Arkansas Real Estate Salesperson License requirements

Follow these steps in order. Deadlines and affiliation requirements can make a passed exam unusable if they are missed.

1. 1

   Complete 60 hours (30 basic principles) at an AREC-accepted school

   The certificate does not expire. AREC will accept the exam application before you finish the 60 hours, but eligibility waits on the certificate plus the BCA form.

2. 2

   File the AREC examination application ($50) and wait for the fingerprint email

   Pay by cashier’s check or money order to AREC; no personal checks. Do not get fingerprinted until AREC emails you. Nonresidents who must sit the exam: $85 plus a fingerprint card.

3. 3

   Take the Pearson exam after receiving Authorization to Test ($75 for both portions)

   Scaled 70 on each portion. $75 combined, or $75 per portion if split. Authorization lasts one year; split retakes must be completed within six months.

4. 4

   File the score report, $50 license fee + $25 Recovery Fund, and post-license notice within 90 days

   Calendar days, with no extensions. Then affiliate with a principal broker.

5. 5

   Finish the 18-hour AREC post-license course within six months of issuance

   Required to remain active, and separate from later CE. Brokers have a 30-hour post-license course instead.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.

Residency and identification

Arkansas residency is not required. Nonresident original applicants pay a different AREC examination-application fee ($85 if they must sit; $160 salesperson / $180 broker if the exam is not required) and submit a fingerprint card plus license histories from every jurisdiction. A waiver of the general portion, where available, still requires current licensure in the other state and a general-exam passing score no lower than Arkansas's scaled 70 (Reg 4.2(d)).

Qualifying education

ACA § 17-42-303 / Reg 4.1: 60 classroom hours, 30 of them in the basic principles of real estate, from an accredited postsecondary school, an AREC-licensed school, or a school licensed by another state's commission that AREC deems equivalent. AREC accepts the examination application before you finish the 60 hours, but the Certificate of Examination Eligibility is not issued until both the 60 hours and the Background Check Acknowledgment are received. Continuing education does not substitute. Louisiana or Texas coursework that does not include 30 hours of basic principles will not count.

Education or filing deadline

According to AREC's FAQ, the 60-hour salesperson certificate does not expire. Broker education expires after 36 months. Pearson authorization lasts one year. You must file for the license within 90 calendar days of passing the exam.

Character review

Character and fitness are reviewed after fingerprinting. Convictions, deferred sentences, and professional-license discipline must be disclosed on the notarized examination application; failing to disclose is a separate ground for denial. AREC reviews criminal reports before issuing the license, not before you sit the Pearson exam.

Background process

State and federal criminal background check. Residents: digital fingerprints after the AREC email. Nonresidents: fingerprint card with the application. Do not get fingerprinted until instructed.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the salesperson license. You need a principal broker to practice, but not to sit the Pearson exam.

Broker affiliation

An Arkansas salesperson practices under a principal broker. Independent dealing outside the principal broker is a scored statutory topic on the state exam (outline III.A). You must be affiliated with a principal broker before performing any licensed activity.

Pearson VUE, after AREC Authorization to Test (pearsonvue.com/us/en/ar/realestate.html, 800-274-2606). June 2026 handbook #090400. · Fee: $75

Unlimited attempts during the one-year authorization. If you fail one portion, retake only that portion, but both must be passed within six months or you sit the entire exam again. You must wait 24 hours to reschedule. The retake fee equals the portion fee ($75).

These are commission or testing-vendor amounts we can cite. School tuition and optional preparation products are private-market prices.

According to AREC's new-applicant page and FAQ: the AREC examination application is $50 (cashier's check or money order to AREC; the Workforce Expansion Act may waive it). Pearson is $75 for both portions or $75 per portion. After passing, you pay AREC $50 for the license + $25 for the Recovery Fund = $75 within 90 days. The application and initialLicense values here are the $50 exam-application and $50 license fees; the Recovery Fund is not included. Per AREC news, residents pay the $36.25 background fee online to the Arkansas State Police (plus the harvester's capture fee). Renewal per AREC's FAQ: salesperson $60 / broker $80 if renewed before September 30; after September 30 the penalty is $20 salesperson / $30 broker. The nonresident exam-application fee has been listed as $85 if sitting / $160 salesperson if not sitting; confirm with AREC.

• !

  Getting fingerprinted before AREC emails you

  AREC's new-applicant page notes that Arkansas residents must NOT have fingerprints made until AREC emails authorization.

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  Treating 60 hours of another state's coursework as 30 hours of Arkansas principles

  ACA § 17-42-303 requires 30 hours in the basic principles of real estate, from a school AREC accepts or deems equivalent.

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  Missing the 90-day filing deadline

  Per AREC's FAQ, these are calendar days with no extensions. Your exam result becomes void and you must reapply as an original applicant.

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  Splitting the Pearson portions and letting six months lapse

  Per the handbook, both portions must be passed within six months or you sit the entire exam again. The authorization itself lasts one year.

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  Skipping the 18-hour post-license course

  AREC's Education page requires it by the end of the month six months after issuance to remain active. You cannot take it before the license is issued, and it is separate from the later 7-hour CE.

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  Paying AREC the old combined background amount as a resident

  Per AREC news, residents send the $50 application fee to AREC and pay the $36.25 background fee online to the Arkansas State Police. Applications with the wrong fee may be returned.

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  Using a personal check for AREC fees

  AREC requires a cashier's check or money order payable to AREC. Personal and business checks are not accepted.

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  Counting post-license modules as CE at the same time

  Per AREC's FAQ, a post-license module may count toward annual CE only if it is not also being applied to the post-license requirement. Each course counts toward one requirement only.

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  Dealing independently of the principal broker

  This is a scored statutory topic (outline III.A). You must be affiliated with a principal broker before performing licensed activity.

• !

  Registering with PSI for an Arkansas exam

  Arkansas real estate exams are delivered by Pearson VUE under handbook #090400 at $75. PSI is a different vendor.

Arkansas does not have a named-partner reciprocity list. Under Reg 4.2(d), a salesperson currently licensed in another state who passed a uniform/general/multi-state exam with a passing score no lower than Arkansas's scaled 70 may request a waiver of the GENERAL portion and sit only the Arkansas law portion. Nonresidents who do not qualify for that waiver still need the 60 hours. Charts claiming "reciprocity with 12 states" are not AREC sources; contact AREC for your options.

Arkansas vs neighboring states

Hours are the pre-license total printed in each guide; states that count credits or named courses show “See guide.” Published state fees add the application, exam, initial-license, and fingerprint amounts the guide can cite — tuition is not included.

Does Arkansas issue a salesperson license?

Yes. The official entry-level title is salesperson. The broker license is a separate path: 60 hours, of which 45 must be the Commission-developed Broker Pre-License Course completed within 36 months of application, plus 24 months active within the previous 48.

How many pre-license hours?

According to AREC's new-applicant page, 60 classroom hours, of which 30 must be in the basic principles of real estate (ACA § 17-42-303 / Reg 4.1). AREC's FAQ says the 60-hour salesperson certificate does not expire; broker education expires after 36 months.

Can I apply to AREC before I finish the 60 hours?

Yes. AREC will accept the examination application early. However, Certificates of Exam Eligibility will not be issued until proof of the 60 hours AND the complete Background Check Acknowledgment (BCA) form are received.

What is the passing score and fee?

Per Pearson handbook #090400 (rev06/2026), you need a scaled 70 on the general portion and a scaled 70 on the Arkansas law portion. The fee is $75 if you schedule both salesperson portions together, or $75 per portion if you split them; AREC's FAQ also lists $75. You get unlimited attempts for one year from Commission approval, and split retakes must have both portions passed within six months.

How long after passing do I have to file?

According to AREC's FAQ, 90 calendar days. Submit all pages of the score report, the $50 license fee, the $25 Recovery Fund fee, and the signed post-license requirement notice. If you miss the deadline, your exam result is void and you must reapply as an original applicant and retake the exam.

When do I get fingerprinted, and what does it cost?

After AREC emails you. Residents then use digital fingerprints and pay $36.25 online to the Arkansas State Police (per AREC news), plus the harvester's capture fee. Do not get fingerprinted before the email. Nonresidents follow the fingerprint-card process on AREC's new-applicant page.

Is there a post-license course?

Yes. According to AREC's Education page, new salespersons need 18 classroom hours, due by the end of the month six months after issuance, to remain active. Brokers need 30 classroom hours within six months. This is separate from the later 7-hour annual CE, and you cannot take post-license before your license is issued.

What is annual CE?

According to AREC's Education page, seven hours annually to renew an active license for the upcoming calendar year. Your first CE is due on your second active renewal. The renewal deadline is September 30 to avoid a penalty; licenses expire December 31.

Does a salesperson license from another state waive the Arkansas exam?

Possibly the general portion only, and only if you are currently licensed, passed a uniform/general exam with a passing score no lower than scaled 70, and AREC agrees (Reg 4.2(d)). You still sit the Arkansas law portion. Arkansas does not have a named-partner reciprocity list.

Where is the Commission and who administers the exam?

612 South Summit Street, Little Rock, AR 72201-4740. (501) 683-8010. [email protected] / [email protected]. Pearson VUE (800) 274-2606, pearsonvue.com/us/en/ar/realestate.html. Office hours Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Which Arkansas-specific topics are tested?

The Recovery Fund (in the Commission-duties section), trust funds and disbursement, independent dealing outside the principal broker, agency relationships and disclosures (8 items), BPOs, and timeshares. This content is specific to Arkansas and differs from Louisiana's 90-hour or Mississippi's 60-hour requirements.