Illinois state portion vs. national portion

Short answer: National is broader and longer. Illinois is narrower, more state-specific, and requires a higher percentage to pass. Neither is optional for a standard Illinois broker candidate.

The national outline moves through the life of real property and a transaction: ownership, land use, value, financing, contracts, agency, disclosures, management, title transfer, real estate practice, and calculations.

This grouping helps you compare the portions without replacing the official eleven-category outline. The national broker study guide breaks down the tested concepts inside every category.

Illinois concentrates on entry into the profession and conduct after licensure. Expect questions about licensing requirements, duties and prohibited conduct under the Real Estate License Act, additional state laws and regulations, and required disclosures.

Ninety percent of the Illinois portion comes from the License Act, additional laws and regulations, and disclosures. The Illinois state study guide organizes the rules, while the License Act guide gives the 16-question category focused attention.

Both portions can test application, not just vocabulary. The difference is the source of the rule and the details that control the answer.

On national questions, trace the transaction and identify the concept. On Illinois questions, identify the regulated person, required action, timing, form, and exception before choosing.

There is no reliable statewide pass-rate evidence that proves one portion is harder for every candidate. Difficulty depends on what you know, how recently you finished the course, and whether your practice resembles the exam.

National often feels difficult because it contains 100 scored questions and requires you to connect topics. Illinois often feels difficult because familiar-sounding answers can differ by one legal detail, deadline, party, or exception.

Use timed, closed-note results by category. A lower or unstable score tells you more than a general claim that one portion is easier.

The Illinois exam difficulty guide explains how to diagnose the actual source of difficulty.

Question count alone suggests more national time, but the state portion has a higher passing percentage and law details may be new. Start with evidence instead of a fixed universal split.

Recalculate the split each week using new questions, not repeated sets you remember. Track accuracy, time, and error type for each portion.

Then cover every remaining category. A lower-weight topic can still provide the point that moves a result above the cutoff.

PSI requires you to repeat only the failed portion. The emailed score report includes diagnostic information and reapplication instructions. Save it and build the next plan around the categories PSI identifies.

Standard broker candidates may attempt the examination up to four times during the two-year eligibility period. After a fourth failed attempt, the standard broker route requires repeating the 75-hour pre-license education and the entire exam. Endorsement and education-exempt routes can have different rules.

Use the complete retake-rules guide before scheduling again.

Passing both portions completes the examination requirement, but it does not automatically issue an Illinois broker license. Follow the score-report instructions and satisfy the remaining IDFPR application requirements.

Apply to IDFPR within one year of passing. If you miss that window, the examination accreditation is lost and the appropriate examination must be taken again.

• PSI Illinois Candidate Information Booklet dated June 24, 2026

PSI controls the examination outlines, question totals, time limits, passing standards, score reports, and retake instructions. IDFPR controls licensure.