Tennessee real estate licensing
Tennessee Real Estate Broker License requirements
A practical, source-checked guide to qualifying, passing the exam, applying, and keeping this license active.
By Gabriel Giner, Editor · Verified · RE License Guide Editorial Desk
- Required education
- 120 classroom hours including 30-hour Office/Broker Management
- Exam fee
- $63
- Published fees
- $63
- Typical timeline
- 36 months as affiliate is the long pole
What to know first
A Tennessee broker license is a TREC file, not an affiliate wallet with a new sticker. Live TREC Broker page (fetched 2026-09-02): before the exam, an active license that meets (1) 24 months actively licensed if licensed as an affiliate broker on or before May 12, 1988; (2) 36 months actively licensed if licensed as an affiliate broker after May 12, 1988; or (3) 24 months actively licensed if the candidate has a baccalaureate degree with a major in real estate. In addition, 120 classroom hours of approved real estate education, thirty (30) of which must be an Office/Broker Management course at a TREC-approved school. Submit the Broker Examination application; TREC reviews education and experience — approximately four (4) weeks — before you may reserve PSI. Bulletin 511 restates that same 36/24-month split and the 120 / 30 Office/Broker Management grid.
PSI broker table on bulletin 511: National 75 (80 points) / 150 minutes; State 50 (50 points) / 90 minutes. Passing scores: national 60 (75% of 80 points, not of 75 items), state 38 (75%). Live TREC PSI page: broker national-only $37.00 (150 mins.) — that 150-minute national-only clock matches the bulletin, not the affiliate 160. Same $63 full / $26 state. After passing, live Broker page: if the application is not filed within one (1) year after the date of the examination passed, retake. CORE $91. E&O still required. IdentoGO 28TZ99 if you are not currently an active Tennessee affiliate (bulletin: prints are NOT required of affiliates who test and upgrade).
After issuance, live Broker page: brokers licensed after January 1, 2001 must complete 120 additional Commission-approved hours before the fourth anniversary of the broker license or TREC will not renew. Brokers licensed after January 1, 2005 then roll onto 16 hours of CE (6-hour CORE + 10 elective) each two-year period after completing that post-120. Bulletin also prints a three-year post-120 sentence for original brokers (T.C.A. §62-13-303(h)) — live Broker HTML currently says fourth anniversary. This hub reports both live sentences and will not merge them into a single invented year. That post-120 is not the 30-hour Course for New Affiliates and not Virginia's 180.
Your path to the license
Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.
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Log 36 months as an active affiliate broker (post-1988 rule) or a qualifying 24-month path
24 months only if licensed on or before May 12, 1988 or with a baccalaureate major in real estate. TREC reviews this before PSI.
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Complete 120 hours including 30-hour Office/Broker Management; submit the Broker Examination application
Wait ~four weeks for TREC eligibility. Do not book like an affiliate.
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PSI $63 broker paper: 75 items/80 points/150 min pass 60 + 50/90 min pass 38
Cut is 75% of 80 points and 38 of 50, not the affiliate 70%. Apply at CORE within one year, $91, with E&O.
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Complete 120 additional hours before the fourth anniversary (live Broker page) if licensed as broker after January 1, 2001
Bulletin also cites a three-year statutory clock. Then 16-hour CE (6 CORE + 10 elective) each biennium. Miss post-120 and TREC will not renew.
Education and eligibility
- Minimum age
- 18 years old
- Identification
- A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.
- Residency and identification
- Live Broker page: 36 months actively licensed if affiliated after May 12, 1988; 24 months if on or before that date; or 24 months with a baccalaureate degree with a major in real estate. TREC reviews this before exam eligibility (~4 weeks). Confirm any out-of-state experience in writing with TREC before assuming it counts. Same two-year criminal-wait rule as affiliates (Rule 1260-01-.01(4)).
- Qualifying education
- Live Broker page and bulletin 511 (fetched 2026-09-02): 120 classroom hours of approved real estate education, 30 of which must be Office/Broker Management at a TREC-approved school. Submit the Broker Examination application (bulletin back-of-book form) plus the Office/Broker Management certificate to trec.info@tn.gov; wait approximately four weeks. After licensure, live Broker page: brokers licensed after January 1, 2001 complete 120 additional Commission-approved hours before the fourth anniversary or TREC will not renew. Bulletin also cites T.C.A. §62-13-303(h) as 120 hours within three years of issuance. This hub reports both live clocks and does not invent a single year. Brokers licensed after January 1, 2005 then complete 16-hour CE (6 CORE + 10 elective) after finishing post-120. During the post-120 period, CE for renewal is not required (live broker-renewal support article).
- Education or filing deadline
- TREC eligibility first, then PSI. Apply at CORE within one year of passing (live Broker page + bulletin). Post-120 before the fourth anniversary (live page) / within three years (bulletin statute cite). Then 16-hour CE each biennium.
- Character review
- Same TREC character review as affiliate applicants, plus Principal-Broker fitness if you will qualify a firm.
- Background process
- IdentoGO 28TZ99 if not currently an active Tennessee affiliate. Upgrade from a current TN affiliate: bulletin says prints are not required.
- Experience
- Live Broker page: 36 months actively licensed if licensed as an affiliate after May 12, 1988; 24 months if licensed on or before May 12, 1988; or 24 months with a baccalaureate major in real estate. TREC reviews this before exam eligibility. The affiliate 90 does not substitute for the 120.
- Broker affiliation
- A Tennessee broker may serve as Principal Broker of a firm and hold affiliate brokers. Firm licensure is a separate TREC object ($90). Change or upgrade of firm Principal Broker $25. E&O remains required. Principal Brokers with at least one affiliate have additional TREC CORE obligations named on CE FAQs — confirm the live article rather than inventing a second CORE.
Documents to prepare
- Evidence of 36 (or 24) months active affiliate licensure meeting the May 12, 1988 split
- 120-hour education including 30-hour Office/Broker Management
- TREC Broker Examination application and ~4-week eligibility
- PSI broker national 75 items/80 points/150 min pass 60 and state 50/90 min pass 38
- E&O; IdentoGO only if not a current TN affiliate
- CORE application within one year of passing, $91
The licensing exam
TREC reviews the Broker Examination application (~four weeks) before PSI will let you reserve. Official fees: $63 / $26 / $37 (150 min national-only on the live TREC PSI page). National 75 items carrying 80 points / 150 minutes, pass 60 of 80 points (75%) — not 56 of 75 items and not the affiliate 56 of 80 at 70%. State 50 items / 90 minutes, pass 38 (75%). Two-point items on the national broker paper. State outline broker bands vs affiliate: Commission 6 (affiliate 4); licensing 5 (affiliate 4); advertising 7 (same); broker/affiliate relationships 6 (affiliate 5) including broker's supervisory responsibility; documents 6 (affiliate 4); trust/escrow 7 (affiliate 4); consumer protection 3 (same); agency 7 (affiliate 6); special practice 3 (same). Apply at CORE within one year of passing.
PSI, after TREC exam-eligibility approval (~4 weeks). test-takers.psiexams.com/tnre; (855) 340-3710; bulletin 511 Updated 7/1/2025. $63 full / $26 state / $37 national (150 min national-only on the live TREC PSI page). · Fee: $63
| Part | Questions | Minutes | Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker National | 75 | 150 | 75 items carrying 80 points / 150 minutes on the live bulletin 511 table and the live TREC PSI page national-only clock. National broker exams include questions scored up to two points. Pass 60 of 80 points (75%) — not 56 of 75 items and not the affiliate 56 of 80 at 70%. Full sitting $63; national-only $37 |
| Broker Tennessee State | 50 | 90 | 50 items (50 points) / 90 minutes; pass 38 (75%) on the live passing-score table. Commission 6, licensing 5, advertising 7, broker/affiliate 6 (supervisory responsibility), documents 6, trust/escrow 7, consumer protection 3, agency 7, special 3. State-only $26. Reciprocity/out-of-state still sits this law section at 70% on Worksheet A — this in-state broker paper is 38 of 50 at 75% |
Same $63 / $26 / $37 table. Apply at CORE within one year of passing (live Broker page) — not a six-month blog fuse. After the second fail, 30-day wait. Do not book the affiliate 80/160 min product.
What to study
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120-hour Tennessee broker prelicensing including 30-hour Office/Broker Management
TREC-approved school
TREC eligibility before PSI. Not the affiliate 90 and not Virginia's 180.
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PSI bulletin 511 broker table (75 items/80 points/150 min pass 60 + 50/90 min pass 38)
PSI / TREC
Cut is 75% of 80 points. Supervisory-responsibility and trust items rise on the 50-item state paper.
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Post-120 broker education and TREC CORE (6 hours)
TREC-approved providers / CE Broker
Post-120 is original-broker education, not CE. CORE is the biennial named course after post-120.
Application costs
These are commission or testing-vendor amounts we can cite. School tuition and optional preparation products are private-market prices.
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application | $91 |
| Examination | $63 |
| Initial license | $91 |
| Renewal (every 2 years) | $75 |
Live Fees page: Broker – Upgrade from Affiliate $91. Same $75 biennial renewal as affiliates. PSI $63 / $26 / $37. Post-120 tuition is additional. E&O remains a policy premium. IdentoGO only if not a current TN affiliate. Late $50/$100 per month. Confirm live CORE carts.
| Commission | Tennessee Real Estate Commission (Department of Commerce and Insurance) TREC (615) 741-2273 or (800) 342-4031. Department main (615) 741-2241. trec.info@tn.gov. PSI examinations (855) 340-3710. IdentoGO (855) 266-2937. T.C.A. Title 62, Chapter 13 (including §62-13-303 hours and fingerprints; §62-13-303(h) broker post-120). Rule 1260-05-.03 (90-hour split). Rule 1260-01-.01(4) two-year wait from probation/parole/conviction/incarceration for felonies and theft misdemeanors. Live TREC Affiliate Broker page, Broker page, PSI & Exam Information page, and Fees page fetched 2026-09-02. PSI Tennessee Real Estate Commission Candidate Information Bulletin at test-takers.psiexams.com/tnre / bulletin 511, Updated 7/1/2025 (PDF created 8/26/2026), fetched 2026-09-02. TREC's own PSI page links bulletin 511. CORE at core.tn.gov. CE Broker is the official CE tracker. |
|---|---|
| Pre-licensing | 120 classroom hours including 30-hour Office/Broker Management Live Broker page and bulletin 511 (fetched 2026-09-02): 120 classroom hours of approved real estate education, 30 of which must be Office/Broker Management at a TREC-approved school. Submit the Broker Examination application (bulletin back-of-book form) plus the Office/Broker Management certificate to trec.info@tn.gov; wait approximately four weeks. After licensure, live Broker page: brokers licensed after January 1, 2001 complete 120 additional Commission-approved hours before the fourth anniversary or TREC will not renew. Bulletin also cites T.C.A. §62-13-303(h) as 120 hours within three years of issuance. This hub reports both live clocks and does not invent a single year. Brokers licensed after January 1, 2005 then complete 16-hour CE (6 CORE + 10 elective) after finishing post-120. During the post-120 period, CE for renewal is not required (live broker-renewal support article). TREC eligibility first, then PSI. Apply at CORE within one year of passing (live Broker page + bulletin). Post-120 before the fourth anniversary (live page) / within three years (bulletin statute cite). Then 16-hour CE each biennium. |
| Sponsoring broker | A Tennessee broker may serve as Principal Broker of a firm and hold affiliate brokers. Firm licensure is a separate TREC object ($90). Change or upgrade of firm Principal Broker $25. E&O remains required. Principal Brokers with at least one affiliate have additional TREC CORE obligations named on CE FAQs — confirm the live article rather than inventing a second CORE. |
| Fingerprints | IdentoGO 28TZ99 / ORI TN920784Z if you are not currently an active Tennessee affiliate. Bulletin: fingerprints are NOT required of affiliate brokers who test and upgrade to broker. Active affiliates who already posted prints follow TREC's current reuse rule — confirm rather than assuming a five-year-old receipt still works. No IdentoGO dollar on the live Fees page. |
| CE / renewal | Post-120 before the fourth anniversary if licensed as broker after January 1, 2001 (live Broker page); bulletin also cites three years under §62-13-303(h). Failure to finish post-120 means non-issuance of renewal. During those post-120 years, CE for renewal is not required (live support article); a $50/month fee accrues if you use the extra year after year three (same article). Thereafter (and for brokers licensed after January 1, 2005): 16 hours per two-year period including 6-hour TREC CORE and 10 elective, via CE Broker. Grandfathered brokers licensed as TN brokers before 2005 may be CE-exempt until they expire and reinstate (live CE FAQs). Same $50/month then $100/month as affiliates (live Fees page). After one year, retest and reapply. Confirm live CORE. |
| Recovery fund | Same Education and Recovery Account. Brokers and firms are within TREC's consumer-protection scheme. It is not a substitute for the E&O policy TREC still requires. |
Mistakes that delay applicants
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Booking PSI before TREC eligibility
Broker is not walk-up like affiliate. Four-week review is real.
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Sitting the affiliate 80/160 min 70% paper
Broker national is 75 items carrying 80 points in 150 minutes at 75% (60 of 80 points). State is 50 / 90 min pass 38.
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Skipping Office/Broker Management inside the 120
Thirty of the 120 must be that named course at a TREC-approved school.
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Using a six-month blog apply window
Live Broker page and bulletin 511: one year from passing, or retake.
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Ignoring post-120 until year four
Live Broker page: TREC will not renew a post-2001 broker who skipped the additional 120 hours. Bulletin also cites a three-year statutory clock — do not wait for the later of two unread sentences.
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Treating NAR ethics as TREC CORE
Live Education page: Code of Ethics is a local-board requirement, not TREC. TREC CORE is the named 6-hour renewal course.
Reciprocity and recognition
| Partner / path | Accepted exam | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| No formal bilateral reciprocity is published for this credential. | ||
Same bulletin out-of-state path: Worksheet A wants 120 hours including 30 office/brokerage management accepted by the resident state, plus the Tennessee-law section. TREC staff enter out-of-state candidates into PSI. A Virginia broker certificate is not a Tennessee broker license. Confirm live instructions rather than a compact chart.
Renewal and staying active
Post-120 before the fourth anniversary if licensed as broker after January 1, 2001 (live Broker page); bulletin also cites three years under §62-13-303(h). Failure to finish post-120 means non-issuance of renewal. During those post-120 years, CE for renewal is not required (live support article); a $50/month fee accrues if you use the extra year after year three (same article). Thereafter (and for brokers licensed after January 1, 2005): 16 hours per two-year period including 6-hour TREC CORE and 10 elective, via CE Broker. Grandfathered brokers licensed as TN brokers before 2005 may be CE-exempt until they expire and reinstate (live CE FAQs).
Late renewal: Same $50/month then $100/month as affiliates (live Fees page). After one year, retest and reapply. Confirm live CORE.
Upgrade row is $91, not a second $75. Firm $90. Confirm live fees.
Applicant checklist
- 36 months active affiliate (post-1988 rule) or qualifying 24-month path
- 120 hours including 30-hour Office/Broker Management; TREC Broker Examination application and ~4-week eligibility
- PSI $63: 75 items/80 points/150 min pass 60 + 50/90 min pass 38
- CORE application within one year, $91, with E&O (IdentoGO only if not a current TN affiliate)
- 120 additional hours before the fourth anniversary (if licensed as broker after January 1, 2001); then 16-hour CE (6 CORE + 10 elective)
How Tennessee is different
Virginia broker: 180 hours including a 45-hour brokerage course, 40 hr/wk for 36 of 48 months, PSI 75/80 pts/105 min pass 60 + 50/55 min pass 38. Georgia: GREC broker on a salesperson base. Kentucky: principal broker on a sales-associate base. North Carolina: broker-in-charge on a provisional-broker entry. Tennessee: 120 hours including 30-hour Office/Broker Management, 36 months as affiliate (post-1988), TREC pre-approval, PSI $63 at 75% (60 of 80 points + 38 of 50), one-year apply window, 120-hour post-broker education before year four on the live Broker page.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Tennessee issue a salesperson license?
- No. Entry is affiliate broker. This page is broker, a separate 120-hour / 36-month license.
- Can I book PSI the day I finish the 120 hours?
- No. Submit the Broker Examination application and wait for TREC eligibility, about four weeks (live Broker page + bulletin).
- Is the apply window six months like older affiliate blogs?
- No. Live Broker page: one year after the examination passed, or retake. Bulletin 511 uses the same one-year clock for affiliates. Do not mix a six-month blog fuse into this file.
- Is the national paper still 80 items at 70%?
- No. Broker national is 75 items carrying 80 points in 150 minutes. Cut is 60 of 80 points (75%), not 56 of 75 items and not the affiliate 56 of 80 at 70%. State is 50 / 90 minutes, pass 38 (75%).
- What is the post-120?
- Live Broker page: brokers licensed after January 1, 2001 complete 120 additional Commission-approved hours before the fourth anniversary or TREC will not renew. Bulletin cites T.C.A. §62-13-303(h) as within three years. After post-120 (and for brokers licensed after January 1, 2005): 16-hour CE including 6-hour CORE. During post-120 years, CE for renewal is not required (live support article).
- Do I fingerprint again to upgrade?
- Bulletin: fingerprints are NOT required of affiliate brokers who test and upgrade to broker. Confirm if you are not currently an active Tennessee affiliate — then IdentoGO 28TZ99 still applies.
Primary Sources
Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.
- TREC Broker Licensure (36/24-month split; 120 hours; 30-hour Office/Broker Management; post-120; CORE $91; one-year apply)
- PSI bulletin 511 (broker 75 items/80 points/150 min pass 60 + 50/90 min pass 38; $63; ~4-week TREC eligibility)
- TREC PSI page (broker national-only 150 mins. / $37; two-retakes-or-one-year)
- TREC Fees ($91 upgrade; $75 renewal; late $50/$100 per month)
Verified 2026-09-02 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-01