Does Virginia score the national and state portions of the salesperson exam separately?

Yes. Virginia's salesperson exam has a national portion and a Virginia-law portion, and PSI scores each on its own pass line. You need 56 of 80 on the national portion and 30 of 40 on the state portion. A strong score on one portion will not carry a failing score on the other, so both must be passed. If you pass one and fail the other, you retake only the failed portion.

How many questions are on the Virginia real estate exam, and how long do you get?

There are 120 scored multiple-choice questions: 80 national questions in 105 minutes and 40 state questions in 45 minutes, for 150 minutes total. A small number of additional experimental questions, usually 5 to 10, may be mixed in; those are not scored and the time to answer them does not count against your testing time.

How much does the Virginia real estate exam cost, and how soon can you retake it if you fail?

The PSI examination fee is $60 per sitting and is non-refundable. You cannot book a new appointment the same day you test, but depending on seat availability you may be able to retest within two business days. Each attempt costs the full $60 again, and your passing scores are valid for one year.

What education does Virginia require to get and keep a salesperson license?

Before you sit the exam you must complete a Board-approved 60-hour Principles of Real Estate pre-license course, including its monitored final exam. After you are licensed, you must complete 30 hours of post-license education within one year from the last day of the month your license was issued. Miss that deadline and the license is placed on inactive status until the 30 hours are finished. After the first renewal, active salespersons complete 16 hours of continuing education each two-year term.

What does a Virginia salesperson license application cost, and is fingerprinting required?

The current DPOR salesperson application, form A490-0225SLIC, is $244.50. That is the $230 base fee, which includes the $20 Real Estate Transaction Recovery Fund assessment, plus a $7.25-per-year technology fee for the two-year term. Fingerprinting is mandatory: each applicant submits fingerprints for a state and national criminal history record, usually taken electronically at a Virginia PSI testing site, and the completed application must reach the Board within the window stated on the form after the fingerprint results are received.

Virginia Real Estate Practice Test (Free)

The Virginia real estate salesperson exam has 120 questions and a 2 hours 30 minutes limit. Below are the exact numbers the VA exam uses, and a free practice test to see where you stand.

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The Virginia exam at a glance

License: Real Estate Salesperson
Administered by: PSI Services LLC, under contract with the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) for the Real Estate Board
Total questions: 120 (80 national and 40 Virginia-specific)
Time limit: 2 hours 30 minutes
Passing score: The salesperson exam is two separately scored portions and both must be passed. National portion: 56 of 80 correct (70%) in 105 minutes. State portion: 30 of 40 correct (75%) in 45 minutes. A pass on one portion cannot offset a failure on the other; a failed portion may be retaken on its own. Out-of-state licensees applying by reciprocity take only the state portion.
How it is taken: Computer-based at PSI test centers in Virginia, or remote online proctored (PSI live remote proctoring). Remote proctoring requires Windows 10 or newer, or macOS 14 or later, as of October 14, 2025. The bulletin also references paper-and-pencil testing at examination centers.
If you fail: A new appointment cannot be made on the same day the exam was taken, and, depending on seat availability, an unsuccessful candidate may be able to retest within two business days. Each attempt costs the full $60 examination fee, which is non-refundable and valid for one year. Only the portion failed needs to be retaken. The license application and fee must be received by the Board within one year of the original examination date, or a re-examination is required.

What Virginia requires before you can sit the exam

Minimum age: 18+
Pre-license education: 60 hours
Board-approved Principles of Real Estate pre-license course, 60 class or clock hours (including a monitored final examination), completed before registering for the PSI examination. The education provider submits the student's eligibility to PSI.
Exam / application fee: $60
License term: 2 years
Background check: Fingerprints and a criminal history check are required.

Free Virginia practice questions

10 questions written for the Virginia exam, drawn from 12 in the ApexAgent bank. The correct answer and the reasoning are under each one.

1. How many members serve on the Virginia Real Estate Board, and how is the board composed?
- A. Five members: three licensed brokers or salespersons and two citizen members
- B. Seven members, all of whom must be licensed brokers
- C. Nine members: seven licensed brokers or salespersons and two citizen members ✓
- D. Eleven members: nine licensed brokers or salespersons and two citizen members
Why: Section 54.1-2104 of the Code of Virginia provides that the Real Estate Board is composed of nine members: seven members who have been actively engaged as licensed real estate brokers or salespersons for at least seven consecutive years before their appointment, and two citizen members.
2. What are the minimum age and education qualifications to hold a Virginia real estate salesperson license?
- A. 18 years old and a high school diploma or its equivalent ✓
- B. 21 years old and a high school diploma
- C. 18 years old and a college degree
- D. 19 years old and a high school diploma
Why: 18VAC135-20-30 requires every applicant for an individual salesperson or broker license to be at least 18 years of age and to have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Section 54.1-2105(B)(1)(a) of the Code of Virginia states the same high school education requirement.
3. How much pre-license education must a Virginia salesperson applicant complete before taking the licensing examination?
- A. 30 hours
- B. 45 hours
- C. 60 hours ✓
- D. 180 hours
Why: Section 54.1-2105(B)(1)(b) of the Code of Virginia requires a salesperson applicant to complete a course in the principles of real estate carrying at least four semester hours, but not less than 60 hours of classroom, correspondence, or other distance learning instruction. The Real Estate Board approves the providers and courses.
4. How long does an initial Virginia real estate salesperson license remain valid before it must be renewed?
- A. One year
- B. Two years ✓
- C. Three years
- D. Four years
Why: 18VAC135-20-90 provides that licenses issued for salespersons, brokers, and firms expire two years from the last day of the month in which they were issued, as indicated on the license.
5. What education must a first-time Virginia salesperson complete after licensure, and what happens if it is not completed?
- A. 16 hours of continuing education within two years
- B. 30 hours of post-license education within one year of licensure, or the license goes on inactive status ✓
- C. No further education until the second renewal
- D. 60 hours of post-license education within six months
Why: Section 54.1-2105.01 of the Code of Virginia and 18VAC135-20-95 require a salesperson renewing for the first time to complete 30 hours of post-license education within one year from the last day of the month in which the license was issued. Failure to complete it places the license on inactive status until the curriculum is finished.
6. After the first renewal, how many continuing education hours must an active Virginia salesperson complete during each licensing term?
- A. 8 hours
- B. 16 hours ✓
- C. 24 hours
- D. 30 hours
Why: Section 54.1-2105.03(A)(2) of the Code of Virginia requires active salespersons to complete at least 16 hours of continuing education each licensing term. Of those 16 hours, 11 are required topics (including ethics, fair housing, legal updates, agency, and contracts) and 5 are electives.
7. Under the Code of Virginia, what restriction applies to a licensee who holds escrow funds for a client or another person?
- A. The licensee may use the funds for business expenses so long as they are repaid
- B. The licensee may divert the funds if the client gives verbal permission
- C. No licensee or agent may divert or misuse any funds held in escrow or otherwise held for another ✓
- D. Escrow funds may be commingled with the firm's operating account
Why: Section 54.1-2108 of the Code of Virginia states that no licensee or any agent of the licensee shall divert or misuse any funds held in escrow or otherwise held by him for another. Escrow accounts and record keeping are also governed by the Real Estate Board Licensing Regulations at 18VAC135-20.
8. What amount does each new Virginia real estate licensee pay into the Real Estate Transaction Recovery Fund at the time of initial licensure?
- A. $5
- B. $20 ✓
- C. $50
- D. $100
Why: Section 54.1-2113 of the Code of Virginia requires each initial regulant, at the time of licensure, to be assessed $20 that is specifically assigned to the Virginia Real Estate Transaction Recovery Fund. The assessment is reflected in the salesperson application fee.
9. Under the Virginia Real Estate Transaction Recovery Act, what is the maximum that a single claimant may recover from the fund for one transaction?
- A. $10,000
- B. $20,000 ✓
- C. $50,000
- D. $100,000
Why: Section 54.1-2116(B) of the Code of Virginia limits the maximum claim of one claimant based on the improper or dishonest conduct of one regulant in a single transaction to $20,000, regardless of the number of claimants. The aggregate for one transaction is limited to $50,000, and claims against one licensee across multiple transactions are limited to $100,000 per biennial license period.
10. In a Virginia residential real estate transaction, what is a standard agent?
- A. A licensee who is guaranteed a fixed commission regardless of the brokerage agreement
- B. A licensee who acts for or represents a client in an agency relationship and owes the duties set out in Article 3 of Chapter 21 ✓
- C. A licensee who represents only the buyer and owes no duties to the seller
- D. An unlicensed assistant who performs only clerical work
Why: Section 54.1-2130 of the Code of Virginia defines a standard agent as a licensee who acts for or represents a client in an agency relationship in a residential real estate transaction. A standard agent must fulfill the duties set out in Article 3 (Sections 54.1-2131 through 54.1-2135), including loyalty, confidentiality, ordinary care, and disclosure of material facts.

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

Frequently asked questions

Does Virginia score the national and state portions of the salesperson exam separately?: Yes. Virginia's salesperson exam has a national portion and a Virginia-law portion, and PSI scores each on its own pass line. You need 56 of 80 on the national portion and 30 of 40 on the state portion. A strong score on one portion will not carry a failing score on the other, so both must be passed. If you pass one and fail the other, you retake only the failed portion.
How many questions are on the Virginia real estate exam, and how long do you get?: There are 120 scored multiple-choice questions: 80 national questions in 105 minutes and 40 state questions in 45 minutes, for 150 minutes total. A small number of additional experimental questions, usually 5 to 10, may be mixed in; those are not scored and the time to answer them does not count against your testing time.
How much does the Virginia real estate exam cost, and how soon can you retake it if you fail?: The PSI examination fee is $60 per sitting and is non-refundable. You cannot book a new appointment the same day you test, but depending on seat availability you may be able to retest within two business days. Each attempt costs the full $60 again, and your passing scores are valid for one year.
What education does Virginia require to get and keep a salesperson license?: Before you sit the exam you must complete a Board-approved 60-hour Principles of Real Estate pre-license course, including its monitored final exam. After you are licensed, you must complete 30 hours of post-license education within one year from the last day of the month your license was issued. Miss that deadline and the license is placed on inactive status until the 30 hours are finished. After the first renewal, active salespersons complete 16 hours of continuing education each two-year term.
What does a Virginia salesperson license application cost, and is fingerprinting required?: The current DPOR salesperson application, form A490-0225SLIC, is $244.50. That is the $230 base fee, which includes the $20 Real Estate Transaction Recovery Fund assessment, plus a $7.25-per-year technology fee for the two-year term. Fingerprinting is mandatory: each applicant submits fingerprints for a state and national criminal history record, usually taken electronically at a Virginia PSI testing site, and the completed application must reach the Board within the window stated on the form after the fingerprint results are received.

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Sources

PSI, Commonwealth of Virginia Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (bulletin 466): Examination Summary Table (Salesperson national 80 questions / 105 minutes, state 40 / 45 minutes, both 120 / 150 minutes); passing scores (national 56, state 30); examination fee $60; 5 to 10 unscored experimental items; retest within two business days; mandatory fingerprinting; remote online proctoring (verified 2026-10-03)
Virginia DPOR, Real Estate Board: Pre-License Education (salesperson applicants complete 60 class/clock hours of a Board-approved pre-license course and pass the state and national portions of the examination) (verified 2026-10-03)
Virginia DPOR, Real Estate Salesperson License Application, form A490-0225SLIC-v15 (rev. 07/01/2026): fee $244.50, including the $7.25-per-year technology fee under 2026 House Bill 30; application must be received within 1 year of the initial examination date or a re-examination is required (verified 2026-10-03)
Code of Virginia, Title 54.1, Chapter 21, Section 54.1-2105 (educational and experience requirements: salesperson must have a high school diploma or its equivalent and a principles of real estate course of at least four semester hours but not less than 60 hours of instruction) (verified 2026-10-03)
Code of Virginia, Section 54.1-2105.01 (30-hour post-license education for all salespersons within the initial year of licensure; failure places the license on inactive status) (verified 2026-10-03)
Code of Virginia, Section 54.1-2105.03 (continuing education: active salespersons 16 hours per licensing term, 11 required hours including ethics, fair housing, legal updates, agency, and contracts) (verified 2026-10-03)
Code of Virginia, Section 54.1-2104 (Real Estate Board is composed of nine members: seven licensed brokers or salespersons with at least seven consecutive years of active engagement before appointment, and two citizen members) (verified 2026-10-03)
18VAC135-20-30, Qualifications for individual licensure (applicant must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or equivalent; must submit to fingerprinting under Section 54.1-204) (verified 2026-10-03)
18VAC135-20-90, Renewal required (salesperson, broker, and firm licenses expire two years from the last day of the month in which they were issued), and 18VAC135-20-95, post-license education for salespersons (verified 2026-10-03)
Code of Virginia, Section 54.1-2116, Limitations upon recovery from the Virginia Real Estate Transaction Recovery Fund ($20,000 maximum per claimant for a single transaction; $50,000 aggregate per transaction; $100,000 aggregate per biennial license period), and Section 54.1-2113, $20 initial assessment (verified 2026-10-03)
Exam details are checked against the Virginia Real Estate Board, Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) and its testing vendor. Always confirm current requirements with the board before your exam.