What license do you get in North Carolina?

North Carolina is a broker-only state, so there is no salesperson license. A person who qualifies by examination is issued an inactive real estate broker license on provisional status, which is why new licensees are called provisional brokers. A provisional broker must work under a broker-in-charge to be active. The provisional status is removed after the broker completes the 90-hour postlicensing education.

How many questions are on the North Carolina real estate exam?

The comprehensive exam has 140 scored questions split into two separately timed sections: 80 national and 60 North Carolina state questions. Each section also hides 5 unscored pretest questions, so you will see 85 national and 65 state items on screen. The national section allows 2.5 hours and the state section 2.0 hours.

What score do you need to pass the North Carolina real estate exam?

You must score 75 on each section, and the two sections are scored separately, so passing one does not carry the other. Both required sections must be passed within the same 180-day examination eligibility period.

How much education does North Carolina require?

Before you apply, you must complete the 75-hour North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course from a Commission-certified provider. After you are licensed as a provisional broker, you must finish 90 hours of postlicensing education within 18 months to remove the provisional status.

How much does it cost to take the North Carolina broker exam?

You pay the Commission a $105 application fee each time you apply or refile to become exam-eligible, and you pay Pearson VUE a separate examination fee: $63 for the two-part comprehensive exam or $53 for a single section.

North Carolina Real Estate Practice Test (Free)

The North Carolina provisional broker exam has 140 questions and a 4 hours 30 minutes limit. Below are the exact numbers the NC exam uses, and a free practice test to see where you stand.

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The North Carolina exam at a glance

License: Provisional Broker
Administered by: Pearson VUE, under contract with NCREC (since March 1, 2024)
Total questions: 140 (80 national and 60 North Carolina-specific)
Time limit: 4 hours 30 minutes
Passing score: Two separately timed and separately scored sections. National: 80 scored items, 2.5 hours (150 minutes), passing score 75. State: 60 scored items, 2.0 hours (120 minutes), passing score 75. Both required sections must be passed within the same 180-day examination eligibility period; passing one section does not carry the other. Each section also contains 5 unscored pretest items, so 85 national and 65 state items (150 total) appear on screen.
How it is taken: In person at Pearson VUE test centers in North Carolina and other states. Walk-in testing is not available.
If you fail: No fixed waiting period and no cap on the number of attempts. Each retake requires refiling the license application with NCREC and paying the $105 application fee again, plus a separate Pearson VUE exam fee. You may retake only the section you failed if at least 10 eligibility days remain in your 180-day window; otherwise you must retake the full two-part exam within a new 180-day window. Pearson VUE fee: $63 for the comprehensive two-part exam, $53 for a single section.

What North Carolina requires before you can sit the exam

Minimum age: 18+
Pre-license education: 75 hours
North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course (75 instructional hours at a Commission-certified provider, with a mandatory end-of-course exam)
Exam / application fee: $105
License term: 1 years

Free North Carolina practice questions

10 questions written for the North Carolina exam, drawn from 30 in the ApexAgent bank. The correct answer and the reasoning are under each one.

1. North Carolina issues only one type of real estate license to individuals. What is it?
- A. Salesperson license
- B. Broker license ✓
- C. Agent license
- D. Associate license
Why: North Carolina is a broker-only state. N.C.G.S. 93A-4 provides for a real estate broker license and there is no separate salesperson license. A person new to the business is licensed as a broker on provisional status.
2. What is the minimum age to apply for a North Carolina real estate broker license?
- A. 16
- B. 17
- C. 18 ✓
- D. 21
Why: N.C.G.S. 93A-4(a) requires each applicant for a real estate broker license to be at least 18 years of age.
3. How many hours of instruction must the North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course contain?
- A. 45 hours
- B. 75 hours ✓
- C. 90 hours
- D. 120 hours
Why: N.C.G.S. 93A-4(a) requires an education program of at least 75 hours from a Commission-certified provider before applying for a broker license, with a mandatory end-of-course examination.
4. The 75-hour Broker Prelicensing Course must have been completed within what period before the application is filed?
- A. Six months
- B. One year
- C. Two years
- D. Three years ✓
Why: N.C.G.S. 93A-4(a) requires the course to be completed within the three years preceding the date the application is made.
5. A person who passes the North Carolina broker exam and is licensed for the first time is classified as which of the following?
- A. Salesperson
- B. Broker-in-charge
- C. Provisional broker ✓
- D. Broker-eligible
Why: Under N.C.G.S. 93A-4(a1), every person first issued a broker license on or after April 1, 2006 is initially classified as a provisional broker.
6. How many hours of postlicensing education must a North Carolina provisional broker complete, and within what time?
- A. 45 hours within 12 months
- B. 75 hours within 18 months
- C. 90 hours within 18 months ✓
- D. 90 hours within 24 months
Why: N.C.G.S. 93A-4(a1) requires a provisional broker to complete a 90-hour postlicensing education program within 18 months following initial licensure.
7. What happens to a North Carolina broker license if the provisional broker fails to complete all 90 hours of postlicensing education within 18 months?
- A. The license is revoked permanently
- B. The license is placed on inactive status ✓
- C. The license converts to a salesperson license
- D. Nothing, the deadline is extended automatically
Why: Under N.C.G.S. 93A-4(a1), the license is placed on inactive status when the postlicensing education is not completed within 18 months. It is not returned to active status until the education requirement is satisfied.
8. What removes the provisional status from a North Carolina broker license?
- A. Three years of active experience
- B. Completing the 90-hour postlicensing education ✓
- C. Passing the state section of the exam a second time
- D. Being named BIC-eligible
Why: N.C.G.S. 93A-4(a1) states that completion of the postlicensing education program terminates the provisional status of the broker license.
9. A North Carolina provisional broker may perform acts for which a license is required only when the provisional broker is which of the following?
- A. Working as a sole proprietor
- B. Supervised by a broker-in-charge ✓
- C. Acting under a power of attorney
- D. Affiliated with an out-of-state firm
Why: The definition in N.C.G.S. 93A-2(a2) states that a provisional broker must be supervised by a broker-in-charge when performing any act for which a real estate license is required.
10. To qualify as a broker-in-charge in North Carolina, a broker must have at least how much full-time real estate brokerage experience?
- A. One year within the previous three years
- B. Two years within the previous five years ✓
- C. Three years within the previous five years
- D. Five years within the previous ten years
Why: N.C.G.S. 93A-4.2 requires at least two years of full-time real estate brokerage experience, or equivalent part-time experience, within the previous five years, plus a Commission course.

Want more North Carolina-specific questions? Practice the full North Carolina state-law set.

Frequently asked questions

What license do you get in North Carolina?: North Carolina is a broker-only state, so there is no salesperson license. A person who qualifies by examination is issued an inactive real estate broker license on provisional status, which is why new licensees are called provisional brokers. A provisional broker must work under a broker-in-charge to be active. The provisional status is removed after the broker completes the 90-hour postlicensing education.
How many questions are on the North Carolina real estate exam?: The comprehensive exam has 140 scored questions split into two separately timed sections: 80 national and 60 North Carolina state questions. Each section also hides 5 unscored pretest questions, so you will see 85 national and 65 state items on screen. The national section allows 2.5 hours and the state section 2.0 hours.
What score do you need to pass the North Carolina real estate exam?: You must score 75 on each section, and the two sections are scored separately, so passing one does not carry the other. Both required sections must be passed within the same 180-day examination eligibility period.
How much education does North Carolina require?: Before you apply, you must complete the 75-hour North Carolina Broker Prelicensing Course from a Commission-certified provider. After you are licensed as a provisional broker, you must finish 90 hours of postlicensing education within 18 months to remove the provisional status.
How much does it cost to take the North Carolina broker exam?: You pay the Commission a $105 application fee each time you apply or refile to become exam-eligible, and you pay Pearson VUE a separate examination fee: $63 for the two-part comprehensive exam or $53 for a single section.

North Carolina real estate license requirements

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Sources

NCREC - Real Estate Licensing in North Carolina (RELINC) application booklet: exam format (80 national + 60 state scored, 5 pretest each), section times, passing score 75, application and exam fees, 180-day eligibility, retake rules, postlicensing (verified 2026-10-03)
Pearson VUE - North Carolina Real Estate Candidate Handbook (April 2026 edition of RELINC): item counts, pretest items, 2.5h/2.0h section times, passing score 75, $105 application fee, $63/$53 exam fees (verified 2026-10-03)
NCREC - Licensing FAQs: passing score is 75 for both the National and State sections, computed separately (verified 2026-10-03)
NCREC - Apply For a License: 75-hour Broker Prelicensing Course requirement and application process (verified 2026-10-03)
NCREC eBulletin (March 2024) - exam moved to Pearson VUE; National section 80 scored items, State section 60 scored items (verified 2026-10-03)
N.C.G.S. Chapter 93A, Article 1 (ss 93A-3, 93A-4, 93A-4.2) - Commission composition, age and education requirements, provisional broker and postlicensing, BIC qualification, license term and renewal fee (verified 2026-10-03)
NCREC - Prelicensing Course Schedule Details page: cites 71% (57 of 80) National and 72.5% (29 of 40) State. This is the superseded pre-2024 exam; see notes. (verified 2026-10-03)
Exam details are checked against the North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC) and its testing vendor. Always confirm current requirements with the board before your exam.