one exists) (verified 2026-10-03)
- C.R.S. 12-10-404, 12-10-405, 12-10-406, 12-10-407, and 12-10-408 (seller or landlord single agent; buyer or tenant single agent; dual agent prohibited; transaction-broker is not an agent of either party and its obligations; broker disclosures and written office policy) (verified 2026-10-03)
- C.R.S. 12-10-213, Renewal of license - continuing education (renewal of a three-year license requires 24 hours of credit, 12 of which are Commission-developed credits; initial license expiring December 31 of the year issued has no CE obligation) (verified 2026-10-03)
- C.R.S. 12-10-204, Errors and omissions insurance required (a licensed broker must maintain errors and omissions insurance) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Exam details are checked against the Colorado Real Estate Commission (CREC), Division of Real Estate, Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) and its testing vendor. Always confirm current requirements with the board before your exam.