Pass Your Oregon Real Estate Exam the First Time

The Oregon Broker exam is administered by PSI Services in testing centers across Oregon and via approved online proctoring. It's a single sitting that combines the national and state-specific portions, totaling 130 questions in 240 minutes. Oregon requires a 75% passing score on each portion, higher than most states.

Question breakdown by section

National portion: 80 questions, 60 correct to pass (75%)

Oregon uses the standard PSI national content library. The 80 national questions are distributed across these topic areas:

• Property Law (~12%): Estates, deeds, easements, joint ownership, encumbrances
• Land Use Controls (~10%): Zoning, government powers, eminent domain, deed restrictions
• Valuation (~10%): Three approaches to value, comparative market analysis, appraisal process
• Financing (~13%): Mortgages, deeds of trust, FHA/VA, RESPA, TILA
• Agency (~13%): Agency relationships, fiduciary duties, creation and termination
• Contracts (~17%): Listing agreements, sales contracts, options, contract law
• Closing (~10%): Settlement procedures, prorations, closing costs
• Practice (~15%): Working with buyers and sellers, fair housing, advertising, ethics, real estate math

Oregon portion: 50 questions, 38 correct to pass (75%)

The 50 state questions are the largest state portion of any state we serve, reflecting Oregon's high-stakes regulatory environment. Heavily tested areas:

• Oregon Real Estate Agency (OREA) Rules and Licensing Law: ORS 696, license types, suspension and revocation, the Real Estate Commissioner's authority
• Land Use and Statewide Planning: Senate Bill 100 (1973), Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC), statewide planning goals, Urban Growth Boundaries (UGB), exclusive farm use designation
• Property Tax (Measure 5 / Measure 50): Real Market Value vs Assessed Value, $5/$1,000 education cap, $10/$1,000 general government cap, 3% annual AV growth cap
• Trust Accounts and Earnest Money: Principal Broker trust account rules, deposit timing, interest disbursement, audit requirements
• Water Rights: Prior appropriation doctrine, "use it or lose it" forfeiture rules, certificated water rights, riparian vs appropriative rights
• Disclosure Requirements: Oregon's seller disclosure form, agency disclosure timing, material defect duties, lead-based paint federal rules as applied
• Professional Conduct: OAR 863 rules, advertising standards, recordkeeping, consumer protection

Question format

All questions are multiple choice with four options. There's no penalty for guessing, so answer every question. Only correct answers count toward your score.

PSI writes scenario-based questions on Oregon-specific topics. Expect questions like:

"A broker represents a seller of a 40-acre Oregon farm with certificated irrigation water rights. The buyer plans to convert to dryland wheat farming and won't need irrigation for 7-8 years. What should the broker advise about the water rights?"

These test whether you understand the rule in context (Oregon's "use it or lose it" 5-year forfeiture period), not just whether you've memorized a definition.

Time management

You have 240 minutes for 130 questions. That's roughly 110 seconds per question, generous for most candidates.

A practical approach:

1. First pass (90 minutes): Answer questions you know quickly. Mark anything that requires extra thought.
2. Second pass (90 minutes): Work through marked questions. Don't agonize over any single one.
3. Final pass (45 minutes): Review your marked answers. Change only if you have a specific reason to.
4. Buffer (15 minutes): Spend on the most difficult marked questions or as cushion.

Most candidates finish in 160 to 200 minutes with time to spare.

Cost structure

• Pre-licensing education (150 hours): $400 to $900 typical (Oregon's higher hour requirement makes courses more expensive)
• Exam fee: ~$75 per attempt (PSI; verify on psiexams.com)
• License application fee: ~$300 (paid to OREA)
• Fingerprinting: ~$60
• First license issuance: included in application fee
• Total estimated: $835 to $1,335 to get fully licensed

Retake rules

If you fail one or both portions:

• 24-hour minimum wait before rescheduling
• Each retake costs the full exam fee
• Each retake includes only the failed portion(s)
• If your application expires before you pass both portions, you re-apply

Score report

PSI provides preliminary results immediately after you finish. You'll see "Pass" or "Fail" for each portion. Detailed score reports with topic-level performance arrive by email within 1 to 2 business days.

If you pass: the OREA processes your license activation. If you fail: the report shows which content areas you scored weakest in, so you know where to focus retake prep.

The Oregon Broker exam tests two distinct content areas: an 80-question national portion shared across PSI states and a 50-question Oregon-specific portion. Below is what's tested in each, with the categories you should weight most heavily in your study.

National portion (80 questions)

The national portion uses PSI's standard library. Approximate question counts by topic:

• Property Law (~10 questions): Estates, deeds, easements, joint ownership, encumbrances, the bundle of legal rights
• Land Use Controls (~8 questions): Zoning, government powers, eminent domain, deed restrictions, environmental controls
• Valuation (~8 questions): Three approaches to value (sales comparison, cost, income), comparative market analysis, appraisal process
• Financing (~10 questions): Mortgages, deeds of trust, FHA/VA/conventional loans, RESPA, TILA, predatory lending rules
• Agency (~10 questions): Agency relationships, fiduciary duties, agency creation and termination, dual agency principles
• Contracts (~14 questions): Listing agreements, sales contracts, contract law, options, assignments, contract enforceability
• Closing (~8 questions): Settlement procedures, prorations, closing costs, RESPA detail, title insurance
• Practice (~12 questions): Working with buyers and sellers, fair housing, advertising, ethics, real estate math (calculations)

Oregon portion (50 questions)

The Oregon-specific portion tests applied state law. Approximate question counts:

• OREA Rules and Licensing Law (~10-12 questions): ORS 696 (Oregon's real estate license law), license types, suspension and revocation, the Real Estate Commissioner's authority, license renewal, advertising rules
• Land Use and Statewide Planning (~7-9 questions): Senate Bill 100, Land Conservation and Development Commission, 19 statewide planning goals, Urban Growth Boundaries, exclusive farm use, agricultural and forest land protections
• Property Tax: Measure 5 and Measure 50 (~3-5 questions): Tax rate caps, assessed value vs real market value, the interaction between Measures 5 and 50, transfer implications
• Trust Accounts and Earnest Money (~4-6 questions): Principal Broker trust account rules, deposit timing, interest disbursement, audit requirements
• Water Rights (~2-4 questions): Prior appropriation doctrine, certificated rights, "use it or lose it" five-year forfeiture, riparian vs appropriative
• Disclosure Requirements (~3-5 questions): Oregon seller disclosure form, agency disclosure timing, material defect duties
• Professional Conduct (~3-5 questions): OAR 863 rules, advertising standards, recordkeeping, consumer protection
• Oregon-Specific Property Issues (~2-4 questions): Stigma disclosure, condition reports, common Oregon transaction quirks

What to weight in your study time

If you have 90 hours total post-pre-licensing study time:

• 35 hours on the national portion, weighted toward Contracts (largest category at ~17%) and Agency
• 45 hours on the Oregon-specific portion, weighted toward Land Use, OREA Licensing Law, and Measure 5/50 (combined ~50% of state questions)
• 10 hours on real estate math (a common weak point that costs candidates passing scores)

Most failed Oregon exams trace back to one of three things: too little time on Oregon land use rules (Senate Bill 100 and the 19 planning goals), underestimating the property tax (Measure 5/50) content, or assuming the national portion is easy because the prep books are. Plan accordingly.