Does salesperson 90 count as the broker 30?

No. Live Guide: you must successfully complete the 30-hour broker course before applying. Apply within 12 months of completing the course or retake it. Courses I/II/III are salesperson education.

Live Guide: a minimum of three years of active licensed real estate salesperson experience within the five years prior to application for the broker's examination, obtained in Minnesota or another state having comparable requirements; inactive periods do not count — or a named waiver (real-estate degree with certified transcript listing the degree; practicing attorney whose practice involves real-estate law; public officer whose duties involve real estate; qualified military member/veteran/spouse). Do not add a waiver box of your own.

Is the broker exam the same 80/50?

No. Live PSI table: broker general 75 items (80 points) / 2.5 hours; state 60 / 1.5 hours; combo 135 items (140 points) / 4 hours. Still 75 percent. Some general-broker items are scored up to two points — cut is 75% of 80 points (60), not 56 of 75 items.

What is a Dual Application?

Live Guide: if you will be an individual proprietor or a primary broker, you submit the company and yourself together on PULSE (Organization → Real Estate Company or Real Estate Indv Proprietor, then Submit New Primary Broker License Application). Non-primary brokers are filed by the primary, the same way salespersons are.

What does the original broker hanging cost?

Live Guide: initial real estate broker license totals $180 plus the current technology surcharge, including $30 for the recovery fund. Company initial $180 including $30 fund. Live fee table prints broker initial $150 + recovery $30 + technology yes — $150+$30 is the Guide's $180.

Minnesota Broker License Requirements

Required education: 30-hour Minnesota broker course
Exam fee: $68
Published fees: $68
Typical timeline: Three years in five is the long pole

What to know first

A Minnesota broker license is a separate 30-hour broker course plus three years of actual licensed salesperson experience within the previous five years — inactive months do not count — or a named waiver (real-estate degree, practicing attorney whose practice involves real-estate law, public officer whose duties involve real estate, or a qualified military member/veteran/spouse on Commerce’s military-waiver form). Course I/II/III are salesperson education; they are not the broker 30. Apply for the broker license within 12 months of finishing the broker course or retake it, and within one year of passing the broker exam unless you remain continuously active as a Minnesota salesperson.

PSI’s broker paper is not the salesperson 80/50: General 75 items (80 points) / 2.5 hours, State 60 items / 1.5 hours, combo 135 items (140 points) / 4 hours, still 75 percent, still $68 combo / $45 split. Bring the Minnesota broker-course certificate (or the 13-hour Wisconsin-to-Minnesota broker course, an expired Minnesota broker license, or a resident-state broker certification ≤90 days old) plus experience proof — a certification showing three years in five, a Commerce exemption letter ≤1 year old, or an expired Minnesota broker license. Out-of-state brokers who already passed a broker exam sit Minnesota state only.

Primary brokers and individual proprietors file a PULSE “Dual Application” for themselves and the company. Non-primary brokers are filed by the primary broker, the same way salespersons are. Every broker applicant provides a trust-account notice (institution, numbers, effective date) or Commerce’s notarized Trust Account Notice Waiver if nobody at the company will receive trust funds. Initial broker $180 plus technology surcharge, including $30 recovery fund; company $180 including $30 fund. A 45-day temporary broker permit exists only for death, incapacity, or revocation — not for a broker who missed CE.

Licensing authority

Minnesota Department of Commerce, Real Estate Section

A Commerce Department section — not a stand-alone real estate commission — that licenses Minnesota salespersons and brokers. Live August 2025 Guide (fetched 2026-09-02): three 30-hour courses (Course I, Course II, Course III); Course I before the salesperson examination; Courses II and III before the broker files the license on PULSE; apply within one year of passing or retake. PSI bulletin (10/1/2023): 90 hours restated the same way; combo $68 / split $45; 75% correct to pass; salesperson general 80 items (80 points) / 2.5 hours, state 50 (50 points) / 1.5 hours, both 130 / 4 hours. Initial salesperson fee totals $100 plus the current technology surcharge and includes $30 for the Recovery Fund. The Recovery Fund is a scored state-outline topic under § 82.86.

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Official website

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 years in five or file the named waiver

Certification ≤90 days. Inactive months do not count. Do this before paying for the 30-hour course if the history is messy.
Complete the 30-hour Minnesota broker course

Apply within 12 months of the course. I/II/III are not this course.
Sit PSI broker 75/60 at 75%

Combo $68. Out-of-state brokers sit state only.
PULSE Dual Application, trust-account notice, $180 + surcharge

Primary broker + company. Non-primary brokers are filed by the primary. $30 of the $180 is the recovery fund.

Education and eligibility

Minimum age: 18 years old
Identification: A Social Security number is required. An ITIN is not confirmed as a substitute.
Residency and identification: Three years actual licensed salesperson experience in Minnesota or a comparable-requirement state within the previous five years, inactive time excluded — or a named waiver. Experience certification ≤90 days old. Military waiver is a separate Commerce form.
Qualifying education: Separate Commerce-approved 30-hour broker course. Salesperson Courses I/II/III do not substitute. Confirm providers on PULSE under Broker Course. Apply within 12 months of completing the course or retake it.
Education or filing deadline: Broker course: 12 months to apply. Broker exam: one year to apply unless you remain continuously active as a Minnesota salesperson licensee.
Character review: Same charging-document plus sentencing-order standard. A broker Dual Application also collects officer/owner BCA rows.
Background process: BCA documentation on the PULSE Dual Application or the primary-broker filing.
Experience: three years of actual licensed real estate salesperson experience within the previous five years (inactive months excluded), in Minnesota or a comparable-requirement state — or a named waiver (RE degree; practicing attorney whose practice involves real-estate law; public officer whose duties involve real estate; qualified military member/veteran/spouse)
Broker affiliation: A primary broker is the responsible person for a Minnesota real-estate company and must be an elected officer (entity) or the individual proprietor. Non-primary brokers hang with a primary broker. You cannot act for more than one Minnesota broker at a time unless Commerce grants an additional broker’s license for a legitimate business purpose (typically 20% ownership in each company or shared ownership plus officer status).

Documents to prepare

Resident-state salesperson certification ≤90 days showing three years in five, OR Commerce exemption letter ≤1 year, OR expired Minnesota broker license
30-hour Minnesota broker-course certificate
PSI broker 75/60 at 75%
Trust-account notice or notarized waiver
PULSE Dual Application (primary) or primary-broker filing (non-primary)

The licensing exam

PSI Minnesota broker table: general 75 items (80 points, some items worth two points) / 2.5 hours; state 60 / 1.5 hours; combo 135 items (140 points) / 4 hours. 75% each. $68 combo. State broker outline increases license-law items from 20 to 25 and interests in real property from 8 to 10. Bring broker-course proof and experience/waiver documents to every sitting. Out-of-state brokers sit state only.

PSI after the 30-hour broker course (and experience or waiver) is documented · Fee: $68

Part	Questions	Minutes	Pass
Broker General / national	75	150	75 items carrying 80 points / 2.5 hours on the live PSI table. Note on the table: general broker exams include questions that are scored up to two points. Cut is 75% of 80 points (60), not 56 of 75 items. Combo with state is 135 items (140 points) / 4 hours. $68 combo / $45 split.
Broker Minnesota State	60	90	60 items (60 points) / 1.5 hours; 75% correct. License-law items rise from 20 to 25; interests in real property from 8 to 10; financial instruments from 4 to 6. Out-of-state brokers who have taken a broker exam sit this portion only. Bring the 30-hour Minnesota broker-course certificate (or the 13-hour Wisconsin-to-Minnesota broker course, an expired Minnesota broker license, or a resident-state broker certification ≤90 days old) plus experience proof to every sitting.

Same $68/$45, bank the passed portion, one-year fee life. Bring broker-course and experience documents to every attempt.

What to study

PSI Minnesota broker table (75 items / 60 items, 75%)

PSI / MN Commerce

Admission documents include experience certification or exemption letter.
Commerce waiver forms (non-military and military)

MN Commerce

Do not add a waiver box of your own.
Trust Account Notice / Waiver

MN Commerce

Institution, numbers, effective date — or the notarized waiver if no trust funds.

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	$180
Examination	$68
Initial license	$180
Renewal (every 2 years)	$120

Initial broker $180 + technology surcharge including $30 fund. Company initial $180 including $30 fund. Renewal broker $120 + surcharge including $20 fund; company renewal $120 including $20 fund. Additional-broker and 45-day temporary-permit paths are separate Commerce forms, not fee-table rows this page invents.

Commission	Minnesota Department of Commerce, Real Estate Section (651) 539-1599 Minn. Stat. ch. 82 (brokers and salespersons, including Course I/II/III sequence and § 82.86 Real Estate Education, Research, and Recovery Fund); ch. 45 (Commerce powers, including § 45.24(f) technology surcharge). Live Minnesota Department of Commerce Guide to Real Estate Licensing (current as of August 2025) at mn.gov/commerce-stat/pdfs/re-license-guide.pdf, Real Estate applications page, and scheduling-exams page fetched 2026-09-02. PSI Real Estate Salesperson, Broker and Abstracter Candidate Information Bulletin at test-takers.psiexams.com/mnre, 10/1/2023, bulletin 10958, fetched 2026-09-02. PSI (866) 395-1006. PULSE at pulseportal.com.
Pre-licensing	30-hour Minnesota broker course Separate Commerce-approved 30-hour broker course. Salesperson Courses I/II/III do not substitute. Confirm providers on PULSE under Broker Course. Apply within 12 months of completing the course or retake it. Broker course: 12 months to apply. Broker exam: one year to apply unless you remain continuously active as a Minnesota salesperson licensee.
Sponsoring broker	A primary broker is the responsible person for a Minnesota real-estate company and must be an elected officer (entity) or the individual proprietor. Non-primary brokers hang with a primary broker. You cannot act for more than one Minnesota broker at a time unless Commerce grants an additional broker’s license for a legitimate business purpose (typically 20% ownership in each company or shared ownership plus officer status).
Fingerprints	Same PULSE / BCA documentation as salesperson filings. Officers, owners over 10%, and the broker each have background rows.
CE / renewal	Same 30/15 June 30 structure as salespersons, plus a named broker module in years Commerce requires one. Agency 1 hour and fair housing 1 hour still apply unless commercial-only. A broker inactive more than two years generally starts over as a salesperson unless a three-in-five comparable-state waiver is approved.
Recovery fund	Same § 82.86 fund. Initial broker $180 includes $30; renewal $120 includes $20. Company initial $180 includes $30. Scored on the broker state outline at higher item weight (25 license-law items).

Mistakes that delay applicants

Counting inactive months toward three-in-five

Live Guide: any periods when your license was inactive do not count toward the experience requirement.
Using Courses I/II/III as the broker 30

Separate 30-hour Commerce product. Apply within 12 months of completing it or retake.
Skipping the trust-account notice

Every broker applicant files notice (institution, numbers, effective date) or the notarized waiver if nobody will receive trust funds.
Treating a CE miss as grounds for a 45-day temporary permit

Live Guide: a broker's failure to complete CE by the renewal deadline does not meet the threshold. Temporary permits are for death, incapacity, or loss of license.
Adding a waiver box of your own

The non-military waiver form lists the boxes. If you cannot check one, you do not qualify. Do not submit an unofficial transcript or a license-lookup printout as three-in-five proof.
Sitting the salesperson 80/50 as the broker paper

Broker general is 75 items carrying 80 points. State is 60. Cut is 75% of points.

Reciprocity and recognition

Partner / path	Accepted exam	Conditions
Wisconsin	—	13-hour Wisconsin-to-Minnesota broker reciprocity prelicense course is a listed PSI admission document. Confirm live Commerce steps.

Out-of-state brokers who have taken a broker exam sit Minnesota state only. Three-in-five experience still has to be documented unless a named waiver applies. A salesperson license in another state is not a broker waiver.

Renewal and staying active

Same 30/15 June 30 structure as salespersons, plus a named broker module in years Commerce requires one. Agency 1 hour and fair housing 1 hour still apply unless commercial-only. A broker inactive more than two years generally starts over as a salesperson unless a three-in-five comparable-state waiver is approved.

Applicant checklist

Three years in five or named waiver (certification ≤90 days)
30-hour Minnesota broker course (apply within 12 months)
PSI 75/60 at 75%
Trust-account notice or waiver
PULSE Dual Application or primary-broker filing
$180 + surcharge including $30 recovery fund

How Minnesota is different

Wisconsin broker: separate GREC-style grid is not Minnesota’s 30-hour course plus three-in-five. Iowa broker: 24 months plus 60 named hours. South Dakota starts at broker associate. Minnesota: 30-hour broker course, three years in five or a named waiver, PSI 75/60 at 75%, Dual Application, trust-account notice.

Frequently asked questions

Does salesperson 90 count as the broker 30?: No. Live Guide: you must successfully complete the 30-hour broker course before applying. Apply within 12 months of completing the course or retake it. Courses I/II/III are salesperson education.
How much experience?: Live Guide: a minimum of three years of active licensed real estate salesperson experience within the five years prior to application for the broker's examination, obtained in Minnesota or another state having comparable requirements; inactive periods do not count — or a named waiver (real-estate degree with certified transcript listing the degree; practicing attorney whose practice involves real-estate law; public officer whose duties involve real estate; qualified military member/veteran/spouse). Do not add a waiver box of your own.
Is the broker exam the same 80/50?: No. Live PSI table: broker general 75 items (80 points) / 2.5 hours; state 60 / 1.5 hours; combo 135 items (140 points) / 4 hours. Still 75 percent. Some general-broker items are scored up to two points — cut is 75% of 80 points (60), not 56 of 75 items.
What is a Dual Application?: Live Guide: if you will be an individual proprietor or a primary broker, you submit the company and yourself together on PULSE (Organization → Real Estate Company or Real Estate Indv Proprietor, then Submit New Primary Broker License Application). Non-primary brokers are filed by the primary, the same way salespersons are.
What does the original broker hanging cost?: Live Guide: initial real estate broker license totals $180 plus the current technology surcharge, including $30 for the recovery fund. Company initial $180 including $30 fund. Live fee table prints broker initial $150 + recovery $30 + technology yes — $150+$30 is the Guide's $180.
Trust-account notice?: Every broker applicant files a trust-account notice (institution, numbers, effective date) or Commerce's notarized Trust Account Notice Waiver if nobody at the company will receive trust funds. Skipping it stalls the Dual Application.

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

At a glance

Broker requirements

Pre-licensing: 30-hour Minnesota broker course
Verified state fees: $68 PSI combo + $180 broker initial (includes $30 fund) + company $180 if you are primary + 30-hour broker tuition
Time to license: Three years in five is the long pole
Difficulty: 4 of 5
Exam provider: PSI after the 30-hour broker course (and experience or waiver) is documented
Experience: three years of actual licensed real estate salesperson experience within the previous five years (inactive months excluded), in Minnesota or a comparable-requirement state — or a named waiver (RE degree; practicing attorney whose practice involves real-estate law; public officer whose duties involve real estate; qualified military member/veteran/spouse)

Quick jumps

What to know first
License roadmap
Education & eligibility
Licensing exam
Application costs
Common mistakes
Reciprocity
Renewal
FAQ

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