NC-BROKER · Syllabus & Exam Outline 2026
North Carolina Real Estate License Exam (Provisional Broker)
Exam-aligned study paths covering the national real estate core plus North Carolina state law — NCREC License Law, agency and the "Working With Real Estate Agents" disclosure, due-diligence contracts, and trust-account rules — in retention-first 15-minute topics.
- Questions
- 140 scored items (80 National, 60 State) plus 10 pretest items
- Time limit
- 4.5 hours (2.5 hours for National section, 2.0 hours for State section)
- Passing score
- 75
- Cost
- $100-$105 application fee, plus a $63 examination fee for the comprehensive 2-part exam (or $53 if taking only one section)
- Format
- multiple-choice
- Delivery
- Computer-based testing via Pearson VUE test centers
- Calculator
- Calculators are not required but recommended. Acceptable calculators include hand-held, battery, or solar-powered financial calculators without alpha characters. Calculators are not provided by the test center staff.
- Prep time
- ~100 hours
Exam overview
The North Carolina Real Estate License Examination for Provisional Brokers is an entry-level test mandated by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC) and administered by Pearson VUE. Since North Carolina issues only broker licenses (there is no separate salesperson license), this comprehensive exam serves as the gateway to the profession. It is designed to verify that candidates possess the minimal competency, knowledge of real property principles, and understanding of state-specific laws necessary to protect the public. The examination is divided into two distinct parts: a National section and a State section. The National portion assesses foundational real estate concepts such as financing, valuation, property ownership, and general agency principles. The State portion strictly evaluates knowledge of North Carolina real estate license law, Commission rules, residential landlord-tenant acts, trust account management, and specific state disclosures. To streamline your preparation, Only Ever maps every domain on this syllabus to concise, 15-minute study topics. This allows you to break down heavily weighted categories—like the Practice of Real Estate (which dominates 31.1% of the exam) and General Principles of Agency—into manageable daily learning sessions, ensuring you are fully prepared for both halves of the assessment.
Exam domains & weighting
Each domain's share of the exam — study deepest where the weight is highest. Open one for how to study it and its objectives.
How to study this domain
Focus on the legal distinctions between real and personal property, and how each type is transferred. Memorize the major methods of legal land description (metes and bounds, government survey). Pay special attention to encumbrances like liens and easements, as these heavily impact a property's transferability.
Key objectives
- Real and Personal Property Conveyances
- Legal Property Descriptions
- Measuring Structures and Land
- Liens, Easements, and Encumbrances
- Surface, Subsurface, Air, and Water Rights
- Basic Types of Ownership and Tenancy
- Common-Interest, Trusts, and Business Ownership
Readiness self-check
Tick off everything you can confidently explain. Anything left unchecked is your study list — tap “Review” to jump straight into that domain.
Quick reference
North Carolina License Status Levels
Understanding the hierarchy and progression of real estate licensure in North Carolina.
Provisional Broker (PB)
The entry-level license status. Must be supervised by a Broker-in-Charge to be on active status and must complete 90 hours of Postlicensing education within 18 months.
Broker
The primary license status achieved after removing provisional status. Can work independently or as an affiliated broker, but must be a BIC to operate independently in most capacities.
BIC Eligible Status
Granted to a full broker who has met experience requirements, filed a request, and completed the 12-hour Broker-in-Charge course.
Broker-in-Charge (BIC)
A designated broker responsible for supervising provisional brokers, maintaining trust accounts, retaining transaction records, and ensuring agency compliance in an office.
Qualifying Broker (QB)
A licensed broker who serves as the designated principal for a licensed business entity (Firm License) in North Carolina.
Key Exam Eligibility Logistics
Critical timelines established by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission.
Exam Eligibility Period
180 calendar days from the issuance of the Notice of Exam Eligibility.
Scheduling Delay
Candidates must wait 1 business day after receiving their Notice of Exam Eligibility before contacting Pearson VUE to schedule.
Retake Waiting Period
If failed, candidates must have at least 10 eligibility days remaining after their last test date to schedule another exam within the same 180-day window.
Frequently asked questions
Good to know
- The exam includes 10 unscored pretest items (5 National, 5 State) that are indistinguishable from scored questions.
- Calculators are highly recommended but not provided by test center staff. Alpha-character (text-storing) calculators are strictly prohibited.
- Strict test center security requires candidates to empty pockets, roll up sleeves, and undergo a visual pat-down before entering the testing area.
- Unscheduled breaks are allowed, but candidates must raise their hands for permission and the exam timer will not stop while on break.
- Licenses are not issued at the test center; NCREC typically mails license certificates to passing candidates within 10 days of passing, pending character reviews.
Reading isn’t remembering.
North Carolina is a broker-only state whose exam blends the national real estate core with a heavy state section — NCREC License Law, distinctive written-agency and due-diligence rules, and broker-in-charge supervision — and most materials muddle the two.
Only Ever teaches the shared national core once, then layers North Carolina state law — License Law and Commission Rules, agency and the "Working With Real Estate Agents" disclosure, broker-in-charge supervision, trust accounts, the due-diligence contract process, and state disclosures — as focused 15-minute topics.