Iowa Real Estate Practice Test (Free)
The Iowa real estate salesperson exam has 120 questions and a 3 hours limit. Below are the exact numbers the IA exam uses, and a free practice test to see where you stand.
The Iowa exam at a glance
- License
- Real Estate Salesperson
- Administered by
- PSI Services LLC (PSI), under contract with the Iowa Real Estate Commission
- Total questions
- 120 (80 national and 40 Iowa-specific)
- Time limit
- 3 hours
- Passing score
- At least 70% on each portion: 56 of 80 national questions (120 minutes) and 28 of 40 Iowa state questions (60 minutes), which is 84 of 120 combined. The PSI bulletin states that to pass you must achieve the minimum score on each part of the examination, so a strong national score cannot carry a failing state score.
- How it is taken
- Computer-based at PSI test centers in West Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Council Bluffs, or remote online proctored through PSI. Report 30 minutes before your appointment, and bring a paper copy of your pre-license education completion certificate (or a commission waiver or authorization letter).
- If you fail
- A failed candidate may retake as often as needed while the pre-license education or a waiver is still valid, and every attempt costs the full $95 fee. PSI states that a new appointment cannot be made on the same day the exam was taken, so a candidate can call the next business day and retest as soon as an opening exists. No fixed waiting period is stated in the primary sources, so the wait is recorded as null rather than guessed. Iowa Code 543B.20 lets a person who fails once immediately apply for the next available examination; after that, additional attempts are at the commission's discretion.
What Iowa requires before you can sit the exam
- Minimum age
- 18+
- Pre-license education
- 60 hours
- 60-hour pre-license course in real estate principles and practices (live instruction or online learning) from a commission-approved provider, completed within the 12 months before you sit for the salesperson exam. Iowa Administrative Code rule 193E-4.1(7) sets the course at 60 hours.
- 12-hour Buying Practices course (live instruction only)
- 12-hour Listing Practices course (live instruction only)
- 12-hour Developing Professionalism and Ethical Practices course (live instruction only)
- The three 12-hour courses are required in addition to the 60-hour course and must be completed within the 12 months before you file your license application; the total pre-license education is 96 hours.
- Exam / application fee
- $95
- License term
- 3 years
- Background check
- Fingerprints and a criminal history check are required.
Free Iowa practice questions
10 questions written for the Iowa exam, drawn from 12 in the ApexAgent bank. The correct answer and the reasoning are under each one.
1. Under Iowa Code section 543B.8, the Iowa Real Estate Commission consists of how many members, and what is the required composition?
- A. Three members: two licensed and one public member
- B. Five members: four licensed under the chapter and one public member ✓
- C. Seven members: five licensed and two public members
- D. Nine members: seven licensed and two public members
Why: Iowa Code section 543B.8 provides that the commission consists of four members licensed under Chapter 543B and one member who is not licensed under the chapter and who represents the general public, for a total of five members. Members are appointed by the governor subject to confirmation by the Senate.
2. How long is each Iowa Real Estate Commission member's term, and what is the limit on service?
- A. Two-year terms with no limit on service
- B. Three-year terms, and no more than three terms or nine years, whichever is less ✓
- C. Four-year terms, and no more than two terms
- D. Six-year terms, and no more than two terms
Why: Iowa Code section 543B.8(3) sets three-year terms for commission members and provides that a member shall serve no more than three terms or nine years, whichever is less. Vacancies are filled for the unexpired term by the governor, subject to Senate confirmation.
3. What is the minimum age to qualify for an Iowa real estate salesperson license?
- A. Sixteen
- B. Eighteen ✓
- C. Nineteen
- D. Twenty-one
Why: Iowa Code section 543B.15(2) provides that a person shall be eighteen years of age or over to qualify for a real estate broker or salesperson license. A candidate may sit for the exam before turning 18, but must be 18 when applying for the license.
4. How many hours of pre-license education must an Iowa salesperson applicant complete to sit for the licensing examination?
- A. 30 hours
- B. 40 hours
- C. 60 hours ✓
- D. 90 hours
Why: Iowa Administrative Code rule 193E-4.1(7) requires 60 live instruction or online learning hours of real estate principles and practices, completed within the 12 months before the examination. Iowa Code section 543B.15(8) sets a statutory floor of at least thirty hours, but the commission rule raises the requirement to 60 hours.
5. In addition to the 60-hour pre-license course, which three 12-hour courses must an applicant complete for an original Iowa salesperson license?
- A. Real Estate Finance, Property Management, and Appraisal
- B. Buying Practices, Listing Practices, and Developing Professionalism and Ethical Practices ✓
- C. Agency Law, Contract Law, and Fair Housing
- D. Brokerage Operations, Trust Accounts, and Advertising
Why: Iowa Administrative Code rule 193E-4.1(7) requires 12 hours each of Buying Practices, Listing Practices, and Developing Professionalism and Ethical Practices. These three courses are in addition to the 60-hour pre-license course and must be completed within the 12 months before the license application is filed.
6. Under Iowa law, when must a licensee provide a written agency disclosure to a client?
- A. Only at the closing
- B. Within three days after the transaction closes
- C. Prior to an offer being made or accepted, acknowledged by the client's separate signature ✓
- D. Only if the client requests it in writing
Why: Iowa Code section 543B.57(2)(b) requires a written agency disclosure to the client prior to an offer being made or accepted, acknowledged by the separate signatures of the parties represented by the licensee. Iowa Code section 543B.55 directs the commission to adopt rules requiring written disclosure of the agency relationship.
7. An Iowa licensee wants to act as agent for both the buyer and the seller in the same transaction. What does Iowa law require?
- A. Nothing additional, because dual agency is always permitted in Iowa
- B. Written consent of both the buyer and the seller stating that the licensee has made a full disclosure of the type of representation ✓
- C. Only verbal notice to the seller
- D. Approval by the Iowa Real Estate Commission before the showing
Why: Iowa Code section 543B.58(1) provides that a licensee shall not be the agent for both a buyer and a seller in a transaction without obtaining the written consent of both, and the written consent must state that the licensee has made a full disclosure of the type of representation the licensee will provide.
8. Under Iowa Code section 543B.46, how is interest earned on a broker's common trust account handled?
- A. The broker keeps the interest as additional compensation
- B. The interest is split evenly between the buyer and the seller
- C. The interest is transferred quarterly to the treasurer of state and then to the Iowa finance authority housing trust fund, unless the buyer and seller agree otherwise in writing ✓
- D. The interest must be returned to the seller only
Why: Iowa Code section 543B.46(1) requires the common trust account to be interest-bearing and directs that the interest be transferred quarterly to the treasurer of state and then to the Iowa finance authority for deposit in the housing trust fund established in section 16.181, unless the buyer and seller have a written agreement to the contrary. A broker shall not benefit from interest on funds of others.
9. How long is an Iowa real estate salesperson license issued for, and when does it expire?
- A. One year, expiring each December 31
- B. Two years, expiring on the license anniversary date
- C. Three years, expiring on December 31 of the third year of the license term ✓
- D. Four years, expiring on June 30 of the fourth year
Why: Iowa Administrative Code rule 193E-4.3(2) provides that a salesperson license is issued for a three-year term, counting the remaining portion of the year issued as a full year, and expires on December 31 of the third year of the license term.
10. To renew an Iowa salesperson license in active status, how many continuing education hours are required, and in what subjects?
- A. 18 hours, all electives
- B. 24 hours: 12 law update and 12 ethics
- C. 36 hours: 8 hours law update, 4 hours ethics, and 24 hours electives ✓
- D. 48 hours: 16 law update, 8 ethics, and 24 electives
Why: Iowa Administrative Code rule 193E-4.4(2) requires 36 hours of approved courses to renew to active status: 8 hours of Law Update, 4 hours of Ethics, and 24 hours of Electives. Excess hours may be carried forward only within limits, and no carryover is allowed toward the mandatory law update or ethics hours.
Want more Iowa-specific questions? Practice the full Iowa state-law set.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Iowa split the real estate exam into a national part and a state part?
- Yes. The Iowa salesperson exam has two separately timed and separately scored portions: an 80-question national portion (120 minutes) on real estate principles and practices, and a 40-question Iowa state portion (60 minutes) on Iowa license law, rules, and practice. That is different from states such as Florida, where one combined test is scored as a single 100-point exam. You must pass each Iowa portion on its own.
- What score do you need to pass the Iowa real estate exam?
- 70% on each portion. That means 56 of 80 national questions and 28 of 40 Iowa state questions, which is 84 of 120 when the two portions are added together. The PSI Licensing Information Bulletin says you must achieve the minimum score on each part of the examination, so a passing national score will not make up for a failing state-law score.
- How long is the Iowa real estate exam, and how many questions does it have?
- 120 scored multiple-choice questions in 180 minutes: 80 national questions in 120 minutes and 40 Iowa state questions in 60 minutes. PSI also notes that a small number of experimental questions (5 to 10) may be added for research purposes; these are not scored but they do count against your exam time, so the number of questions actually delivered can be slightly higher than 120.
- How much does the Iowa real estate exam cost, and how soon can you retake it?
- The PSI exam fee is $95 per attempt and is paid when you register; registration fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable, and each registration expires after 90 days if you do not take the exam. If you do not pass, you cannot schedule a new appointment the same day, but you can call PSI the next business day and retest as soon as an opening is available, paying the $95 again. A qualified candidate must apply to the commission within the time the pre-license education is still valid.
- What education and other requirements does Iowa set before you can sit the exam?
- You must be at least 18, complete the commission-approved 60-hour pre-license course in real estate principles and practices within the 12 months before testing, and bring proof of that course to the test center. Before an original license can be issued you must also finish three additional 12-hour courses (Buying Practices, Listing Practices, and Developing Professionalism and Ethical Practices), be sponsored by a licensed Iowa broker who signs your application, submit a national criminal history check through fingerprinting, and pay the $125 license fee. An original salesperson license cannot be issued to inactive status, and it is issued for a three-year term.
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Start the free practice testSources
- PSI Services LLC, Iowa Real Estate Commission Licensing Information Bulletin (Effective 12/8/2025) (Examination Summary Table: salesperson national 80 questions, passing 56, 120 minutes; state 40 questions, passing 28, 60 minutes; both 120 questions, passing 84, 180 minutes; 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions that count against exam time; salesperson and broker exam fee $95; each registration expires after 90 days; cannot retest same day, earliest next business day) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL), Real Estate Salesperson and Brokers License by Exam (60-hour pre-license course plus 12-hour Buying Practices, 12-hour Listing Practices, and 12-hour Developing Professionalism and Ethical Practices; all courses less than one year old at application; exams administered by PSI by appointment; exam fee $95; testing sites in West Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Council Bluffs) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Iowa Code Chapter 543B, Real Estate Brokers and Salespersons (2026): 543B.8 commission created within DIAL, five members consisting of four licensed members and one public member, three-year terms, no more than three terms or nine years; 543B.15(2) age eighteen; 543B.15(8) salesperson short course of at least thirty hours within the twelve months before the exam; 543B.15(9) national criminal history check with fingerprints, application rejected unless the check was completed within the prior 210 calendar days; 543B.20 administration of exams (verified 2026-10-03)
- Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 193E (Rules of the Iowa Real Estate Commission, 2026): 193E-4.1(7) salesperson prelicense education is 60 live instruction or online learning hours of real estate principles and practices plus 12 hours each of Developing Professionalism and Ethical Practices, Buying Practices, and Listing Practices, expiring after 12 months; 193E-4.2 license examination and retake; 193E-4.3 salesperson application deadline and a three-year license term expiring December 31 of the third year; 193E-4.4(2) renewal continuing education of 36 hours (8 law update, 4 ethics, 24 electives) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Iowa Code section 428A.1 (real estate transfer tax: eighty cents for each five hundred dollars or fractional part in excess of five hundred dollars of consideration, equivalent to $1.60 per $1,000) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Iowa Code section 558.69 (groundwater hazard statement: submitted with each declaration of value to the county recorder, signed by at least one seller or the seller's agent, covering burial sites, wells, solid waste sites, underground storage tanks, hazardous waste, and private sewage disposal systems) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Exam details are checked against the Iowa Real Estate Commission (IREC), Professional Licensing Bureau, Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL) and its testing vendor. Always confirm current requirements with the board before your exam.