- The exam costs $79 for one portion or both - there's no per-section surcharge.
- National portion: 75 items, 80 points, 120 minutes. District portion: 40 items, 40 points, 90 minutes.
- You need 75% on each portion separately - passing one doesn't offset the other.
- Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees is 60% of the District portion - master it first.
Exam Format at a Glance
Before you memorize a single fact, get the mechanics of the DCREB (District of Columbia Real Estate Broker Exam) locked into memory. The District of Columbia Real Estate Commission oversees the license, and PSI administers the computer-based test at its centers under the Candidate Information Bulletin, most recently updated June 3, 2026. The exam is split into two independently scored portions:
- National portion: 75 items worth 80 points, 120 minutes. Some broker-level items carry up to two points each, so a handful of harder scenario questions matter more than simple recall items.
- District portion: 40 items worth 40 points, 90 minutes.
PSI may insert up to 10 unscored pilot items into either portion - you cannot tell which ones are unscored, so treat every question as if it counts. A calculator and scratch paper are provided at the test center, so you don't need to bring your own. For a fuller breakdown of how these numbers translate into a study sequence, see the DCREB Study Guide 2026.
Registration, Fees, and Deadlines
The DCREB fee is a flat $79 whether you sit for one portion or both in the same session. That flat structure makes retake economics fairly forgiving - if you fail only one portion, you're not paying a premium to retest just that section. For the full cost picture, including prelicensing education expenses, read the DCREB Certification Cost 2026 breakdown.
Two dates matter more than any other on your calendar:
- The Candidate Information Bulletin's June 3, 2026 update - always confirm you're studying against the current bulletin, since content weighting and policies can shift between updates.
- The six-month window to convert passing results into an actual license application. Miss it, and you'll need to retest even though you already demonstrated competency.
If you're still mapping out when to schedule relative to your prelicensing coursework, the DCREB Exam Dates 2026 guide walks through testing windows and scheduling logistics in more detail.
Key Takeaway
Book your test date only after you've confirmed you can complete your license application within six months of passing - don't let a good score go to waste.
National Portion: High-Yield Domains
The national portion spreads across ten domains, but weight is not evenly distributed. Three domains deserve outsized attention because together they represent a large share of the 80 available points.
Domain 5: Contracts (19%)
This is the single largest national domain. Expect scenario-based items testing offer and acceptance, contingencies, contract remedies, and how broker-level responsibilities differ from salesperson-level contract duties.
- Know the lifecycle of a purchase agreement from offer to closing, including default and remedy scenarios.
Domain 6: Agency (13%)
Agency questions at the broker level go beyond definitions - expect items on supervisory duties, dual agency disclosure obligations, and how a broker's fiduciary responsibilities differ from those of a supervised salesperson.
- Distinguish broker-specific supervisory obligations from general agency duties tested on the salesperson exam.
Domain 10: Practice of Real Estate (12%)
This domain tests day-to-day operational competence: advertising rules, trust account handling, and broker oversight of licensed staff.
- Review how a broker's operational duties differ from a salesperson's in day-to-day transaction handling.
For a domain-by-domain walkthrough of all national content areas, including the smaller ones like Land Use Controls and Property Management, the DCREB Exam Domains 2026 guide is the most complete resource.
District Portion: Statutory Requirements Dominates
If the national portion rewards broad coverage, the District portion rewards depth in one specific area. Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees accounts for 60% of the entire District portion - meaning roughly six out of every ten district-specific questions draw from this single domain.
The remaining district weight is split across:
- Domain 13: Licensing Requirements (15%) - application procedures, education prerequisites, and the standards the Commission enforces.
- Domain 12: Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission (12.5%) and Domain 15: Responsibilities Specific to Brokerage Practice (12.5%) - tied for the next-largest share, covering disciplinary authority and broker-specific compliance obligations.
Because Statutory Requirements carries so much weight, it's worth reviewing exactly how many correct answers you'll need across both portions - the DCREB Passing Score 2026 guide breaks that math down clearly.
All 15 Domains, Ranked by Weight
Use this table as your one-glance priority map. Domains are pulled directly from the official content outline across both portions.
| Domain | Weight | Portion |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory Requirements Governing Activities of Licensees | 60% | District |
| Contracts | 19% | National |
| Licensing Requirements | 15% | District |
| Agency | 13% | National |
| Practice of Real Estate | 12% | National |
| Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission | 12.5% | District |
| Responsibilities Specific to Brokerage Practice | 12.5% | District |
| Property Ownership | 10% | National |
| Financing | 9% | National |
| Valuation | 8% | National |
| Property Disclosures | 7% | National |
| Transfer of Title | 6% | National |
| Real Estate Calculations | 6% | National |
| Land Use Controls | 5% | National |
| Property Management | 5% | National |
Note that percentages within each portion are calculated against that portion's own item pool - national weights sum against the 75-item pool, district weights against the 40-item pool. If you're trying to gauge how tough this distribution makes the exam overall, How Hard Is the DCREB Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 puts the weighting into context against candidate experience.
Eligibility Snapshot
You can't sit for the DCREB without meeting two prerequisites first:
- 135 hours of approved broker prelicensing education.
- Two years of active salesperson experience immediately preceding your application - this must be documented, not simply claimed.
Neither requirement is waivable, and the "immediately preceding" language on the experience requirement means gaps in active licensure can complicate your application even if you meet the two-year total elsewhere in your career. For the complete eligibility checklist, including documentation tips, see DCREB Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Key Takeaway
Confirm your 135-hour prelicensing course is Commission-approved and that your two years of salesperson activity are continuous and immediately prior to filing - verify this before you register for PSI.
After You Pass: Licensing and Renewal
Passing both portions is not the finish line - it's the start of a six-month clock to file your license application. Once licensed, brokers operate on a renewal cycle worth understanding early:
- Licenses renew every two years on the odd-year cycle and expire February 28.
- Each renewal cycle requires 15 continuing-education hours.
- Newly licensed brokers are exempt from continuing education for the remainder of their first cycle - a grace period worth factoring into your first-year planning.
Understanding this cycle matters when you're weighing the broader value of pursuing the license in the first place; the Is the DCREB Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 article looks at the ongoing time and CE commitment against what a broker license unlocks in practice. If you're curious about who actually hires brokers with this credential and how the license is used day to day, DCREB Jobs covers the employment landscape, while DCREB Salary Guide 2026 discusses earnings considerations without relying on invented figures.
Final Review Week Plan
Generic study techniques only go so far - the real lever is sequencing your review around the DCREB's actual weight distribution. In the final two weeks before your test date, allocate time proportional to domain weight rather than equally across all 15 domains.
Heavy-Weight Domains
- Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees (60% of district points)
- Contracts (19% national)
- Licensing Requirements (15% district)
Mid-Weight Domains and Mixed Practice
- Agency, Practice of Real Estate, Commission Duties, Brokerage Responsibilities
- Timed practice sets matching the 120-minute national and 90-minute district limits
- Light review of the smaller 5-9% national domains (Financing, Valuation, Land Use Controls, Property Management)
Practicing under real time constraints matters because the national portion gives you 120 minutes for 75 items while the district portion gives 90 minutes for 40 items - different pacing per question, so drilling with a timer that matches each portion separately builds better instincts than generic timed practice. You can run full-length, timed simulations on our practice test platform to get a feel for both pacing profiles before test day.
If you want a structured week-by-week plan that goes beyond this final review window, the DCREB Study Guide 2026 lays out a longer timeline from day one of prelicensing coursework through test day. And if you'd like to benchmark your readiness against how other candidates have performed historically, DCREB Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows is a useful companion read.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The $79 fee applies whether you're testing on one portion or both in a single session, so retaking just the portion you failed doesn't carry an additional surcharge beyond the standard fee.
No. You need at least 75% on each portion independently. A passing national score does not carry over or compensate for a failing district score - you would need to retest the district portion alone.
Six months. Passing results must be converted into a license application within that window, or you risk needing to retest even after having already passed.
Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees, since it makes up 60% of the District portion - by far the single heaviest concentration of points anywhere on the exam.
No. Newly licensed brokers are exempt from the 15-hour continuing education requirement for the remainder of their first renewal cycle, which runs on the odd-year cycle ending February 28.
Keep this page bookmarked as your one-stop reference, and pair it with focused practice sessions on our DCREB practice test site to turn these weight percentages into confident, timed performance on exam day.