Exam cost

How much does the Illinois real estate exam cost?

The Illinois broker examination fee is $58, and IDFPR lists a separate $150 initial broker license fee. Those two published charges total $208 for a candidate who passes with one exam appointment and files one initial application. Pre-license tuition, optional study tools, travel, equipment, and retakes sit outside that figure. The useful budget is therefore a verified fixed total plus an itemized list of costs that depend on your school, testing format, and study choices.

What does the Illinois broker exam cost?

Short answer: PSI charges $58 for the broker examination. IDFPR separately lists $150 for initial broker licensure. The published exam-plus-license total is $208 before education and other variable costs.

PSI exam

$58

One broker exam registration.

IDFPR license

$150

One initial broker application.

Fixed subtotal

$208

Before school and variable expenses.

The $58 figure comes from the PSI Illinois Candidate Information Booklet. The $150 figure comes from IDFPR’s Division of Real Estate licensing and education brochure.

What should your budget include?

Cost: PSI broker examination
Published amount: $58
Required or optional: Required to test

Cost: IDFPR initial broker license
Published amount: $150
Required or optional: Required after passing to seek licensure

Cost: Approved 75-hour education
Published amount: Provider price
Required or optional: Required for the standard route

Cost: Retake registration
Published amount: Confirm at PSI checkout
Required or optional: Only if another appointment is needed

Cost: Exam prep
Published amount: $0 or product price
Required or optional: Optional; not a state licensing requirement

Cost: Travel, parking, or compatible equipment
Published amount: Candidate-specific
Required or optional: Depends on test center or remote format

Illinois broker exam and licensing budget
Cost	Published amount	Required or optional
PSI broker examination	$58	Required to test
IDFPR initial broker license	$150	Required after passing to seek licensure
Approved 75-hour education	Provider price	Required for the standard route
Retake registration	Confirm at PSI checkout	Only if another appointment is needed
Exam prep	$0 or product price	Optional; not a state licensing requirement
Travel, parking, or compatible equipment	Candidate-specific	Depends on test center or remote format

Do not advertise a single “total cost to become an Illinois agent” without stating what it includes. School tuition is not fixed by PSI, and candidates may have different travel, technology, document, retake, and business-startup expenses.

This page covers a broker license. It does not combine managing broker, residential leasing agent, firm, MLS, association, insurance, marketing, or renewal costs.

How do you compare 75-hour course prices?

Compare the complete required package, not the largest discount on a landing page. Ask each approved provider for these items in writing:

Tuition for all 60 Topic hours and all 15 Applied Interactive hours
Books, digital materials, and platform access
Required live or interactive sessions
Course-final attempts and extension fees
Transcript or certificate charges
Cancellation, transfer, and refund terms
Access expiration and completion deadlines

First verify the provider and courses on the IDFPR Real Estate Brokerage page. A low price does not help if the course does not satisfy the Illinois education requirement.

The requirements and eligibility guide explains the approved-school check, 75-hour structure, and two-year education-validity window.

When can you lose the $58 PSI fee?

PSI says examination fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. It also lists several situations in which your registration becomes invalid and the fee is forfeited:

You cancel or reschedule later than two days before the appointment.
You do not appear.
You arrive after the examination start time.
You do not present acceptable identification.
You do not test within one year after PSI receives the exam fee.
For remote testing, you do not start within the timing rules shown in the booklet and appointment instructions.

The two-day rule

PSI allows cancellation or rescheduling without forfeiting the fee when notice is received at least two days before the appointment. For a Monday exam, the booklet gives the previous Saturday as the deadline. A voicemail message is not accepted.

Use PSI’s website or speak with a customer-service representative, then save the confirmation. A timely change preserves the exam fee for rescheduling; it is not a cash refund.

What does a retake cost?

A retake is a new exam appointment. The booklet’s current broker examination fee is $58, but use the amount PSI shows for your failed-portion registration at checkout. You repeat only the portion you failed.

Standard candidates may attempt the examination up to four times during the two-year eligibility period. After a fourth failure, the booklet requires the standard broker candidate to repeat the 75-hour education and the entire examination. That outcome can create both another school cost and another testing cost.

Budgeting for a possible retake is prudent. Assuming that you will fail is not a study strategy. Use the free readiness check and do not schedule solely because the course has ended.

Which study costs are optional?

Commercial exam prep is optional. Before paying, compare:

Alignment with the June 24, 2026 PSI outline
Separate national and Illinois tracking
Original questions with explanations
Math, timing, and weak-topic practice
Access duration and refund terms
One-time price versus recurring subscription

PSI also offers practice exams and says candidates pay each time, but the booklet does not state a price. Check PSI’s store before purchase rather than relying on an old amount from another site.

Pass Illinois

Start free before choosing paid access

Try up to 20 original questions, three study-guide topics, 20 flashcards, and one Topic Practice area. Full access is an optional one-time $59.99 unlock, not a subscription.

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Use this no-surprise cost checklist

Verify your education provider and exact courses with IDFPR.
Get the full 75-hour tuition and fee list in writing.
Reserve $58 for the first PSI broker appointment.
Plan for the separate $150 initial broker application.
Add only the travel, equipment, document, and optional prep costs that apply to you.
Keep cancellation and ID deadlines on your calendar.
Check every amount again on the official payment screen before submitting a nonrefundable fee.

The result is a realistic personal budget without pretending every candidate buys the same course, studies the same way, or tests in the same format.

Illinois broker exam cost FAQ

How much does the Illinois real estate broker exam cost?

PSI’s current Illinois Candidate Information Booklet lists the broker examination fee as $58. The fee is nonrefundable and nontransferable.

Is the Illinois broker license application included?

No. The $58 PSI exam fee is separate from the IDFPR license application. IDFPR’s current licensing brochure lists a $150 initial broker licensure fee.

What is the minimum fixed exam and license-fee total?

For a standard candidate who pays for one broker exam appointment and then one initial broker license application, the two published fees total $208. This excludes pre-license education, optional prep, travel, equipment, document costs, and any retake.

Do you pay again if you fail?

A retake requires another exam registration. PSI’s booklet lists the broker examination fee as $58, but confirm the amount shown at checkout for the specific failed-portion appointment before paying.

Can you get an exam-fee refund?

PSI states that examination fees are nonrefundable and nontransferable. A timely cancellation or reschedule can preserve the fee for another appointment, but it does not turn the payment into a refund.

When do you lose the Illinois exam fee?

PSI lists late cancellation, a missed appointment, late arrival, failure to present acceptable identification, and failure to test within one year after PSI receives the fee as forfeiture situations. Remote candidates also risk forfeiture if they do not start within the stated launch window.

How early must you cancel or reschedule?

PSI requires notice at least two days before the scheduled examination. The booklet gives Saturday as the deadline for a Monday appointment. Voicemail is not accepted as cancellation.

How much does Illinois pre-license education cost?

IDFPR does not set one tuition price in the Candidate Information Booklet. Approved providers set their own tuition and inclusions. Compare the total for all required 75 hours, interactive instruction, books or digital access, completion documents, extensions, and refund terms.

Is paid exam prep required?

No. Illinois requires approved pre-license education, not a separate commercial exam-prep product. Free practice can be enough for some candidates. Paid prep is optional and should be judged by current outline coverage, question quality, explanations, access length, and total price.

Is Pass Illinois a subscription?

No. Full Pass Illinois access is an optional one-time $59.99 purchase. Candidates can begin with the free question and study-guide access before deciding.

Primary sources

Fees can change. The official checkout and application screens control the amount you owe. This guide does not treat a school, travel, equipment, or business-startup estimate as a state-set cost.