Who Grants a License: Licenses are granted by the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission (“PREA”).
Qualifications to receive a License: A candidate must complete 60 clock hours of study at a PREA-approved real estate school (search schools here), pass a school-administered final exam, and pass a state exam. All candidates must be at least 18 years of age, and pass a criminal background check.
Applying for the Exams: Prior to applying for the exam, a candidate should complete a state license registration through the Pennsylvania Department of State Licensing website. Then, upon completion of the pre-licensing curriculum, Candidates should apply to take the state exam through the PSI website scheduling page. Applicants must show proof of completion of the pre-licensure curriculum to be eligible to register for the exam. For more information, see the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Real Estate Candidate Information Bulletin. NOTE: Examination scores are good for three years.
Test Content: The Pennsylvania state real estate licensing exam is comprised of two separate portions, the national portion and the state-specific portion. Five to ten questions disbursed throughout both portions of the exam are considered "experimental" questions and are not scored. Both tests are comprised of multiple choice questions with four answer choices provided for each question. Test takers are allotted 120 minutes to complete the national portion, and 60 minutes to complete the state portion. A passing score requires that that test taker correctly answer 60 (out of 80) questions on the national portion, and 23 (out of 30) questions on the state-specific portion. The exam is presented in a computer-based format, but accommodations for paper-based tests and/or oral testing can be provided with special arrangements.
The national portion of the test consists of 80 questions, and tests the candidate's knowledge of general real estate concepts, including the following subject areas:
Property Ownership
Land Use Controls and Regulations
Valuation and Market Analysis
Financing
Laws of Agency
Mandated Disclosures
Contracts
Transfer of Title
Practice of Real Estate
Real Estate Calculations
Subdivisions
Commercial, Industrial, and Income Property
The state-specific test consists of 30 questions, and tests the candidate's knowledge of the state-specific concepts, including the following subject areas:
Real Estate Commission
Licensure
Regulation of Conduct of Licensees
How to Apply for the License: Candidates must provide PREA with the following documents: (1) completed application and application fee; (2) original Pennsylvania state real estate licensing exam score report(s); (3) a completed criminal background check; (4) and a certificate issued by a PREA-approved school for completion of the 60-hour salesperson pre-licensure curriculum.
All of the required documents must be submitted to PREA within three years of passing the exam. The PREA offices are located at:
PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs
One Penn Center
2601 North 3rd Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
Click here for driving directions to the PREA offices, and contact information.
Fees: PREA charges a license application fee.
Who administers the test: PREA and PSI.
Post-Licensing Education Requirements: All new Pennsylvania Real Estate licensees must take 14 hours of post licensing education prior to their first renewal. Providers of this education can be found here.
License Renewal Requirements – A Pennsylvania real estate licensee must take 14 credit hours of continuing education (either online or in the classroom) from a PREA-approved provider every two years.
Applicable Regulations: Real estate licensees in Pennsylvania are regulated under the Pennsylvania State Code, Chapter 35, and the Pennsylvania Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act.
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