Tennessee · affiliate broker exam · checked Oct 24, 2026
Tennessee real estate exam, portion by portion
The Tennessee real estate exam is the affiliate broker exam: the test for the state’s entry-level license, called salesperson elsewhere. PSI gives it in two portions that are scored on their own, 80 questions on national principles and 40 on Tennessee law. The pass mark is 70% each, and if you fail one portion you retake only that one.
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Not affiliated with any state commission or test provider.
80national questions
40Tennessee law questions
240 mintesting time
$63both portions, Oct 2026
Try 4 Tennessee law questions
0 of 4 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 4 · Agency, disclosure and special areas · 9 items
A buyer tours a Tennessee time-share project on site and then signs a purchase contract. Under the Tennessee Time-Share Act, how long does the buyer have to cancel?
Answer and explanations
Incorrect: Thirty days is the developer's deadline to refund payments after a cancellation, not the buyer's window to cancel.
Incorrect: Sixty days is far beyond either statutory window.
Correct: T.C.A. § 66-32-114 makes the contract voidable for ten days from signing when the buyer inspected the project on site first.
Incorrect: Fifteen days applies only when the buyer signed without an on-site inspection; this buyer toured the project first.
Question 2 of 4 · Trust money and records · 8 items
When must a Tennessee affiliate broker turn over earnest money received from a buyer to the principal broker?
Answer and explanations
Incorrect: A 24-hour grace period is invented; the rule says immediately, and it runs from receipt, not from signing.
Incorrect: Three business days is a broker deposit deadline in some other states; Tennessee gives the affiliate no such window.
Correct: TREC Rule 1260-02-.09(3) requires an affiliate to pay all trust money over to the principal broker immediately upon receipt.
Incorrect: Holding a buyer's check until Friday leaves trust money in an affiliate's hands, which the rule does not allow at all.
Question 3 of 4 · Commission, licensing and consumer protection · 11 items
What is the minimum age requirement to obtain a real estate license in Tennessee?
Answer and explanations
Incorrect: Twenty-one is too high; Tennessee lets an 18-year-old high school graduate apply.
Incorrect: Sixteen is below the floor; a high school senior can start the courses but cannot be licensed before 18.
Correct: PSI's Tennessee bulletin and TREC list 18 as the minimum age, together with high school graduation.
Incorrect: Twenty-five has no basis in Tennessee license law; 18 is the only age requirement.
Question 4 of 4 · Advertising and broker/affiliate rules · 12 items
In Tennessee, which of the following is required when advertising a property not listed by the licensee's firm?
Answer and explanations
Correct: Rule 1260-02-.12(3)(e) bars advertising another licensee's listing without written authorization from the listing agent or listing broker.
Incorrect: Showing both firms' contact details does not cure the problem; without written authorization the ad is not allowed.
Incorrect: TREC does not pre-approve ads; the permission has to come from the listing side.
Incorrect: A co-listing agreement would make the firm a listing firm; the rule only asks for written authorization to advertise.
Answer every question to see your score
The exam at a glance
Checked Oct 24, 2026; sources are numbered and listed at the end of the page. Each rule with its own anchor: exam facts.
Fact
Detail
Source
Checked
Test provider
PSI, for the Tennessee Real Estate Commission
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) · Tennessee Real Estate Commission: PSI exam information [1][2]
National portion
80 questions, 160 minutes
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) [1]
State portion
40 questions, 80 minutes
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) [1]
Unscored questions
5 to 10 experimental questions, not scored but timed
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) [1]
Testing time
240 minutes: 160 national + 80 state
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) [1]
Passing score
70% on each portion: 56 of 80 national, 28 of 40 state
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) [1]
Fail one part
Yes: retake only the failed portion; a passed portion counts for 2 retakes or 1 year, whichever comes first
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) [1]
Retake
Retake from the next day; after the second attempt, wait 30 days between failed attempts
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) [1]
Exam fee
$63 both portions · $37 national only · $26 state only
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) [1]
Where you take it
PSI test center or remote online proctoring
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) [1]
Score report
On screen at the end and by email; a fail includes a diagnostic report
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) [1]
Validity window
Apply at core.tn.gov within 1 year of passing all portions
PSI: Tennessee Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 7/1/2025) · Tennessee Real Estate Commission: how to become an affiliate broker [1][3]
Affiliate broker is not a broker license
“Affiliate broker” is the entry-level Tennessee license (salesperson elsewhere); the broker license is a separate exam. An affiliate broker always works under a principal broker, the broker in charge of a firm, who signs the PSI exam form you send with your license application and supervises your ads and trust money. Becoming a broker yourself takes 3 years as a licensee, 120 hours of school and a separate broker exam with a higher pass mark. How the two levels compare across states: salesperson vs broker.
What the two portions cover
PSI splits the 40 state questions over nine areas of Tennessee law; this site groups them into four pages. Advertising and broker/affiliate rules is the largest group with 12 questions, and agency, disclosure and special areas add 9 more. The national areas are explained once for all states on the national portion pages, and the table links there.
The 80 national questions follow PSI’s salesperson outline: contracts (19%), real estate practice (15%) and agency (13%) are the largest areas. Nothing in them is Tennessee law, which is why they are practiced on the national portion pages and its practice test.
Already licensed in another state? The national portion can be waived for a licensee of another state who passed a national exam at that level, and you take only the Tennessee portion (how the waiver works).
Two courses and the exam
Two courses, with the exam after the first:
Principles course:60 hours before the exam. Your school sends your eligibility to PSI, and only then can you book.
The exam: both portions, at a PSI center or online with a remote proctor.
Course for New Affiliates:30 hours, before or after the exam, but finished before you apply.
Apply at core.tn.gov within 1 year of passing, with your principal broker’s signature, proof of E&O insurance and fingerprints.
3Tennessee affiliate broker: practice questions with every answer explained, in a study app. Not affiliated with any state commission or test provider.
How many questions are on the Tennessee real estate exam?
120 scored questions: 80 national and 40 on Tennessee law, plus 5–10 unscored experimental questions you cannot tell apart. The time is 240 minutes: 160 national + 80 state.
Who gives the Tennessee real estate exam?
PSI, a testing company, runs it for the Tennessee Real Estate Commission: you book, pay and test with PSI, then apply for the license with the Commission. Details on centers and remote testing: exam facts.
How long does real estate school take in Tennessee?
It is set in hours, not weeks: 60 hours of principles before the exam, plus the Course for New Affiliates, which must be finished before the license is issued. That makes 90 hours in all; how fast you get through them depends on the school’s schedule.
Can I retake only the portion I failed?
Yes: retake only the failed portion; a passed portion counts for 2 retakes or 1 year, whichever comes first. The fee for one portion alone is lower than the full exam: retake costs.