Tennessee Real Estate Practice Test (Free)
The Tennessee affiliate broker exam has 120 questions and a 4 hours limit. Below are the exact numbers the TN exam uses, and a free practice test to see where you stand.
The Tennessee exam at a glance
- License
- Affiliate Broker
- Administered by
- PSI Services LLC, under contract with the Tennessee Real Estate Commission
- Total questions
- 120 (80 national and 40 Tennessee-specific)
- Time limit
- 4 hours
- Passing score
- The exam has two separately scored sections and each must be passed on its own: at least 56 of 80 on the national section (70%) and at least 28 of 40 on the state section (70%). A strong national score cannot rescue a failed state section, and vice versa. A tutorial of up to 15 minutes, if used, is not counted against exam time.
- How it is taken
- Computer based at PSI test centers in Tennessee, or remote online proctored by PSI.
- If you fail
- You retake only the section you failed. A first retake cannot be scheduled until the day after the exam; after a second failed attempt on the same section you must wait 30 days between subsequent attempts. The fee is charged per section ($37 national only, $26 state only, or $63 for both) and is paid to PSI, so retake.feeUsd is left null rather than picking one number. A section you passed stays valid for two retakes of the failed section or one year, whichever comes first.
What Tennessee requires before you can sit the exam
- Minimum age
- 18+
- Pre-license education
- 90 hours
- 60-hour Basic Principles of Real Estate course at a TREC-approved school, required before you can sit the licensing exam (T.C.A. 62-13-303(b)(2); Rule 1260-05-.03). Each classroom hour is 50 minutes of instruction.
- 30-hour Course for New Affiliates at a TREC-approved school, required before TREC will issue the affiliate broker license (PSI candidate bulletin; T.C.A. 62-13-303(a)(3)).
- Exam / application fee
- $63
- License term
- 2 years
- Background check
- Fingerprints and a criminal history check are required.
Free Tennessee practice questions
10 questions written for the Tennessee exam, drawn from 12 in the ApexAgent bank. The correct answer and the reasoning are under each one.
1. The Tennessee Real Estate Commission is created under Tennessee Code Annotated Title 62, Chapter 13. How many members does the commission consist of?
- A. Five
- B. Seven
- C. Nine ✓
- D. Eleven
Why: Tenn. Code Ann. Section 62-13-201(a) creates the Tennessee Real Estate Commission and provides that it consists of nine members appointed by the governor, each of whom must be a resident of the state and of good moral character.
2. How long is the term of a member of the Tennessee Real Estate Commission?
- A. Two years
- B. Three years
- C. Four years
- D. Five years ✓
Why: Tenn. Code Ann. Section 62-13-201(d)(1) provides that every member of the commission is appointed for a term of five years and serves until a successor is appointed and qualifies. No member may be appointed to succeed himself or herself for more than one full term.
3. Of the nine members of the Tennessee Real Estate Commission, how many must have been principally engaged in Tennessee as a licensed broker or affiliate broker for at least five years before appointment?
- A. Three
- B. Five
- C. Seven ✓
- D. Nine
Why: Tenn. Code Ann. Section 62-13-201(b) requires seven of the nine members to have each been principally engaged as a licensed broker or affiliate broker in this state for at least five years prior to appointment and to be of recognized business standing. The remaining two members are public members under Section 62-13-201(c).
4. Under Tennessee law, a licensee who has not entered into a specific written agreement to represent a party to a transaction is considered which of the following?
- A. A seller's agent by default
- B. A buyer's agent by default
- C. A facilitator ✓
- D. A subagent of the listing broker
Why: Tenn. Code Ann. Section 62-13-401 provides that until a licensee enters into a specific written agreement to establish an agency relationship, the licensee is considered a facilitator and is not an agent or advocate of any party. An agency or subagency relationship cannot be assumed, implied, or created without a written bilateral agreement.
5. Which of the following is a duty that a Tennessee licensee owes to all parties to a transaction, not only to the licensee's own client?
- A. Obeying all lawful instructions of the client
- B. Placing the client's interests before all others
- C. Disclosing to each party any adverse facts of which the licensee has actual notice or knowledge ✓
- D. Negotiating the lowest possible price for the buyer
Why: Tenn. Code Ann. Section 62-13-403 requires a licensee to owe all parties duties that include disclosing any adverse facts of which the licensee has actual notice or knowledge, exercising reasonable skill and care, and dealing with honesty and good faith. Obeying lawful instructions and placing the client's interests first are duties owed to the licensee's own client under Section 62-13-404.
6. A Tennessee licensee verbally discloses agency status to an unrepresented seller. Under state law, by when must that disclosure be confirmed in writing?
- A. Within three business days of the first showing
- B. Before the closing of the transaction
- C. Before execution of a listing agreement or presentation of an offer to purchase, whichever comes first ✓
- D. Within ten days after the listing expires
Why: Tenn. Code Ann. Section 62-13-405(b) requires the disclosure of agency status to be confirmed in writing with an unrepresented seller prior to execution of a listing agreement or presentation of an offer to purchase, whichever comes first. The licensee must also obtain a signed receipt for the written disclosure.
7. Under Tennessee law, for how long must a broker keep accurate records of an escrow or trustee account showing the depositor, the date of deposit, the date of withdrawal, and the payee?
- A. One year
- B. Two years
- C. Three years ✓
- D. Five years
Why: Tenn. Code Ann. Section 62-13-321 requires a broker to keep an escrow or trustee account of funds deposited in connection with a real estate transaction and to maintain accurate records of that account for a period of at least three years. Section 62-13-312(b)(6) separately makes it a violation to fail to preserve records relating to a real estate transaction for three years.
8. A newly licensed Tennessee affiliate broker must complete 30 hours of commission-approved education in specified areas. What is the consequence if proof of that education is not provided within the required six-month period?
- A. The commission issues a written reprimand
- B. The license is downgraded to a broker license
- C. The affiliate broker's license automatically expires at the end of the six-month period ✓
- D. Nothing, because the requirement may be waived
Why: Tenn. Code Ann. Section 62-13-303(a)(3)(A) requires all affiliate brokers to complete 30 hours of commission-approved education, including areas such as contract writing, handling consumer deposits, listing property, and agency disclosures, within six months of obtaining the license. If the education is not obtained and proof is not provided within that period, the affiliate broker's license automatically expires at the end of the six months.
9. Before being licensed as an affiliate broker in Tennessee, an applicant must show certification of satisfactory completion of how many classroom hours in real estate, including the basic principles course?
- A. Forty-five
- B. Sixty ✓
- C. Ninety
- D. One hundred twenty
Why: Tenn. Code Ann. Section 62-13-303(b)(2) requires certification of satisfactory completion of sixty classroom hours in real estate at an approved school, college, or university, including thirty classroom hours covering the basic principles of real estate. Rule 1260-05-.03(3) identifies this as the 60-hour basic principles course. The separate 30-hour course for new affiliates under Section 62-13-303(a)(3) brings the total education to 90 hours.
10. Tennessee's Real Estate Education and Recovery Account can pay a maximum of how much per transaction to compensate an aggrieved member of the public?
- A. $5,000
- B. $10,000
- C. $15,000 ✓
- D. $50,000
Why: Tenn. Code Ann. Section 62-13-208 establishes the real estate education and recovery account and requires a minimum balance of $500,000. The maximum recovery is $15,000 per transaction, regardless of the number of aggrieved persons or parcels, and the account's liability for the acts of any one broker, affiliate broker, or time-share salesperson is limited to an aggregate of $30,000.
Want more Tennessee-specific questions? Practice the full Tennessee state-law set.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Tennessee split the real estate exam into a national part and a state part?
- Yes. The Tennessee affiliate broker exam has two sections that are scored separately: an 80-question national section and a 40-question state section, 120 scored questions in all. You must earn at least 70% on each section on its own, which is 56 correct of 80 national and 28 correct of 40 state. Passing one section does not help you pass the other. That split structure is a common surprise for candidates arriving from single-exam states such as Florida, where one combined score covers the whole test.
- What is an Affiliate Broker in Tennessee?
- Affiliate Broker is Tennessee's name for the entry-level real estate license. Tennessee has no salesperson tier: a new licensee is an Affiliate Broker who must work under a licensed principal broker. The next steps up are Broker and then Principal Broker. The affiliate broker exam is a different test from the broker exam, which is scored 75 national plus 50 state questions.
- What score do you need to pass the Tennessee real estate exam?
- 70% on each section independently. You need at least 56 of 80 on the national section and at least 28 of 40 on the state section. Both pass lines must be met; a 90% national score will not cover a failing state section. A small number of unscored experimental questions may be mixed into the sections and are not counted toward your score.
- How long is the Tennessee real estate exam, and how much does it cost?
- The two sections allow 160 minutes for the 80 national questions and 80 minutes for the 40 state questions, 240 minutes total. The PSI examination fee is $63 for both sections, or $37 for the national section alone and $26 for the state section alone when retaking. A 15-minute tutorial, if used, does not count against your exam time.
- What education and other requirements does Tennessee set before you can be licensed as an Affiliate Broker?
- You must be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, complete 90 hours of TREC-approved education (a 60-hour Basic Principles course before the exam plus a 30-hour Course for New Affiliates), pass both sections of the PSI exam, submit electronic fingerprints for the background check, carry errors and omissions insurance, and have a principal broker sign your examination application. The initial license fee is $91, and you must apply at core.tn.gov within one year of passing the exam.
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- PSI Services, Tennessee Real Estate Commission Candidate Information Bulletin (Updated 7/1/2025): affiliate broker exam is 80 national items in 160 minutes passing at 56 (70%) and 40 state items in 80 minutes passing at 28 (70%); exam fee $63 full / $37 national only / $26 state only; retake rules and passed-section validity; 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions that count against time; 90 hours of education with 60 hours principles before the exam and the 30-hour Course for New Affiliates before issuance; apply within one year of passing (verified 2026-10-03)
- Tennessee Real Estate Commission, Fees (Initial Affiliate $91; Broker upgrade from Affiliate $91; Licensee and Firm Renewal every 2 years $75) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Tennessee Real Estate Commission, PSI and Exam Information (PSI administers the exams for TREC; the education provider submits the online application to PSI, which approves testing eligibility) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Tennessee Real Estate Commission, How to Get a License (age 18 qualifying question; all licensees required to be fingerprinted as of January 1, 2014; proof of completion of pre-license education 60 hr and 30 hr; fees due $91) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Tennessee Real Estate Commission, Affiliate Broker Licensure (PSI examination application signed by the principal broker; errors and omissions insurance; high school proof; entitlements verification) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Tennessee Real Estate Commission, Real Estate Education and Recovery Account (minimum balance $500,000; maximum recovery $15,000 per transaction; aggregate liability limited to $30,000 for the acts of a broker, affiliate broker or time-share salesperson) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 62, Chapter 13, Tennessee Real Estate Broker License Act of 1973 (62-13-201 commission creation and members; 62-13-208 education and recovery account; 62-13-303 qualifications and education; 62-13-307 two-year license term; 62-13-308 fees; 62-13-310 affiliate broker relationship; 62-13-312 discipline; 62-13-321 escrow accounts; 62-13-401 through 405 agency and disclosure; 62-13-406 designated agency), read via the Justia mirror of the Tennessee Code (verified 2026-10-03)
- Rules of the Tennessee Real Estate Commission, Official Compilation (Chapter 1260-02 Rules of Conduct, including 1260-02-.01 supervision of affiliate brokers, 1260-02-.12 advertising, and 1260-02-.32 civil penalties; Chapter 1260-05 Educational Requirements, including 1260-05-.03 course requirements and the 60-hour basic principles course) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Exam details are checked against the Tennessee Real Estate Commission (TREC), Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) and its testing vendor. Always confirm current requirements with the board before your exam.