- What Is a DE-RE-B?
- Who Governs and Administers the Exam
- Exam Format: Questions, Time, and Structure
- The 13 Domains That Make Up the DE-RE-B
- Registration, Fees, and Eligibility
- Who Takes the DE-RE-B and Why
- What to Expect on Test Day
- Passing Score and Retake Rules
- Mapping a Study Plan to the Domain Weights
- After You Pass: Renewal and CE
- Frequently Asked Questions
- DE-RE-B is the Delaware Real Estate Broker Exam, administered by Pearson VUE for the Delaware Real Estate Commission.
- The exam has 145 total questions (80 scored/5 unscored national, 50 scored/10 unscored state) in four hours.
- Passing requires a scaled score of 70 on both the national and state portions separately.
- Broker applicants must be at least 23, complete a 99-hour course, and document five years of licensure with 30 transactions.
What Is a DE-RE-B?
DE-RE-B is shorthand for the Delaware Real Estate Broker Exam, the state licensing test that Delaware requires before a real estate salesperson can be elevated to broker status. It is not a private certification or a national designation with a marketing acronym - it's a regulatory examination tied directly to Delaware law, administered under the authority of the Delaware Real Estate Commission. If you're researching "what is a DE-RE-B," the short answer is: it's the gate you must pass through to legally operate as a broker in Delaware, supervise agents, open a brokerage, and manage escrow accounts.
This distinction matters because several acronyms across different industries happen to share similar letters. Everything in this article refers strictly to the Delaware Real Estate Broker Exam - its fees, its domains, its scoring, and its eligibility rules - as defined by Delaware's Division of Professional Regulation. For a deeper breakdown of terminology and how the acronym is used across licensing materials, see DE-RE-B Meaning and What Does DE-RE-B Stand For?.
Who Governs and Administers the Exam
The Delaware Real Estate Commission, housed within the Division of Professional Regulation, sets the licensing rules, approves prelicensing education providers, and maintains the state-specific content outline. Actual test delivery is handled by Pearson VUE, which runs the exam at computer-based test centers under closed-book conditions - no notes, no reference materials, and no open resources of any kind.
Two separate documents govern what's tested: the national outline, effective April 1, 2025, covers general real estate principles that apply broadly across jurisdictions, while the state outline, effective June 1, 2020, covers Delaware-specific statutes, regulations, and licensee obligations. The current candidate handbook is dated January 2026 and is the authoritative source for procedural details like ID requirements, rescheduling policies, and calculator rules.
Exam Format: Questions, Time, and Structure
The DE-RE-B is built from two distinct item pools that are scored - and must be passed - independently:
- National/general portion: 80 scored items plus 5 unscored pretest items (85 total)
- Delaware state portion: 50 scored items plus 10 unscored pretest items (60 total)
- Combined total: 145 questions
- Time allotted: four hours
The unscored items are indistinguishable from scored ones on screen - they're used by the exam program to evaluate future questions - so candidates should treat every question with equal seriousness. Because the exam is closed-book and computer-delivered, no printed reference sheets, statute books, or personal notes are permitted at the workstation.
Key Takeaway
Budget your four hours knowing the national portion has more raw questions (85) but the state portion carries denser, Delaware-specific statutory content packed into fewer items - don't rush the state section just because it's shorter.
Only a silent, handheld, nonprinting calculator without an alphabetic keypad is allowed at the test center. Financial calculators are explicitly prohibited, which matters for anyone planning to lean on amortization or mortgage-function calculators during the math and financing domains.
The 13 Domains That Make Up the DE-RE-B
Content on the DE-RE-B is organized into 13 domains, split across the two scored portions. Domains 1-8 are weighted within the 80 scored national items, and Domains 9-13 are weighted within the 50 scored state items. Percentages are calculated from Pearson VUE's official item counts, not from arbitrary rounding.
Domain 1: Real Property Characteristics, Legal Descriptions, and Property Use - 12.5%
Covers land descriptions, physical characteristics of real property, and permitted uses.
- Metes and bounds, lot/block, and government survey systems
Domain 2: Forms of Ownership, Transfer, and Recording of Title - 10%
Tests knowledge of estates, tenancies, deeds, and the recording process.
- Joint tenancy vs. tenancy in common vs. tenancy by the entirety
Domain 3: Property Value and Appraisal - 12.5%
Covers valuation approaches and factors that influence market value.
- Sales comparison, cost, and income approaches
Domain 4: Real Estate Contracts and Agency - 18.75%
The single largest national-portion domain, covering listing agreements, purchase contracts, and agency relationships.
- Fiduciary duties and disclosure obligations owed to clients and customers
Domain 5: Real Estate Practice - 15%
Day-to-day brokerage operations, advertising, and fair housing practice.
- Listing procedures and license law application in daily transactions
Domain 6: Property Disclosures and Environmental Issues - 11.25%
Focuses on required seller disclosures and environmental hazards affecting property.
- Lead-based paint, wetlands, and hazardous condition disclosures
Domain 7: Financing and Settlement - 10%
Covers mortgage instruments, loan types, and the closing process.
- Settlement statement line items and prorations
Domain 8: Real Estate Math Calculations - 10%
Applied math problems spanning commissions, prorations, and area calculations.
- No financial calculators allowed - practice manual math methods
The state portion shifts entirely to Delaware-specific law and Commission authority:
Domain 9: Duties and Powers of the Real Estate Commission - 8%
Covers the Commission's regulatory authority and disciplinary powers.
Domain 10: Licensing Requirements - 6%
Covers Delaware-specific licensing prerequisites and application procedures.
Domain 11: Statutory Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees - 34%
By far the largest domain on the entire exam. It governs licensee conduct, escrow handling, disclosure duties, and violations under Delaware statute.
- Expect this domain to dominate your state-portion study time
Domain 12: Additional State Topics - 32%
A broad, second major domain covering other Delaware-specific rules not captured elsewhere.
Domain 13: Broker Only - 20%
Content unique to broker-level responsibilities, distinguishing this exam from the salesperson-level test.
- Supervision duties, office requirements, and escrow account management
Notice that Domains 11 and 12 together make up 66% of the state portion's scored items. For a full breakdown of every domain with subtopic-level detail, see DE-RE-B Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 13 Content Areas.
Registration, Fees, and Eligibility
Before you can sit for the DE-RE-B, you need to meet Delaware's broker eligibility criteria and pay several distinct fees:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Pearson VUE exam fee | $88 |
| State application fee | $248 |
| Real Estate Guaranty Fund fee | $25 |
Eligibility requirements are strict and layered:
- Minimum age of 23
- Completion of an approved 99-hour Delaware broker prelicensing course
- Five continuous years of active licensure immediately preceding the application
- Documentation of at least 30 eligible transactions within the preceding five years
A full (unrestricted) broker license carries additional requirements beyond passing the exam: three years of active practice and compliance with office, supervision, and escrow-handling rules set by the Commission. Candidates get up to three exam attempts before they're required to repeat the prelicensing course entirely - a rule worth planning around rather than discovering after a failed second attempt. For the complete eligibility checklist with documentation tips, see DE-RE-B Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify, and for a full accounting of every cost involved, see DE-RE-B Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Who Takes the DE-RE-B and Why
The DE-RE-B is specifically for licensed Delaware salespersons who want to advance into broker roles - opening their own brokerage, supervising a team of agents, or taking on managerial responsibility at an existing firm. It's a mid-career milestone, not an entry-level credential. Because the transaction and tenure requirements are steep (five years of licensure and 30 documented transactions), the pool of candidates is experienced agents who already understand day-to-day practice and are formalizing their move into brokerage leadership.
Firms hiring for broker-level roles look for this credential specifically when filling managing broker positions, branch office leadership, or independent brokerage ownership. If you're evaluating whether the jump is worth the time and fees, Is the DE-RE-B Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and DE-RE-B Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis walk through the career trade-offs in more depth. You can also browse current openings in DE-RE-B Jobs.
What to Expect on Test Day
You'll test at a Pearson VUE computer-based test center under closed-book conditions. Bring valid ID matching your application exactly - mismatches are a common, avoidable reason candidates get turned away. Personal items, phones, and notes stay outside the testing room. The only permitted aid is a silent, handheld, nonprinting calculator without an alphabetic keypad; financial calculators are not allowed, so leave anything with amortization or mortgage functions at home.
The four-hour clock covers both portions together, so you'll need to self-pace across 145 questions. Many candidates find it useful to work through the shorter, denser state portion (60 questions covering Domains 9-13) with focused attention before fatigue sets in, since Domain 11 alone carries 34% weight within that section. For scheduling logistics, blackout periods, and how far in advance to register, see DE-RE-B Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Passing Score and Retake Rules
You must earn a scaled score of 70 on the national portion and a scaled score of 70 on the state portion. These are graded independently - a strong national score cannot offset a weak state score, and vice versa. If you fail one portion, you typically only need to retake that portion, but repeated failures matter: candidates are limited to three total exam attempts before the Commission requires them to repeat the 99-hour prelicensing course from scratch.
For the exact scoring mechanics, scaled-score explanation, and what happens on a borderline result, see DE-RE-B Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. If you want a broader sense of how difficult candidates generally find each portion, How Hard Is the DE-RE-B Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and DE-RE-B Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows go deeper on that question.
Mapping a Study Plan to the Domain Weights
Rather than studying every domain equally, allocate time proportionally to weight. Domains 11 and 12 alone make up 66% of the state portion, and Domain 4 (Real Estate Contracts and Agency) is the heaviest national domain at 18.75%. A simple spaced-repetition approach works well here: review high-weight domains more frequently and in shorter, more frequent bursts, while lower-weight domains (like Domain 10's Licensing Requirements at 6%) can be covered once thoroughly and revisited briefly before test day.
National Foundations
- Domain 4 (Contracts and Agency) and Domain 5 (Real Estate Practice) - the two heaviest national domains
Valuation and Money Math
- Domain 3 (Appraisal), Domain 7 (Financing and Settlement), Domain 8 (Math) - practice without a financial calculator
Delaware Statute Deep Dive
- Domain 11 (Statutory Requirements) and Domain 12 (Additional State Topics) - the two dominant state-portion domains
Broker-Specific Content and Review
- Domain 13 (Broker Only) plus full-length timed practice under four-hour conditions
For a structured week-by-week plan with more granular task lists, see DE-RE-B Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. A quick-reference summary of must-know facts, fees, and domain weights is available in the DE-RE-B Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts, and you can build timed familiarity with the four-hour, 145-question format using full-length simulations on the main practice test platform.
After You Pass: Renewal and CE
Passing the DE-RE-B is only the exam step - full broker licensure also requires the three-years-active-practice and office/supervision/escrow compliance items mentioned earlier. Once licensed, brokers renew on April 30 of even-numbered years and must complete 21 continuing-education hours per full biennial cycle to keep the license active. Missing renewal deadlines or CE hours can lapse a license, so mark the even-year April 30 date well in advance.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The DE-RE-B is the broker-level exam, requiring five continuous years of prior licensure, 30 documented transactions, and a 99-hour broker prelicensing course - all prerequisites that don't apply at the salesperson level.
There are 145 total questions (80 scored plus 5 unscored national items, and 50 scored plus 10 unscored state items) to complete in four hours.
You need a scaled score of 70 on the national portion and a separate scaled score of 70 on the state portion. Both must be passed independently.
Only a silent, handheld, nonprinting calculator without an alphabetic keypad is allowed. Financial calculators, including amortization or mortgage-function models, are prohibited.
Candidates are allowed a maximum of three attempts before the Delaware Real Estate Commission requires them to repeat the approved 99-hour broker prelicensing course before trying again.