VA Licensing FAQs

Salesperson Pre-Licensing Education Requirements

A. Be at least 18 years old

B. Provide proof of a high school diploma or equivalent certification

C. Complete 60 hours of a Board-approved Principles of Real Estate pre-license course

D. Pass the state and national exam

E. Pass a background check and submit fingerprints

F. Complete the application, and pay the applicable fee 

You can take the final exam with Kaplan as many times as needed to pass with in 18 months of starting the course.

Your certificate of completion does not expire.

During the licensing process, you must take a final exam from Kaplan. Upon passing that exam, you will be eligible to take the exam through PSI for a Virginia real estate license.

Once you have finished your course with Kaplan, passed the final exam, and received your course competition certificate,  you may register with PSI for your exam. It could take as many as seven days for Kaplan to process the completion and PSI to acknowledge. 

The real estate examination in Virginia tests the candidate’s knowledge of general US real estate laws and regulations as well as laws and regulations that apply in and are specific to Virginia.

The National portion covers the following areas:

• Introduction to the Real Estate Business 

• Real Property and the Law

• Interests in Real Estate

• Forms of Real Estate Ownership

• Land Description

• Transfer of Title

• Title Records

• Real Estate Brokerage

• Real Estate Agency

• Client Representation Agreements

• Real Estate Contracts

• Real Estate Financing

• Government Involvement in Real Estate Financing

• Closing the Real Estate Transaction

• Real Estate Taxes and Other Liens

• Real Estate Appraisal

• Leases

• Fair Housing

• Property Management

• Land-Use Controls and Property Development

• Environmental Issues and the Real Estate Transaction

The State portion covers the following areas:

• Virginia Real Estate Law

• Brokerage Relationships and Agency

• Interests and Forms of Ownership

• Real Estate Taxes and Other Liens

• Real Estate Contracts

• Real Estate Financing

• Transfer of Title

• Virginia Real Estate License Law

• Leasing Real Estate in Virginia

• Virginia Fair Housing Law 

National:  You are given 105 minutes to complete 80 questions. You must get at least 56 questions correct. 

State:  You are given 45 minutes to complete 40 questions. You must get at least 30 questions correct.

You MUST bring:

• Two forms of valid (not expired) identification 

  • One ID must be a valid government-issued ID, such as a driver's license, state ID, passport, or military ID.

  • The second ID must include your signature and preprinted legal name, such as a credit or debit card.

You MAY bring:

• a non-programmable calculator that is silent and battery-operated.

You must pass both the National and the State sections within one year of each other. If you pass one side and not the other, you will only need to retake the portion you failed. Each side of the exam is $60.00. The fee is paid directly to PSI.

The $60 examination fee is valid for one attempt and up to one year. If you do not take the exam within one year of registration, you must reschedule and pay another $60.

Yes!  To obtain reciprocity, follow these steps.  

1) Pass the state portion of the VA licensing exam. 

2) Get fingerprinted. 

• If you live outside of Virginia, you are highly encouraged to get your fingerprints taken at a Virginia PSI testing location because it will speed up the mandatory background check process.

• A complete application must be on file with the board within 45 days, or you will have to get your fingerprints retaken for an additional fee.

3) Submit a VA License Application with the following documents: 

• Certification of Completion of a real estate license course

•  Letter of Good Standing from your current real estate commission

4) Payment of $170 given to the VAREC. 

Initial Application Fee $170

Exam Fee to PSI $60. 

Renewal fee $65. Renewal happens every two years. 

• Successful completion of 16 hours of CE (8 elective 8 mandatory) is a condition precedent to renewal and must be completed on or before the expiration date of the license. The fee for 16 hours is $54.