Washington · Real estate exam prep
20 free Washington practice questions with no signup required. When you're ready for more, the full RealReady bank has 1,060 questions for the 2026 exam that cover both national principles and Washington law.
Practice
Use this like a free Washington real estate practice test: read the question, commit to an answer, then tap to reveal the correct answer and a plain-English explanation. The ones you miss tell you where to focus next.
Correct: D Department of Licensing
In Washington, the Department of Licensing (DOL) is the regulatory authority for real estate. Unlike many states, Washington does not have a separate real estate commission that serves as the primary regulator. The DOL issues, suspends, and revokes licenses under RCW 18.85.
Correct: D Broker
Since July 1, 2010, Washington's entry-level license is called 'broker.' Previously it was called 'salesperson.' This terminology differs from many other states where 'broker' refers to a higher-level license.
Correct: B Affiliate with a licensed firm
After passing the exam, a candidate must apply for a license and affiliate with a licensed brokerage firm before practicing real estate. A broker cannot practice independently without firm affiliation in Washington.
Correct: B Notify the DOL of the transfer
When a broker transfers between firms, the DOL must be notified. The broker keeps the same license and license number but must be affiliated with a firm to actively practice real estate.
Correct: D Seller's agent with fiduciary duties
Under RCW 18.86, a broker who signs a listing agreement becomes the seller's agent and owes full fiduciary duties exclusively to the seller. This includes loyalty, confidentiality, disclosure, accounting, and obedience.
Correct: D Before commencing brokerage services
SB 5191 requires a written brokerage service agreement with buyers 'as soon as they commence providing real estate brokerage services.' This means the agreement must be in place before the broker begins acting on the buyer's behalf.
Correct: D The designated broker
The designated broker bears ultimate responsibility for the firm's trust account. RCW 18.85.285 makes the designated broker responsible for trust account recordkeeping, and WAC 308-124C-125 and 308-124E-105 require a monthly reconciliation and trial balance. The designated broker may delegate the day-to-day work to a managing broker under WAC 308-124C-137, but stays accountable to the Department of Licensing for it.
Correct: D The designated broker
The designated broker is responsible for ALL brokerage activities of the firm, including ensuring monthly reconciliation of trust accounts. This duty cannot be fully delegated away — the designated broker remains ultimately accountable.
Correct: A Yes, firm-to-firm sharing is allowed
Effective January 1, 2024, SB 5191 explicitly permits firm-to-firm compensation sharing in Washington. This allows listing firms and buyer's firms to share commissions as agreed between the parties.
Correct: D Commingling of trust and personal funds
Commingling occurs when a broker mixes client trust funds with personal funds. Washington law strictly prohibits this practice. Client funds must be deposited into the firm's designated trust account.
Correct: C No, immigration status is a protected class
Washington's Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) added citizenship or immigration status as a protected class in 2020. Refusing to rent based on immigration status violates state fair housing law, even though it is not a federal protected class.
Correct: D The seller personally
In Washington, the Seller Disclosure Statement is completed by the seller, not the broker. The broker should not fill out the form on the seller's behalf, as it reflects the seller's personal knowledge of the property's condition.
Correct: D Licensed escrow agents
Washington is an escrow state, not an attorney state. Closings are handled by licensed escrow agents, which may include title companies, banks, or independent escrow companies. Attorneys are not required for closing.
Correct: B Community property
Washington is one of 9 community property states. All property acquired during marriage using marital funds is community property, owned 50/50 by both spouses regardless of whose name is on the title.
Correct: B A neutral third party
A deed of trust involves three parties: the trustor (borrower), the beneficiary (lender), and the trustee (neutral third party). The trustee holds legal title as security and has authority to conduct a foreclosure sale if the borrower defaults.
Correct: D Department of Licensing
The DOL investigates complaints against licensees and takes disciplinary action, including suspension or revocation of licenses. The Real Estate Commission serves in an advisory capacity but does not directly investigate or discipline licensees.
Correct: A Salesperson
Washington renamed its license types effective July 1, 2010. The entry-level 'salesperson' became 'broker,' the mid-level 'broker' became 'managing broker,' and the top-level license became the 'designated broker' endorsement.
Correct: D A separate branch office license
Each branch office location requires its own branch office license from the DOL. Additionally, a managing broker must be assigned to supervise each branch location to ensure adequate oversight.
Correct: C No, must be with a firm to practice
Washington requires brokers to be affiliated with a firm to actively practice real estate. A broker who is between firms cannot conduct real estate business until they affiliate with a new firm and notify the DOL.
Correct: A Full fiduciary duties to the buyer
A buyer's agent under RCW 18.86 owes full fiduciary duties exclusively to the buyer. These duties include loyalty, confidentiality, full disclosure, accounting, and obedience to lawful instructions.
The RealReady app has all 1,060 questions covering both national real estate principles and Washington-specific law. The full app also includes:
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About the exam
In Washington the entry-level credential is the broker license, not salesperson, and on that exam the separately scored 30-question state section is where first-timers come up short. The Washington State Department of Licensing scores the national and Washington portions separately, so a strong national score won't rescue a weak state score. That gap on the Washington section is why Washington-specific preparation matters more here than another round of national review.
Washington runs on its own rules, including the license law in RCW 18.85, the brokerage relationships act in RCW 18.86 that sets each agent's statutory duties, the Form 17 seller disclosure statement, trust account and earnest money handling by the designated broker, the real estate excise tax, and the community property rules that decide how married couples hold and convey title. None of that looks like the material a candidate in a neighboring state studies. A generic real estate practice test won't cut it. You need Washington-specific practice questions.
FAQ
The Washington Real Estate Broker Examination has 130 scored questions, split into a 100-question national portion and a 30-question Washington state portion. PSI also mixes in a small number of unscored pretest questions, usually 5 to 10, that look just like the real ones and do not count toward your score. The two portions are scored separately, so you have to pass both.
You need a scaled score of 70 on each portion, and the two are scored separately. PSI reports a scaled score rather than a raw percentage, so the exact number of questions you must answer correctly can shift a little from one form of the test to the next, but the bar sits at 70 on both the national and Washington portions. You can pass one and fail the other, and you only have to retake the portion you missed.
PSI charges $210 to sit the broker exam, and that single fee covers both the national and Washington portions. You pay PSI when you schedule, and the fee is not refundable or transferable. If you fail one portion, you only have to repeat that portion, but you re-register and pay again to take it.
Four hours of testing time in total. PSI gives you two and a half hours for the 100-question national portion and ninety minutes for the 30-question Washington portion. You take both portions at a PSI test center, and your unofficial result is available as soon as you finish.
The Washington Real Estate Broker Examination is administered by PSI for the Washington Real Estate Commission and the Department of Licensing (DOL). You register and schedule your exam date through PSI.
The national portion is the same caliber you would find on any PSI real estate exam, and plenty of first-time candidates underestimate it. The Washington portion is shorter but unforgiving, since 30 questions leave little room for error and the material comes straight from Washington statute and rule. Most people who struggle spent their study time on national principles and skimped on Washington's agency law, disclosure rules, and trust account handling. Honest practice on a Washington-specific practice test is the difference between passing on the first try and paying to retake a portion.
The 100-question national portion covers general real estate principles, including property ownership, land use controls, valuation, financing, agency, property disclosures, contracts, transfer of title, the practice of real estate, and real estate math, with contracts and agency carrying the most weight. The 30-question Washington portion leans hardest on the statutes and rules that govern licensee activity, things like trust accounts and the handling of money, prohibited conduct, compensation, advertising, property management, and supervision. It also covers the powers of the Real Estate Commission and the Director, Washington licensing requirements, and the brokerage relationships and agency duties set out in RCW 18.86.
After you finish your required pre-license coursework, the highest-leverage thing you can do is grind through practice questions with honest feedback on every miss. Generic real estate practice tests help with the national principles, but they will not catch you on Washington's statutory agency rules, disclosure requirements, or trust account handling. The RealReady app gives you the full Washington question bank plus the national bank, with progress tracking and a missed-question mode so you can drill what you are weak on. Most users study 30 to 60 minutes a day for two to four weeks before sitting the exam.
The 20 Washington practice questions on this page are free, no account or signup needed. Unlocking the rest of the Washington bank is a single in-app purchase you pay once and own, with no recurring charge and no time limit on access.
Yes. RealReady has a dedicated Washington question bank built for the Washington real estate exam, covering the national principles every candidate sees plus the Washington law that trips people up, like the license law in RCW 18.85, the brokerage relationships act in RCW 18.86, and the Form 17 seller disclosure statement.
No. RealReady is exam practice, not a pre-license course, so it doesn't count toward Washington's required pre-license education hours. Use it after or alongside your coursework to drill realistic practice questions and find your weak spots before exam day.
