Free cheat sheet · All states
California Salesperson Exam: The DRE-Only Rules, Untangled
One combined 150-question DRE exam, the three-step agency disclosure, trust fund clocks, the TDS and NHD, Prop 13 and the Consumer Recovery Account — the California-only topics that decide the 105th point.
California writes and administers its own exam — no Pearson VUE, no PSI — and it is ONE combined paper: 150 questions, three hours, 70% to pass, which is 105 correct. Nothing is scored or banked separately, so a retake is the whole exam again.
Practice of Real Estate and Disclosures is about a quarter of the paper and Laws of Agency about a sixth. Together that is roughly 63 of the 105 points you need, and almost none of it is national material. This cheat sheet covers exactly those California-only rules.
The exam itself
- 150 multiple-choice questions, four options each, 3 hours, pass at 70% = 105 correct. One score, no national/state split.
- Seven content areas by weight: Practice & Disclosures ~25%, Laws of Agency ~17%, Property Ownership & Land Use ~15%, Valuation ~14%, Contracts ~12%, Financing ~9%, Transfer of Property ~8%.
- Entry licence is SALESPERSON, held under an employing broker. The regulator is the DRE, headed by the Real Estate COMMISSIONER.
- Pre-licence education is 135 hours: Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, and one approved elective. The exam application is valid two years with unlimited attempts, a fee per attempt, and no mandatory wait — but the official result notice must issue before you reschedule.
Agency — three steps, no transaction broker
- The statutory 'Disclosure Regarding Real Estate Agency Relationships' works in three steps: DISCLOSE (give the form), ELECT (the relationship), CONFIRM (in the purchase agreement or a separate writing).
- Sellers get the disclosure before signing the listing; buyers before signing an offer. Residential 1-4 units, leases over one year, and — since AB 1289 — commercial transactions are covered.
- Dual agency is LAWFUL with informed written consent, but a dual agent may never reveal that the seller will take less or the buyer will pay more.
- California has NO transaction-broker or neutral facilitator status. Agency sits at the BROKER level: two salespersons under one broker on both sides = the broker is a dual agent.
- TRAP: compensation does not determine representation. A buyer's agent paid through the seller's offer of compensation still represents the buyer.
What else is in this cheat sheet
- Trust funds (B&P 10145, Reg. 2832)
- Disclosures the exam loves
- Ownership, tax and money rules only California tests
Common questions
Is this cheat sheet really free?
Yes. Enter an email and the full sheet unlocks — there's no card, no trial, and no charge later. The email is how we send the occasional practice tip; unsubscribe whenever.
Can I print it?
It's laid out to print cleanly on standard paper once unlocked, so you can keep it beside you while you study rather than reading it on a screen.
Will memorising this pass the exam?
No, and we'd rather say so. A cheat sheet consolidates what you already half-know and exposes what you don't. Passing comes from working real questions until the reasoning is automatic — the sheet is a companion to that, not a substitute.
Are these facts verified?
They're written from each state's published statutes, commission rules and the testing vendor's content outline. Rules do change; where something is time-sensitive we say so, and you should confirm anything decisive with your state commission.
Use it, don't just read it
Work through free practice questions on the same topics, drill the exam vocabulary, check where you stand, or browse the other cheat sheets.