West Virginia Real Estate Broker License requirements

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

1. 1

   Document two years and the closings

   You need at least two years as a salesperson and a Closed Transactions Form showing 20 closings in the two years prior, or 40 over any period. Time licensed without closings does not count toward the 20.

2. 2

   Complete the additional 90 hours at 70 percent each

   30 Brokerage Operation and Management, 25 Human Resources Management & Interpersonal Skills, 35 West Virginia Specific Real Estate for Brokers. If you are starting from scratch, the total is 180 hours. Courses must be within five years.

3. 3

   IdentoGO 228Q6K and the online exam application ($25)

   WVREC must approve you before Pearson schedules you, just as for salespersons. Pearson emails after WVREC approves; if 72 hours pass with no email, write [email protected].

4. 4

   Pass National 80/150 and State 60/90 at 75 percent ($59 each)

   Pass within 90 days or two attempts. The broker exam requires 75 percent, not the salesperson 70, and its state portion has 60 items, not 50.

5. 5

   File the broker application ($150) and surrender the salesperson certificate

   Include the Trust Fund Form or Waiver, Subordination Resolution, both passing score reports, and Secretary of State registration listing you as member or officer. There is no credit for the salesperson fee, and you surrender the salesperson certificate before the broker certificate issues.

Minimum age

18 years old

Identification

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

Residency and identification

Same as salesperson: WVREC does not list residency as a requirement. You need two years as a licensed salesperson and the Closed Transactions Form. The firm must be registered with the West Virginia Secretary of State, with you listed as a member or officer.

Qualifying education

Starting from scratch: 180 clock hours. Currently licensed WV salespersons: an additional 90 hours of broker education in the official outline — 30 Brokerage Operation and Management, 25 Human Resources Management & Interpersonal Skills, 35 West Virginia Specific Real Estate for Brokers. You must score 70 percent or higher in each of those three subject areas. Broker courses are accepted if completed in the 5 years preceding application.

Education or filing deadline

Broker pre-license courses: 5 years preceding application. Exam authorization: 90 days or two attempts. Passing score reports: 90 days. IdentoGO: 90 days.

Character review

The same character standard and national criminal-background check apply as for salespersons, reviewed with the added consideration that a broker holds trust funds and supervises others.

Background process

IdentoGO service code 228Q6K, valid 90 days, filed with the online exam application the same way as for a salesperson applicant.

Experience

Licensed minimum 2 years as a salesperson, plus 20 closed transactions in the two years prior to application or 40 closed transactions over any period

Broker affiliation

The broker certificate allows you to serve as the responsible broker. Under Series 2, the responsible broker surrenders the salesperson certificate before the broker certificate issues, and there is no credit for the salesperson fee already paid. An associate broker completes the same education and exam and pays the same $150 Series 2 fee, but works in a subordinate role within the office.

Pearson VUE after WVREC online approval. Handbook #094900 (February 2026). $59 per part. · Fee: $59

The same West Virginia rules apply as for salespersons: your authorization lasts 90 days or two attempts, whichever comes first, after which you file a new exam application. You cannot retake a passed part during the authorization. You have ninety days to pass the remaining part. If the authorization expires, reapply to WVREC for the failed part only. You get one OnVUE attempt for life at the Broker level. Passing score reports are valid 90 days. The passing score is 75 percent, not 70.

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

Series 2: exam application $25; broker and associate-broker license $150; annual renewal $150. No credit for the $75 salesperson fee already paid. Late renewal from July 1–August 31 adds $50; fees for later periods are on WVREC's current Schedule of Fees. Pearson charges $59 per part. IdentoGO sets its own fee.

• !

  Counting two years without closings as meeting the requirement

  The experience requirement is two years plus a Closed Transactions Form showing 20 closings in the prior two years, or 40 over any period. An inactive salesperson license does not satisfy the form.

• !

  Retaking salesperson 30/20/20/20 and calling it broker education

  The additional 90 hours follow the 30/25/35 outline. The Principles and Practice hours you used to qualify for the salesperson exam do not count as Brokerage Operation and Management.

• !

  Preparing for the broker exam with a 70 percent target

  Salesperson passing is 70 percent. Broker passing is 75 percent, on a 60-item state portion rather than a 50-item one.

• !

  Expecting a $75 credit toward the $150 broker certificate

  Series 2 is explicit: you surrender the salesperson certificate first, and there is no credit for the salesperson fee already paid.

• !

  Skipping Secretary of State registration

  You must be listed as a member or officer of the company. Passing the Pearson exam does not create the firm.

• !

  Taking only salesperson-level CE as a new broker

  Beginning FY 2024, 3 of the 7 hours must be broker-level for brokers and associate brokers.

WVREC does not publish a broker-exam waiver chart. The two years, the Closed Transactions Form, and the additional 90 hours are requirements for original licensure. Whether out-of-state transactions count is up to the Commission when it reviews that form.

West Virginia 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 two years on a salesperson license enough?

No. Two years is the minimum licensed time. You also need 20 closed transactions in the two years prior to the application, or 40 closed transactions over any period, documented on the Closed Transactions Form.

Do I retake the full 180 hours if I am already a WV salesperson?

No. Currently licensed West Virginia salespersons complete an additional 90 hours of broker education: 30 Brokerage Operation and Management, 25 Human Resources, 35 West Virginia Specific Real Estate for Brokers, with 70 percent in each subject. If you are starting from scratch, the requirement is 180 clock hours (12 semester hours). Broker courses count if completed in the five years preceding application.

Is the broker exam the salesperson exam at a higher cut score?

No. National Broker is still 80 scored items in 150 minutes, but State Broker is 60 scored items in 90 minutes (not 50 in 60), passing is 75 percent (not 70), and 18 of the state items cover Broker Management.

Do I get credit for the salesperson license fee?

No. Under Series 2, the responsible broker surrenders the salesperson certificate before the broker certificate issues, and there is no credit for the salesperson fee already paid. The broker/associate-broker license is $150.

What else goes in the post-exam application?

The Trust Fund Form or Waiver, a Subordination Resolution, both Pearson passing score reports, and West Virginia Secretary of State registration listing you as a member or officer of the company.

How is broker CE different?

It is still 7 hours per fiscal year, taken in the year preceding renewal. Beginning FY 2024, 3 of those 7 hours must be broker-level for brokers and associate brokers.