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The short answer: closed book
We checked the official candidate documents for Texas, Florida and California. All three are closed book. Here is what each says, plus what New York's Department of State publishes.
The only extras allowed are tightly limited: a calculator in some states, scratch materials the test center hands you, and in Florida a word-for-word translation dictionary that staff inspect first.
Calculators and scratch paper, state by state
Texas: calculators are not required but are recommended. Hand-held, battery or solar financial calculators are acceptable and may have storage, but no alpha characters (letter keys like a phone's ABC and DEF). The test center does not provide calculators. Once you are seated, the administrator gives you materials for notes; you cannot write on them before the exam starts or take them out of the room.
Florida: calculators are permitted only at test centers. They must be silent, hand-held, battery-operated, nonprinting and without an alphabetic keypad. Financial calculators with an alpha button are allowed, including the HP 12, 17, 18 and 19, the TI BA series and the Calculated Industries Qualifier Plus.
California: the DRE's exam page lists calculators among items not permitted in the exam room, while its regulations section allows silent, battery-operated, pocket-sized, non-programmable calculators. Confirm with the DRE before exam day, and be ready to do the math without one.
Check yourself
4 quick questions on this topic
Question 1 of 4
A North Carolina broker is accused of misrepresenting the square footage of a listed home. Which body is responsible for investigating the complaint and, if warranted, imposing disciplinary action against the broker's license?
Answer: A. The North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC) is the state agency charged with licensing brokers and investigating and disciplining license-law violations. Trade associations like a local Board/Association of REALTORS can enforce a private code of ethics but cannot suspend or revoke a state license; that authority rests solely with NCREC.
Question 2 of 4
The Georgia Real Estate Education, Research, and Recovery Fund primarily exists to:
Answer: B. Georgia's recovery fund is designed to compensate aggrieved consumers who obtain a court judgment against a licensee for fraud or other covered violations but cannot collect it. It is not a budget source, a commission dispute fund, or a loan program.
Question 3 of 4
Which act by a licensee would most clearly constitute improper, fraudulent, or dishonest conduct subject to Real Estate Board discipline?
Answer: B. Knowingly misrepresenting a material fact such as square footage to induce a transaction is fraudulent conduct and a clear license-law violation. The other choices describe proper, expected practice.
Question 4 of 4
Which of the following is a core power of the Georgia Real Estate Commission?
Answer: B. GREC has rulemaking authority to adopt regulations that carry out and enforce the license law. It does not set commission rates, which are negotiable between brokers and clients, and it has no jurisdiction over property prices or out-of-state licensing.
Keep the streak going with more questions like these, each with a full rationale.
Is it multiple choice?
Yes, in every state we checked. Florida's Sales Associate exam is 100 multiple-choice questions, answered by choosing A, B, C or D. California's salesperson exam is 150 multiple-choice questions. New York's is a written multiple-choice exam. Texas sales candidates answer 125 items across both portions: 85 national (80 scored) and 50 state (40 scored).
Unscored pretest items are mixed in and look exactly like scored ones. Texas has 5 on the national portion and 10 on the state portion. Answer everything; there is no reason to leave a blank.
Florida's testing system lets you mark questions for review, move forward or back, and jump to a specific question. A summary screen shows how many you have answered or skipped and how much time is left.
Online or in person?
Some vendors, including PSI, offer remote online proctoring for real estate exams where the state allows it. Whether yours does is set in your state's candidate handbook, so check it instead of assuming.
What to memorize, since nothing is provided
Texas spells it out: 43,560 square feet per acre and 5,280 feet per mile are not available at the test center and should be memorized. When a question involves prorating, it will tell you whether to use a 360- or 365-day year and whether the day of closing belongs to the buyer or the seller. Round using standard rules.
A 2.5-acre parcel is listed at $3.00 per square foot. Area: 2.5 × 43,560 = 108,900 square feet. Price: 108,900 × $3.00 = $326,700. No formula sheet will give you the 43,560.
Second example: a $400,000 sale carries a 6% commission, split 50/50 between the two brokerages, and the listing agent keeps 70% of their brokerage's share. Total commission: $24,000. Each brokerage: $12,000. Agent: $8,400. Commission and compensation math has its own line in the Texas national outline.
Time limits and passing scores
Results come fast. Texas and Florida give you an official score report at the test center, and California provides electronic exam results when you finish.
How to prepare for a closed-book exam
Closed book means your memory and your pacing carry the whole exam. Prepare under the same conditions.
The Cinna RE bank has 3,892 questions, including 1,783 state-law questions and about 150 each for Texas, Florida, California and New York. The quiz on this page starts with real estate math, where closed-book memory matters most.
- Take full-length practice exams with no notes, at your state's real time limit.
- Memorize conversion facts and core formulas: area, commission, proration, loan-to-value and cap rate.
- Practice with the exact calculator you will bring, and check it against your state's rules.
- Spend real time on the state law portion; that is where state-specific memorization lives.
- Know the federal topics every state tests, such as fair housing, RESPA, TRID and agency.
Frequently asked questions
Is the real estate exam multiple choice?
Yes. Florida (100 questions), California (150) and New York use multiple-choice exams, and Texas candidates answer 125 items across the national and state portions.
Is the real estate exam online or in person?
In person in Florida, Texas and California. Some vendors offer remote proctoring where a state allows it, so check your state's candidate handbook.
Can I bring a calculator to the real estate exam?
Usually, with limits. Texas allows financial calculators without alpha characters. Florida allows silent, hand-held, battery-operated calculators without an alphabetic keypad, including common financial models. California's DRE page is inconsistent, so confirm before test day.
Is the Florida real estate exam multiple choice?
Yes. It has 100 multiple-choice questions in 3½ hours, and you need 75 points to pass. It is closed book and given only at physical test centers.
Do they give you formulas on the real estate exam?
No. Texas states that 43,560 square feet per acre and 5,280 feet per mile are not provided and should be memorized. Proration questions tell you which day count to use.
Keep studying
Sources
Checked against official sources
- wwCandidate Information Booklet: Real Estate Sales Associate Examination (Florida DBPR)www2.myfloridalicense.com
- peTexas Real Estate Candidate Handbook (Pearson VUE, September 2026)pearsonvue.com
- drTaking the Exam (California Department of Real Estate)dre.ca.gov
- peFlorida Real Estate & Appraisers (Pearson VUE)pearsonvue.com
- doReal Estate Salesperson (New York Department of State)dos.ny.gov
- psReal Estate Licensure Exams (PSI)psiexams.com