District of Columbia Real Estate Broker pass rate & how retakes work

PrepPass has not verified whether District of Columbia Real Estate Commission (DLCP) publishes one, so we do not state a figure. Any exact percentage you see on a prep site that does not cite an authority document is an unofficial estimate rather than a number from the exam authority.

The published passing standard is 75%. That is the authority's figure, not ours, and it is a passing SCORE — the bar you personally have to clear — not a pass RATE. Confirm it on District of Columbia Real Estate Commission (DLCP) before you rely on it.

You can retake it. The authority may require a waiting period between attempts, so check the official page for the current rule. Working through practice questions until you consistently clear the standard you need is the most reliable way to do better next time.

The District of Columbia Real Estate Commission licenses brokers, salespersons, and property managers in the District. The Commission now sits within the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP), which took over the licensing functions of the former Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) — older PSI bulletins and study guides still reference DCRA. The Commission contracts with PSI to deliver the licensing exams.

Broker applicants must complete 135 clock hours of approved broker pre-licensing education covering nine named subjects (17 DCMR § 2601.3) and must have been licensed and actively engaged as a real estate broker or salesperson, in the District or elsewhere, for the two years immediately preceding the application (D.C. Official Code § 47-2853.162(2); 17 DCMR § 2601.7). 17 DCMR § 2601.9(b) allows equivalent experience — two continuous years in the real estate business with at least six verified transactions a year as a builder, investor, developer, attorney, or in a closely related occupation. The separate 3-hour DCREC-approved DC Fair Housing course is required of reciprocity and endorsement applicants, not of first-time DC broker applicants; there is no separate property-management course requirement. 17 DCMR § 2601.5 gives a candidate six months after passing to pay the fee and file, or be reexamined.

PSI bulletin 5587 (updated 6/3/2026) gives the broker exam as a 75-item national portion scored to 80 points in 120 minutes plus a 40-item DC state portion worth 40 points in 90 minutes — 115 scored items and 120 points in 210 minutes. The 120 is the POINTS total, not the item count: a note in the same table explains that national broker items can be scored up to two points. The 80-item general portion belongs to the salesperson exam. You must score at least 75% and pass both portions; up to 10 unscored pretest items may also appear, with extra time added for them.

PSI bulletin 5587's State Portion Content Outline splits the 40 broker items four ways: Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission (5 items, 12.5%), Licensing Requirements (6 items, 15%), Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees (24 items, 60%) and Responsibilities Specific to Brokerage Practice, which is broker-only (5 items, 12.5%). Agency is not a top-level area — it is sub-item III.I, alongside advertising and technology, the broker/salesperson relationship, commissions, disclosure and conflict of interest, handling of documents, handling of monies, fair housing and ADA, the tenant's right to purchase, property disclosures and environmental issues. The tenant's right to purchase (TOPA) is one lettered sub-item, not a quarter of the exam.