Skip to content

Illinois broker study guide

Study the Illinois real estate exam with a clear plan

This is your map for the full Illinois broker exam. See every current PSI content area, start with the topics worth the most points, open a focused lesson when you need it, and use practice results to decide what comes next.

Last reviewed:

Start with your situation

Choose the next task that fits you. Each link opens an existing guide, so you can get to the work without reading every topic first.

I am starting from scratch

Follow the education, exam and license steps, then return here for the tested topics.

Open this guide

I am fitting study around work

Adapt the working-adult plan to your available hours and the gaps your practice reveals.

Open this guide

I need to prepare for a retake

Use the score report, confirm the portion to retake and build a focused repair plan.

Open this guide

I am studying Illinois only

Try a free state form. Confirm your official portion requirement separately with PSI.

Open this guide

I need testing accommodations

Check the request process and approval before booking around an assumed arrangement.

Open this guide

I am using AI to review

Use source-checking prompts and a worked correction before trusting generated answers.

Open this guide

Prefer paper? Start with the free printable questions and explained answers. They reuse the public online sample, so choose another form later when you need unfamiliar questions.

What is on the Illinois real estate exam?

The broker exam has two separately scored portions. National has 100 scored questions across 11 areas. Illinois has 40 scored questions across 4 areas. You need 70% on national and 75% on Illinois.

Illinois broker exam scored portions
PortionScored questionsContent areasPassing standardTime
National1001170% rawBooklet: 150 minutes
Illinois40475%Booklet: 90 minutes

The booklet lists 150 national minutes and 90 Illinois minutes, while PSI’s program page says 3.5 hours. Confirm the time for your own appointment with PSI before setting a rehearsal clock. The exam time-limit guide explains this published conflict.

PSI may add 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions. They still use exam time. See the official Illinois Candidate Information Booklet.

Choose the help you need now

Understand the examEligibility, registration, fees, timing, scoring, and test day.Build a study planPut the highest-value topics first and plan review time.Learn a tested topicOpen one of the 15 lessons mapped to the PSI outline.Test your recallUse original questions, explanations, and area results.

Looking for one specific answer? Search the complete study library.

Turn lessons into a passing routine

Practice the topics you just studied

Pass Illinois includes 1,339 original questions, 7 study modes, separate national and Illinois readiness. A free account includes 3 of 15 study guides, Topic Practice in Property Ownership with no question limit, 20 flashcards per session, all 417 Key Terms, one 30-question diagnostic, and Math Coach lessons with 2 practice tries per topic. Full access is an optional one-time $59.99 unlock.

Open in browser

What should you study first?

Start with the areas that create the most score movement, then use practice results to adjust. A high national score cannot replace a passing Illinois score, so keep both portions in your weekly plan.

National starting order

  1. Contracts, 19 questions
  2. Agency, 13 questions
  3. Practice of Real Estate, 12 questions
  4. Property Ownership and Financing, 10 each
  5. Valuation, then the remaining five areas

Illinois starting order

  1. Illinois Real Estate License Act, 16 questions
  2. Additional Illinois Laws, 10 questions
  3. Disclosures, 10 questions
  4. Licensing Requirements, 4 questions

These counts follow the current scored outlines. If a diagnostic shows a serious weakness in a smaller area, fix that weakness before adding more review to an area you already know.

All 15 Illinois broker exam topics

Each lesson below explains what PSI tests, the distinctions that cause wrong answers, a study checklist, original practice, and primary sources. The percentage is the share of that portion, not the share of the combined exam.

National portion

  1. National 1Property Ownership10%10 questions
  2. National 2Land Use Controls5%5 questions
  3. National 3Valuation and Market Analysis8%8 questions
  4. National 4Financing10%10 questions
  5. National 5Contracts19%19 questions
  6. National 6Agency13%13 questions
  7. National 7Property Disclosures7%7 questions
  8. National 8Property Management3%3 questions
  9. National 9Transfer of Title6%6 questions
  10. National 10Practice of Real Estate12%12 questions
  11. National 11Real Estate Calculations7%7 questions

Illinois portion

  1. Illinois 1Illinois Licensing Requirements10%4 questions
  2. Illinois 2Illinois Real Estate License Act40%16 questions
  3. Illinois 3Additional Illinois Laws25%10 questions
  4. Illinois 4Illinois Disclosures25%10 questions

Free tools for your next study session

Practice questions

Answer eight original Illinois questions with explanations and an area-by-area result.

Start the free diagnostic

Readiness check

Check whether your recent scores, weak areas, and exam habits support booking or more review.

Check your readiness

Study plan

Turn the outline into four weeks of lessons, practice, review, and mixed exams.

Open the four-week plan

Math review

Learn seller net, prorations, PITI, equity, cap rate, LTV, points, fees, area, and acreage.

Study real estate calculations

Illinois real estate exam study FAQ

What should I study for the Illinois real estate exam?

Study all 11 national content areas and all 4 Illinois content areas. Begin with Contracts, Agency, Practice of Real Estate, and the Illinois Real Estate License Act because those four areas account for 60 scored questions across the two portions.

How many questions are on the Illinois broker exam?

The current PSI booklet lists 100 scored national questions and 40 scored Illinois questions. PSI may also include 5 to 10 unscored experimental questions, and those questions still use exam time.

What score do I need to pass?

The national portion requires a 70% raw score. The Illinois portion requires 75%. The portions are scored separately, so prepare and track your readiness for each one.

What is the most heavily tested Illinois topic?

The Illinois Real Estate License Act is 40% of the state portion, or 16 of 40 scored Illinois questions. Additional Illinois Laws and Regulations and Disclosures are 25% each, or 10 questions each.

How long should I study for the Illinois real estate exam?

There is no single study period that establishes readiness. Choose a plan that fits your schedule, then adjust it using unfamiliar questions, uncertain answers and gaps by topic. Keep both portions in view; a plan is not a promise that you will be ready by its last day.

Are the practice questions copied from the PSI exam?

No. Pass Illinois uses original questions aligned to the published PSI outline and official Illinois sources. It does not copy or reconstruct confidential live exam questions.

Primary sources

Exam structure and topic weights come from PSI. Illinois law and licensing requirements come from the State of Illinois. Check the original source when a rule or deadline affects your application or license.