EDUCATION

Pre-Licensing Education Requirements and License Testing

To obtain a real estate salesperson or broker license, you must first qualify for and pass a written examination. Those who pass the examination are provided a license application which must be submitted to and approved by the CalBRE.

This license is required of individuals who conduct licensed real estate activities as described in the Real Estate Law under the supervision of a licensed broker. A license may also be obtained by a person who does not immediately intend to be employed by a broker. However, a salesperson without an employing broker may not perform acts requiring a real estate license.

General Requirements

• Age: You must be 18 years of age or older to be issued a license.
• Residence: If you are not a California resident, Refer to Out of State Applicants on CalBRE website
• Honesty: Applicants must be honest and truthful. Conviction of a crime may result in the denial of a license. Failure to disclose anycriminal violation or disciplinary action in an applicant’s entire history may also result in the denial of a license.

For a Broker’s License, you must also qualify with:

• Experience: A minimum of two years full-time licensed salesperson experience within the last five years or the equivalent is required. For further information, see Documenting Experience Requirements for the Broker Examination on the CalBRE website.

Course Requirements

Prior to applying for the exam and license, individuals pursuing the license must complete specific industry-related classes.  Courses must be three semester-units or four quarter-units at the college level. Courses must be completed at an institution of higher learning accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges or by a comparable regional accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, or by a private real estate school which has had its courses approved by the California Real Estate Commissioner. Each course approved by the Bureau of Real Estate is a minimum of 45 hours in length.

Salesperson’s License Course Requirements

Completion of three college-level courses is required to qualify for a real estate salesperson. For a list of required course offerings, log onto http://secure.dre.ca.gov/publicasp/CEStatutory.asp.

• Real Estate Principles
• Real Estate Practice

And one of the following:

• Real Estate Finance
• Real Estate Appraisal
• Real Estate Economics
• Property Management
• Legal Aspects of Real Estate
• Real Estate Office Administration
• Escrows

Broker’s License Course Requirements

Applicants for a real estate broker license examination must have successfully completed the following eight statutorily required college-level courses:

• Real Estate Practice; and
• Legal Aspects of Real Estate; and

• Real Estate Finance; and
• Real Estate Appraisal; and
• Real Estate Economics or Accounting*; and
• Three courses from the following list:

• Real Estate Principles
• Business Law
• Property Management
• Escrow
• Real Estate Office Administration
• Mortgage Loan Brokering and Lending
• Advanced Legal Aspects of Real Estate
• Advanced Real Estate Finance
• Advanced Real Estate Appraisal
• Computer Applications in Real Estate
• Common Interest Developments

*Note: If both Real Estate Economics and Accounting are taken, only two courses from the above group are required.

 

Nearby Institutions & R.E. Schools offering R.E. Classes

• Sierra College – www.sierracollege.com
• California Community College Real Estate Programs – http://www.cccreec.org/
• Allied Real Estate Schools – https://www.realestatelicense.com
• Kaplan R.E. Schools– https://www.kapre.com/real-estate-courses/california
• California State Universities offer a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in Real Estate.  http://degrees.calstate.edu/degree_list/csu-degree-programs (East Bay, Fresno, LA, Northridge, Pomona, Sacramento, San Bernardino & San Diego),

License Exam

Time

• Salesperson: 3 hours 15-minutes. 150 multiple choice questions.

• Broker: 5 hours, administered in a 2 1/2-hour morning session and a 2 1/2-hour afternoon session. 200 multiple choice questions (100 in each session).

Format

Examinations conducted in Fresno, La Palma, Oakland, Sacramento and San Diego are currently offered in an electronic format.

Method

The examinations are given in a multiple-choice format. Answers are selected from four choices (see description of salesperson / broker examination content).

 

Acceptable Forms of Identification

To be admitted into an examination, you must show a valid form of photo identification issued within the past 5 years: Current state-issued driver’s license or DMV identification card, Passport or U.S. Military identification card.