Does New York use Pearson VUE?

No. You schedule the salesperson exam in eAccessNY and sit it at a DOS exam site. Many other states use Pearson VUE or PSI, but New York administers its own exam.

Can I transfer a Pennsylvania or Florida license?

Not by reciprocity. DOS currently has no reciprocity with any state. You may request an education waiver; you still pass the New York exam and need a New York sponsoring broker.

Do I need a broker before I apply?

Yes. The principal broker must authorize the eAccessNY application. California will issue an unemployed salesperson license; New York will not.

New York Salesperson License Requirements

Required education: 77-hour DOS-approved salesperson qualifying course
Exam fee: $15
Published fees: $80
Typical timeline: Often 6–12 weeks after starting the 77-hour course if a sponsoring broker is already lined up

What to know first

New York is not a real estate "commission" state in the TREC or FREC sense. The Department of State, Division of Licensing Services, issues the salesperson license under Real Property Law Article 12-A, schedules the exam on eAccessNY, and grades it as passed or failed with no numerical score. DOS does not publish a percentage or raw cut score. Passed results are valid two years. You will not get a printout you can compare to a 70 percent California paper or a 56/28 Texas Pearson VUE score report.

The qualifying course is 77 hours, not 75 and not 63. DOS publishes a 77-hour salesperson curriculum and a list of approved schools. Home-study and correspondence courses are not accepted for a waiver of that requirement. After December 21, 2022, New York no longer has reciprocity with any other state. DOS's own salesperson FAQ states that plainly. If you completed qualifying education outside New York you may request a written waiver with original proof of completion, a topic-and-hours outline, and a course description — that is a staff review, not a compact. A TREC sales-agent license, a FREC sales-associate license, and a Pennsylvania salesperson license do not open a side door.

You must be 18, complete the 77 hours, pass the DOS exam, and be sponsored by a New York licensed real estate broker. The principal broker has to log into eAccessNY and authorize the application before DOS will review it. That is the inverse of California, where DRE will issue an unemployed salesperson license. New York also wants a current NYS photo driver license or non-driver ID for the photo license card. The written exam is 90 minutes, multiple choice, based on the 77-hour curriculum, scheduled only after you create an eAccessNY account. Exam fee is $15; initial application and renewal are $65 each. DOS, not a Live Scan vendor, is the licensing counter you are dealing with — fingerprinting is part of the occupational-licensing process through the state's criminal-history channel, not a DRE RE 237 form.

Continuing education is 22.5 hours per renewal cycle and is unusually specific: at least 2 hours cultural competency, 2 hours implicit bias, 2.5 hours ethical business practices, recent legal matters, and at least 3 hours of fair housing and/or discrimination in the sale or rental of real property, among the topics DOS lists. NYC fair-housing practice and upstate agricultural or seasonal markets sit under the same license. There is no Florida-style 45-hour post-license void rule and no Texas SAE 90-hour first renewal, but missing the 22.5-hour mix is still how New York licenses go inactive.

Your path to the license

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

Complete the 77-hour DOS-approved salesperson course

Use a school on the DOS approved list. Keep the completion certificate.
Create an eAccessNY account and schedule the exam ($15)

Bring current photo-bearing government ID and the Summary of Your Submission printout.
Pass the 90-minute DOS exam

Results are pass/fail in eAccessNY. A pass is valid two years.
Have a New York broker authorize the application

The principal broker logs into eAccessNY. Then pay the $65 initial application fee and complete fingerprints as instructed.
Receive the photo license at the business address

Calendar 22.5 hours of CE, including the mandated fair-housing, implicit-bias, and cultural-competency hours.

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: New York residency is not required, but exams are taken at DOS sites and a current NYS photo driver license or non-driver ID is required for the photo license card (DOS publishes a Request for Photo Image form if you have no NYS driver license).
Qualifying education: Must be completed at a DOS-approved school. The 77-hour curriculum is published by DOS. Correspondence/home-study is not accepted for waivers. Attorneys and some degree holders may request a waiver with a transcript and outline.
Education or filing deadline: Passed exam results are valid two years. Apply for the license while the pass is still valid.
Character review: Felony and certain sex-offense convictions are addressed in Article 12-A. DOS reviews criminal history; non-disclosure is its own problem.
Background process: New York occupational licenses in this category require a criminal-history record check through the Division of Criminal Justice Services fingerprint process. Follow the current DOS application instructions rather than a DRE Live Scan form or a TREC IdentoGO email.
Experience: No experience required. A New York licensed broker must sponsor and authorize the application in eAccessNY before DOS will issue the salesperson license.
Broker affiliation: Required before issuance. The principal broker must authorize the application in eAccessNY. Without that click, DOS will not complete the license.

Documents to prepare

77-hour course completion
eAccessNY exam pass
Principal broker authorization

The licensing exam

The New York salesperson exam is a DOS-administered multiple-choice test based on the 77-hour qualifying curriculum. Allotted time is one and a half hours after instructions. Results are pass or fail only; DOS will not provide a numerical score by phone or on the score report. Passed results last two years. Content follows the DOS 77-hour outline: license law and regulations, law of agency (New York requires a separate approved agency course component), contracts, finance, valuation, property ownership, fair housing, and New York-specific disclosure and property-condition rules. There is no national ARELLO section. You cannot sit this exam at a Pearson VUE or PSI center as a substitute.

New York Department of State (eAccessNY); not Pearson VUE or PSI · Fee: $15

Part	Questions	Minutes	Pass
NYS Real Estate Salesperson examination	—	90	Pass/fail only — DOS does not publish a numerical score

If you fail, schedule another exam in eAccessNY and pay $15 again. Passed results expire after two years.

What to study

Real Estate Salesperson 77 Hour Curriculum

NY Department of State

The outline the exam is written to. Not a national PSI outline.
eAccessNY exam scheduling pages

NY Department of State

ID list, site rules, and pass/fail reporting.

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	$65
Examination	$15
Initial license	$65
Renewal (every 2 years)	$65

DOS salesperson fee table: $65 initial application, $65 renewal, $15 written exam. Application fees are nonrefundable. A $20 fee is charged for returned checks. Change of association is $20.

Commission	New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services (518) 474-4429 New York Real Property Law Article 12-A
Pre-licensing	77-hour DOS-approved salesperson qualifying course Must be completed at a DOS-approved school. The 77-hour curriculum is published by DOS. Correspondence/home-study is not accepted for waivers. Attorneys and some degree holders may request a waiver with a transcript and outline. Passed exam results are valid two years. Apply for the license while the pass is still valid.
Sponsoring broker	Required before issuance. The principal broker must authorize the application in eAccessNY. Without that click, DOS will not complete the license.
Fingerprints	Complete the fingerprint / criminal-history process named on the current DOS salesperson application. This is not California Live Scan form RE 237 and not TREC IdentoGO.
CE / renewal	22.5 hours of approved CE, including at least 2 hours cultural competency, 2 hours implicit bias, 2.5 hours ethical business practices, instruction on recent legal matters, and at least 3 hours of fair housing and/or discrimination in the sale or rental of real property, as DOS currently lists.
Recovery fund	New York does not operate a California-style Consumer Recovery Account as a line item on the salesperson fee table. Consumer remedies run through Article 12-A discipline and the courts. Do not invent a recovery-fund dollar cap that DOS does not publish on the salesperson fee page.

Mistakes that delay applicants

Assuming Pearson VUE or PSI can seat you

New York real estate exams are DOS exams. A Pearson VUE confirmation for another state is worthless at a DOS site.
Applying without broker authorization

The application sits until the principal broker authorizes it in eAccessNY. Find the broker before you pay the $65.
Using a pre-2022 reciprocity chart

DOS ended reciprocity when the 77/152-hour standards took effect. Pennsylvania will still give some out-of-state licensees a state-portion-only exam; New York will not.
Two-year pass shelf life

A passed exam that is 25 months old is a failed application. Retake before you change brokers.

Reciprocity and recognition

Partner / path	Accepted exam	Conditions
No formal bilateral reciprocity is published for this credential.

DOS does not currently have reciprocity with any other state. Out-of-state education may be considered only through a written waiver request with original completion proof, a detailed outline, and a course description.

Renewal and staying active

22.5 hours of approved CE, including at least 2 hours cultural competency, 2 hours implicit bias, 2.5 hours ethical business practices, instruction on recent legal matters, and at least 3 hours of fair housing and/or discrimination in the sale or rental of real property, as DOS currently lists.

Applicant checklist

Finish the 77-hour DOS-approved course
Open eAccessNY and pay $15 to schedule
Sit the 90-minute exam with the required ID
Line up a New York principal broker before applying
Pay $65 and complete the fingerprint instructions on the application
Track 22.5-hour CE including fair housing, implicit bias, and cultural competency

How New York is different

New York is unusual because its licensing exam is a state-agency paper with no published numeric cut score. Pennsylvania uses Pearson VUE national-plus-state at 75 percent and will let an actively licensed out-of-state salesperson sit only the PA portion. New York will not return that favor. Florida's mutual-recognition list does not include New York. California's DRE exam is also in-house, but DRE publishes 70 percent on 150 questions and will issue a license without a broker on file. New York requires the broker's eAccessNY authorization up front and charges $65 rather than DRE's $350. Illinois retired the salesperson title entirely; New York still uses it.

Frequently asked questions

Does New York use Pearson VUE?: No. You schedule the salesperson exam in eAccessNY and sit it at a DOS exam site. Many other states use Pearson VUE or PSI, but New York administers its own exam.
Can I transfer a Pennsylvania or Florida license?: Not by reciprocity. DOS currently has no reciprocity with any state. You may request an education waiver; you still pass the New York exam and need a New York sponsoring broker.
Do I need a broker before I apply?: Yes. The principal broker must authorize the eAccessNY application. California will issue an unemployed salesperson license; New York will not.

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