Illinois broker passing scores
What score do you need to pass the Illinois real estate exam?
For the broker exam, pass national with 70% raw and Illinois with 75%. Both portions must pass separately. An older national scaled score of 75 describes the same passing standard on a different reporting scale.
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How many points do you need on each portion?
| Broker portion | Scored questions / points | Passing percentage | Minimum scored points |
|---|---|---|---|
| National | 100 / 100 | 70% raw | 70 of 100 |
| Illinois | 40 / 40 | 75% | 30 of 40 |
Source: PSI booklet, printed page 11, examination summary and broker footnote. This table is for broker candidates. Other license categories have their own examination rows.
The point minimums come from 100 × 0.70 and 40 × 0.75. Check the two minimums separately. There is no combined percentage that establishes a pass.
Why do some sources say the national passing score is 75?
PSI's broker footnote says the current national 70% raw cutoff is equivalent to the previously reported scaled 75. The passing standard did not change with the reporting scale.
Check the label beside the number
A raw percentage expresses earned scored points as a share of available points. A scaled score reports the result on another scale. “75” without a label is incomplete information.
If a prep book, forum comment or AI answer says “75 to pass,” check the portion and score label before deciding that it contradicts your report. The Illinois portion still has its own percentage requirement.
For more detail, read how scoring works. Use the published cutoff for your exam, not a conversion you invent between scales.
Can a high national score make up for a low Illinois score?
No. The following examples apply each cutoff independently. They are scored-point illustrations, not replicas of PSI score reports.
| National points | Illinois points | Which portions pass? |
|---|---|---|
| 70 / 100 | 30 / 40 | Both, exactly at their cutoffs |
| 85 / 100 | 29 / 40 | National only |
| 69 / 100 | 36 / 40 | Illinois only |
| 69 / 100 | 29 / 40 | Neither |
The second candidate earned many more national points than needed, but still fell one scored point short on Illinois. Adding those points gives 114 out of 140, about 81.4%. That combined number looks reassuring while hiding a failed portion.
The third candidate has 105 points altogether, exactly 75% of 140. National still falls short. Check each row against its own minimum before making a retake decision.
How many questions can you miss?
Against the published scored totals, the minimums leave room for 30 national points and 10 Illinois points below a perfect score. These are scored-point margins, not a count of every question shown during your appointment.
PSI may include unscored experimental questions that still use exam time (booklet, printed page 11). Do not estimate your result from how many questions appeared or how many felt unfamiliar. Answer each item carefully and use the timing guide to plan your pace.
What should you do with your result?
PSI displays the result at the end and emails a report. Reports can also be printed from the account's Manage area. A failure report includes diagnostic information and reapplication instructions (booklet, printed pages 7 and 10).
- Check each portion. Read its pass or fail status before interpreting any combined practice percentage.
- Save the report. Use its diagnostic areas to identify what needs work. Keep your booking details if you need PSI to clarify a label.
- Choose the appropriate next step below. A passing result, a retake and a license application are different tasks.
If one portion did not pass
Usually, only the failed portion must be repeated. A fourth failed attempt can trigger education and full-exam requirements for standard broker candidates. Check the retake rules and your report before paying for another appointment.
The failed-exam guide helps you turn diagnostic areas into focused practice. A weak category needs a topic review and new questions, not another run through answers you already recognize.
If both portions passed
The exam result does not itself issue a license. The booklet says you must submit an IDFPR application and meet all licensing requirements within one year after a passing exam score. Otherwise, exam accreditation is lost and the appropriate exam must be retaken (printed pages 7 and 8).
Start with the after-passing guide and the IDFPR Real Estate Brokerage page for current licensing links. Do not treat a saved passing score as an issued broker license.
What should you aim for in practice?
A cutoff is the minimum result for that exam. It does not tell you whether a practice set was representative or whether you could explain the answers without recognizing them.
- Use new questions across the published topics, with national and Illinois recorded separately.
- Work without notes and under a realistic timer.
- Review the rule or calculation behind each mistake, then try a different example.
- Look for repeated results above each cutoff rather than one narrow pass.
The readiness check can organize those observations. No percentage from this site or another prep tool guarantees the result of your licensing exam.
Make your next practice result useful
Record the set name, whether the questions were new, points earned in each portion, time left and the topics behind the misses. Before repeating the set, explain each missed rule in your own words. A higher score means less if it came from remembering the answer positions.
Passing-score questions candidates ask
Is a scaled score of 75 the same as 75% correct?
Not for the older national broker result. A scaled score and a raw percentage use different reporting scales. PSI identifies equivalent passing cutoffs, not a formula for converting every score. Do not subtract five from an older scaled result to estimate how many answers were correct.
Does 29 out of 40 pass the Illinois portion?
No. On the current scored-point total, 29 divided by 40 is 72.5%, below the 75% requirement. Thirty scored points meet the cutoff. Follow the pass or fail result on your actual PSI report rather than a percentage you remember from the screen.
What if my report has a different point total or score label?
Check the exam name, portion, date and whether the number is raw, scaled or a diagnostic category result. Use the report's pass or fail decision. If the label or total is unclear, ask PSI to explain that specific report before comparing it with this table.
Will an 80% practice score guarantee a pass?
No. A practice percentage depends on the questions, topic mix, timing and how familiar the answers are. An 80% result on repeated questions is weaker evidence than steady results on new, representative sets. Track national and Illinois separately and review why each missed answer was wrong.
Official sources and scope
- PSI Illinois Candidate Information Booklet, June 24, 2026: printed page 11 (broker cutoffs, score-scale footnote and experimental items), page 10 (reports), pages 7 and 8 (retakes and applying after passing).
- IDFPR Real Estate Brokerage: licensing resources and the official exam-bulletin link.
This guide covers the broker exam's published scoring standard. Your PSI report establishes your individual result. The official-source directory explains the scope of our source reviews.