- 154 total questions: 80 national (120 minutes) plus 74 Colorado-specific (110 minutes).
- Passing requires 60/80 national and 53/74 state - both portions, no averaging.
- Colorado Forms and Contracts is the single biggest domain at 23 of 74 state questions (31.08%).
- A passing score on either portion stays valid one year, so you only retake what you failed.
Exam Format Snapshot
The CO-RE-B exam is administered by PSI on behalf of the Colorado Division of Real Estate and Colorado Real Estate Commission. Before you memorize a single domain, lock in the mechanical facts that shape how you pace your prep and your test-day strategy.
- Total items: 154 multiple-choice questions, split into two separately timed and separately scored portions.
- National portion: 80 questions in 120 minutes, covering Domains 1-11.
- State portion: 74 questions in 110 minutes, covering Domains 12-19.
- Delivery options: PSI test centers or live remote-proctored testing from home.
- Fee: $44.95, flat - no membership levels, tiers, or bundled subscriptions to compare.
Because the two portions are scored independently, this isn't a single 154-question marathon where a strong national score bails out a weak state score. For a deeper walkthrough of how each domain maps to these two portions, see the CO-RE-B Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 19 Content Areas.
Registration and Eligibility Mechanics
Getting to the testing seat requires more than paying $44.95. Colorado's process has four checkpoints, and missing one delays your test date regardless of how ready you are academically.
- 168 hours of qualifying education completed through an approved provider before you're eligible to sit for the exam.
- Passing both exam portions - national and state - administered by PSI.
- Fingerprint submission for the required background check through the Division.
- Active errors-and-omissions (E&O) insurance maintained continuously once your license goes active.
None of these steps are optional add-ons; they're sequential gates. If you're still mapping out which box to check first, the CO-RE-B Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify article walks through the order in more detail, and CO-RE-B Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown breaks out every dollar beyond the exam fee itself.
All 19 Domains at a Glance
Domains 1 through 11 live on the national portion; Domains 12 through 19 live on the state portion. State percentages are derived from official scored-item counts out of 74, which is why they carry decimals.
| Domain | Portion | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Property Ownership | National | 10% |
| 2. Land Use Controls and Regulations | National | 5% |
| 3. Valuation and Market Analysis | National | 8% |
| 4. Financing | National | 10% |
| 5. General Principles of Agency | National | 13% |
| 6. Property Disclosures | National | 7% |
| 7. Contracts | National | 19% |
| 8. Leasing and Property Management | National | 3% |
| 9. Transfer of Title | National | 6% |
| 10. Practice of Real Estate | National | 12% |
| 11. Real Estate Calculations | National | 7% |
| 12. Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission | State | 2.70% |
| 13. Licensing Requirements | State | 6.76% |
| 14. Requirements Governing Activities of Licensees | State | 14.86% |
| 15. Additional Topics | State | 9.46% |
| 16. Colorado Forms and Contracts | State | 31.08% |
| 17. Record Keeping and Trust Accounts | State | 6.76% |
| 18. Closing and Settlement | State | 13.51% |
| 19. Brokerage Relationships | State | 14.86% |
Print or save this table - it's the fastest reference for triaging which domains deserve your remaining study hours. For narrative explanations of each domain's content, cross-reference the CO-RE-B Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 19 Content Areas.
The Domains Worth the Most Points
Five domains carry outsized weight relative to the other fourteen combined. If your review time is limited, these are non-negotiable.
Domain 16: Colorado Forms and Contracts (31.08% of the state portion)
This is the single largest domain on either portion of the exam - nearly a third of all state questions. Candidates must know the current Colorado Real Estate Commission-approved forms line by line: purchase contracts, listing agreements, disclosure forms, and the specific clauses unique to Colorado transactions.
- Study from 2026 Commission forms only - prior-year forms will cost you points on updated language.
- Expect scenario questions asking which form or provision applies to a specific fact pattern.
Domain 7: Contracts (19% of the national portion)
The largest national domain. Expect questions on contract formation, essential elements, breach, remedies, and contingencies - tested at a national level distinct from Colorado's own forms in Domain 16.
Domains 14 and 19: Licensee Duties and Brokerage Relationships (14.86% each)
Together these two state domains account for nearly 30% of the state portion. Domain 14 covers what licensees must and must not do day-to-day; Domain 19 covers agency and brokerage relationship structures specific to Colorado.
Domain 5: General Principles of Agency (13% national) & Domain 18: Closing and Settlement (13.51% state)
Both sit just below the top tier but still represent more than one in eight questions on their respective portions. Agency law and closing mechanics are also the domains most likely to appear in calculation-heavy or scenario-based questions.
Key Takeaway
Domains 16, 7, 14, and 19 together account for a disproportionate share of your total score. Master these four before spending equal time on 3%-8% domains like Leasing and Property Management or Land Use Controls.
Scoring, Passing Thresholds, and Retakes
CO-RE-B scoring is unusually specific, and misunderstanding it is a common source of avoidable failures.
- National passing score: 60 of 80 questions correct.
- State passing score: 53 of 74 questions correct.
- You must clear both thresholds. A high national score cannot offset a low state score, and vice versa.
- A passing result on either portion remains valid for one year, so a candidate who fails only one side retakes just that portion within the window - not the entire exam.
For the exact math behind these thresholds - including how many questions you can afford to miss on each portion - see CO-RE-B Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. If you're weighing how difficult this dual-threshold structure actually is compared to other exams, How Hard Is the CO-RE-B Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 covers that in depth.
What the Latest Pass-Rate Data Shows
The Division's Q2 2026 first-time statewide results give a concrete benchmark for where candidates typically struggle:
- National portion: 460 of 770 first-time candidates passed - 59.9%.
- State portion: 326 of 779 first-time candidates passed - 42.4%.
Read together, these numbers suggest the state portion - with its concentration in Colorado Forms and Contracts, licensee duties, and brokerage relationships - is where most first-time candidates lose their attempt, not the national portion. That reinforces why domains 16, 14, and 19 deserve disproportionate review time. A full breakdown of this data, plus how it compares across recent quarters, is in CO-RE-B Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Key Takeaway
The state portion's 42.4% first-time pass rate is lower than the national portion's 59.9%. Weight your final review sessions toward Colorado-specific content, not just national fundamentals.
Final-Week Review Sprint
In the last stretch before test day, structure your review around domain weight rather than alphabetical order or the sequence your course presented material in.
Colorado Forms and Contracts (Domain 16)
- Review every current 2026 Commission form clause by clause.
- Drill scenario questions matching fact patterns to the correct form.
Brokerage Relationships & Licensee Duties (Domains 19 & 14)
- Review agency disclosure obligations specific to Colorado.
- Compare permitted vs. prohibited licensee conduct scenarios.
Contracts & Agency (Domains 7 & 5)
- Run through national contract-formation and breach scenarios.
- Review fiduciary duty distinctions across agency types.
Closing & Calculations (Domains 18 & 11)
- Practice prorations, commission splits, and settlement math.
- Time yourself against the 120- and 110-minute limits.
Full Timed Simulation
- Take a full-length practice run on the practice test platform under real timing conditions.
- Log missed questions by domain and re-review only the weak spots.
This sequencing intentionally front-loads the domain that carries nearly a third of your state score before moving to lighter-weighted material. For a longer-horizon plan that starts weeks earlier, see the CO-RE-B Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
After You Pass: Keeping the License Active
Passing both portions is the finish line for the exam, not for the license. Active brokers must complete 24 continuing education hours in each three-year license cycle, including three different four-hour Annual Commission Update courses. E&O insurance also has to stay in force for the entire time the license is active - it isn't a one-time submission at licensing.
Understanding what happens after the exam also matters if you're evaluating whether the path is worth pursuing in the first place, including realistic income expectations covered in the CO-RE-B Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis and the broader return-on-investment discussion in Is the CO-RE-B Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
154 total: 80 national questions in 120 minutes plus 74 Colorado-specific questions in 110 minutes, scored as two separate portions.
You need 60 of 80 correct on the national portion and 53 of 74 correct on the state portion. Both thresholds must be met independently.
Colorado Forms and Contracts (Domain 16) at 31.08% of the state portion is the single highest-value domain on the entire exam, followed by Contracts (19% national) and the tied Domain 14/19 duties and brokerage relationships content (14.86% each).
No. A passing score on either portion is valid for one year, so you only need to retake the portion you failed within that window.
The exam costs $44.95 with no membership tiers, administered by PSI through either a test center or live remote proctoring.
For a broader orientation to what the credential actually covers before you dive into domain-level review, start with What Is CO-RE-B? or run a full practice session on the main practice test site to see where your baseline stands today.