- Understanding the 2025 KY-RESA Pass Rate Data
- Why the State Portion Lags the National Portion
- Inside the Two-Part Exam Structure
- Domain Weighting and Where Candidates Lose Points
- The Four-Month Rule and Your Real Pass Rate
- Registration, Fees, and Eligibility Factors
- A Study Timeline Built Around the Numbers
- What the Pass Rate Means for Your Path Forward
- Frequently Asked Questions
- KREC's cumulative 2025 first-time pass rates through December 1 were 62.89% national and 51.08% state.
- You must score 75% on both the national and Kentucky portions to pass - not a combined average.
- Fail one portion and you have four months to pass both, or you must retake both from scratch.
- The Kentucky portion's lower pass rate points to Brokerage Activities and Requirements as a weak spot for many candidates.
Understanding the 2025 KY-RESA Pass Rate Data
If you're preparing for the Kentucky Real Estate Sales Associate Exam, the most useful data point isn't a rumor from a study group - it's the Kentucky Real Estate Commission's own reporting. KREC's cumulative 2025 first-time pass rates through December 1 came in at 62.89% for the national portion and 51.08% for the state portion. These numbers apply specifically to first-time test-takers on the PSI-administered exam, and they tell a clear story: the Kentucky-specific content is harder for most candidates than the national real estate body of knowledge.
That gap matters because it should shape how you allocate your study time. Many candidates assume the national portion - with its 80 scored questions covering broad real estate concepts - will be the harder hurdle. The data suggests otherwise. For a full breakdown of what's actually being tested, the KY-RESA Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 17 Content Areas walks through every domain in both portions.
Why the State Portion Lags the National Portion
The national portion draws from a well-established outline that PSI updated effective October 1, 2023, covering concepts that many candidates have already encountered through pre-license coursework, general real estate exposure, or overlap with concepts tested nationwide. The Kentucky portion, by contrast, is dense with state-specific statutes, commission procedures, and licensing mechanics that don't transfer from general real estate knowledge at all.
The Kentucky portion has only 40 scored questions compared to 80 on the national side, and only 90 minutes compared to 150 - but fewer questions doesn't mean less difficulty. Each question carries more weight, and the content leans heavily on memorized specifics: license law requirements, disclosure obligations, and commission structure. Candidates who skim the Kentucky material because "it's the shorter section" are often the ones who show up in that 51.08% failure column.
Key Takeaway
Don't let the shorter time allotment and lower question count on the Kentucky portion fool you into under-preparing. Its pass rate is lower than the national portion for a reason - treat it as the harder half of the exam.
Inside the Two-Part Exam Structure
The KY-RESA is a single sitting split into two scored sections, administered by PSI on computer, in multiple-choice format:
- National portion: 80 scored questions, 150 minutes
- Kentucky portion: 40 scored questions, 90 minutes
- Unscored questions: 5-10 experimental items mixed in that don't count toward your score but are indistinguishable from scored ones
- Passing threshold: 75% required on each portion independently
- Allowed tools: a silent, nonprogrammable calculator
Because the experimental questions are unmarked, you can't identify and skip them - every question needs your full attention as though it counts. This structure is one reason candidates often underestimate the exam's demands going in. If you're still weighing how tough this test really is relative to your background, How Hard Is the KY-RESA Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 breaks down difficulty factors beyond the raw pass rate.
| Metric | National Portion | Kentucky Portion |
|---|---|---|
| Scored Questions | 80 | 40 |
| Time Allotted | 150 minutes | 90 minutes |
| Passing Score | 75% | 75% |
| 2025 First-Time Pass Rate (through Dec 1) | 62.89% | 51.08% |
| Largest Domain by Weight | Contracts (19%) | Brokerage Activities and Requirements |
Domain Weighting and Where Candidates Lose Points
On the national side, weighting is published and precise, which lets you prioritize study time with real data instead of guesswork. Contracts carries the heaviest weight at 19%, followed by Agency at 13% and Practice of Real Estate at 12%. These three domains alone account for close to half of the national portion's scored questions.
Contracts (National - 19%)
The single largest domain on the entire exam. Candidates must understand contract formation, essential elements, contingencies, and remedies for breach.
- Highest point value of any domain - prioritize accordingly
- Frequently tested through scenario-based questions rather than pure definitions
Brokerage Activities and Requirements (Kentucky)
The largest domain on the Kentucky portion. It covers how brokerages must operate under Kentucky license law, including supervision, trust accounts, and office requirements.
- Directly tied to the lower state-portion pass rate
- Requires memorizing Kentucky-specific procedures, not general real estate practice
On the Kentucky side, the Commission doesn't publish exact domain percentages, but Brokerage Activities and Requirements is confirmed as the largest of the six Kentucky domains - Real Estate Commission, Requirements for a License, Brokerage Activities and Requirements, License Law Requirements for Contracts, Disclosures and Agency Issues, and Property Management. Given that this domain carries the most weight and the state portion has the lower pass rate, it deserves disproportionate attention relative to its neighbors. For a domain-by-domain study plan across all 17 areas, see the KY-RESA Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
The Four-Month Rule and Your Real Pass Rate
The published first-time pass rates only tell part of the story. Kentucky's retake policy adds a time-pressure dimension that doesn't show up in a single percentage: if you pass one portion but fail the other, you have four months to pass the remaining portion - otherwise you must retake both portions again, even the one you already passed.
This is a meaningful detail because it means a partial pass isn't a permanent partial pass. Letting the clock run out on that four-month window effectively resets your progress and requires another $100 attempt fee for both sections. Given the state portion's 51.08% first-time pass rate, a real possibility for many candidates is passing nationally on the first try and needing a focused second attempt at the Kentucky material - which makes tracking that four-month deadline essential.
Key Takeaway
If you pass only one portion, mark your four-month deadline immediately and treat the retake with the same seriousness as your original test date. Missing it means starting over on both sections.
Every attempt - whether it's your first sitting or a retake of a single portion - costs $100 through PSI. For a complete breakdown of what the full licensing path costs beyond the exam fee itself, see KY-RESA Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Registration, Fees, and Eligibility Factors That Shape First-Time Success
Pass rates don't exist in a vacuum - they're connected to who's eligible to sit for the exam in the first place. To qualify for the KY-RESA, applicants must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Hold a high school diploma or GED
- Complete 96 approved classroom hours or 6 real estate academic credits
- Initiate the FBI background-check process before scheduling the exam
- Apply for licensure within 60 days after passing both portions
The 96-hour classroom requirement (or equivalent academic credit) is the primary preparation most candidates rely on before ever sitting for the PSI exam, and it directly overlaps with the domains tested. Candidates who treat those hours as a formality rather than genuine preparation tend to be the ones showing up in the failing half of the state-portion statistic. A full rundown of every prerequisite is available in KY-RESA Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify, and if you want the exact scoring mechanics explained in plain terms, check KY-RESA Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Scheduling logistics matter too - the FBI background check needs to be initiated before you can even book your test date, so building that lead time into your plan avoids unnecessary delays. Details on windows and deadlines are covered in KY-RESA Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
A Study Timeline Built Around the Numbers
Given that the state portion has a materially lower first-time pass rate, your study calendar should weight Kentucky content more heavily in the final stretch, even though it's the shorter section of the exam.
National Foundations
- Property Ownership, Land Use Controls, and Valuation - the conceptual base for later domains
- Build vocabulary fluency for financing and title transfer terms
Highest-Weight National Domains
- Contracts (19%) and Agency (13%) - drill scenario-based practice questions
- Practice of Real Estate (12%) and Real Estate Calculations (7%) with calculator practice
Kentucky License Law Core
- Real Estate Commission and Requirements for a License domains
- Brokerage Activities and Requirements - the largest and highest-risk Kentucky domain
Kentucky Contracts, Disclosures, and Full Review
- License Law Requirements for Contracts, Disclosures and Agency Issues, Property Management
- Full-length timed practice runs mirroring the 150-minute and 90-minute splits
This is a study-methodology structure, not a generic template - it's sequenced specifically around which KY-RESA domains carry the most weight and which portion has historically been harder to pass. For deeper domain-level content to plug into each week, use the KY-RESA Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 17 Content Areas alongside timed practice sessions on our practice test platform.
What the Pass Rate Means for Your Path Forward
Passing the KY-RESA is the gateway to becoming a licensed sales associate in Kentucky, but it's not the finish line. New sales associates complete 48 post-license hours within two years, and active licensees maintain 6 continuing education hours annually - including 3 law hours and the Kentucky Core Course once every four years - plus errors-and-omissions insurance and biennial renewal by March 31 of even-numbered years. Understanding the pass-rate landscape now helps you plan realistically for the licensure timeline ahead, which is covered in more depth in Is the KY-RESA Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.
If you're weighing the exam against your broader career goals, it's also worth reviewing what the license actually opens up professionally - see KY-RESA Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis for context on where a Kentucky sales associate license can lead.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to KREC's cumulative data through December 1, 2025, first-time pass rates were 62.89% on the national portion and 51.08% on the state portion.
You take both in the same sitting, but if you pass only one, you have four months to pass the remaining portion before both must be retaken.
The Kentucky portion tests state-specific license law and brokerage procedures that don't overlap with general real estate knowledge, unlike much of the national outline.
Each attempt through PSI costs $100, whether it's a full first attempt or a retake of a single portion after a partial pass.
You need 75% on the national portion and 75% on the Kentucky portion - each is scored and passed independently.