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Real Estate Licensing by Exam & Education Information

Here you will find the continuing education requirements and how to become an approved provider in Iowa; a list of approved courses, providers and instructors.

Please Refer to Chapter 17 APPROVAL OF SCHOOLS, COURSES AND INSTRUCTORS

193E—17.1(543B) Administrative requirements for schools, courses and instructors. All schools, courses and instructors of prelicense and continuing education must receive advance approval of the commission.

If you are applying to be an approved provider in Iowa you will first need to get approval from the Iowa College Aid Commission.  Once you receive the approval email from them you will need to create a contact in the licensing database and submit the “Authorized Provider Application”.  You will be required to upload the email approval from Iowa College Aid Commission.

All course and instructor applications need to be submitted by the school coordinator with an approved provider.

PSI Information

Visit the PSI website or call PSI at 855-898-0712 for exam scheduling assistance.

Call Center Hours:

Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Central Time

Saturday-Sunday 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Central Time

PSI Licensing Information Bulletin

All applicants must be 18 years of age at the time the application is submitted. There are no residency or citizenship requirements.

All applicants are subject to a national criminal history check through the federal bureau of investigation.  Note: This process alone can take up to a minimum of 4 weeks, quite possibly more, and can be started at any time.  Criminal history backgrounds are valid for 210 calendar days.

The following education needs to be completed at the time of application:

  1.   Complete a 60-hour prelicense course (live instruction or online learning hours) of real estate principles and practices from an approved provider. 
  2.   Complete the following three courses from an approved provider.
  • 12-hours Buying Practices (live instruction only)
  • 12-hours Listing Practices (live instruction only)
  • 12-hours Developing Professionalism and Ethical Practices (live instruction only)

Note: All the above mentioned education may be taken in any order. All the education must be less than one year old at the time the Commission receives your completed application. (on this page you will find a link to the IREC education index, which provides a link to approved education providers and another link to Commission approved courses.) 

All applicants must successfully pass the state and national portions of the salesperson licensing examination. To be eligible for the exam applicants must have already completed the 60-hour prelicense course. The course must be less than a year old at the time applicants take and pass the salesperson licensing examination and also less than one year old at the time the Commission receives a completed application. Also, both portions of the exam must also be valid at the time an applicant submits their application electronically to the IREC. Exams are valid until the last working day of the sixth month following the exam pass date. Example: A test passed on any day in June of 2020 is valid until December 31, 2020.

Obtain errors and omissions insurance.

All applications will need to be submitted electronically through an applicant's "My Iowa PLB" account.

Exams:

The exams are given by appointment only. You must contact Psychological Services, Inc. (PSI) by calling 1-855-898-0712 or register for the examination on their website to schedule a time and place to take the exam. Exam fees for all exams are $95.00. PSI has testing sites in West Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Council Bluffs.  Please review the PSI Bulletin for additional information.

You must have twenty-four months of active salesperson experience before you can apply for a broker license.

Complete 60 hours of broker pre-license education within the preceding 24 months of passing the examinations.

Broker Pre License Requirements effective 01 01 2020

  • Contract Law and Contract Writing - 6 hours
  • Iowa Real Estate Trust Accounts - 6 hours
  • Principles of Appraising and Market Analysis - 6 hours
  • Real Estate Law and Agency Law - 6 hours
  • Real Estate Finance - 6 hours
  • Federal and State Laws Affecting Iowa Practice - 6 hours
  • Real Estate Office Organization, Administration & Human Resources - 12 hours
  • Real Estate Technology and Data Security - 6 hours
  • Ethics and Safety Issues for Brokers - 6 hours

Successfully pass the state and national portions of the examination. To be eligible for the exam you must have already completed the 60 hours of education mentioned above. Both portions of the exam must be valid at the time the Commission's office receives your application. Exams are valid until the last working day of the sixth month following the exam pass date. Example: A test passed on any day in June of 2020 is valid until December 31, 2020. 

Undergo a criminal history and background investigation.  Note: This process alone can take up to a minimum of 4 weeks, quite possibly more, and can be started at any time.  Criminal history backgrounds are valid for 210 calendar days.

Obtain errors and omissions insurance.

Your application will need to be submitted electronically through your "My Iowa PLB" contact.

Exams:

The exams are given by appointment only.  You must contact Psychological Services, Inc. (PSI) by calling 1-855-898-0712 or on their website to schedule a time and place to take the exam.  Exam fees for all exams are $95.00.  PSI has testing sites in West Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Council Bluffs. Please review the PSI Bulletin for additional information.