Illinois broker exam timing
How long is the Illinois real estate exam?
PSI's June 24, 2026 booklet lists 150 minutes for national and 90 for Illinois, totaling four hours. Its Illinois landing page says 3.5 hours. Confirm your appointment's portion limits with PSI before planning your day.
Last reviewed:
What are the published broker exam time limits?
| Portion | Scored questions | Booklet limit |
|---|---|---|
| National broker | 100 | 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes) |
| Illinois broker | 40 | 90 minutes (1 hour 30 minutes) |
| Both portions added together | 140 | 240 minutes (4 hours) |
Source: PSI Candidate Information Booklet, printed page 11. These are broker figures. Managing broker, leasing agent and instructor candidates should use their own examination row.
Four hours is the arithmetic total of the two booklet limits. It does not settle the conflicting appointment information below, and it leaves out the rest of your appointment and travel.
Why does PSI also say 3.5 hours?
The PSI Illinois Real Estate page displays 3.5 hours. Neither source explains the difference. We cannot confirm a single appointment duration from these statements.
Ask about the exact exam you booked
Before test day, ask PSI to confirm the timed minutes for each portion of your appointment.
A useful message: “I booked the Illinois broker exam for [date], taking [both portions / national only / Illinois only] by [test center / remote proctor]. The booklet and program page give different durations. What timed minutes apply to my appointment, and how does the transition between portions work?”
Use PSI test-taker support. Keep the reply with your booking confirmation. A shorter booking slot alone does not explain how the portion timers will run.
If the timer shown on test day differs from what PSI confirmed, raise it with the proctor immediately. Do not wait until the last few minutes to report it.
What counts against examination time?
- Experimental items: PSI may add 5 to 10 unscored questions. They still use exam time.
- Tutorial: up to 15 minutes before the exam is outside the exam clock.
- Test-center restroom visit: proctor permission is required; no extra exam time is added.
- Remote break: not allowed under the published standard rules.
Source: PSI booklet, printed pages 10 and 11. Its experimental-item statement does not specify a fixed extra count for each broker portion. Avoid a pacing plan that depends on one.
Need a timing-related accommodation? Start with PSI's request process in the booklet, printed page 7, before booking. Confirm your approved arrangements rather than assuming extra time. See the accommodations guide and break-policy guide.
How should you pace each portion?
The scored-question averages are 90 seconds for national and 2 minutes 15 seconds for Illinois. Those averages leave no review reserve and ignore any extra items. Use them only as a starting point.
| Practice set | First-pass budget | Review reserve |
|---|---|---|
| 100 national questions | 125 minutes | 25 minutes |
| 40 Illinois questions | 70 minutes | 20 minutes |
These are practice suggestions, not PSI rules. They assume a set with no extra items. For the real exam, divide your time across every displayed question. Do not try to identify which ones are unscored or save all the extra items for your review reserve.
Recalculate when your pace changes
Use: (minutes remaining minus your review reserve) divided by unanswered displayed items. This gives your first-pass minutes per remaining item. Count every item still to answer.
Use the remaining-item count if the interface provides it. Ask about the timer and question counter during the tutorial if either is unclear.
For example, with 40 minutes left, 25 unanswered items and a five-minute reserve, you have 35 minutes for the first pass. That is 1.4 minutes, or 84 seconds, per item. If a calculation takes two minutes, recover those seconds on a shorter question.
If the reserve equals or exceeds the time left, shrink the reserve and prioritize unanswered items. A review plan should never leave you with no time to finish the first pass.
When a question stalls, identify what is missing: the rule, the relevant fact or the calculation setup. Make your best supported selection and move on. Follow the tutorial for how to mark and revisit answers.
On review, change an answer when you can identify the missed fact, wrong unit or rule that changes it. Re-reading the same sentence without a reason can consume the time you saved elsewhere.
How much of the day should you keep free?
For a test center, the booklet says to arrive 30 minutes early (printed page 8). Add travel, parking, check-in, the tutorial and time to leave afterward. Avoid promising an exact finish time for work or childcare.
For remote testing, complete the system check before exam day and follow the launch instructions in your confirmation. A booking time is not a guarantee that security checks will take a fixed number of minutes. The exam-day checklist covers the preparation steps.
Questions about timing and practice
Can I use leftover national time on the Illinois portion?
Do not build your plan around transferring minutes. The booklet gives separate portion limits without explaining a transfer rule. Ask PSI how the timer and transition work for your booked exam.
Does retaking one portion mean another four-hour test?
Check which portion appears in your booking. PSI normally requires only the failed portion again. The four-hour figure above adds both booklet limits; it is not a duration promised for every retake. See the retake guide for eligibility and attempt limits.
How do I know whether my problem is speed or knowledge?
Try a fresh practice set without a timer, then a comparable set with one. If accuracy is weak in both, repair the topic first. If untimed accuracy is strong but the timed set falls apart, note where reading, calculations or repeated checking consume the minutes.
What should I do if time is running out?
Focus on unanswered items before polishing answers you have already given. Read what each remaining question asks, eliminate choices you can rule out and make your best supported selection. Use the on-screen instructions to check for blanks before submitting. Do not assume you can continue after the timer ends.
For a repeat booking, check the one-portion retake guide. For a timed practice session, use the national simulation or Illinois simulation. Their scored-question counts do not model every possible PSI form.
Official sources and scope
This page explains standard broker timing. It does not promise an individual appointment duration or an accommodation. The source conflict remains open.
- PSI Illinois Candidate Information Booklet, June 24, 2026: printed page 7 (accommodations and retakes), page 8 (arrival), page 10 (tutorial and breaks), page 11 (broker summary and experimental items).
- PSI Illinois Real Estate page: “About the ILREP Exam” duration.
- PSI support: program-specific help and online proctoring preparation.
The official-source directory explains how we handle conflicting guidance. For the wider exam structure, read format and scoring.