California Real Estate Exam Content Breakdown & Weighting

The California real estate exam isn’t a secret code you have to crack in order to pass. The DRE actually publishes a blueprint that tells the world exactly what’s on the test. Once you know how the questions are weighted, you can stop wasting time and start studying the right way and focusing on the things that matter.

I’m going to map it all out for you below.

But first, here is some good news: the biggest section on the exam isn’t necessarily the hardest one.

If you are just beginning your licensing journey, start with our comprehensive California real estate exam guide for a full roadmap.

The 7 Major DRE Exam Categories

The DRE divides the exam into seven competency areas. While the official titles can sound academic, it is easier to understand them as the practical responsibilities of a licensee.

• Property Ownership and Land Use Controls and Regulations: This tests your knowledge of what you are selling—the rights, interests, and restrictions attached to the land.
• Laws of Agency and Fiduciary Duties: This covers who you represent and the legal obligations you owe to your clients.
• Property Valuation and Financial Analysis: This requires you to understand how value is determined and how investment properties are analyzed.
• Financing: This covers the systems, laws, and instruments used to borrow money for real estate.
• Transfer of Property: This tests the mechanics of how ownership moves from one person to another (deeds, escrow, and title).
• Practice of Real Estate and Mandated Disclosures: This is the "day-to-day" work of an agent, including fair housing, truth-in-advertising, and trust funds.
• Contracts: This covers the agreements that make the transaction legally binding.

Which exam category is worth the most points? The Practice of Real Estate and Mandated Disclosures is the heavyweight champion of the exam, accounting for roughly 25% of the questions. However, as we will discuss below, this category is actually a mix of several different skill sets.

These seven categories are the standard framework for both the salesperson and broker exams.

Category-by-Category Weighting (2025–2026)

The DRE provides a percentage range for each topic. Below, we break down these weights into a practical study guide.

Practice of Real Estate and Mandated Disclosures (~25%)

What It Really Covers: This is the largest section of the exam. It includes Trust Fund handling, Fair Housing laws (Federal and State), the purpose of the Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS), and strict rules regarding advertising and ethics.

Laws of Agency and Fiduciary Duties (~17%)

What It Really Covers: This tests how agency is created (express vs. implied), how it is terminated, and the specific duties owed to principals versus third parties. It heavily features "dual agency" scenarios.

Property Ownership and Land Use Controls (~15%)

What It Really Covers: This covers the different ways to hold title (Joint Tenancy, Community Property), encumbrances (liens, easements), and government powers (Zoning, Eminent Domain).

Property Valuation and Financial Analysis (~14%)

What It Really Covers: This is about appraisal theory (Cost, Income, and Market Data approaches) and economic principles of value (Substitution, Contribution).

Contracts (~12%)

What It Really Covers: This section deals with the validity of contracts (Competence, Mutual Consent, Lawful Object, Consideration) and the specific types of listings (Exclusive Right to Sell vs. Exclusive Agency).

Financing (~9%)

What It Really Covers: This covers the primary vs. secondary mortgage markets, loan types (FHA, VA, Conventional), and consumer protection laws like TILA (Reg Z) and RESPA.

Transfer of Property (~8%)

What It Really Covers: This deals with deeds (Grant vs. Quitclaim), title insurance (CLTA vs. ALTA), and the escrow process.

Salesperson vs. Broker Exam Content: What’s Different?

While both exams utilize the exact same seven categories, the lens through which you are tested changes.

The Salesperson exam focuses on the application of rules: "What form do I use?" or "What must I disclose?"

The Broker exam focuses on the above as well as a little more on supervision and management. In addition to the standard content, Broker candidates must understand:

• Office management and supervision of salespersons.
• Deeper liability regarding Trust Fund accounting.
• More complex financial analysis and investment scenarios.

Is the content breakdown the same for salesperson and broker exams? Yes. The DRE uses the same "Content Outline" for both. However, the Broker exam contains 200 questions compared to the Salesperson's 150 and you have to score slightly better on the broker exam to pass.

For more on passing thresholds, read our breakdown of How the California Real Estate Exam is Scored.

How Content Weighting Should Shape Your Study Plan

Do not study every topic with equal intensity. The weighting reveals that the DRE values certain competencies over others.

High-Value vs. Low-Effort Topics

• High-Value / High-Complexity: "Laws of Agency" and "Practice of Real Estate" combine for over 40% of your score. These require deep study because they are scenario-based. You cannot just memorize definitions; you must understand how to apply the law to a situation.
• Low-Effort / Easy Points: "Transfer of Property" and "Property Ownership" often rely on static definitions (e.g., "What is a freehold estate?"). These are "low-effort" points. Master the vocabulary here to bank easy points, which gives you a buffer for the harder scenario questions.

Which exam topics give you the easiest points? Contracts and Transfer of Property. The rules in these sections are rigid and rarely change, making the questions straightforward if you know your definitions.

How the DRE Uses Weighting to Build and Score the Exam

The DRE uses a psychometric process called "equating" to ensure fairness. Whether you take the exam on a Tuesday in San Diego or a Friday in Oakland, the computer algorithm pulls questions to match this exact percentage blueprint.

Because the DRE uses this fixed blueprint, ADHI Schools’ practice exams mirror the real exam’s balance. When you take our mock tests, you are conditioning your brain to handle the exact distribution of topics you will face on test day.

How does knowing the content breakdown improve your odds on exam day?

It prevents panic. If you hit a hard run of Finance questions, you can relax knowing that Finance is only 9% of the exam. You can afford to miss a few hard finance questions and still easily pass if your Agency and Practice knowledge is solid.

To refine your testing tactics further, review our Multiple-Choice Strategy for the CA Real Estate Exam.

Mastering the blueprint gives you an immediate edge over other test-takers who are just memorizing flashcards without a plan.

Ready to start your structured preparation? Return to our California real estate exam guide to take the next step toward your license.

Frequently Asked Questions regarding DRE Exam Content

Do I need to pass each of the seven content areas individually?
No. Your score is cumulative. You do not need to score 70% in every single category to pass. For example, if you struggle with Financing (9%), you can make up for those missed points by scoring highly in Practice of Real Estate (25%) and Agency (17%).

Does the high weighting for Valuation and Financing mean there is a lot of math?
No. While Property Valuation (~14%) and Financing (~9%) make up nearly a quarter of the exam, the DRE focuses on concepts, not calculations. You will be tested on the principles of value and loan structures, but you will not be asked to perform complex arithmetic.

How strict are these percentages?
They are approximations provided by the DRE. On any given exam version, the specific number of questions may fluctuate slightly.

Is the "Practice of Real Estate" the hardest section because it is the largest?
Not necessarily. While it has the most questions (approx. 25%), many of them cover straightforward topics like Fair Housing and Truth-in-Advertising. Many students find the Laws of Agency section more difficult because it relies heavily on interpreting complex scenarios rather than memorizing facts.