Iowa Real Estate Crash Course and Exam Prep

Iowa's real estate examinations are administered by PSI. The quickest means of scheduling a real estate exam is by visiting the website.

Candidates can also call at PSI at 855-898-0712.

Current Processing Timeframes: Iowa real estate licenses are generally processed in up to 14 business days.

Salesperson Exam

• An applicant must be at least 18 years of age and:
• Must complete a 60-hour pre-license course approved by the Iowa Real Estate Commission
• Must complete the following three courses from a provider approved by the Iowa Real Estate Commission. This includes:

• 12 Hours Buying Practices (only live instruction will be approved)
• 12 Hours Listing Practices (only live instruction will be approved)
• 12 Hours Developing Professionalism and Ethical Practices (only live instruction will be approved)
• All courses must be completed in less than one year prior to the Commission's receipt of your application

• Must not have had an application rejected by Iowa or any other state in the year preceding the exam application; must not have had a license revoked in Iowa or any other state within two years of applying for the exam.
• All candidates are subject to an FBI background check, which may take up to four weeks
• Must successfully pass the state and national portions of the licensing examination; both portions of the exam must be valid at the time an applicant submits their application to the Real Estate Commission. Exam results are valid until the last working day of the sixth month following the exam date.
• Must obtain error and omissions insurance
• All applicants must create an account at My Iowa PLB and submit their application electronically through that site
• Pay the exam fee of $95

Broker Exam

• Must be at least 18 years of age and:
• Must have 24 months of active experience as a salesperson
• Must complete 60 hours of broker pre-license course work within the 24 months preceding the exam date. This includes:

• 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 

• Must successfully pass the state and national portions of the licensing examination; both portions of the exam must be valid at the time an applicant submits their application to the Real Estate Commission. Exam results are valid until the last working day of the sixth month following the exam date.
• All applicants must undergo an FBI background check, which may take up to 4 weeks.
• Must obtain errors and omissions insurance
• Must submit application electronically through the candidate's My Iowa PLB account.
• Pay the exam fee of $95

The exam consists of a national portion, which has 80 questions. Candidates have 120 minutes to complete the national portion. There is also a state-specific portion, which consists of 40 questions. Candidates have 60 minutes to complete the state portion. Candidates have 180 minutes to take the combined exam. Both portions are multiple-choice.

Exams are given by computer and can be taken at the following locations: West Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and Council Bluffs.

• Licensing Information Bulletin (Content descriptions and practice questions can be found on pages 7-11)

Salesperson Examination: To successfully the pass the national portion of the test, applicants must answer at least 56 of the 80 questions correctly. To pass the state test, applicants need to answer 28 of the 40 questions correctly.

Broker Examination: To successfully pass the national portion of the test, applicants must answer at least 60 of the 80 questions correctly. To pass the state test, applicants need to answer 30 of the 40 questions correctly.

All applicants must bring 2 forms of identification to the exam. These must be valid, include a signature, and the name must match the name on the name on the applicant's registration. One of them must be government-issued and photo-bearing. This can include any of the following:

• Driver's license
• US passport
• US green card
• Social Security card
• Debit or credit card (with signature)

• Candidate Licensing Bulletin