How many questions are on the Alabama real estate exam?

The Alabama real estate exam has 120 questions: 80 on the national portion and 40 on the state-specific portion. You have 210 minutes to complete it.

What score do you need to pass the Alabama real estate exam?

You need a score of 70% to pass the Alabama real estate exam. That works out to roughly 84 of 120 questions, though exam providers that use scaled scoring report a scaled result rather than a raw count.

Who administers the Alabama real estate exam?

The Alabama real estate exam is administered by Pearson VUE. The state regulatory body is AREC.

How hard is the Alabama real estate exam?

Alabama's first-attempt pass rate runs roughly 60-70%, and the 60-hour pre-licensing requirement is moderate. Pearson VUE reports a scaled score rather than a raw question count, and you need an overall scaled score of 70 across the combined exam, so there's no fixed "X of Y correct" number to target. Most candidates struggle with Alabama's distinctive single agency vs. transaction brokerage framework, which differs from the national agency principles national prep courses emphasize.

How long do I have to take the Alabama real estate exam?

3.5 hours total (210 minutes): 2.5 hours for the general portion, 1 hour for the state portion. That's generous pacing, about 105 seconds per scored question.

What does the Alabama real estate exam cost?

$73 per attempt through Pearson VUE (fee updated effective August 1, 2025). The application fee through AREC is $30, and the background check runs about $40. Total cost including 60 hours of pre-licensing ($300-$600) is roughly $443-$743.

What's covered on the Alabama-specific portion?

The 40 state questions concentrate on: 1. **Alabama Real Estate License Law (Title 34, Chapter 27).** AREC rules, license categories, broker supervision. 2. **Single agency vs. transaction brokerage.** Alabama's specific agency framework. 3. **Property disclosures.** Alabama's disclosure requirements. 4. **Trust accounts.** Alabama's broker trust account rules. 5. **Broker supervision.** Qualifying Broker responsibilities. 6. **Caveat emptor framework.** Alabama is a caveat emptor state, which shapes how disclosure duties are tested.

What if I fail the Alabama real estate exam?

You can retake it. Pearson VUE allows unlimited attempts within your 6-month exam authorization window, at $73 per attempt. Because Pearson VUE reports one overall scaled score covering both portions, there's no separate pass/fail per portion — if your overall score falls short of 70, you retake the entire exam. A passing result stays valid for 90 days when you apply for your license.

How much do real estate agents make in Alabama?

Median agent income is $47,500 and brokers earn around $62,000. Top earners in Birmingham, Huntsville, and coastal Alabama can clear $150K+. Alabama's median home price is $230,000.

Pass Your Alabama Real Estate Exam the First Time

AL is a "Caveat Emptor" (Buyer Beware) state. Students often confuse this with the "Full Disclosure" rules taught in national prep.

Questions

120

80 NAT / 40 STATE

To Pass

70%

SCALED SCORE, NOT A RAW COUNT

SCALED SCORE

Time Limit

3.5 Hrs

210 TOTAL MINUTES

Provider

Pearson VUE

AREC

Pass your Alabama Salesperson or Broker License

Alabama is one of the only states still operating under Caveat Emptor, and every candidate trained on national materials walks in expecting rules that do not apply here.

Courses built for a national audience teach seller disclosure as the default. Alabama takes a different approach, and the gap between what candidates expect and what AREC actually enforces is wide enough to fail entire sections. AI generated question banks were built for states with mandatory disclosure regimes. The content that defines Alabama exam performance was never part of those banks because those banks were not written by people who practice in this state.

The License Professor is built by licensed Alabama professionals who know what AREC tests. Every question on AREC regulations, trust accounting rules, and brokerage procedures is drawn from Alabama law and Commission rule, not from a shared national bank.

Alabama Sample Exams

Experience the real study interface — no account required.

Salesperson

Individuals new to real estate who want to start their career helping clients buy and sell property

Broker

Experienced professionals who want to operate independently or run their own brokerage

Three Topics that Trip Up Alabama Students Most

Caveat Emptor Rule

Alabama is one of only a handful of states that still follows "buyer beware" for used homes, meaning sellers have almost no duty to disclose defects — students bomb this because they confuse the three narrow exceptions (fiduciary duty, health/safety threats, direct buyer inquiry) with the full-disclosure rules taught in national prep.

Violations & Disciplinary Actions

Violations is 15 of the 40 state questions per AREC's content outline — more than a third of the state portion — yet most prep courses barely touch it because it isn't a single memorable rule like caveat emptor. Students lose points on misrepresentation, improper advertising, and trust-account commingling scenarios they never practiced.

RECAD Disclosures

The Real Estate Consumers Agency and Disclosure Act requires both a Brokerage Services Disclosure form AND an Agency Disclosure Office Policy, and the exam tests exact timing and signature requirements that trip up students who lump all Alabama disclosure forms together.

Read the full breakdown →

The Alabama Real Estate License Professor includes specialized deep dives for each of these.

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Alabama Real Estate Practice Questions

Sample questions from the Alabama real estate exam — with answers and explanations.

1. After buyer Priya tells salesperson Robert she won't sign an agency agreement and wants to negotiate independently, Robert is later asked by the seller to represent the seller's interests in that same transaction. Is Robert legally barred from doing so because he previously acted as Priya's transaction facilitator?

A.Yes, once he facilitates for one party he can never represent anyone else in that transaction.
B.No, because Robert never became Priya's agent as a facilitator, he is not barred by a prior fiduciary relationship with her from later representing the seller in the same transaction.
C.Yes, but only if Priya objects in writing within 10 days.
D.No, but only if Priya pays Robert a release fee first.

Explanation: Under Ala. Code Section 34-27-82(b), a licensee with no written agency agreement is a transaction facilitator and not an agent, so Robert never owed Priya loyalty, and Rule 790-X-3-.14(4)(c) expressly lets a licensee represent one party as an agent while serving as transaction facilitator for the other. The trap is thinking that helping a buyer creates a lasting fiduciary tie, when a facilitator's duties under Section 34-27-84 are honesty, reasonable care, confidentiality, and presenting offers, not advocacy. That confidentiality duty survives the switch, so Robert still cannot pass along anything Priya told him in confidence. He needs a signed agency agreement with the seller before acting as the seller's agent, and the offer's representation disclosure clause under Section 34-27-82(i) has to reflect his real role.

2. How long must an Alabama broker retain transaction records and documentation after a real estate transaction closes?

A.1 year from closing date
B.2 years from closing date
C.3 years from closing date
D.5 years from closing date

Explanation: Ala. Code Section 34-27-36(b)(30) makes it a violation for a qualifying broker or company to fail to keep copies of all contracts, leases, listings, and other records pertinent to real estate transactions for three years, and Section 34-27-36(b)(8)c sets the same three years for records of funds held for others. Five years is the tempting answer because many firms and lenders keep files longer out of caution, but the Alabama statute says three. Since the statute does not say when the three years start, keep failed and open transaction files too rather than purging from a closing date that may never come.

3. A single-family home in Alabama that the owner occupies as a primary residence has a fair market value of $260,000. Alabama assesses owner-occupied residential property (Class III) at 10 percent of fair market value, and the combined state, county, and local millage on the property is 42 mills. Before any homestead exemption, what is the annual ad valorem property tax?

A.$109.20
B.$1,092
C.$2,184
D.$10,920

Explanation: Ala. Code Section 40-8-1(a) assesses Class III property, which includes owner-occupied single-family residential property, at 10 percent of fair and reasonable market value, so the assessed value is $260,000 x 0.10 = $26,000. One mill is $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value, so 42 mills is 0.042, and $26,000 x 0.042 = $1,092. Applying the millage to the full $260,000 market value gives $10,920, the most common error, because it skips the Class III assessment ratio entirely. Using the 20 percent Class II ratio gives $2,184, but Class II is the ratio for property not otherwise classified, such as commercial and rental property, not an owner-occupied home.

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Alabama Real Estate Exam Structure: What to Expect

The Alabama Salesperson exam combines 80 general questions and 40 state-specific questions — 120 scored questions total, plus 10-15 unscored pretest items — in 210 minutes (3.5 hours). Pearson VUE reports one overall scaled score covering both portions combined, not a separate pass/fail threshold per portion — a scaled score of 70 or higher on the combined exam is a pass.

Question breakdown

General portion: 80 questions

Standard Pearson VUE national content.

Alabama portion: 40 questions

Topics:

Violations & Disciplinary Actions (15 questions) — the largest single category
Licensing Requirements (7 questions)
Broker Licenses, Company Licenses, and Place of Business (5 questions)
RECAD (3 questions)
License Status, Recovery Fund, Trust Funds, Estimated Closing Statement (10 questions combined)

The Broker exam uses this same 120-question, 3.5-hour structure and 70-point passing threshold as the Salesperson exam — if you've reviewed the breakdown above, you already know what to expect.

Time management

210 minutes for 120 scored questions = 105 seconds per question. Generous.

Cost structure

Pre-licensing (60 hours): $300-$600
Exam: $73
License: $30
Background check: ~$40
Total: $443-$743

Retake rules

Retakes allowed within your 6-month exam authorization window (unlimited attempts). $73 per attempt. A passing result is valid for 90 days when applying for your license.

Topics Covered on the Alabama Real Estate Exam

National Exam Topics (80 questions)

Property Ownership — Estates, deeds, easements
Land Use Controls — Zoning, government powers
Valuation — Three approaches, CMA
Financing — Mortgages, FHA/VA, RESPA, TILA
Agency Principles — National agency framework
Disclosures — Federal disclosures including lead paint
Contracts — Listing agreements, purchase contracts
Leasing — Lease provisions, landlord-tenant law

Alabama State Exam Topics (40 questions)

Violations & Disciplinary Actions — Misrepresentation, advertising rules, failure to disclose, commingling — by far the largest state-portion category
Alabama Licensing Requirements — Title 34 Chapter 27, AREC rules, qualifications, renewal, CE
Broker Licenses, Company Licenses, and Place of Business — Qualifying broker rules, branch offices
RECAD — Brokerage Services Disclosure, Agency Disclosure Office Policy, single agency vs. transaction brokerage
License Status, Recovery Fund, Trust Funds, Estimated Closing Statement — smaller but scored categories

Why this list matters

Per AREC's official content outline (effective February 1, 2026), Violations Which May Result in Disciplinary Actions is 15 of the 40 state questions — more than a third of the state portion, and the largest single category by far. Licensing Requirements is next at 7. RECAD, despite the attention it gets in national prep courses, is only 3.

Source: AL state content outline #093301, effective 2026-02-01.

What this list doesn't tell you

Pearson VUE writes scenario-based questions. Practice questions, not just topic review.

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