Minnesota 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 Minnesota Course I (30 hours)

   Confirm the provider on PULSE. Taking the PSI exam before Course I posts invalidates the score.

2. 2

   Take the PSI exam: 80 national + 50 state at 75%, $68 combo

   Bring the Course I certificate. Out-of-state licensees take the state portion only.

3. 3

   Finish Courses II and III (30 each)

   Required before the broker can file, not before the exam.

4. 4

   Associate with a Minnesota broker who files on PULSE

   You do not submit the salesperson application. The $100 initial fee includes the $30 recovery fund contribution; the $10 technology surcharge is added.

5. 5

   Put the June 30 CE deadline on your calendar

   30 hours by June 30, with 15 of them by the previous June 30, including 1 hour of agency, 1 hour of fair housing, and the named module. Extra hours do not carry over. The first June 30 after original licensure is exempt.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Minnesota residency is not independently required. Nonresident rules vary by home state, and Commerce publishes them. Wisconsin reciprocity uses a named 13-hour course plus the Minnesota state exam. Incomplete applications are withdrawn at six months.

Qualifying education

Per the Commerce Guide (August 2025) and the PSI bulletin's Prelicensing Education Requirements section, there are three courses you must successfully complete before you apply, known as Course I, Course II, and Course III. Each course consists of 30 hours of instruction. You must successfully complete Course I before taking the salesperson's examination. You must successfully complete Course II and Course III before applying for your license. If you are not exempt and take the examination before completing Course I, your exam results will be invalid and you will have to retake it, even if you passed. Confirm your provider on PULSE (Approved Provider/Course Inquiry, Pre-Licensing Education, Active). A Wisconsin 72-hour program does not count as Course I; instead, Minnesota accepts a 13-hour Wisconsin-to-Minnesota salesperson reciprocity course as a PSI admission document.

Education or filing deadline

Apply for the salesperson license within one year of passing PSI or retake the exam. The broker 30-hour course is separately valid for 12 months from completion for applying.

Character review

PULSE applications ask criminal-history questions. Convictions, charges, withheld judgments, and professional-license actions require charging documents plus a sentencing or consent order — a Register of Actions printout is not enough. Failing to disclose stalls the broker-filed application.

Background process

BCA documentation is submitted through your broker’s PULSE filing as Commerce currently requires. It is not the Fieldprint process used in Alabama or an IdentoGO 2B7NR3 appointment.

Experience

No licensed experience is required for the salesperson license. You need an associated Minnesota broker for the PULSE filing, but not to take the PSI exam after Course I.

Broker affiliation

You cannot be licensed as a Minnesota salesperson without association with an actively licensed broker, and you may not be licensed under more than one Minnesota broker at a time. The broker — not you — submits the PULSE application and later prints the license. When that association ends, the license goes inactive.

PSI Services LLC (test-takers.psiexams.com/mnre). Remote proctoring is available. The August 2025 Commerce guide names PSI, not Pearson. · Fee: $68

If you fail one portion, retake only that portion. Combo $68 / split $45. Fees are forfeited if unused within one year of payment. Bring Course I proof to every attempt. After you pass, your broker must file within one year or you must retake the exam.

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

PSI: combo $68 / split $45. Commerce August 2025 guide: initial salesperson $100 + technology surcharge ($10 as of May 1, 2023), including the $30 recovery fund contribution. Renewal: $60 + surcharge, including $20 for the fund. Incomplete applications are withdrawn at six months, and the fee is nonrefundable. Transfer or reactivation is $20 where Commerce currently lists that fee.

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  Booking Pearson VUE

  The August 2025 Guide names PSI Services. A Pearson result will not be accepted.

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  Testing before Course I posts

  Per the bulletin, your exam results will be invalid and you must retake, even if you passed.

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  Filing the salesperson application yourself

  According to the Guide, the broker submits it on PULSE and later prints the license. You cannot be licensed without that broker association, and you may not be licensed under more than one Minnesota broker at a time.

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  Treating Courses II and III as optional CE

  They are required 30-hour prelicense courses. The broker cannot apply without them.

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  Letting your exam result age past one year

  The Guide requires you to apply for the salesperson license within one year of passing or retake the exam.

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  Assuming a raw cut of 37 or 38 on the 50-item state portion

  The bulletin requires 75% correct. 75% of 50 is 37.5, and the bulletin does not publish a raw item count.

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  Treating Wisconsin's 72 hours as Course I

  Minnesota's reciprocity path is a 13-hour WI-to-MN salesperson course, followed by the Minnesota state exam.

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  Carrying extra CE hours into the next period

  Per the Guide, extra hours or courses do not carry over and do not satisfy future renewal requirements.

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  Assuming South Dakota or Iowa rules apply

  South Dakota issues a broker associate license and has no salesperson license. Iowa requires 60 hours plus three live 12-hour courses. Minnesota requires Course I, then PSI, then Courses II and III, with the broker filing on PULSE.

Salesperson candidates licensed in another state take only the Minnesota state portion and bring a resident-state certification ≤90 days old. This is not a national compact. The exam is given by PSI; some older sources still incorrectly name Pearson.

Minnesota 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.

Is the exam Pearson VUE?

No. According to the August 2025 Guide, PSI Services administers prelicense examinations. Schedule at test-takers.psiexams.com/mnre or (866) 395-1006. Older sources that name Pearson are out of date.

How many pre-license hours?

Per the Commerce Guide and PSI bulletin, three 30-hour courses (Course I, Course II, Course III) totaling 90 hours. Course I comes before the exam; Courses II and III come before the broker applies for your license.

Do I file my own salesperson application?

No. According to the Guide, you cannot become licensed as a real estate salesperson without first being associated with an actively licensed real estate broker, and you may not be licensed to act on behalf of more than one broker in Minnesota during the same period. The broker submits the PULSE application and later prints the license.

Must II and III be done before the exam?

No. Only Course I is required to take the exam. Per the bulletin, testing before Course I posts invalidates the score even if you passed. Courses II and III are required before the broker can apply.

Exam fee, items, time, cut?

PSI charges $68 combo / $45 for either portion. Salesperson general: 80 items (80 points) / 2.5 hours; state: 50 (50 points) / 1.5 hours; both: 130 / 4 hours. You must get 75% correct to pass. 75% of 50 is 37.5; the bulletin does not publish a raw cut of 37 or 38 items.

What does the initial license cost?

According to the Guide, the fee for an initial real estate salesperson license totals $100 plus the current technology surcharge, including $30 for the real estate education, research and recovery fund. The technology surcharge is $10 as of May 1, 2023 (Minn. Stat. § 45.24(f)). The Commerce fee table breaks this down as salesperson initial $70 + recovery fund $30 + technology surcharge, which matches the Guide's $100. Incomplete applications are withdrawn at six months, and the fee is nonrefundable.

What is the recovery fund?

Per the Guide, $30 of the $100 initial salesperson fee and $20 of the $60 renewal go to it. It is scored on the state outline under Minn. Stat. § 82.86, within the license-law section (20 salesperson items). It is not E&O insurance.

What CE applies?

Per the Guide, you need 30 hours of real estate continuing education before the June 30 license renewal deadline, with at least 15 of those hours completed before the previous June 30. The exception is the first June 30 after original licensure (or after relicensure following more than two years inactive). The 15 hours must include the named general module (end-of-course exam of 20 questions drawn from a pool of at least 50; passing score 14). The 30 hours must include 1 hour of agency representation/disclosure and 1 hour of fair housing / antidiscrimination / underserved housing. Extra hours do not carry over.

Wisconsin reciprocity?

Complete the named 13-hour Wisconsin-to-Minnesota salesperson reciprocity prelicense course, then pass the Minnesota state portion at PSI. The course certificate is a listed PSI admission document. Confirm the current application steps with Commerce. Wisconsin's 72-hour program does not count as Course I.

Fingerprints?

Commerce collects background questions and BCA documentation through PULSE; the broker uploads BCA forms for salespersons. The August 2025 Guide does not list a fingerprint-vendor fee or name IdentoGO.

Where is Commerce and who gives the exam?

85 7th Place East, Suite 280, St. Paul, MN 55101-2198. (651) 539-1599. [email protected]. mn.gov/commerce. PSI: (866) 395-1006. PSI's scheduling page lists Minnesota centers including Rochester, St. Paul, Willmar, Woodbury, Blaine, Brainerd, Duluth, Eagan, and Mankato.

What Minnesota-specific content is scored?

Torrens (ch. 508), wells § 103I.235, septic § 115.55, the Minnesota Human Rights Act ch. 363A, the Recovery Fund § 82.86, agency disclosure 82.67, and contract for deed. Preparing for Wisconsin's 72-hour program or Iowa's 60 hours plus three live 12-hour courses will not cover this material.