- What the Scoring Data Actually Shows
- General Portion vs. State Portion
- Why There's No Official Published Pass Rate
- Domain Weighting: Where Points Are Won or Lost
- Why the Statutory Domain Dominates the State Exam
- Who Sits for the DC-RE-S - and Why It Matters for Prep
- Fees, Retakes, and the Cost of a Failed Attempt
- Building a Study Plan Around the Actual Weightings
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Candidates need 75% correct across 110 scored questions to pass the DC-RE-S.
- The exam splits into 80 general questions and 30 state questions, each scored separately.
- Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees is 67% of the state portion - the single biggest scoring target.
- Contracts (19%) and Agency (13%) carry the most weight on the general portion.
What the Scoring Data Actually Shows
Neither the District of Columbia Real Estate Commission nor PSI publishes a public pass-rate percentage for the DC-RE-S, so any specific number you see floating around online should be treated with suspicion. What we do have is something more useful for exam preparation: the actual scoring structure baked into the exam itself. That structure tells you exactly how much margin for error you're working with, and it's the real "data" worth studying before test day.
The DC-RE-S consists of 110 scored questions - 80 on the general portion and 30 on the state portion - delivered in 210 minutes at a PSI test center. PSI may slip in up to 10 additional unscored pretest items, meaning you could see up to 120 questions total without knowing which ones count. To pass, you need at least 75% correct. On the general portion, that's roughly 60 of 80 correct; on the state portion, roughly 23 of 30. Because the two portions are scored independently, a strong general-portion score cannot offset a weak state-portion score, and vice versa.
General Portion vs. State Portion
Understanding how the exam is divided is more predictive of your result than any rumored pass rate. The general portion (Domains 1-11) covers national real estate practice - ownership, contracts, financing, agency, and similar topics common to most state licensing exams. The state portion (Domains 12-14) is District-specific: the Real Estate Commission's authority, licensing mechanics, and the statutes governing how licensees must conduct business in DC.
| Attribute | General Portion | State Portion |
|---|---|---|
| Domains covered | 1-11 | 12-14 |
| Scored questions | 80 | 30 |
| Passing threshold | 75% | 75% |
| Highest-weighted domain | Contracts (19%) | Statutory Requirements (67%) |
| Retake window if failed | 6 months from first attempt | 6 months from first attempt |
If you're unfamiliar with how these domains are structured, the DC-RE-S Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 14 Content Areas breaks down each of the 14 areas individually, which is a useful companion to the weighting discussion below.
Why There's No Official Published Pass Rate
It's worth being direct about this: the District of Columbia Real Estate Commission and PSI do not release aggregate pass/fail statistics for the DC-RE-S the way some national credentialing bodies do for other exams. That absence isn't a data gap you need to fill with guesswork - it's simply how this particular licensing exam is administered. Prelicensing schools sometimes cite informal internal numbers based on their own student cohorts, but those figures describe a specific school's outcomes, not the exam statewide.
What this means practically is that "beating the average" isn't really the right frame. The more useful question is whether you can consistently hit 75% or better across both portions under real testing conditions - closed-book, calculator provided by PSI, 210 minutes, no notes. If you want a candid assessment of how demanding that bar actually is relative to the content volume, How Hard Is the DC-RE-S Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through the difficulty picture in more depth.
Key Takeaway
Don't chase a number that isn't published. Instead, benchmark yourself against the 75% cutoff on practice material that mirrors the real domain weights - that's the only "pass rate" that actually applies to you.
Domain Weighting: Where Points Are Won or Lost
Since overall pass/fail statistics aren't public, domain weighting is the most reliable proxy for where your study hours should go. The general portion's 11 domains are not weighted equally, and a handful of them account for a disproportionate share of the 80 scored questions.
Domain 5: Contracts (19%)
The single heaviest general-portion domain. Expect scenario-based questions on offer and acceptance, contingencies, contract remedies, and required disclosures within contract language.
- Know the elements of a valid contract and common contingency clauses
Domain 6: Agency (13%)
Covers fiduciary duties, types of agency relationships, and disclosure obligations between licensees, clients, and customers.
- Be able to distinguish agency, subagency, and dual agency scenarios
Domain 10: Practice of Real Estate (12%)
Day-to-day licensee conduct, advertising rules, and general business practice standards tested through applied scenarios rather than pure recall.
- Expect situational judgment questions, not just definitions
Domain 4: Financing (10%) & Domain 1: Property Ownership (10%)
Two mid-weight domains covering mortgage instruments, loan types, estates, and forms of ownership - foundational vocabulary that also feeds into calculation questions.
- Pair financing terminology with the calculations domain for efficient review
Domains 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 11 each carry smaller individual weights (from 3% to 8%), but together they still represent a meaningful share of the general portion's 80 questions, so none can be skipped entirely.
Why the Statutory Domain Dominates the State Exam
On the 30-question state portion, the imbalance is even more pronounced. Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees (Domain 14) makes up 67% of the state exam by itself - meaning roughly two out of every three state-portion questions draw from this single domain. Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission (Domain 12) accounts for 20%, and Licensing Requirements (Domain 13) covers the remaining 13%.
Domain 14 covers the day-to-day statutory obligations licensees must follow - recordkeeping, trust account handling, disclosure timing, prohibited conduct, and disciplinary triggers. Domain 12 focuses on the Commission's authority to license, discipline, and regulate; Domain 13 covers the mechanics of licensure itself, including the requirements you'll already be living through as an applicant. For a full breakdown of eligibility mechanics that overlap with Domain 13 content, see DC-RE-S Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Who Sits for the DC-RE-S - and Why It Matters for Prep
Every candidate sitting for the DC-RE-S has completed 60 hours of approved salesperson prelicensing education and is preparing to affiliate with a District-licensed broker immediately upon passing. That affiliation requirement shapes the exam's practical bent: questions on Practice of Real Estate, Agency, and the statutory domain are written with the assumption that you'll be applying this knowledge under a broker's supervision within weeks, not years.
Brokerages hiring newly licensed salespeople in the District expect candidates to already understand DC-specific statutory conduct - not just generic real estate theory - which is why the state portion carries real weight even though it's numerically smaller than the general portion. If you're weighing whether the licensing path is worth the time investment relative to career outcomes, Is the DC-RE-S Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and DC-RE-S Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis go into that side of the decision.
Fees, Retakes, and the Cost of a Failed Attempt
Because there's no published pass rate to lean on, it's worth understanding the actual cost mechanics of a failed attempt, since that's the "risk data" that matters most in practice. The examination fee is $79 and covers one or both portions in a single sitting. Beyond the exam itself, candidates budget for a $65 state application fee, a $130 license fee, and a $60 Guaranty and Education Fund assessment.
If you fail one portion, District rules require you to complete that failed portion within six months of your first attempt - miss that window and you may need to start over on eligibility for that portion. This retake clock is exactly why domain-weighted preparation matters more than generic review: you want to walk in confident on Domain 14 and Domain 5 the first time, not scrambling to re-cover them under a deadline. For the complete fee and cost breakdown, see DC-RE-S Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and for exact scheduling windows and deadlines, check DC-RE-S Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Key Takeaway
A retake isn't just a scheduling inconvenience - it's a second $79 fee and a six-month clock. Weighting your study time by domain percentage is the cheapest form of risk management available to you.
Building a Study Plan Around the Actual Weightings
Rather than a generic multi-week template, the most efficient DC-RE-S schedule mirrors the domain percentages directly - heavier domains get more days, lighter domains get review sessions instead of deep dives.
High-weight general domains
- Contracts (19%) and Agency (13%) - build scenario-recognition skill, not just definitions
Mid-weight general domains
- Practice of Real Estate (12%), Financing (10%), Property Ownership (10%), and Real Estate Calculations (7%) together
Remaining general domains + full statutory push
- Cover Valuation, Disclosures, Land Use, Transfer of Title, and Property Management
- Begin heavy Domain 14 statutory review - it's 67% of the state portion alone
State portion finish + full timed practice
- Duties and Powers of the Commission (20%) and Licensing Requirements (13%)
- At least one full 210-minute timed practice run scored against the 75% threshold
If you want a structured walkthrough of this kind of plan with more day-by-day detail, the DC-RE-S Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt expands on each week. For quick pre-exam review once your studying is largely done, the DC-RE-S Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is built for a fast final pass. And throughout your prep, running scored practice sessions on our DC-RE-S practice test platform is the closest substitute for the "pass rate data" that isn't publicly available - it shows you, personally, whether you're clearing 75% before you sit for the real thing.
It's also worth confirming exactly how scoring is calculated before you assume anything about the cutoff - DC-RE-S Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass lays out the mechanics of the 75% threshold across both portions in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The District of Columbia Real Estate Commission and PSI do not publish an official aggregate pass rate for the DC-RE-S. Any specific percentage you encounter online is not sourced from an official release and shouldn't be relied on for planning.
You need at least 75% correct, and the general and state portions are scored separately. That means roughly 60 of 80 general questions and roughly 23 of 30 state questions, since one portion cannot offset the other.
On the state portion, prioritize Domain 14, Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees, since it's 67% of that portion. On the general portion, prioritize Contracts (19%) and Agency (13%), the two heaviest domains.
You must complete the failed portion within six months of your first attempt. You'll also pay another $79 examination fee for the retake, so focused review of the missed portion's highest-weight domains is worth doing before rescheduling.
Yes. PSI may add up to 10 non-scored pretest items alongside the 110 scored questions, meaning you could see up to 120 total questions without being told which ones count toward your score.