Real estate license · Illinois
As of October 26, 2026, Illinois broker candidates complete 75 class hours at an IDFPR-approved school: 60 hours of Broker Pre-License Topics and 15 hours of interactive Applied Real Estate Principles.
The Illinois broker exam from PSI has a 100-question national portion with 150 minutes and a 70% passing score, and a 40-question state portion with 90 minutes and a 75% passing score.
PSI says the 70% passing standard on the Illinois national broker portion is the same standard as the scaled score of 75 it reported before (per test-takers.psiexams.com, checked on Oct 26, 2026).
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OneTryPass wrote these questions from Illinois law, the commission's rules and the exam vendor's handbook. Pick an answer to see if you got it; each explanation names the section it comes from.
Public Act 103-1039 amended the Real Estate License Act of 2000 to require every brokerage agreement, whether or not it grants exclusivity, to be in writing, and made representing a client without a written agreement a disciplinary violation under Section 20-20(a).
From The Division of Real Estate Review, Fall 2024 (IDFPR) · Real Estate License Act Updates
Section 1450.770(g), effective July 13, 2026, requires a written brokerage agreement with a seller or owner prior to marketing or listing the real estate for sale or lease. Buyers and tenants follow subsection (h).
From The Division of Real Estate Review, Summer 2026 (IDFPR) · RELA Rules Update – Section 1450.770
A licensee with a signed listing may work with an unrepresented buyer or tenant after giving written disclosure that the licensee is not their agent, or may become a dual agent by signing a written brokerage agreement with the buyer and complying with Section 15-45 before doing any licensed work for the buyer.
From The Division of Real Estate Review, Summer 2026 (IDFPR) · RELA Rules Update – Section 1450.770(i)
The 2022 amendment to Section 15-45 says a licensee shall not serve as a dual agent in any transaction when the licensee, or an entity in which the licensee has or will have an ownership interest, is a party to the transaction.
Section 1450.770(d) of the IDFPR rules, effective July 8, 2025, requires every listing agreement, with or without exclusivity, to specify any amounts paid to cooperating brokers who represent other parties to the transaction.
The PSI booklet sets 75% on the 40-question state portion and 70% on the 100-question national portion. PSI says the 70% national standard equals the scaled score of 75 it used to report.
PSI allows broker candidates up to four attempts during the 2-year eligibility period. After a fourth failure, the 75-hour broker pre-license education and the entire exam must be taken again.
The PSI booklet lists Broker Pre-License Topics (60 hours) and Broker Pre-License Applied Real Estate Principles-Interactive (15 hours), and says the education is valid for two years after it is completed.
PSI’s booklet says candidates must apply to IDFPR within one year of passing. Anyone who has not applied and met every licensing requirement by then loses the exam credit and must test again.
IDFPR’s curriculum, based on Section 5-50(b), has three 15-hour courses (applied brokerage principles, risk management and discipline, and transactional issues), each ending with a 50-question final exam given by the education provider.
From 45-Hour Broker Post-License Curriculum (IDFPR Division of Real Estate) · Overview
There are 140 scored questions in two portions: 100 on national real estate principles (150 minutes) and 40 on Illinois law (90 minutes). PSI may add 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions, and those still use up exam time.
Sixteen of the 40 Illinois questions come from the Real Estate License Act itself and ten from disclosures, which range from agency and compensation to property defects, radon and lead-based paint.
The bar differs by portion: 70% on the national portion and 75% on the Illinois portion. PSI says the 70% matches the scaled 75 it used to report, so the standard itself did not change.
Seventy-five hours before the exam: a 60-hour topics course plus a 15-hour interactive applied principles course. The credit expires two years after you finish, so do not let it sit.
Another 45 hours come after you are licensed. A broker licensed on or after November 1, 2025 must finish the post-license courses by April 30, 2028, when that first license expires.
Sources: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Real Estate: Candidate Information Booklet (PSI, June 2026) · Continuing Education (CE) Fact Sheet: 2026 Real Estate Broker License Renewal (IDFPR) · 45-Hour Broker Post-License Curriculum (IDFPR Division of Real Estate)
You repeat only the portion you failed, and you have up to four attempts in your 2-year eligibility period. A fourth failure sends you back to the full 75-hour course and both portions.
Yes. Since January 1, 2025, every brokerage agreement, with or without exclusivity, must be in writing, and representing a client without one is a disciplinary violation.
IDFPR’s rule, as amended July 13, 2026, ties the timing to the client: sellers sign before the property is marketed or listed; buyers and tenants sign before, or as soon as reasonably practical after, the licensee starts working for them.
Sources: The Division of Real Estate Review, Fall 2024 (IDFPR) · The Division of Real Estate Review, Summer 2026 (IDFPR)
Each line is one rule from an official page — the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Real Estate, Illinois law or the exam vendor's handbook — with the date we read it.
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PSI, under a contract with IDFPR. You create a PSI account, upload your course certificate and book once PSI approves you by email, either at a test center or online with a remote proctor. Source: official pages "Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Real Estate: Candidate Information Booklet (PSI, June 2026)" and "IDFPR", checked on Oct 26, 2026.
Yes. PSI offers remote proctored testing, but you cannot use a physical calculator and no breaks are allowed. At a test center, a physical calculator is permitted. Source: official page "Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Real Estate: Candidate Information Booklet (PSI, June 2026)", checked on Oct 26, 2026.
No. Out-of-state brokers come in by endorsement: a 30-hour endorsement course plus an exam on Illinois law. IDFPR stopped accepting reciprocity applications on January 1, 2026. Source: official page "The Division of Real Estate Review, Summer 2025 (IDFPR)", checked on Oct 26, 2026.
No. OneTryPass writes its own practice questions from Illinois law, the commission's rules and the exam vendor's candidate handbook, and each question names the section it comes from so you can check the rule. Exam vendors do not publish their live questions.
No. OneTryPass is an independent practice site. Licensing rules and the candidate handbook are free on the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Real Estate and exam vendor websites, linked on this page.
Every rule on this page comes from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Real Estate, Illinois statutes and rules, or the PSI candidate materials for Illinois. OneTryPass reads each page, writes the rule in plain English and records the date. A rule that passes its re-check date leaves this page on its own until it is read again.
How often each kind of rule is read again: license exam, 120 days; pre-licensing education, 180 days; who can apply, 180 days; exam vendor, 180 days; fees, 90 days; if you fail, 180 days; after you pass, 180 days.
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