- National category
- Property ownership
- Weight
- 10%
- Scored questions
- 10
Current Illinois broker exam syllabus
Illinois real estate exam content outline
The current broker exam contains 15 scored content areas: 11 national categories totaling 100 questions and 4 Illinois categories totaling 40. This page turns the PSI outline into a linked study index and separates entry-level broker material from managing-broker-only state topics.
What is on the current exam outline?
Short answer: The largest national category is Contracts at 19 questions. The largest state category is the Illinois Real Estate License Act at 16 questions. The official counts below total 140 scored questions.
- National category
- Land use controls
- Weight
- 5%
- Scored questions
- 5
- National category
- Valuation
- Weight
- 8%
- Scored questions
- 8
- National category
- Financing
- Weight
- 10%
- Scored questions
- 10
- National category
- Contracts
- Weight
- 19%
- Scored questions
- 19
- National category
- Agency
- Weight
- 13%
- Scored questions
- 13
- National category
- Property disclosures
- Weight
- 7%
- Scored questions
- 7
- National category
- Property management
- Weight
- 3%
- Scored questions
- 3
- National category
- Transfer of title
- Weight
- 6%
- Scored questions
- 6
- National category
- Practice of real estate
- Weight
- 12%
- Scored questions
- 12
- National category
- Real estate calculations
- Weight
- 7%
- Scored questions
- 7
- Illinois category
- Licensing requirements
- Weight
- 10%
- Scored questions
- 4
- Illinois category
- Illinois Real Estate License Act
- Weight
- 40%
- Scored questions
- 16
- Illinois category
- Additional Illinois laws and regulations
- Weight
- 25%
- Scored questions
- 10
- Illinois category
- Disclosures
- Weight
- 25%
- Scored questions
- 10
Current Illinois structure
The four-area Illinois broker outline became effective June 24, 2026. Older three-area state trackers no longer match the current PSI organization, even though the state portion still has 40 scored questions.
Jump to any tested area
National broker content areas, 100 questions
The national portion tests broad real estate principles. The checklist below is an outline index, not a substitute for learning the concepts, exceptions, and scenario decisions.
National area 1 · 10 questions
Property Ownership
- Real and personal property, fixtures, and trade fixtures
- Estates and interests in real property
- Forms of ownership and co-ownership
- Encumbrances, easements, licenses, and rights of way
- Legal descriptions and government powers
- Water, mineral, air, and other property rights
National area 2 · 5 questions
Land Use Controls and Regulations
- Government land-use powers and public controls
- Zoning, building codes, and permits
- Private controls and deed restrictions
- Environmental laws, hazards, and protected areas
National area 3 · 8 questions
Valuation and Market Analysis
- Value, price, cost, market value, and market price
- Economic principles affecting value
- Sales comparison, cost, and income approaches
- Appraisal process and reports
- Comparative market analyses and broker price opinions
National area 4 · 10 questions
Financing
- Notes, mortgages, deeds of trust, and lien theory
- Loan types, terms, payments, and qualification
- Conventional and government-backed financing
- Primary and secondary mortgage markets
- Consumer lending laws and foreclosure concepts
National area 5 · 19 questions
Contracts
- Contract elements, validity, enforceability, and interpretation
- Offers, counteroffers, acceptance, and electronic transactions
- Performance, termination, breach, assignment, and remedies
- Purchase agreements, contingencies, options, and rights of first refusal
- Leases, property-management agreements, and multiple offers
National area 6 · 13 questions
Agency
- Agency and nonagency relationships
- Creation, disclosure, duties, authority, and termination
- Client and customer responsibilities
- Compensation and cooperation
- Multiple representation and conflicts
National area 7 · 7 questions
Property Disclosures
- Known material facts and property-condition issues
- Environmental hazards and federal disclosures
- Lead-based paint requirements
- Government and third-party disclosure responsibilities
- When a real estate licensee should recommend expert evaluation
National area 8 · 3 questions
Property Management
- Tenant prospecting, screening, and qualification
- Fair housing and accessibility in management
- Rent and lease-rate analysis
- Landlord, tenant, and manager rights and duties
National area 9 · 6 questions
Transfer of Title
- Deeds and methods of transfer
- Title searches, title insurance, and title defects
- Marketable and insurable title
- Delivery, acceptance, recordation, and closing
- Warranties, foreclosure, short sale, and probate
National area 10 · 12 questions
Practice of Real Estate
- Federal fair housing, prohibited conduct, and advertising
- Antitrust and competition
- Do Not Call and electronic communication
- Employment and independent-contractor status
- Handling information, money, social media, and transaction diligence
National area 11 · 7 questions
Real Estate Calculations
- Seller net and buyer funds at closing
- Taxes, prorations, commissions, and transfer fees
- PITI, loan-to-value, points, and origination fees
- Equity, return, and capitalization rate
- Area, acreage, and measurement conversions
Continue to the national broker portion study guide for topic boundaries, decision methods, examples, and original practice.
Illinois broker content areas, 40 questions
The Illinois portion tests the state licensing system and laws that govern practice. Learn who acts, what triggers the rule, what must be written or disclosed, when it must happen, and which exceptions apply.
Illinois area 1 · 4 questions
Licensing Requirements
- Activities requiring a license and license exemptions
- Broker, managing broker, leasing agent, and instructor license types
- Eligibility, sponsorship, and examination requirements
- Renewal, post-license education, continuing education, and record changes
Illinois area 2 · 16 questions
Illinois Real Estate License Act
- Agency relationships, material facts, and stigmatized property
- Advertising, brokerage agreements, minimum services, and compensation
- Sponsored licensees, sponsoring brokers, assistants, and teams
- Money, special accounts, security deposits, and documents
- Discipline, unprofessional conduct, CMA and BPO rules
- Purchase contracts, lease agreements, and the purpose of license law
Illinois area 3 · 10 questions
Additional Illinois Laws and Regulations
- Ownership interests, homestead, government powers, and common-interest property
- Boundaries between real estate, legal, securities, and business-broker work
- Transfer taxes, title transfer, legal descriptions, and the Plat Act
- Property taxes and exemptions
- Illinois fair housing and assistance-animal rules
- Landlord and tenant law, commercial broker liens, and radon-resistant construction
Illinois area 4 · 10 questions
Disclosures
- Agency, no-agency, and dual-agency notices
- Prohibited transactional-broker and facilitator relationships
- Contemporaneous offers, licensee interests, and compensation sources
- Residential property condition and known material defects
- Radon, lead-based paint, mine subsidence, and underground storage tanks
- Flooding disclosures for landlords
The Illinois state portion study guide adds the law map, official sources, category boundaries, study order, and practice. Use the Illinois License Act guide for the largest state category.
Which state topics are managing-broker-only?
PSI's state table places Managing Broker and Broker counts beside a shared topic list. For the entry-level broker examination, use the Broker column and exclude subtopics PSI expressly marks managing broker only.
Examples of managing-broker-only material in that shared state table include:
- Ownership by business entities.
- Deed restrictions and subdivision covenants.
- Several advanced title and closing subtopics.
- Appraisal-scope topics located in that state area.
- The Statute of Frauds item listed there.
- The separate Managing Broker and Instructor area.
The label applies to its place in the state table
A similar general concept may still belong to the national broker outline. For example, national Property Ownership includes business forms of ownership and private restrictions. Study the national topic for national and honor the managing-broker-only label when reading the Illinois state table.
How should you use topic weights?
Weights tell you where more questions come from. They do not tell you to skip smaller areas. Use them in three passes:
- Build the largest categories first. Start with Illinois License Act, national Contracts, national Agency, and national Practice of Real Estate.
- Add the two Illinois 25% areas. Additional Laws and Disclosures contribute 20 state questions together.
- Close every remaining gap. Financing, ownership, valuation, calculations, and the smaller categories supply the balance of points and often connect to the big categories.
Track category accuracy with new, timed, closed-note questions. Rebalance your schedule when a weak category stays unstable, then use the four-week study plan.
Do experimental questions belong to a category?
The published category counts add to 140 scored questions. PSI may also include 5 to 10 unidentified experimental questions. Those questions do not affect the score but count against examination time.
Because PSI does not identify experimental items, do not try to classify them during the exam. Answer every question as though it counts. The question-count guide explains how 140 scored questions can become 145 to 150 presented questions.
Turn the outline into a study tracker
Fifteen areas, one focused next step
See which categories are actually costing you points
Pass Illinois maps original questions, explanations, flashcards, and Math Coach to the national and Illinois portions. Start free, find the weak categories, and focus the next session instead of rereading everything.
Illinois exam outline FAQ
What topics are on the Illinois real estate exam?
The broker exam covers 11 national categories and 4 Illinois categories. National ranges from ownership and contracts to financing, practice, title, disclosures, and calculations. Illinois covers licensing, the Real Estate License Act, additional Illinois laws and regulations, and disclosures.
How many content areas are on the Illinois broker exam?
There are 15 scored content areas in total: 11 national and 4 Illinois state areas.
What is the largest national exam category?
Contracts is the largest national category with 19 scored questions. Agency has 13 and practice of real estate has 12.
What is the largest Illinois exam category?
The Illinois Real Estate License Act category is largest with 16 of the 40 scored Illinois questions, or 40%.
Did the Illinois state outline change in 2026?
Yes. The current PSI outline effective June 24, 2026 uses four Illinois broker areas instead of the earlier three-area structure. The state portion still contains 40 scored questions.
Are managing-broker-only topics on the broker exam?
Use the Broker column of the PSI state table. PSI labels some shared-table subtopics as managing broker only, and the separate Managing Broker and Instructor section is outside the entry-level broker state outline.
Can a managing-broker-only state topic still appear nationally?
A similar general concept may still be included in the national broker outline. A managing-broker-only label in the Illinois state table limits that state subtopic; it does not erase a national category.
Should you study only the biggest topics?
No. Use weights to prioritize time, but cover every published category. The smaller categories still provide scored points, and exam scenarios can connect concepts from several areas.
Does the outline include experimental questions?
The listed topic counts total 140 scored questions. PSI may add 5 to 10 unidentified experimental items that are unscored and sit outside those published category totals.
Where should you start studying the content outline?
A strong starting group is Illinois License Act, national contracts, national agency, practice of real estate, Illinois additional laws, Illinois disclosures, financing, and calculations. Then cover every remaining category and adjust from diagnostics.
Primary source
PSI controls the examination outline, topic labels, question allocations, managing-broker-only designations, and experimental items.