Is associate broker a separate exam?

No. Associate broker is a broker licensee who affiliates with another qualifying broker. The exam is the broker exam.

Does the 25-hour salesperson postlicense count as the 60-hour broker course?

No. Postlicense keeps the salesperson license from lapsing. Broker prelicense is a different GREC-approved course.

Georgia Broker License Requirements (2026)

Required education: 60-hour GREC broker prelicense
Exam fee: See current GREC/PSI handbook
Published fees: See fee table
Typical timeline: Three years of active salesperson licensure is the binding constraint

What to know first

A Georgia broker license lets you serve as the qualifying broker for a firm and supervise salespersons. GREC requires age 21, a high-school diploma or equivalent, a 60-hour broker prelicense course (or 15 quarter / 9 semester hours of college real-estate work, or 60 hours approved by another regulator), and active licensure for at least three of the last five years. If you have been licensed in Georgia and are enrolled in a GREC-approved broker prelicense course, the Commission can verify that experience online. Out-of-state experience must be documented with a written certification.

The 60-hour broker prelicense course is a Georgia course under Rule 520-2-.04; it is not Florida's FREC II (72 hours) or New York's 75 additional hours on top of 77. Completing it does not waive the requirement of active status for three of the last five years. The broker exam is part of the same PSI program used for salespersons. The handbook has long described a national simulation portion plus a Georgia state portion with separate time limits; check the current handbook, because simulation exams are revised. You still bring your GCIC report to the test center. GREC materials have applied the same $170 / $340 timing rule used for salesperson license fees to brokers; pay whatever the handbook and GREC portal show on the day you apply.

A Georgia broker who will serve as qualifying broker of a firm files additional firm paperwork. Associate brokers hold a broker license but work under another qualifying broker. Brokers still renew every four years in their birth month and complete 36 hours of CE (including 3 hours of license law); some GREC guidance requires a portion of those hours to be broker-specific. Under Florida mutual recognition, a Georgia broker can be licensed in Florida as a nonresident after passing the 40-question law exam; it does not let a Florida licensee skip GREC's 60 hours when moving to Georgia.

Your path to the license

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

Document three of the last five years active

GREC can verify Georgia files online if you are in an approved broker class.
Complete the 60-hour broker prelicense

A salesperson postlicense certificate does not count.
Pass the PSI broker exam with a fresh GCIC

Then apply within the 3-month window to pay $170, if the handbook still lists that fee split.
File firm / qualifying-broker paperwork if you will operate a company

Associate-broker status is the alternative.
Complete 36 hours of CE every 4 years, including license law

Renewal falls in your birth month.

How long the 60-hour course takes

Coursework is usually the longest step you control. Weeks below are classroom or online hours only; add application processing, fingerprint clearance, and exam scheduling from the roadmap above.

Part-time: 6 weeksabout 10 hrs/week
Steady: 3 weeksabout 20 hrs/week
Full-time: 2 weeksabout 40 hrs/week

Overall estimate from our source review: Three years of active salesperson licensure is the binding constraint; the 60-hour course and exam fit in a later quarter

Education and eligibility

Minimum age: 21 years old
Identification: A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.
Residency and identification: Not required. Nonresident brokers remain subject to GREC investigative cooperation.
Qualifying education: GREC-approved 60-hour course, or 15 quarter / 9 semester hours of college real-estate work, or 60 hours approved by another state regulator. This is in addition to the 75-hour salesperson course most applicants have already completed.
Character review: GCIC review at the exam, plus GREC character standards under Chapter 40.
Background process: GCIC report at PSI, the same process as for salesperson candidates, unless the handbook currently provides an alternative for already-licensed Georgians.
Experience: licensed on active status for at least three of the last five years
Broker affiliation: A Georgia broker license authorizes qualifying-broker status for a firm and employment of salespersons. An associate broker holds the broker license under another qualifying broker.

Documents to prepare

GREC online verification for Georgia licensees enrolled in an approved broker course
Out-of-state certification of active status
60-hour completion to PSI

The licensing exam

GREC's broker exam, per the candidate handbook, has historically used a national simulation section and a Georgia state section with separate timing (commonly described as 3 hours simulation + 2 hours state). Confirm the format, item counts, fees, and passing standard in the current PSI/GREC handbook. State content covers BRRETA, trust-account rules, qualifying-broker duties, and Chapter 40 discipline — the same statute tested on the salesperson exam, but written for people who will supervise other licensees.

PSI (confirm on grec.state.ga.us) · Fee: See current GREC/PSI handbook

Part	Questions	Minutes	Pass
Broker examination (national simulation + Georgia state; confirm current handbook)	—	—	75%

Scoring details from the candidate handbook

Broker examination (national simulation + Georgia state; confirm current handbook): See the GREC/PSI handbook for simulation scoring and the state-section passing standard

Retakes are scheduled through PSI under the current handbook. You still must apply for the license within twelve months of passing.

What to study

GREC broker candidate handbook

GREC / PSI

Covers the simulation and state-section formats and fees.
BRRETA and Chapter 40 qualifying-broker duties

State of Georgia

The state section of the exam is based on these laws.

Application costs

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

Fee	Amount
Application	$170
Initial license	$170

Check the current GREC/PSI handbook for exam fees, and confirm whether GREC still applies the $170/$340 salesperson timing rule to brokers on the day you apply.

Published state fees

$340

Application, exam, initial-license, and fingerprint amounts cited above. Excludes school tuition.

Estimate your full cost →

Commission	Georgia Real Estate Commission O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 40; GREC Rules Chapter 520
Pre-licensing	60-hour GREC broker prelicense GREC-approved 60-hour course, or 15 quarter / 9 semester hours of college real-estate work, or 60 hours approved by another state regulator. This is in addition to the 75-hour salesperson course most applicants have already completed.
Sponsoring broker	A Georgia broker license authorizes qualifying-broker status for a firm and employment of salespersons. An associate broker holds the broker license under another qualifying broker.
Fingerprints	GCIC at the test center per the handbook.
CE / renewal	36 hours per four-year birth-month cycle, including 3 hours of license law. Confirm any broker-specific hour requirement on GREC's CE page.
Recovery fund	The same Education, Research, and Recovery Fund applies as for salespersons. When a firm's trust account has problems, GREC holds the qualifying broker responsible.

Mistakes that delay applicants

Counting inactive years

GREC requires active status for three of the last five years. Time on an inactive salesperson license does not count.
Skipping firm paperwork

Passing the broker exam does not, by itself, make you the qualifying broker of a corporation. File the firm forms.

Reciprocity and recognition

Partner / path	Accepted exam	Conditions
Florida	Florida 40-question law exam (30 to pass) into Florida	Nonresident of Florida; active Georgia broker license obtained by education and exam.

GREC education-recognition for 60 hours from another regulator is not a license compact with TREC or DRE.

Renewal and staying active

36 hours per four-year birth-month cycle, including 3 hours of license law. Confirm any broker-specific hour requirement on GREC's CE page.

Applicant checklist

Document active status for three of the last five years
Finish the 60-hour GREC broker course
GCIC + PSI broker exam
Apply before your exam result expires
Decide qualifying-broker versus associate-broker affiliation

How Georgia is different

Georgia's three-of-five-years active experience is longer than Florida's 24 months and Illinois's two-of-three for managing broker, shorter than Texas 2026's four years, and the same length as Pennsylvania's three years (but Pennsylvania also wants 240 hours that cannot recycle salesperson credits). Education at 60 broker hours is lighter than New York's extra 75 and California's eight college courses. North Carolina has no second broker exam; provisional brokers remove that status by completing postlicensing.

Georgia vs neighboring states

Georgia Real Estate Broker License compared with nearby states
Jurisdiction	License title	Pre-license hours	Exam vendor	Exam questions	Exam fee	Published state fees	Renewal cycle	Min. age
Georgia (this guide)	Broker	60	PSI	Not published	See handbook	$340	4 yr	21
Alabama	Broker	60	Pearson VUE	120	$73	$243	2 yr	19
Florida	Broker	72	Pearson VUE	100	$36.75	$200.50	2 yr	18
North Carolina	Broker	90	Pearson VUE	Not published	See handbook	See guide	1 yr	18
South Carolina	Broker	60	PSI	125	$67	$217	2 yr	21
Tennessee	Broker	120	PSI	125	$63	$245	2 yr	18
Texas	Broker	900	Pearson VUE	145	$39	$384	2 yr	18

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.

Frequently asked questions

Is associate broker a separate exam?: No. Associate broker is a broker licensee who affiliates with another qualifying broker. The exam is the broker exam.
Does the 25-hour salesperson postlicense count as the 60-hour broker course?: No. Postlicense keeps the salesperson license from lapsing. Broker prelicense is a different GREC-approved course.

Fingerprints and Background Denials in Real Estate Licensing
Each commission names a fingerprint vendor. A conviction is usually a review, not an automatic bar. Non-disclosure is the faster denial.
The Cheapest Real Estate License Among These Markets
New York’s $15 exam and $65 license look cheap until you count 77 hours. Georgia doubles after three months. Board fees are not the real bill.

Primary Sources

Regulatory requirements on this page are drawn from the official board, statute, and exam-provider materials listed below.

Verified 2026-09-02 · Next scheduled review 2026-12-01

Update history

October 8, 2026 Rewrote the guide text for readability and added state comparison tables. No requirements, fees, or deadlines changed.
September 2, 2026 Requirements, fees, and deadlines checked against the primary sources cited on this page.

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