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How to Get a Virginia Real Estate License

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The Virginia Real Estate Board, governed by the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation, oversees real estate salesperson licensing in the state of Virginia. In order to acquire a real estate license you must meet educational requirements, pass a background check, and pass the licensing examination.

General Requirements:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • High school diploma or equivalent
  • Complete 60-hour pre-licensing coursework
  • Passing scores on both portions of the licensing exam
  • Satisfactory background check

Educational Requirement for a Virginia Real Estate License

Prior to applying for a real estate salesperson license you must complete the 60-hour Principles and Practices of Real Estate coursework with a pre-approved educational provider. Courses can be completed in the classroom, online, or as distance learning. Once you accomplish the coursework, the next step is taking the licensing examination. Your real estate school will provide the testing company with verification of your testing eligibility.

Take the Virginia Real Estate Course Online

You can take the Virginia Real Estate Prelicensing Course completely online and at your own pace. If you are considering getting your real estate license, this is the easiest means of meeting the educational requirements. You can even save 10% by entering coupon code “NEWAGENT” at checkout.

Registering For and Scheduling the Virginia Real Estate Examination

The real estate examination is administered by PSI at their testing locations in Virginia, Tennessee, and Maryland. Scheduling your exam may be done online, over the phone (800-733-9267), through fax or standard mail. Online and phone registration are the quickest way to secure your appointment and require a VISA or MasterCard to pay the testing fee ($60). Fax and standard mail registration require you to submit the registration form found at the end of the Candidate Bulletin. You will need a VISA or MasterCard for fax registrations; money order, cashier’s check, or company check is acceptable for mail registrations.

You may choose to test as a “walk-in” candidate. In order to do this, you must have a confirmation notice from PSI or a previously failed score report. There is an additional cost of $15 to test as a “walk-in.”

Taking the Virginia Real Estate Examination

You should arrive at the testing center 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment. This time allows for the check-in process, which includes verification of your identification cards, giving you information about the testing process, and assigning you to a testing computer. You must provide two forms of identification. One ID must be government-issued and bear your photograph and signature. The other form of ID must have your name pre-printed and your signature.

While you are at the testing center, you may wish to have your fingerprints taken. However, your fingerprints are only valid for 45 days, so if you do not pass the test you may have to have your fingerprints retaken another time. The fingerprinting fee is $59.25 and is payable by money order, cashier’s check, VISA or MasterCard. Fingerprinting does not require an appointment.

You should not bring extraneous items into the testing center. Only wallets, keys, and non-programmable numeric calculators will be permitted into the test area.

The test will be administered on a computer. The computer does not require any typing or technical skills to operate efficiently. A short tutorial will precede the exam and once you are comfortable using the technology, you may begin your test.

The Virginia real estate licensing exam is composed of two portions: State and National. You will be allowed 150 minutes to complete the entire test. The questions for both sections will appear randomly and intermixed. The State portion consists of 40 questions regarding the policies and laws specific to the state of Virginia. You will need to answer 30 correctly to earn a passing score. The National portion is 80 questions regarding general real estate knowledge needed to successfully perform as a real estate salesperson. You will need to answer 56 correctly to earn a passing score.

Your score will be given to you immediately following the exam. If you pass, you will be given instructions regarding applying for your license. If you do not pass one portion, you may retake it alone as early as 48 hours after your failed attempt.

Applying for a Virginia Real Estate Salesperson License

Once you have passed both portions of the exam and have had your fingerprints taken, you are eligible to submit your license application. Your examination scores are only valid for one year and your fingerprints are only valid for 45 days. You must submit appropriate fees with your application in order to obtain your license. Processing of your application can take up to three weeks.

Official Resources:

 

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