Question 1

What is the California real estate exam passing score?

Accepted Answer

The California real estate salesperson exam requires a 70% passing score (105 out of 150 questions). The exam is 3 hours 15 minutes and covers California-specific laws, agency, contracts, financing, and property ownership. The broker exam requires 75% (150 out of 200 questions).

Question 2

How much does the California real estate license cost?

Accepted Answer

The total cost is $450: $100 for the examination fee and $350 for the 4-year license fee. You'll also need to budget for 135 hours of pre-license education (costs vary by school) and Live Scan fingerprinting for the background check.

Question 3

What is Proposition 13 in California real estate?

Accepted Answer

Proposition 13 (1978) limits California property taxes to 1% of assessed value with annual increases capped at 2%. Property is only reassessed to market value upon change in ownership or new construction. This means long-term owners often pay much less than new buyers for similar properties.

Question 4

What is the Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS)?

Accepted Answer

The TDS is California's primary seller disclosure document required for 1-4 unit residential sales. Sellers must disclose all known material facts about the property's condition. Even 'as-is' sales require TDS. Buyers have 3-5 days to rescind after receiving a late TDS.

Question 5

What fair housing laws apply in California?

Accepted Answer

California has three levels of protection: Federal Fair Housing Act (7 protected classes), California FEHA (adds source of income, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.), and the Unruh Civil Rights Act (prohibits any arbitrary discrimination). California law is broader than federal law.

Question 6

What's included for free?

Accepted Answer

All study guides, practice questions, and explanations are completely free. We also include 10 AI-powered questions daily. For unlimited AI assistance, you can upgrade to Pro.

Question 7

Why is the content free?

Accepted Answer

OpenExamPrep was founded by Ran Chen, a CFP® who passed multiple financial exams and believes quality exam prep shouldn't cost hundreds of dollars. With AI, we can create quality content at scale and make it accessible to everyone.

Question 8

Is the content up to date?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our content is aligned with the latest exam outlines and updated regularly. Last update: January 2026.

California Real Estate Salesperson

Free CA Real Estate Exam Prep

CA Real Estate Exam Details

California Real Estate Salesperson Exam

Exam Content Breakdown

What's Included

4 Chapters

Practice Quizzes

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Quality Exam Prep Shouldn't Cost Hundreds

What's Next After the CA Real Estate?

Real Estate Salesperson

CA Notary

CA Real Estate Exam FAQ

Course Content

Chapter 1: California DRE & Licensing Requirements

Chapter 2: California Fair Housing Laws

Chapter 3: California Disclosures

Chapter 4: California Property Taxes

Official California Department of Real Estate (DRE) Resources

More Free Resources

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