Before starting the process to get your Washington real estate broker license, you will need to meet the following requirements:
1) Be at least 18 years of age.
2) Able to show proof of a high school diploma or its equivalent
You will need to successfully complete five steps before a real estate broker license can be issued to you.
Step 1: Complete the 90-Hour Washington real estate broker prelicensure education requirement
The 90-hour prelicensure course requirement includes two mandatory courses:
1) 60-hour Washington Real Estate Fundamentals Course
2) 30-hour Washington Real Estate Practices Course
Candidates must achieve a passing grade on the final course exam for each course.
The final exam for the 60-hour Real Estate Fundamentals course includes 200 multiple-choice questions, with a passing grade of 70%.
The final exam for the 30-hour Real Estate Practices course includes 90 multiple-choice questions and also has a passing grade of 70%.
You will receive your Certificate of Completion as soon as you pass each course’s final exam.
Step 2: Schedule Your State Real Estate Broker Exam
After you have successfully completed the 90-hour pre-license course requirement, you should set up your free online student account with PSI, the testing center that administers the Washington real estate exam.
Once your PSI account is set up, RealEstateU will be able to send your course completion information to PSI. This is important because once PSI receives confirmation that you’ve completed the required prelicensure coursework, you will be able to schedule your state exam date and location through PSI.
You can make the appointment for your state exam online through PSI’s website or by calling them at 855-746-8168.
You will need to pay the state licensing exam fee of $138.25 per attempt. The fee is paid directly to PSI and once paid, will be valid for the next 12 months.
Step 3: Pass the State Real Estate Broker Licensing Exam
You must schedule and pass your state licensing exam within two years of successfully completing the 90-hour Washington real estate prelicensure education requirement, which includes the 60-Hour Real Estate Fundamentals and the 30-Hour Real Estate Practices courses.
The state licensing exam is divided into a national portion and a state portion. The national portion consists of 100 multiple-choice questions, while the state portion includes just 30 multiple-choice questions. You will be given 3.5 hours to complete the entire test. Before you can apply for your real estate broker license in Washington, you will need to pass both portions of the exam.
Keep in mind that the state exam’s questions are weighted, meaning not all questions are counted the same. Because of this, PSI cannot indicate how many questions you need to answer correctly in order to pass. Instead, PSI provides you with a percentage score—70%—that you will need to achieve on each portion of the exam.
You will receive your exam results from the testing center once you have completed the exam.
Step 4: Complete fingerprinting
The next step you’ll need to take before applying for your Washington broker’s license is to get your fingerprints taken with MorphoTrust’s IdentoGO. You will need to go in-person to one of IndentoGO’s locations to have this done.
The Washington State Patrol (WSP) and the FBI will use your fingerprints to conduct a background check. The results will then be electronically sent to the Washington State Department of Licensing.
You will need to pay a fingerprinting fee of $42.80 directly to IndentoGO.