PSI Illinois Real Estate Exam: 2026 Guide to the Broker License Test

Illinois has no "salesperson" license. New agents earn a broker license, and the PSI Broker exam is the one you'll take after your pre-license course. It's also one of the longer PSI real estate exams: 140 questions, two separate passing scores and a firm limit on attempts. This guide covers the 2026 rules from PSI's Illinois Candidate Information Bulletin.

Illinois PSI exam at a glance

Information current as of October 2026. These details come from PSI's Illinois Candidate Information Bulletin (dated June 24, 2026). Rules and fees change, so confirm them in the current bulletin.

Eligibility

Under the bulletin's standard route (Category A), you must:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Have a high school diploma or GED.
• Complete 75 class hours at an IDFPR-approved school: Broker Pre-License Topics (60 hours) and Broker Pre-License Applied Real Estate Principles–Interactive (15 hours).

Your pre-license education is valid for two years after you complete it. To become eligible to test, create an account at test-takers.psiexams.com/ilrep and upload your course certificate. PSI approves it and emails a confirmation.

Format and Illinois content

The 100-question national portion follows PSI's standard outline. Contracts carry the most weight (19%), followed by agency (13%), practice of real estate (12%), property ownership (10%) and financing (10%). Calculations are 7%.

The 40-question Illinois portion has four parts:

• Illinois Real Estate License Act (40%, 16 items): agency, stigmatized property and material facts, advertising, sponsoring broker relationships, brokerage agreements and minimum services, compensation, assistants, teams, special accounts and security deposits, discipline, CMA/BPO rules, and purchase contracts (including Chicago Bar Association v. Quinlan and Tyson).
• Additional Illinois laws (25%, 10 items): ownership interests such as trusts, homestead, condominiums and co-ops, the limits of a license (law, securities, Business Broker Act), the Plat Act, property taxes, the Illinois Human Rights Act, the Assistance Animal Integrity Act, the Landlord Tenant Act, the Commercial Broker Lien Act and the Radon Resistant Construction Act.
• Disclosures (25%, 10 items): designated agency, dual agency, the notice of no agency relationship, the ban on transactional brokers and facilitators, contemporaneous offers, the Residential Real Property Disclosure Act, and radon, lead paint, mine subsidence, underground tanks and flooding disclosures.
• Licensing requirements (10%, 4 items): activities requiring a license, exemptions, license types, renewal, post-license and continuing education.

Scoring and passing

Each portion is scored on its own. You need 70% on the national portion (70 of 100) and 75% on the state portion (30 of 40). PSI notes that the 70% national standard is the same as the scaled score of 75 it reported before. The bar didn't change, only how it's reported.

Fees and scheduling

• Broker exam fee: $58. It's non-refundable and non-transferable, and it's forfeited if you don't test within a year of PSI receiving it.
• Schedule online or call (855) 340-3893. Choose a test center or remote proctored exam.
• To cancel without losing the fee, PSI needs notice 2 days ahead. For a Monday exam, that's by Saturday. Voicemail doesn't count.

Test day

Arrive 30 minutes early. Bring one valid, unexpired ID with your photo and signature, in your registered name. A military ID isn't accepted for remote testing, and remote exams don't allow breaks. With up to four hours of testing, that matters. The tutorial (up to 15 minutes) doesn't count toward your time. Read our PSI exam day guide before you go.

Retakes and the four-attempt limit

If you fail a portion, your score report includes diagnostic results and reapplication steps. You only repeat the portion you failed.

Since attempts are limited, don't book a retake right away. Work through your diagnostic first.

After you pass

Your passing score report explains how to apply for your license on IDFPR's Online Services Portal. Upload any required documents with the application. You must apply and meet every licensing requirement within one year of passing. If you don't, you lose credit for the exam and must take it again. The state outline also covers sponsorship, so line up a sponsoring broker early.

Study tips for the Illinois exam

• Learn the License Act in detail. At 16 of 40 state items, it decides most of your state score. Know the minimum services rule, team rules and how special accounts work.
• Memorize Illinois agency rules. Illinois prohibits transactional brokers and facilitators, so don't rely on general agency material that treats those roles as an option.
• Plan for the higher state bar. 75% means you can miss only 10 of 40 questions.
• Build up stamina. 150 minutes for 100 national questions is 90 seconds each. Practice in full timed sets.

PSI Exams Prep has 400 real estate practice questions across 6 topics, with Study Mode explanations, timed Exam Mode, a daily challenge and topic mastery tracking. Our State Laws topic is general, not Illinois-specific, so pair it with your pre-license course notes for the License Act. Try the National Portion topic free (up to 15 questions per test), and read how to pass the PSI real estate exam for a study plan.

Sources

• PSI: Illinois Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (June 24, 2026)
• PSI: Illinois real estate exam eligibility and scheduling
• IDFPR Online Services Portal (license applications)

Frequently asked questions

PSI Exams Prep is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by PSI Services LLC. Exam details change and vary by state. Always confirm requirements in the official Candidate Information Bulletin for your exam.