Study Guide

Salesperson & broker requirements, regulated by the Virginia Real Estate Board (REB) (Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR)).

Eligibility

Minimum age: 18 years old
Education: High school diploma or GED (equivalent)
Legal status: Legally eligible to work in the U.S.
Background check: State + federal fingerprint-based criminal history check
Character: Disclosure of criminal history; good moral character

Pre-License Education

60 hrsSalesperson — Principles of Real Estate

Includes a monitored/proctored final exam. Must be completed before scheduling the PSI exam.

Real estate principlesContractsAgency lawVirginia real estate lawFair housingEthics

180 hrsBroker

Must include a 45-hour Real Estate Brokerage course plus approved broker-specific/related subjects.

Experience: Actively engaged as a salesperson for 36 of the 48 months preceding application.

The Exam (PSI)

National portion
Virginia state-law portion

Must pass BOTH sections.

For remote/online proctoring, PSI updated security parameters and no longer supports older operating systems (e.g., Windows 10, macOS Ventura).

Application Steps

1Complete required pre-license education
2Pass the PSI national + Virginia exam sections
3Submit fingerprints for state + federal background check
4File the license application with DPOR (with fees + documentation)
5Secure a principal broker sponsor to activate the license

Apply within the defined window after fingerprinting/exam to avoid re-testing.

Post-License Education (PLE)

30 hrsWithin first year — Post-License Education (PLE)

Within one year of obtaining the initial license (before first renewal).

Failure to complete places the license on inactive status.

Continuing Education (CE)

Continuing Education applies to renewals AFTER the first cycle. First-cycle salespersons take 30 hrs Post-License Education (PLE) instead of CE.

The CE reallocation is live and in effect as of April 1, 2026 (18VAC135-20-101, Register Vol. 42 Iss. 14). Mandatory core hours increased and electives shrank; total hours are unchanged. There is no separate June 30, 2026 transition — earlier 'June 30' framing was incorrect.

Subject	Before 6/30/26	On/after 6/30/26
Ethics & Standards of Conduct	3	3
Fair Housing	2	2
Legal Updates & Emerging Trends	1	2
Real Estate Agency	1	2
Real Estate Contracts	1	2
Electives	8	5
Total (Salesperson)	16	16

Brokers require 24 total hours. Mandatory breakdown climbs from 16 to 19 hours (electives shrink to 5). Includes Broker Management (6 hrs) and Broker Supervision (2 hrs) components.

Per 18VAC135-20-101 A.1 (eff. 2026-04-01), the salesperson mandatory core is 11 hours (2 fair housing, 3 ethics, 2 agency, 2 contracts, 2 legal updates incl. flood/NFIP); brokers carry 19 mandatory hours. Total required hours below remain 16 (salesperson) / 24 (broker).

Fees & Timeline

Pre-license course: $300–$700
PSI exam fee: ~$60–$100
Fingerprinting / background check: ~$50–$100
License application fee: Varies (per DPOR fee schedule)

Roughly 2–4 months from starting pre-license education to licensure, depending on study pace and scheduling.

Reciprocity

Salesperson: Hold a current active out-of-state license, show equivalent education, pass the Virginia state portion of the exam, submit certifications.

Broker: Hold a current active out-of-state broker license, show equivalent education/experience, pass the Virginia broker state portion, submit certifications.