- What Is A VARE-B?
- Who Regulates and Administers It
- Exam Format: Two Portions, Two Score Requirements
- The 17 Domains: National Plus Virginia-Specific
- Who Can Sit For the VARE-B
- Registration, Fees, and Scheduling
- Who Actually Takes This Exam
- How to Prepare Without Wasting Time
- Frequently Asked Questions
- VARE-B is the Virginia Real Estate Broker Exam, licensed through the Virginia Real Estate Board and administered by PSI.
- The exam has 75 national questions (80 points) and 50 scored Virginia questions, timed at 105 and 55 minutes respectively.
- Passing requires 60 of 80 national points and 38 of 50 state answers correct - both portions must be passed.
- Candidates need 180 hours of Board-approved broker education and 36 of the last 48 months of active salesperson experience.
What Is A VARE-B?
VARE-B stands for the Virginia Real Estate Broker Exam - the state licensing test that a Virginia salesperson must pass before being licensed as a real estate broker. It is not a voluntary certification or a designation you add after your name for marketing purposes. It is a mandatory, regulator-administered exam tied directly to the ability to legally operate as a broker, supervise agents, and open or manage a brokerage firm in Virginia.
The exam sits at the intersection of national real estate practice knowledge and Virginia-specific law. If you've already passed a salesperson exam, some of the underlying concepts will feel familiar, but the broker-level exam goes deeper into brokerage operations, escrow handling, agency relationships, and the statutory obligations unique to running a licensed firm in the Commonwealth.
Who Regulates and Administers It
The Virginia Real Estate Board, operating within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), sets the licensing rules, education requirements, and eligibility standards for the broker exam. Actual test delivery - scheduling, proctoring, scoring, and publishing the Candidate Information Bulletin - is handled by PSI, the third-party testing vendor.
This split matters practically. DPOR determines who is eligible to sit for the exam (education hours, experience, background checks), while PSI determines how and where you take it, what the testing-day rules are, and what the score report looks like. The PSI Candidate Information Bulletin relevant to current candidates was revised February 18, 2026, and it's the authoritative source for day-of logistics, ID requirements, and calculator policy.
Exam Format: Two Portions, Two Score Requirements
The VARE-B is delivered as a single testing appointment split into two distinct portions, each with its own timing and its own passing threshold. You must pass both - a strong score on one side doesn't offset a weak score on the other.
- National portion: 75 questions worth 80 total points, allotted 105 minutes. Passing requires 60 of 80 points. Some items are scenario-based and worth multiple points rather than the simple one-question-one-point model, so a single missed scenario can cost more than one point.
- Virginia state portion: 50 scored questions, allotted 55 minutes. Passing requires 38 of 50 correct answers.
Testing is computer-based and closed-book. PSI may also insert additional, unscored experimental questions into either portion - these are indistinguishable from scored items, so there is no strategic value in trying to guess which questions "don't count." Treat every question as if it's scored. An approved nonprogrammable calculator is permitted, which matters given the real estate calculation content on the national side.
Key Takeaway
Because the national and state portions are scored separately with separate cutoffs, a candidate who is strong on Virginia law but shaky on national contract math can still fail overall. Budget study time based on where your weaker portion actually is, not just overall confidence. For a full breakdown of exactly what "passing" means numerically, see VARE-B Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
The 17 Domains: National Plus Virginia-Specific
The VARE-B content outline is organized into 17 domains. Domains 1 through 11 make up the national portion; domains 12 through 17 are Virginia-specific and make up the state portion. Weighting is uneven, so not every domain deserves equal study time.
Domain 5: Contracts (19%)
This is the single largest national domain and deserves the most repetition. Expect scenario-based questions covering offer and acceptance, contingencies, contract remedies, and the practical sequencing of a real estate transaction from listing to closing.
- Multipoint scenario items are common here - read every fact pattern for contingency triggers.
Domain 6: Agency (13%)
Agency relationships, fiduciary duties, and disclosure obligations show up heavily, and they overlap conceptually with the Virginia-specific Domain 15 (Agency Definitions and Relationships) - meaning a weak grasp of agency basics can cost points on both portions of the exam.
Domain 10: Practice of Real Estate (12%)
This domain covers day-to-day brokerage operations and professional conduct standards that a broker-in-training is expected to already apply, not just recognize.
Domain 12: Licensing (26% of the state portion)
Licensing is the largest single Virginia-specific domain by a wide margin. It covers broker license requirements, firm licensing, supervision duties, and the regulatory structure of DPOR itself. If you only have time to master one Virginia domain deeply, this is it.
- Know license renewal cycles, supervisory responsibilities, and what triggers Board disciplinary action.
The remaining national domains - Property Ownership (10%), Financing (9%), Valuation (8%), Property Disclosures (7%), Transfer of Title (6%), Real Estate Calculations (6%), Land Use Controls (5%), and Property Management (5%) - round out the 80-point national score, and none can be safely ignored given how tight the 60-point passing bar is relative to 80 possible points.
On the state side, beyond Licensing, the remaining domains - Escrow Accounts, Disclosure Requirements, Agency Definitions and Relationships, Virginia Fair Housing Law and Regulations, and Specific Acts Pertaining to Real Estate Practice - cover statutory detail that generic national real estate courses simply do not teach. This is Virginia-specific law you have to learn directly from Board-approved materials. For the complete weighting and a domain-by-domain study order, see VARE-B Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 17 Content Areas.
| Portion | Questions | Time | Passing Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| National (Domains 1-11) | 75 questions, 80 points | 105 minutes | 60 of 80 points |
| Virginia State (Domains 12-17) | 50 scored questions | 55 minutes | 38 of 50 correct |
Who Can Sit For the VARE-B
Because this is a broker-level exam, eligibility is more demanding than an entry-level salesperson exam. Before scheduling, DPOR requires that you:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.
- Complete 180 class or clock hours of Board-approved broker education, which must include a Real Estate Brokerage course specifically.
- Verify active salesperson experience for 36 of the 48 months immediately preceding your application - a rolling window, not simply "three years ever."
- Satisfy fingerprint-based background check requirements as part of the application process.
The 36-of-48-month rule catches candidates off guard more than any other requirement - it's calculated from your application date backward, so a gap in active licensure can push your eligibility date later than you expect. For the full checklist and documentation order, see VARE-B Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Registration, Fees, and Scheduling
Once DPOR approves your application, you register directly with PSI to schedule your test appointment. The exam fee is $60 per attempt, and that fee applies each time you sit for either or both portions again after a failed attempt. Testing is computer-based at PSI-authorized centers, closed-book, and you'll want to confirm current identification and calculator rules against the latest bulletin, since PSI periodically revises its policies (the version most candidates should reference was revised February 18, 2026).
Once licensed, brokers hold a credential valid for 2 years and must complete 24 hours of continuing education per renewal term to stay active - so passing the VARE-B is the entry point, not the end, of your regulatory obligations. For a full cost breakdown including education hours and renewal expenses, see VARE-B Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and for exact testing windows and scheduling logistics, check VARE-B Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Who Actually Takes This Exam
Candidates for the VARE-B are, by definition, already licensed Virginia salespersons with real transaction history - they're not entry-level. Typical candidates include:
- Salespersons preparing to open or co-own an independent brokerage.
- Agents being promoted into a managing broker or branch manager role at an existing firm.
- Team leads who need broker licensure to supervise other agents directly.
- Experienced agents pursuing broker status primarily for career advancement and earning structure rather than an immediate ownership plan.
Because the credential unlocks supervisory and ownership responsibilities, firms often treat it as a meaningful line on a resume when hiring for management-track roles. If you're evaluating whether the licensure is worth the time and cost relative to staying a salesperson, that analysis is covered in Is the VARE-B Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026, and broader earnings context is discussed in VARE-B Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis.
How to Prepare Without Wasting Time
Generic study advice doesn't map well onto a two-portion exam with two separate cutoffs. The more useful approach is to sequence your review around domain weight and where the two portions overlap conceptually - agency concepts, for instance, appear in both Domain 6 (national) and Domain 15 (state), so studying them together reinforces both scores at once.
High-weight national domains
- Contracts (19%) and Agency (13%) first - they carry the most national points and connect directly to Virginia-specific agency law.
Remaining national domains and calculations
- Financing, Valuation, Property Disclosures, Transfer of Title, and Real Estate Calculations - practice with your approved calculator under timed conditions.
Licensing and escrow (Virginia-specific)
- Licensing is 26% of the state portion - the single biggest concentration of points anywhere on the exam. Escrow Accounts and Disclosure Requirements come next.
Fair Housing, specific acts, and full timed run-throughs
- Finish Virginia Fair Housing Law and Specific Acts Pertaining to Real Estate Practice, then simulate both portions back-to-back at their real time limits (105 and 55 minutes).
Running full-length, correctly timed practice sessions matters more for this exam than for most, because the multipoint scenario items on the national portion reward pacing discipline - spending too long on one scenario can crowd out several single-point questions later. You can build that pacing habit with realistic timed sets on our practice test platform before test day. For a more detailed week-by-week plan built specifically around the 17 domains, see VARE-B Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and if you want a candid read on difficulty before you commit a study schedule, review How Hard Is the VARE-B Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The VARE-B is the broker-level exam, required after you've already worked as a licensed salesperson and completed 180 hours of Board-approved broker education. It tests brokerage operations, supervision, and escrow topics that salesperson exams don't cover in the same depth.
The exam is delivered as national and state portions with separate scoring - 60 of 80 points nationally and 38 of 50 correct on the Virginia portion. Check the current PSI Candidate Information Bulletin for specific retake and partial-pass policies.
The exam fee is $60 per attempt through PSI. This is separate from the cost of your 180 hours of Board-approved broker education, which is arranged through an approved course provider.
You must verify active salesperson experience for 36 of the 48 months immediately preceding your application, in addition to being at least 18, holding a high school diploma or equivalent, and completing fingerprint-based background checks.
Yes. Testing is closed-book, but an approved nonprogrammable calculator is permitted, which is relevant given the Real Estate Calculations domain on the national portion.