What is the official 90-hour breakdown?

30 hours Principles and Practice, 20 hours Law, 20 hours Finance, 20 hours Appraisal. That is WVREC's pre-licensing outline, not a school marketing package. You must score 70 percent or higher in each subject area to sit Pearson.

Can I book Pearson before the Commission approves me?

No. Pearson emails a scheduling notice after WVREC approval. If that email is not in hand within 72 hours, email REClicensing@wv.gov. There are no paper applications and no walk-ins around the gate.

What are the three 90-day clocks?

IdentoGO 228Q6K (prints valid 90 days, running during approval). Exam authorization (90 days or two attempts, whichever first). License filing (90 days from each passing score report, with both portions and a sponsoring broker). They are not interchangeable.

How is the exam built?

National Salesperson: 80 scored, 5 pretest, 150 minutes, $59. State Salesperson: 50 scored, 5 pretest, 60 minutes, $59. Passing 70 percent scaled. Handbook #094900 (February 2026). Ignore the cover-page "unlimited attempts / one year" boilerplate.

How old can the 90-hour course be?

Completed in the 3 years preceding application, or 5 years if the course was taken before June 9, 2023.

How much continuing education?

7 hours per fiscal year, using 50-minute hours, taken in the fiscal year preceding the renewal year. W. Va. Code § 30-40-16.

Can I test OnVUE more than once?

OnVUE is one attempt for life at the Sales level. After a new authorization you cannot retest via OnVUE. National and State are still separate appointments and may be taken back to back at a center.

West Virginia Salesperson License Requirements

Required education: 90 clock hours (six college semester hours) in four scored subjects
Exam fee: $59
Published fees: $218
Typical timeline: 90-hour course (inside the 3-year / 5-year aging window) plus IdentoGO plus WVREC approval plus Pearson inside 90 days or two attempts plus 90 days to file under a sponsoring broker

What to know first

You cannot sit Pearson VUE for a West Virginia salesperson license until the West Virginia Real Estate Commission has already approved you. That is the whole sequence, and it is why a Kentucky PSI printout, an Ohio score report, or a school that says "book Pearson on Friday" will strand you. Paper applications are gone. You finish a Commission-approved 90-hour course, run the national criminal history through IdentoGO under service code 228Q6K, file the online exam application with the Official Course Completion Certificate that shows scores (the Student Affidavit is the wrong document) plus a driver's license, and wait. Pearson emails scheduling only after that approval. If the email has not arrived within 72 hours, the live instruction is to write REClicensing@wv.gov — not to invent a walk-in at a test center.

The 90 hours are not an undifferentiated block, and they are not "whatever the school packaged." WVREC's official pre-licensing outline is four separately scored subjects: 30 clock hours of Principles and Practice, 20 of Law, 20 of Finance, and 20 of Appraisal (90 clock hours equals six college semester hours). You must score 70 percent or higher in each subject area to sit. Averaging 85 in Principles and 55 in Appraisal does not qualify you. Course aging is written in two windows: completed in the three years preceding the application, or five years if the course was taken before June 9, 2023. A 2019 certificate is dead. A May 2023 certificate may still be inside the five-year window; a July 2023 certificate is on the three-year clock.

IdentoGO is the fuse people miss while they wait. Service code 228Q6K is valid 90 days, and that clock runs during Commission review, not after Pearson mails you a date. There are three different 90-day clocks and they are not the same object: the print report, the exam authorization (90 days or two attempts, whichever comes first, then you resubmit the exam application), and the license filing (90 days from each passing score report; you upload both portions plus Verification of Sponsoring Broker). Pass one Pearson part and you have 90 days to pass the other; you cannot retake a part you already passed during that authorization. If the authorization dies with one part still failed, you re-apply to WVREC for the failed part only.

Pearson VUE Candidate Handbook #094900 (February 2026) is the exam bible for West Virginia — the WV-specific pages, not the generic cover-page boilerplate that talks about unlimited attempts and a one-year passing score. Those cover sentences contradict the West Virginia section. Freeze the table: National Salesperson is $59, 5 pretest, 80 scored, 150 minutes; State Salesperson is $59, 5 pretest, 50 scored, 60 minutes; passing is 70 percent, scaled 0–100, with numeric scores printed only for failing candidates. Series 2 lists an exam-application fee of $25 and a salesperson license of $75 initial and subsequent; Pearson's $59 per part is the vendor charge, not the Series 2 "up to $150" cap. After you pass, you still need a sponsoring broker on the file. The Commission sits at 2006 Quarrier Street, Charleston, WV 25311, (304) 558-3555 — use that live address, not the 300 Capitol Street Suite 400 line still printed in some Pearson pages.

Your path to the license

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

Finish the 90-hour outline at 70 percent in each subject

30 Principles and Practice, 20 Law, 20 Finance, 20 Appraisal at a Commission-approved provider. Keep the Official Course Completion Certificate with scores. Course must fall inside the 3-year window, or 5 years if taken before June 9, 2023.
Run IdentoGO 228Q6K and start the print clock

National criminal history. Valid 90 days. Do this before or with the exam application, because the fuse runs during Commission review.
File the online exam application ($25) and wait for approval

Upload the scored certificate and driver's license. No paper applications. Pearson emails scheduling after WVREC approves. If that email is not in your inbox within 72 hours, write REClicensing@wv.gov.
Sit National 80/150 and State 50/60 at 70 percent ($59 each)

Inside 90 days or two attempts, whichever first. Schedule the parts separately; back-to-back is allowed. One government photo-and-signature ID. Charleston and Morgantown Pearson Professional Centers are in-state options.
Apply for the license within 90 days ($75) with a sponsoring broker

Upload both passing score reports (each good 90 days) and Verification of Sponsoring Broker. Missing this clock means the pass papers die and you are not licensed.

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: West Virginia residency is not stated as a prerequisite on the live salesperson page. Age 18 and a high school diploma or GED are. Non-resident CE reciprocity is a renewal product (comparable requirement plus recognition of WV CE), not a shortcut around the 90-hour course or the exam.
Qualifying education: Commission-approved provider. Official outline: 30 hours Principles and Practice, 20 hours Law, 20 hours Finance, 20 hours Appraisal. Must score 70 percent or higher in each subject area to sit. Upload the Official Course Completion Certificate with scores — not the Student Affidavit — plus a driver's license on the online exam application.
Education or filing deadline: Course completed in the 3 years preceding application, or 5 years if taken before June 9, 2023. Separately, exam authorization is 90 days or two attempts, whichever first; each passing score report is good 90 days; IdentoGO 228Q6K is good 90 days.
Character review: Good character and a national criminal-background check. Disclose what IdentoGO will print; non-disclosure is its own problem. WVREC reads the record — this site does not invent a bright-line felony list the salesperson page did not publish.
Background process: National criminal history through IdentoGO, service code 228Q6K. The report is valid 90 days and is part of qualifying to sit, not an errand you run after Pearson emails a date.
Experience: No licensed experience is required for the salesperson license. A sponsoring broker is required to file the license application and to practice.
Broker affiliation: Verification of Sponsoring Broker is a required upload on the post-exam license application. WVREC will not hang a practicing salesperson without that hang. You may not perform licensed activity until the broker is on the file.

Documents to prepare

Official 90-hour Course Completion Certificate with scores (not the Student Affidavit)
Driver's license upload on the online exam application
IdentoGO 228Q6K report still inside 90 days
Pearson National and State passing score reports, each inside 90 days
Verification of Sponsoring Broker on the license application

The licensing exam

Pearson VUE after WVREC approval (handbook #094900, February 2026). National and State are scheduled as separate appointments and may be taken back to back. National Salesperson (April 1, 2025 outline, 80 scored): Property 11, Ownership 9, Appraisal 11, Contracts/Agency 16, Practice 10, Disclosures 9, Financing 7, Math 7. Memorize 43,560 square feet per acre and 5,280 feet per mile for the math items. West Virginia State Salesperson (January 1, 2024 outline, 50 scored): Commission powers 9, Licensing 17, Practice 15 (including trust funds), Agency 4 (Notice of Agency Form), WV Fair Housing 5. Each part is $59. Five pretest items on each part are unscored. Passing is 70 percent scaled. Cancel or change at least 48 hours out or forfeit the fee. Arrive 30 minutes early with one government photo-and-signature ID; the name must match the Pearson account. West Virginia centers include the Charleston and Morgantown Pearson Professional Centers plus the handbook's in-state list; the national network and military sites are available. OnVUE is one attempt for life at the Sales level; after a new authorization you cannot retest via OnVUE. No unscheduled breaks on OnVUE.

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

Part	Questions	Minutes	Pass
National Salesperson	80	150	70% scaled 0–100; 80 scored + 5 pretest; $59
State Salesperson	50	60	70% scaled 0–100; 50 scored + 5 pretest; $59

90 days or two attempts, whichever comes first, then resubmit the exam application to WVREC. You cannot retake a part already passed during the authorization. Pass one part and you have 90 days to pass the other. If the authorization expires with a failed part, re-apply to WVREC for the failed part only. Passing score reports are good 90 days. OnVUE is one attempt for life at the Sales level; a later authorization cannot be used for another OnVUE sitting. Cancel or change 48 hours out or forfeit the Pearson fee. Ignore the handbook cover-page line about unlimited attempts within one year — the West Virginia section controls.

What to study

Pearson VUE West Virginia Candidate Handbook #094900 (February 2026)

Pearson VUE / WVREC

Use the West Virginia-specific sitting rules (90 days or two attempts, 90-day score reports). Discard the generic cover-page attempt language.
WVREC pre-licensing education outline

West Virginia Real Estate Commission

30/20/20/20 and the 70-percent-per-subject cut. This is the document the scored certificate has to match.
West Virginia Real Estate License Act and 174 CSR 1 (June 2025 law book)

WVREC

State-portion material: Commission powers, licensing, trust funds, Notice of Agency Form, WV Fair Housing.
Series 2 schedule of fees (174 CSR 2)

WVREC

$25 exam application, $75 salesperson license and renewal, late +$50 in July–August.

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	$59
Initial license	$75
Renewal (every year)	$75

Series 2 / rec.wv.gov Schedule of Fees: exam application $25; salesperson license $75 initial and subsequent; annual renewal $75. Late renewal July 1–August 31 is +$50; later windows are on the live table, not frozen here. Pearson charges $59 per part (National and State are separate) — that is not the Series 2 "up to $150" exam-fee cap. IdentoGO is the vendor's price.

Commission	West Virginia Real Estate Commission (304) 558-3555 W. Va. Code § 30-40 (Real Estate License Act); Legislative Rule 174 CSR 1; Series 2 (174 CSR 2) fees
Pre-licensing	90 clock hours (six college semester hours) in four scored subjects Commission-approved provider. Official outline: 30 hours Principles and Practice, 20 hours Law, 20 hours Finance, 20 hours Appraisal. Must score 70 percent or higher in each subject area to sit. Upload the Official Course Completion Certificate with scores — not the Student Affidavit — plus a driver's license on the online exam application. Course completed in the 3 years preceding application, or 5 years if taken before June 9, 2023. Separately, exam authorization is 90 days or two attempts, whichever first; each passing score report is good 90 days; IdentoGO 228Q6K is good 90 days.
Sponsoring broker	Verification of Sponsoring Broker is a required upload on the post-exam license application. WVREC will not hang a practicing salesperson without that hang. You may not perform licensed activity until the broker is on the file.
Fingerprints	IdentoGO national criminal history, service code 228Q6K, valid 90 days. Complete it as part of the exam-application file. The 90-day validity runs while WVREC reviews you and while you wait for Pearson's scheduling email, which is why people who print "when the email arrives" restart the code. This page does not freeze IdentoGO's vendor dollar; pay what IdentoGO charges.
CE / renewal	7 hours per fiscal year (50-minute hours) under W. Va. Code § 30-40-16 and the Commission CE page. Courses must be taken in the fiscal year preceding the renewal year. Non-resident CE reciprocity is available if the other jurisdiction has a comparable requirement and recognizes West Virginia CE. July 1–August 31: +$50 on the Series 2 table. Later windows: read the live Schedule of Fees rather than freezing a second increment here.
Recovery fund	W. Va. Code § 30-40 and Series 2, as published for this page, do not give a separately itemized recovery-fund assessment to freeze next to the $75 salesperson license. Do not invent one from a school flyer. Trust-fund handling is scored on the state Practice items (15 of 50).

Mistakes that delay applicants

Uploading the Student Affidavit instead of the scored certificate

WVREC wants the Official Course Completion Certificate with scores. The affidavit is a different piece of paper. The file stalls, and the IdentoGO 90-day clock keeps running while you sort it out.
Treating 70 percent as a course average

Finance at 62 and Appraisal at 88 is not a pass. Each of the four subject areas must be 70 percent or higher or you do not sit.
Letting prints die during Commission review

228Q6K is valid 90 days from IdentoGO, not from Pearson's email. Approval time counts against the print. Restart the code if it ages out before you are seated.
Reading the Pearson cover page instead of the West Virginia section

Unlimited attempts within one year, and a passing score good for one year, are cover-page leftovers. West Virginia is 90 days or two attempts, and passing score reports are good 90 days.
Spending the OnVUE attempt as a practice test

One OnVUE attempt for life at the Sales level. A later authorization is center-only for that level.
Passing Pearson and missing the 90-day license filing

Each pass certificate dies at 90 days. Verification of Sponsoring Broker has to be in the upload. A willing broker three months later does not revive dead score reports.

Reciprocity and recognition

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

WVREC has not published a salesperson-exam waiver chart this site will copy. Kentucky currently lists West Virginia among active-license states that sit a Kentucky state-only reciprocity product — that is KREC's rule, not a WVREC waiver of the 90-hour course. Non-resident continuing education may be accepted if the other jurisdiction has a comparable CE requirement and recognizes West Virginia CE; that is a renewal rule, not original licensure.

Renewal and staying active

7 hours per fiscal year (50-minute hours) under W. Va. Code § 30-40-16 and the Commission CE page. Courses must be taken in the fiscal year preceding the renewal year. Non-resident CE reciprocity is available if the other jurisdiction has a comparable requirement and recognizes West Virginia CE.

Late renewal: July 1–August 31: +$50 on the Series 2 table. Later windows: read the live Schedule of Fees rather than freezing a second increment here.

Annual renewal, not a two-year cycle. Salesperson renewal is $75.

Applicant checklist

Age 18 and high school diploma or GED
90-hour course: 30/20/20/20 with 70 percent in each subject
Official Course Completion Certificate with scores (not the Student Affidavit)
Course inside the 3-year window, or 5 years if taken before June 9, 2023
IdentoGO service code 228Q6K, still inside 90 days when WVREC reads the file
Online exam application ($25) — no paper
Pearson scheduling email after approval; 72-hour follow-up to REClicensing@wv.gov if silent
National 80/150 and State 50/60 at 70 percent, $59 each, inside 90 days or two attempts
License application ($75) within 90 days with both pass papers and Verification of Sponsoring Broker

How West Virginia is different

Virginia's salesperson pre-license is a 60-hour Principles course; Maryland is 60 plus 3 hours of ethics; Pennsylvania is 75 hours split 30/45 with Pearson 80/40 at 75 percent; Kentucky issues a sales-associate license after 96 hours and seats PSI at 80/50 with a 75 percent cut. West Virginia is none of those products. The Commission requires 90 hours in four scored subjects at 70 percent each, approves you before Pearson will schedule, seats 80 national and 50 state at 70 percent, and then gives you 90 days to hang the license under a sponsoring broker. Kentucky currently treats an active West Virginia license as a state-only reciprocity exam on the Kentucky side — that is KREC's bulletin, not a WVREC waiver of the 90-hour course.

Frequently asked questions

What is the official 90-hour breakdown?: 30 hours Principles and Practice, 20 hours Law, 20 hours Finance, 20 hours Appraisal. That is WVREC's pre-licensing outline, not a school marketing package. You must score 70 percent or higher in each subject area to sit Pearson.
Can I book Pearson before the Commission approves me?: No. Pearson emails a scheduling notice after WVREC approval. If that email is not in hand within 72 hours, email REClicensing@wv.gov. There are no paper applications and no walk-ins around the gate.
What are the three 90-day clocks?: IdentoGO 228Q6K (prints valid 90 days, running during approval). Exam authorization (90 days or two attempts, whichever first). License filing (90 days from each passing score report, with both portions and a sponsoring broker). They are not interchangeable.
How is the exam built?: National Salesperson: 80 scored, 5 pretest, 150 minutes, $59. State Salesperson: 50 scored, 5 pretest, 60 minutes, $59. Passing 70 percent scaled. Handbook #094900 (February 2026). Ignore the cover-page "unlimited attempts / one year" boilerplate.
How old can the 90-hour course be?: Completed in the 3 years preceding application, or 5 years if the course was taken before June 9, 2023.
What does Series 2 actually charge?: Exam application $25. Salesperson license $75 initial and subsequent. Annual renewal $75. Late renewal July 1–August 31 adds $50. Pearson is $59 per part on top of that.
How much continuing education?: 7 hours per fiscal year, using 50-minute hours, taken in the fiscal year preceding the renewal year. W. Va. Code § 30-40-16.
Can I test OnVUE more than once?: OnVUE is one attempt for life at the Sales level. After a new authorization you cannot retest via OnVUE. National and State are still separate appointments and may be taken back to back at a center.

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