Individuals who hold real estate broker’s licenses in other states are occasionally interested in obtaining a similar license in Pennsylvania. This page has been created to help address their needs. It consists of four sections:
- Pennsylvania and license reciprocity
- Preparing for the Pennsylvania law test
- If you lack sufficient education …
- Learn about our Out-Of-State Exam Prep Course
Pennsylvania and broker license reciprocity
Requirements for real estate broker licensure in Pennsylvania traditionally are lower than those of most other states, with few exceptions. That’s good news for many out-of-staters with real estate broker licenses who want to be licensed as a broker in the Keystone State.
Moreover, the state of Pennsylvania in 2003 passed legislation that creates license reciprocity agreements between it and other states. It has been updated since. As of August 2019, the Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission has reciprocity agreements only with Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York.
If you do not qualify for a license by reciprocity, you are best positioned to obtain a broker’s license in Pennsylvania if the state in which you are already licensed requires three or more years of experience, and a minimum of 240 or more hours of education, for broker licensing. You must describe your experience and education as a broker in another state to the Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission; call 717-783-3658 and ask for the appropriate form.
The form, its required attachments, and an appropriate fee must be submitted to and approved by the Commission before you are permitted to sit for the Pennsylvania broker examination. Forms and accompanying instructions are available online and can be downloaded from the commission website, or are available by contacting the commission at:
Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission
P.O. Box 2649, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2649
Phone (717) 783-365 | Fax (717) 787-0250 | E-mail ra-realestate@pa.gov
If your application is approved, the commission will then send you a broker examination registration form and accompanying instructions. The completed form is then sent to Pennsylvania’s testing vendor along with the appropriate examination fee.
You will need to score a passing grade (75 or higher) on the 40-question Pennsylvania real estate law exam. The 90-question “uniform knowledge” exam likely will be waived. Once you pass Pennsylvania’s 40-question law test, the PA State Real Estate Commission will grant a broker’s license. The timing for this process depends on both the time you take in passing the exam and the commission’s work backlog.
Due to state requirements, the above-described submission procedure for out-of-state broker license candidates differs substantially from that for out-of-state salesperson candidates. The examination’s pass-fail threshold for brokers also differs.
If a license reciprocity agreement does not exist between Pennsylvania and your state of licensure, your existing non-PA real estate broker’s license will not automatically be recognized as valid for use in Pennsylvania. The PA State Real Estate Commission requires proof that you know and are familiar with Pennsylvania real estate license law, so you’ll need to take the 40-question law test.
Preparing for the Pennsylvania law test
Because you will need to brush up on Pennsylvania real estate license law and prep for the law portion of the Pennsylvania test, we recommend that you …
1) Enroll, if possible, in the Polley Associates Out-Of-State Exam Prep course.
The Out-Of-State Exam Prep course is only a half-day (9 AM to noon), and reviews Pennsylvania real estate law material on the exam for which you’ll be tested. However, because this course is held only every other month and only at our Newtown Square (suburban Philadelphia) PA facility, it may be an impractical option for some out-of-staters.
2) Visit Polley Associates online bookstore to find related study aids.
One recommended aid is the textbook titled “Real Estate Exam Prep Booklet for Pennsylvania.” We make it available for purchase online.
What if you lack sufficient education?
If you do not have 240 or more hours of completed broker license education, you will need to complete one or more PA broker-level courses offered by Polley Associates, or equivalent courses in your current state of licensure.
