Connecticut 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 the 60-hour DCP-approved Principles and Practices course

   A Massachusetts 40-hour or New York 77-hour course does not qualify. Your certificate goes with the DCP examination application.

2. 2

   Apply at DCP ($80); wait for PSI instructions

   Broker supervision is not required to take the exam. Do not book PSI before DCP forwards your name.

3. 3

   Take the PSI exam ($59): 80 national / 120 min + 35 state / 45 min at 70%

   Pass both portions within one year of eligibility. Retakes are $51. Remote testing has been available since 5/14/25; in-person options are West Hartford, Milford, or a Massachusetts PSI center.

4. 4

   Activate under a CT licensed broker ($590) within two years of the last passed portion

   Your license expires May 31 of even years regardless of issue date. Note the February 28 CE deadline (12 hours: 3-hour 2028 CT REAL ESTATE LICENSE LAW + 9 elective) unless you fall within the exam-pass exemption period.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Age 18. DCP's Initial/Exam page does not require Connecticut residency. Reciprocal applicants who hold an active license in good standing, issued by examination in a DCP reciprocal state, file the Reciprocal Application ($670 salesperson: $80 + $570 + $20 Guaranty Fund). Applicants from Florida, Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio, and any reciprocal-state applicant who has not taken that state’s licensing examination, must pass the Connecticut state portion at PSI after DCP approval. The certification of license history must come directly from the reciprocal state and confirm the license was issued by examination; certifications from every other state where you have been licensed are also required. A reciprocal salesperson’s supervising broker must hold an active Connecticut broker license.

Qualifying education

Per DCP's Initial/Exam page, you need the Connecticut pre-license 60-hour Real Estate Principles and Practices course from a DCP-approved school (the course list is linked from that page). This differs from Massachusetts’ 40 hours, Rhode Island’s 45, and New York’s 77. A 60-hour course approved only in Rhode Island will not be accepted. Broker supervision is not required to take the course or the exam. The 60-hour course is salesperson education, and it is also one of the named broker prelicense courses later. Upload the course completion certificate with the $80 DCP examination application; DCP then forwards your name to PSI.

Education or filing deadline

You may take the PSI exam as many times as needed for up to one year from DCP eligibility. Pass both portions within that year or reapply. After passing both portions, you have two years from the most recently passed portion to activate ($590 under a CT broker). Exam results expire after that two-year period.

Character review

Character and fitness are reviewed on the DCP application. Disclose convictions and out-of-state discipline. Failing to disclose is a separate ground for denial.

Background process

DCP's Initial/Exam page does not name a fingerprint vendor. Answer the background questions on the current eLicense application. IdentoGO is not part of the listed process.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the salesperson license. Affiliation with a CT licensed broker is required to activate and to practice. For a broker license later, you need at least three years as a CT salesperson and 1,500 hours, including no fewer than four real estate transactions in those three years, plus the named broker courses.

Broker affiliation

Per DCP's Initial/Exam page, broker supervision is not required to take the examination. To activate the license, you must be supervised by a CT licensed broker and pay the $590.00 license fee. A salesperson may practice only under that broker. DCP's renewal page states that inactive salespersons are not eligible to renew, so make sure you have a sponsoring broker before the May 31 even-year renewal.

PSI Services LLC after DCP approval. https://test-takers.psiexams.com/ctre (855) 746-8171. Bulletin updated 11/13/2025. Test center or remote proctored (effective 5/14/25). Not Pearson. · Fee: $59

The first sitting is $59 for both portions, whether you take one or both. Retakes are $51 for both or $51 for one (bulletin). You may make unlimited attempts within one year of DCP eligibility, but you must pass both portions within that year. You cannot schedule a new appointment on the same day you tested; for example, if you fail on a Wednesday, you can call Thursday and retest as soon as Friday if seats are available. Cancel at least 2 days ahead or forfeit the fee. A no-show, late arrival, or missing ID forfeits the fee. Remote sessions allow no breaks, and you must start within the launch window. PSI does not accept walk-ins.

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

Per DCP's Initial/Exam page: application $80; PSI examination $59, due when you schedule (bulletin: first sitting $59 for both portions; retake $51). Activation: $590.00 under a CT broker. The reciprocal salesperson fees itemize $80 + $570 + $20 Guaranty Fund = $670; for an original license, the $590 activation fee is that same $570+$20, not an additional $570. Renewal (DCP Broker and Salesperson Renewal page): salesperson $578.00; late fee $57.00 if the renewal fee is not received by May 31 of the even year. CE late-completion fees are separate from the renewal late fee: $315 if CE is finished March 1–April 30 after the February 28 deadline; $625 if May 1–June 30. All original fees are non-refundable. The application and initialLicense amounts here are paid in sequence ($80, then $590); they do not add up to the $670 reciprocal total.

• !

  Booking PSI before DCP eligibility posts

  DCP forwards your name, and PSI then emails registration instructions. If you pay $59 to sit without eligibility, you lose that fee.

• !

  Confusing 70% with Iowa’s 56/28 or a scaled 75

  Connecticut salesperson scoring is a raw 70% on each portion: 56 of 80 national and 25 of 35 state. The broker exam is a different test at 75%. PSI experimental items do not count against the 165 minutes.

• !

  Treating $590 as optional, or adding it on top of the reciprocal $670

  Original activation is $590 under a CT broker. The reciprocal salesperson fees are $80+$570+$20. These are separate fee schedules. The $590 is not a CE fee.

• !

  Remembering the May 31 renewal but forgetting the February 28 CE deadline

  CE is due 90 days before renewal. Late-CE fees are $315 or $625, plus possible suspension. The $57 late-renewal fee is a separate charge.

• !

  Expecting a Massachusetts 40-hour or New York 77-hour course to count as Connecticut’s 60

  The hours, regulator, and exam process (DCP then PSI) are different. Reciprocity is handled by DCP using its published list; you cannot simply transfer a transcript.

• !

  Missing the one-year eligibility or two-year activation deadline

  You must pass both portions within one year of eligibility, then activate within two years of the last passed portion. These are two separate deadlines, and missing either one means reapplying.

• !

  Going inactive as a salesperson and expecting to renew

  DCP states that inactive salespersons are not eligible to renew. Affiliate with a broker before the May 31 even-year renewal.

• !

  Using out-of-state CE for the 3-hour mandatory course

  Equivalency Review applies only to electives. The 2028 CT REAL ESTATE LICENSE LAW course has no out-of-state substitute, and reciprocity does not waive CE.

• !

  Arriving without a legal-name photo ID, or 16 minutes late

  Bring one unexpired photo ID matching your PSI registration. Arriving late or without ID forfeits the $59. Remote sessions allow no breaks and no scratch paper, and you must stay on camera.

• !

  Calling Pearson, or taking a Massachusetts PSI exam, for a Connecticut score

  Connecticut real estate exams are given by PSI under the CTRE bulletin. A Massachusetts PSI result will not be accepted by DCP. Pearson administers exams for Rhode Island, Maine, and Indiana, not Connecticut.

DCP's Reciprocal page applies to a broker or salesperson actively licensed by examination in a reciprocal state. DCP publishes its List of Reciprocal States on that page; check that list rather than relying on third-party charts. Prerequisites: an active license in good standing in a reciprocal state; having passed that state’s licensing examination when obtaining the license; and, for salespersons, a supervising broker who holds an active Connecticut broker license. Applicants from Florida, Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio, and any applicant who has not taken the real estate licensing examination in a reciprocal state, must pass the Connecticut state portion at PSI after DCP approval. Required: a certification of license history received directly from the reciprocal state confirming the license was issued by examination, plus certifications from every other state where you have been licensed. Salesperson reciprocal fees total $670 ($80 application + $570 initial license + $20 Guaranty Fund). Broker reciprocal fees total $1,270 ($120 + $1,130 + $20). Application fees are non-refundable. Reciprocity gets you the license but does not waive Connecticut CE; ONLY CT-approved courses count, including for reciprocal licensees.

Connecticut 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.

How many prelicense hours?

Sixty hours of a Connecticut-approved Real Estate Principles and Practices course, per DCP's Initial/Exam page. Massachusetts (40), Rhode Island (45), and New York (77) courses do not qualify.

Is the exam Pearson?

No, it is PSI. The handbook is at test-takers.psiexams.com/ctre, (855) 746-8171. DCP approval comes first. Remote proctoring has been available since 5/14/25. Pearson does not offer the Connecticut exam.

What is on the exam?

Salesperson: 80 national questions in 120 minutes and 35 Connecticut questions in 45 minutes, with 70% required on each (56 of 80 and 25 of 35). Combined: 165 minutes. The first sitting is $59 for both portions; retakes are $51. 5–10 experimental items are unscored and their time is not counted. The broker exam is a different test with a 75% passing standard.

Do I need a broker to take the exam?

No. DCP states that broker supervision is not required to take the examination. You do need a CT licensed broker to activate your license ($590) and to practice.

What does the initial license cost?

DCP $80 application + PSI $59 first sitting + $590 activation. Reciprocal salespersons pay a different total of $670 ($80+$570+$20 Guaranty Fund). Renewal is $578 in even years. For an original license, the application and activation fees are paid in sequence; you do not also pay the $670 reciprocal total.

When does the license expire?

May 31 of every even-numbered year, including the first cycle after issuance (with the full renewal fee). CE is due February 28 of that even year, 90 days before renewal. Broker licenses expire November 30 of even years, with an August 31 CE deadline.

What CE applies?

12 credit hours per two-year cycle: one 3-hour mandatory course currently titled 2028 CT REAL ESTATE LICENSE LAW, plus 9 elective hours, all CT-approved. Alternatively, you can pass the 40-question Connecticut CE Examination at PSI (specify the 40-question exam). Reciprocal licensees still complete CT CE; reciprocity gets you the license but does not maintain it. Exam-pass exemption: no CE is required if you passed a CT licensing exam between March 1, 2026 and February 28, 2028. Reinstatement or full reciprocity on or after January 1, 2028 also exempts you from that cycle’s CE.

What if I miss the February 28 CE deadline?

Late-CE fees (separate from the $57 renewal late fee): $315 if finished March 1–April 30; $625 if May 1–June 30. Failing to complete CE may also bring civil fines and suspension or revocation. Keep your certificates for four years in case of audit.

How long are scores good?

You must pass both portions within one year of DCP eligibility. You then have two years from the most recently passed portion to activate. If you miss either deadline, you must reapply.

Can I test remotely?

Yes, since 5/14/25. Per the bulletin, select Test Center or Remote Proctored. Remote sessions allow no breaks, so if you need a break, book a test center. West Hartford and Milford are the in-state centers listed in the bulletin.

Does Connecticut fingerprint original salespersons?

DCP's Initial/Exam page does not name a fingerprint vendor or fee, and IdentoGO is not part of the listed process. Disclose any convictions on the application.

I am licensed in Massachusetts. Is that automatic?

No. Reciprocity is handled by DCP, which publishes a list of reciprocal states and requires certifications of license history showing the license was issued by examination, plus $670 in salesperson fees. Some reciprocal applicants (from Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, or anyone who did not take an exam in the other state) must still pass the Connecticut state portion. Massachusetts CE does not satisfy Connecticut CE.