- 135 scored items (80 national, 55 Louisiana) plus 10-15 pretest items, in 240 minutes.
- Pass each portion at a scaled score of 75; only the failed portion needs a retake.
- Combined exam costs $81 first attempt, $96 for a repeat; state-only is $39, national-only is $42.
- 150 LREC classroom hours are required, including the mandatory 30-hour Broker Responsibilities course.
Exam Snapshot: Numbers You Must Know
Before you open a single practice question, memorize the shape of the Louisiana Real Estate Broker Exam. It is administered by Pearson VUE on behalf of the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, and every candidate sits the same computer-based, closed-book, selected-response format. There is no essay portion, no case-study writing, and no oral component - just multiple-choice items delivered on a screen, with handheld and on-screen calculators supplied by Pearson VUE for the math-heavy questions.
Because the pretest items are indistinguishable from scored ones, treat every question on screen as if it counts - pacing discipline matters more than trying to guess which items are "throwaways." For a deeper breakdown of how these numbers translate into a study plan, see the LA-REB Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Fee Structure and Retake Costs
Budgeting correctly avoids surprise costs on exam day. The combined exam (both national and Louisiana portions together) runs $81 for your initial attempt. If you need to retake the combined exam, the fee rises to $96. Candidates who only need to redo one portion pay differently: national-only retakes are $42, and state-only retakes are $39.
| Attempt Type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Initial combined exam (national + Louisiana) | $81 |
| Repeat combined exam | $96 |
| National-only retake | $42 |
| State-only retake | $39 |
Because only the failed portion is retested once you've passed the other, most candidates who fail one section end up paying the lower single-portion fee rather than the full combined rate again. For a complete cost picture that includes education hours and insurance, review the LA-REB Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
National Domains Cheat Sheet
The national outline, effective April 1, 2025, covers 80 of your 135 scored questions across eight domains. Real Estate Contracts and Agency is the largest national domain, so it deserves the most repetitions in your final review pass.
Domain 4: Real Estate Contracts and Agency
The heaviest-weighted national domain. Expect scenario questions on offer/acceptance, contingencies, agency disclosure, and fiduciary duties.
- Know the difference between listing agreements and buyer representation agreements
- Be able to spot when an agency relationship has been created versus implied
Domain 8: Real Estate Math Calculations
Calculator-based but conceptually tricky. Practice proration, commission splits, loan-to-value, and amortization basics until the setup is automatic.
- Memorize the formulas rather than relying only on the on-screen calculator for logic
The remaining national domains - Real Property Characteristics, Legal Descriptions, and Property Use; Forms of Ownership, Transfer, and Recording of Title; Property Value and Appraisal; Real Estate Practice; Property Disclosures and Environmental Issues; and Financing and Settlement - round out the 80-item national pool. A full walkthrough of every domain, including how items are distributed, is available in the LA-REB Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 13 Content Areas.
Louisiana Domains Cheat Sheet
The Louisiana-specific outline, effective September 1, 2021, supplies the other 55 scored questions across five domains. Unlike some national outlines, Louisiana publishes item ranges rather than fixed percentage weights, so don't assume every domain contributes evenly - study each one thoroughly rather than trying to reverse-engineer a percentage.
Domain 9: Duties, Overview, and Powers of the Real Estate Commission
Covers LREC structure, disciplinary authority, and rulemaking scope.
Domain 10: Licensing Requirements
Broker-specific licensing pathways, education prerequisites, and application mechanics.
Domain 11: Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees
Trust account handling, advertising rules, and license law violations.
Domain 12: Louisiana Civil Law System
Louisiana's civil law tradition differs from common-law states - expect questions on property classifications unique to this system.
Domain 13: Louisiana Law of Agency
Agency duties as defined under Louisiana statute, distinct from the general national agency domain.
Key Takeaway
Don't skim the Louisiana Civil Law System domain just because it feels unfamiliar - it's a distinct legal framework, not a variation of common law, and it shows up as its own tested area.
Eligibility Checklist
You cannot sit for the broker exam without meeting Louisiana Real Estate Commission prerequisites first. Run through this list before you schedule anything with Pearson VUE:
- High school diploma or GED
- Actively licensed as a real estate agent for at least four years, with two of those years immediately preceding your broker application
- Completion of 150 LREC-approved classroom hours, including the mandatory 30-hour Broker Responsibilities course
- Passed criminal-background check
- Errors & Omissions (E&O) insurance in place before license issuance
The active-licensure timeline trips up more candidates than the exam content itself. If you're unsure whether your license history qualifies, the LA-REB Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify article walks through edge cases in detail.
Scoring, Retakes, and the One-Year Clock
Once approved, your test authorization is valid for one year, and you get unlimited attempts within that window - but there's a catch. Both the national and Louisiana portions must be passed within the applicable one-year period, or your authorization lapses and you start over.
Each portion is scored independently on a scaled system, and you need a 75 on each - not a combined average. A strong national score cannot offset a weak Louisiana score, and vice versa. For the exact mechanics of how scaled scoring works, see LA-REB Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. If you're still deciding how much runway to leave yourself relative to your authorization window, cross-check testing availability in LA-REB Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Post-Licensing and Renewal Requirements
Passing the exam is not the finish line. Newly licensed or upgraded brokers must complete 45 post-license hours within 180 days of licensure. After that, active licenses renew annually by December 31, requiring 12 CE hours - which must include both current LREC mandatory courses for brokers and associate brokers - plus continued E&O coverage.
- 180 days: deadline for 45 post-license hours after initial or upgraded licensure
- December 31 annually: renewal deadline requiring 12 CE hours
- Ongoing: E&O insurance must stay active without lapse
Missing the 180-day post-license deadline can jeopardize your new broker license, so calendar it the same day you receive your passing results.
Final-Week Review Plan
In the last stretch before test day, resist adding new material - instead, rotate through weak domains using short, timed recall sessions rather than long passive reading blocks. This is the one place a lightweight study method helps: spaced, timed drills work better than re-reading notes because the LA-REB exam rewards fast recognition under a 240-minute clock, not deep essay-style reasoning.
Contracts and Agency Drill
- Timed question sets on Domain 4 and Domain 13 (Louisiana Law of Agency) back-to-back to catch overlap confusion
Math and Licensing
- Redo every math calculation type in Domain 8, then move to Domain 10 licensing rules
Civil Law and Statutory Review
- Focus on Domain 12 Louisiana Civil Law System and Domain 11 statutory violations - these feel unfamiliar under time pressure
Light Mixed Review
- Short mixed-domain practice set, calculator familiarization, and rest - no new content
If you want a broader sense of how tough this exam feels relative to other licensing exams, How Hard Is the LA-REB Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 breaks that down, and our full practice test platform lets you run these timed drills domain-by-domain instead of guessing where you're weak.
Who Values a Louisiana Broker License
Brokerages, property management firms, and independent real estate teams across Louisiana look for candidates who've cleared this exam because it signals both national real estate competency and fluency in the state's civil law framework - something agents licensed elsewhere often lack. If you're weighing whether the time and fee investment pays off relative to staying an agent, the Is the LA-REB Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 article and LA-REB Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis lay out the practical considerations. For current opening trends, browsing LA-REB Jobs can also give a feel for how brokers use the credential day to day.
FAQ
There are 135 scored questions total - 80 national and 55 Louisiana - plus 10-15 unscored pretest questions mixed in, for a maximum of 240 minutes.
You need a scaled score of 75 on both the national portion and the Louisiana portion independently - one strong score cannot make up for a weak one on the other portion.
The combined exam is $81 for your first attempt and $96 for a repeat. If you only need to retake one portion, national-only costs $42 and state-only costs $39.
Authorization lasts one year with unlimited attempts, but both the national and Louisiana portions must be passed within that one-year period.
You'll need to complete 45 post-license hours within 180 days, secure E&O insurance, and later maintain your license with 12 CE hours annually by December 31, including both current LREC mandatory courses.
Keep this page bookmarked as your quick-reference sheet, but pair it with deeper domain-by-domain study using the full domains guide and hands-on practice at our practice test hub so the numbers above become instinct rather than memorized trivia.