West Virginia Real Estate Practice Test (Free)
The West Virginia real estate salesperson exam has 130 questions and a 3 hours 30 minutes limit. Below are the exact numbers the WV exam uses, and a free practice test to see where you stand.
The West Virginia exam at a glance
- License
- Real Estate Salesperson
- Administered by
- Pearson VUE, under contract with the West Virginia Real Estate Commission
- Total questions
- 130 (80 national and 50 West Virginia-specific)
- Time limit
- 3 hours 30 minutes
- Passing score
- A scaled score of 70 percent or higher on each portion of the salesperson examination (the broker pass line is 75 percent). The national portion and the state law portion are scored and passed separately, so a candidate must reach 70 percent on both. Under a 70 percent cut score the raw equivalents are 56 of 80 on the national portion and 35 of 50 on the state portion, but West Virginia reports only a scaled score, and numeric results go to failing candidates only.
- How it is taken
- In person at Pearson VUE test centers (including sites across West Virginia and Pearson VUE centers on military installations), or online proctored through Pearson VUE OnVUE. The national and state portions are scheduled separately but may be taken back to back.
- If you fail
- A candidate is authorized for ninety (90) days or two attempts, whichever comes first, and does not need new authorization to retake within that window. Those who pass one portion and fail the other retake ONLY the failed portion, and must do so within the authorization period. There is no published minimum waiting period between attempts, so waitDays is null. Each Pearson VUE exam part costs $59. If the authorization window lapses before both portions are passed, the candidate must resubmit an initial application, pay the Commission's reexamination fee, and be authorized again for the failed portion.
What West Virginia requires before you can sit the exam
- Minimum age
- 18+
- Pre-license education
- 90 hours
- Real Estate Principles and Practice (30 clock hours)
- Real Estate Law (20 clock hours)
- Real Estate Finance (20 clock hours)
- Real Estate Appraisal (20 clock hours)
- Exam / application fee
- $25
- License term
- 1 years
- Background check
- Fingerprints and a criminal history check are required.
Free West Virginia practice questions
10 questions written for the West 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 West Virginia Real Estate Commission?
- A. Three
- B. Five ✓
- C. Seven
- D. Nine
Why: W. Va. Code 30-40-6(b)(1) provides that the commission consists of five persons appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. Four must be licensed under the article and one must be a citizen member who is not so licensed.
2. West Virginia Real Estate Commission members are appointed by the Governor. How long is each member's term?
- A. Two years
- B. Three years
- C. Four years ✓
- D. Six years
Why: W. Va. Code 30-40-6(b)(1) states that commission members are appointed for terms of four years. W. Va. Code 30-40-6(e) also bars any member from serving more than two consecutive full terms and requires a one-year break after the second full term.
3. Of the five members of the West Virginia Real Estate Commission, how many must be licensed under the Real Estate License Act?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four ✓
- D. All five
Why: W. Va. Code 30-40-6(b)(1) requires four commissioners to be licensed under the provisions of the article and one commissioner to be a citizen member who is not licensed. Each licensed commissioner must also have practiced in West Virginia as a broker, associate broker, or salesperson as a primary vocation for at least ten years before appointment.
4. How many clock hours of pre-license education does West Virginia require of an applicant for a salesperson license?
- A. 60 clock hours
- B. 90 clock hours ✓
- C. 120 clock hours
- D. 180 clock hours
Why: W. Va. Code 30-40-14(b) requires an applicant for a salesperson's license to complete 90 clock-hours, equivalent to six college semester credit hours, in courses approved by the commission. The broker requirement under W. Va. Code 30-40-14(a) is 180 clock-hours.
5. The West Virginia salesperson pre-license course is divided among four subject areas. How many clock hours are devoted to Real Estate Appraisal?
- A. 10 clock hours
- B. 20 clock hours ✓
- C. 30 clock hours
- D. 40 clock hours
Why: Title 174 Legislative Rule, Series 3, section 3.4.1 (174 CSR 3), and the Commission's education requirements, prescribe the 90-hour salesperson course as 30 clock hours of Real Estate Principles and Practice, 20 clock hours of Real Estate Law, 20 clock hours of Real Estate Finance, and 20 clock hours of Real Estate Appraisal.
6. How much continuing professional education must a West Virginia licensee complete each fiscal year?
- A. Three hours
- B. Five hours
- C. Seven hours ✓
- D. Ten hours
Why: W. Va. Code 30-40-16(a) requires every licensee to complete seven hours of continuing professional education for each fiscal year, with each hour equaling 50 minutes of instruction. For brokers and associate brokers, three of the seven hours must come from the broker-level curriculum.
7. Under West Virginia law, what is the maximum amount of a broker's own money that may be deposited in a trust fund account to maintain a minimum balance?
- A. $0
- B. $50
- C. $100 ✓
- D. $500
Why: W. Va. Code 30-40-18(f) prohibits commingling the broker's own funds with trust funds but allows the broker to deposit a maximum of $100 of his or her own money to maintain a minimum balance. The same section requires the account to be at a federally insured institution and to permit withdrawal of funds without notice.
8. A West Virginia real estate license certificate is valid for a period that coincides with:
- A. the calendar year, January 1 to December 31
- B. the fiscal year, July 1 to June 30 ✓
- C. a two-year biennium
- D. a three-year term from the date of issuance
Why: W. Va. Code 30-40-17(c)(5) states that the license certificate is valid for a period that coincides with the fiscal year beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30. That one-year term is why renewal and continuing education are described per fiscal year.
9. Which of the following listing arrangements is expressly prohibited as a ground for discipline under the West Virginia Real Estate License Act?
- A. An exclusive right to sell listing
- B. An open listing
- C. A net listing ✓
- D. An exclusive agency listing
Why: W. Va. Code 30-40-19(a)(40) makes it a ground for refusal, suspension, or revocation to obtain, negotiate, or attempt to negotiate a contract under which the broker is entitled to a commission only to the extent that the sales price exceeds a given amount, which is the arrangement called a net listing.
10. To qualify for a West Virginia broker's license based on experience, an applicant must show representation of a buyer or seller in a minimum of how many closed transactions during the two years before application?
- A. 10 closed transactions
- B. 20 closed transactions ✓
- C. 30 closed transactions
- D. 40 closed transactions
Why: W. Va. Code 30-40-12(a)(1) requires either real estate experience as a licensed salesperson during the two years prior to application showing representation of a buyer or seller in a minimum of 20 closed transactions, or, regardless of the number of years as a salesperson, a minimum of 40 closed transactions.
Want more West Virginia-specific questions? Practice the full West Virginia state-law set.
Frequently asked questions
- Does West Virginia split the real estate exam into a national portion and a state portion?
- Yes. The West Virginia salesperson examination is delivered as two separately scored portions: a national (general) portion of 80 scored items in 150 minutes and a West Virginia state law portion of 50 scored items in 60 minutes. You must pass both, and the two are scored independently, with a separate pass line of 70 percent on each. This is different from single-exam states such as Florida, where one combined score covers the whole test.
- What score do you need to pass the West Virginia real estate exam?
- 70 percent on each portion for a salesperson license (the broker passing score is 75 percent). West Virginia and Pearson VUE set the cut score through a comprehensive study, and raw scores are converted to a scaled score of 0 to 100, so the figure you see is not a literal count of correct answers. Numeric scores are released only to failing candidates. Each 80-item national portion and 50-item state portion also carries about 5 unscored pretest items that do not count.
- How long is the West Virginia real estate exam, and how many questions does it have?
- 130 scored multiple-choice questions, split as 80 on the national portion (150 minutes) and 50 on the state portion (60 minutes), for 210 minutes (three and a half hours) of testing in total. The two portions are scheduled separately but can be taken back to back. Each portion includes about 5 extra pretest items that are not scored.
- How much does the West Virginia real estate exam cost, and how soon can you retake it?
- The Pearson VUE exam fee is $59 for each part, paid when you book; the test center does not take payment. Separately, the Commission charges a $25 application fee to sit the exam. Your authorization to test is good for 90 days or two attempts, whichever comes first, and you do not need new authorization to retake inside that window. If you pass one portion and fail the other, you retake only the failed portion, and you have 90 days from passing one portion to pass the other. If the window expires, you must reapply and pay the reexamination fee.
- What education and other requirements does West Virginia set before you can sit the exam?
- You must be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or its equivalent, be trustworthy and of good moral character, and complete the 90-hour Commission-approved pre-license course. The 90 hours break down as 30 hours of Real Estate Principles and Practice plus 20 hours each of Real Estate Law, Real Estate Finance, and Real Estate Appraisal, and you must score 70 percent or higher in each subject area to sit for the exam. You also complete a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history record check (done through the Commission's vendor using service code 228Q6K), which is valid for only 90 days, and submit your online exam application with the official course completion certificate and a copy of your driver's license. After passing both portions you apply for the license within 90 days.
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Start the free practice testSources
- Pearson VUE, West Virginia Real Estate Candidate Handbook, February 2026 (#094900) (exam fee $59 per part; National Salesperson 80 scored items plus 5 pretest in 150 minutes; State Salesperson 50 scored items plus 5 pretest in 60 minutes; salesperson passing score 70 percent, broker 75 percent; scaled scoring and numeric reports to failing candidates only; 90 days or two attempts; retake only the failed portion; OnVUE one attempt for life; report 30 minutes early; passing exam score good for 90 days) (verified 2026-10-03)
- West Virginia Real Estate Commission, Initial Salesperson (18 or older with a high school diploma or equivalent; trustworthy and of good moral character; 90-hour course; national criminal history check valid 90 days, service code 228Q6K; online exam application; 90 days or two attempts; apply for license within 90 days of passing; proof of passing both portions and verification of sponsoring broker) (verified 2026-10-03)
- West Virginia Real Estate Commission, Education Requirements for Licensure (salesperson pre-license 90 clock hours = 30 Principles and Practice, 20 Law, 20 Finance, 20 Appraisal; 70 percent or higher in each subject area to sit; course must be completed within three years of application) (verified 2026-10-03)
- West Virginia Real Estate License Act and Legislative Rules, West Virginia Code Chapter 30, Article 40 (Law Book, in effect as of June 4, 2024): s. 30-40-6 commission of five members serving four-year terms, four licensed and one citizen member; s. 30-40-11 application, minimum age 18 and fingerprint-based state and national criminal history record check; s. 30-40-12 broker qualifications (20 closed transactions in two years, or 40); s. 30-40-14 pre-license hours; s. 30-40-15 licensing based on licensure in another jurisdiction (state law portion required); s. 30-40-16 seven hours of continuing education per fiscal year; s. 30-40-17 one-year license term (July 1 to June 30) and change of employing broker; s. 30-40-18 trust fund accounts (maximum $100 of the broker's own funds); s. 30-40-19 grounds for refusal, suspension, or revocation, including net listings, commingling, and failure to disclose agency (verified 2026-10-03)
- West Virginia Secretary of State, Administrative Law Division, Title 174 Legislative Rule, Real Estate Commission, Series 2, Schedule of Fees (salesperson/broker license application fee $25.00; salesperson license fee $75.00 initial and renewal; examination fees up to $150.00 each, capped by the negotiated fee when a third-party provider is used) (verified 2026-10-03)
- West Virginia Real Estate Commission, Law and Legislative Rules index (Series 1 Licensing, Series 2 Schedule of Fees effective April 10, 2024, Series 3 Course and Instructor Requirements) (verified 2026-10-03)
- Exam details are checked against the West Virginia Real Estate Commission (WVREC) and its testing vendor. Always confirm current requirements with the board before your exam.