How Much Does the Texas Real Estate Exam Cost?

The fees TREC lists

TREC is the Texas Real Estate Commission. Its fee schedule says it is effective September 1, 2026. We checked it on October 14, 2026. Fees can change, so read the page before you pay.

What is inside the $206 application total

The fee schedule breaks the application total into parts. The application fee is $150. Then there is a $6 Texas Online fee, a $40 Texas A&M Research Center fee and a $10 Real Estate Recovery fee. Together they make $206.

What the schedule does not say

The sales agent line on the fee schedule shows one exam fee of $58. It does not show a split between the state and national parts. It does not list a retake fee for sales agents. TREC says exams are given by Pearson.

If you need to know what a retake costs, ask TREC or the exam provider before you test. Do not guess from another website.

Fees TREC calls non-refundable

The TREC sales agent page says all fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. That is a reason to wait. File your application only after your courses are finished. TREC also says the application expires one year after you file it.

Costs that are not on this page

The exam is not the whole bill. Your 180 hours of courses cost money, and the price depends on the school. TREC does not set course prices. Later you will also pay for things like a broker, an MLS and insurance. Those depend on the company you choose.

Our guide on what it costs to be an agent in DFW and the first year budget can help you plan.

A simple way to budget

Write each line from the table into a sheet. Add the course price from the school you pick. Ask the school for its full price in writing. Then add a cushion for the weeks before your first sale.

Education only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm licensing rules and fees with TREC.

How the money moves, in order

The TREC sales agent page describes the order of events. You submit your application and fee through the REALM Portal, and TREC says not to submit until all your pre-licensing education is uploaded. After TREC reviews your education, you get an email with instructions to schedule the exams. You also get a fingerprint scheduling email once your application status changes to In Review.

That means your costs come in waves. Courses come first. The application total comes when you file. The fingerprint and exam fees come after TREC reviews your file. Plan cash for each wave so a bill does not catch you short.

What happens if you do not pass

TREC says that if you fail either exam three times, you must complete additional education before you can test again. That is the main reason to prepare well before your first try. Each attempt can mean another exam fee, so check with the exam provider for what a retake costs.

TREC also says exam results are valid for one year from the passing date. If you pass one part, do not let that year slip by while you wait on the rest.

A cost worksheet you can copy

Use this as a starting sheet. Fill the TREC lines from the fee schedule. Fill the school line from a written quote. Leave a line blank if you do not know the amount yet. Do not guess a number just to fill a cell.

Questions to ask before you pay anyone

A school or exam site may bundle prices. TREC sets the fees on its own list. Use these questions to separate the two.

• Does this price include the TREC application and exam fees, or only the courses?
• Is the exam fee listed here the same as the one on the TREC fee schedule?
• What is the cost of a retake, and where is it written?
• What happens to my money if I stop partway?
• Does the total include fingerprints, or do I pay IDEMIA separately?
• Is anything in the package a nice extra and not a requirement?

Mistakes that cost money

These are planning mistakes, not TREC rules. They are easy to avoid.

• Filing the application before your courses are done, then waiting while the fees are already spent.
• Assuming a package price covers the TREC fees when it may not.
• Forgetting that TREC calls its fees non-refundable and non-transferable.
• Letting the one-year application clock run out.
• Letting a passing result age past its one-year validity.
• Using an old fee from another website instead of the current TREC schedule.

How to check a fee on any website

Fees change. The page you are reading is dated, and the TREC schedule is the source. When you see a fee on any site, check three things. Does it name TREC as the source? Does it show the date it was checked? Does it link to the fee schedule? If not, open the schedule and confirm the number yourself before you pay.

The TREC page we used says it is the fee schedule effective September 1, 2026. If you read this later, look for a newer schedule.

Where this fits in the whole path

The exam is one step. You also need the 180 hours of courses and must meet the other license requirements. After you pass, you need a sponsoring broker. Our guide on finding a sponsoring broker shows what to ask.

If you are licensed in DFW and want to talk with The Bauer Group, you can start a conversation on our site. We do not issue licenses.