Do I take one exam or two?

Two portions (national and Pennsylvania), which you may sit combined. Recently active out-of-state licensees take only Pennsylvania. 75 percent on each. Three-year score life.

Is CE due the first time I renew?

14 hours in the two-year period before a standard renewal. The snapshot says CE is not required for the initial license.

Pennsylvania Salesperson License Requirements

Required education: 75 hours (Fundamentals 30 + Practice 45)
Exam fee: $52
Published fees: $149 in published exam and initial license fees, plus 75-hour tuition
Typical timeline: Typically 2–4 months after starting Fundamentals and Practice

What to know first

Pennsylvania does not sell a single anonymous 75-hour blob. The Commission splits salesperson education into Real Estate Fundamentals (30 hours / 2 credits) and Real Estate Practice (45 hours / 3 credits). Those two transcripts have to have been completed within five years prior to successful completion of the licensing examination — a recency rule California's statutory courses do not print that way and that will kill a 2019 certificate at a 2026 Pearson VUE appointment. A J.D., a bachelor's degree with a major in real estate, or a bachelor's degree with equivalent coursework can satisfy the education requirement. High school diploma or equivalent and age 18 are the floor.

Pearson VUE — not PSI, not DOS — delivers two portions. The Pennsylvania Real Estate Candidate Handbook publishes 80 scored national items in 150 minutes and 40 scored Pennsylvania items in 60 minutes, 75 percent on each, with a combined sitting priced at $52 and the state-only sitting at $49 (national-only $52) on the table that also lists 5–10 pretest items. Exam results are good for three years; both portions must be passed within three years before you submit a completed license application. If you have been actively licensed as a broker or salesperson by another state within the last five years, you take only the Pennsylvania portion. That is the opposite of New York's post-2022 "no reciprocity" FAQ and different from Florida mutual recognition, which is a 40-question law exam for named partner states.

The Department of State snapshot publishes a $97 initial fee ($72 licensure + $25 application) and $96 biennial renewal, with 14 hours of CE in the preceding two-year period. CE is not required for the initial license. A salesperson practices under a licensed broker; proof of that relationship is part of the post-exam PALS application. Pennsylvania also issues reciprocal licenses to people whose principal place of business is outside the Commonwealth, and Act 41 adds an endorsement-style portability path. The Real Estate Recovery Fund, funded in part by a fee assessed on licenses, is the consumer backstop — a $10 assessment is the figure commonly taught from the Licensing and Registration Act; confirm the live application invoice. There is no 45-hour Florida void course and no Texas SAE 90-hour first renewal.

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 Fundamentals (30) and Practice (45) inside a five-year window

Get those titles on the transcript.
Register with Pearson VUE and pass both portions at 75 percent

State-only if you were actively licensed elsewhere in the last five years.
Line up a Pennsylvania broker

Then file in PALS with the $97 initial fee while the scores are still less than three years old.
Skip CE on the first issuance, then complete 14 hours each biennial renewal

$96 renewal on the snapshot.

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: Not required. Reciprocal licenses are for people whose principal place of business is outside Pennsylvania. People moving in to work should read the standard path and Act 41 rather than assuming a reciprocal pocket card is what they want.
Qualifying education: From an accredited college or a Commission-approved Pennsylvania provider, completed within five years prior to passing the exam. J.D. or bachelor's in real estate (or equivalent coursework) can satisfy education. Out-of-state 75-hour coursework that met that state's licensure requirement can also qualify.
Education or filing deadline: Five years from course completion to passing the exam. Then three years from passing both portions to the license application.
Character review: Criminal-history review on the license application after the exam.
Background process: Follow the Commission / PALS instructions for criminal-history documentation. This is not a GCIC-at-the-PSI-door ritual like Georgia.
Experience: No experience required. Employment / affiliation with a licensed Pennsylvania broker is required to apply after the exam.
Broker affiliation: Required to apply for the standard salesperson license after the exam. Reciprocal licensees have a different principal-place-of-business story.

Documents to prepare

Fundamentals and Practice transcripts dated inside the five-year window
Pearson VUE passing score reports less than three years old
Broker employment information for PALS

The licensing exam

Pearson VUE PA handbook: salesperson national 80 scored / 150 minutes / 75 percent; Pennsylvania state 40 scored / 60 minutes / 75 percent. State outline buckets include the Real Estate Commission, licensure, agency and disclosure, and the Recovery Fund. Combined sitting $52; state-only $49. Authorization to test and the three-year score life are in that handbook. Spanish-language administrations exist; the language choice does not change the fee.

Pearson VUE · Fee: $52

Part	Questions	Minutes	Pass
National / general	80	150	75%
Pennsylvania state	40	60	75%

Failed portions may be retaken without repeating a passed portion. Combined sitting $52; single portion $49 state / $52 national on the handbook table. Scores last three years.

What to study

Pearson VUE Pennsylvania Real Estate Candidate Handbook

Pearson VUE / PA REC

Item counts, 75 percent, fees, three-year score life, state outline including Recovery Fund.

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	$25
Examination	$52
Initial license	$72
Renewal (every 2 years)	$96

DOS snapshot: $97 initial ($72 licensure + $25 application). $96 biennial renewal. Pearson VUE combined $52 / state $49 / national $52 per the handbook table. Some older secondary pages add a $10 recovery-fund line that may already be inside a PALS invoice — pay the live invoice.

Commission	Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission (Department of State, BPOA) Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act; 49 Pa. Code Chapter 35
Pre-licensing	75 hours (Fundamentals 30 + Practice 45) From an accredited college or a Commission-approved Pennsylvania provider, completed within five years prior to passing the exam. J.D. or bachelor's in real estate (or equivalent coursework) can satisfy education. Out-of-state 75-hour coursework that met that state's licensure requirement can also qualify. Five years from course completion to passing the exam. Then three years from passing both portions to the license application.
Sponsoring broker	Required to apply for the standard salesperson license after the exam. Reciprocal licensees have a different principal-place-of-business story.
Fingerprints	Complete whatever criminal-history process the current PALS checklist names. Do not substitute a TREC IdentoGO print.
CE / renewal	14 hours of Commission-approved CE during the preceding 2-year period for a standard renewal. Not required for initial licensure.
Recovery fund	Pennsylvania Real Estate Recovery Fund under the Licensing and Registration Act. A $10 assessment on licenses is the commonly cited funding mechanism. Maximum payouts are statutory; confirm current caps in the Act rather than a study-site figure before you advise a client.

Mistakes that delay applicants

Five-year education window

Courses older than five years at the moment you pass the exam do not count.
Three-year exam-to-application window

A 2022 pass and a 2026 PALS filing can force a retake.
Reciprocal versus standard

If you are moving to Philadelphia to work, a reciprocal license designed for out-of-state principal offices is the wrong product. Read Act 41 and the standard snapshot.

Reciprocity and recognition

Partner / path	Accepted exam	Conditions
New York	Pennsylvania state portion only, if actively licensed in NY within the last five years	That is a Pennsylvania inbound rule. New York currently has no reciprocity the other direction. A reciprocal PA license also requires that your principal place of business stay outside the Commonwealth.

Act 41 endorsement is a separate portability path for out-of-state professionals in good standing. Standard, reciprocal, and Act 41 are three different applications. Pick the one that matches where you actually live and work.

Renewal and staying active

14 hours of Commission-approved CE during the preceding 2-year period for a standard renewal. Not required for initial licensure.

Applicant checklist

Finish Fundamentals and Practice with dates inside five years
Pass Pearson VUE at 75 percent each portion
Get a PA broker to employ you
File PALS at $97 before scores turn three years old

How Pennsylvania is different

Pennsylvania is the only launch-set neighbor of New York that still offers a real reciprocal license and a state-portion-only exam for recently active out-of-state licensees. New York will not reciprocate. Education at 75 hours matches Georgia and North Carolina; the five-year course-to-exam fuse is stricter than GREC's twelve-month exam-to-application fuse and different from Florida's two-year course slip. Initial $97 is among the lowest published board totals in this set (New York $65 + $15 exam is the other bargain; California $100 exam + $350 license is not). Illinois has no salesperson title to compare.

Frequently asked questions

Do I take one exam or two?: Two portions (national and Pennsylvania), which you may sit combined. Recently active out-of-state licensees take only Pennsylvania. 75 percent on each. Three-year score life.
Is CE due the first time I renew?: 14 hours in the two-year period before a standard renewal. The snapshot says CE is not required for the initial license.

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