Washington real estate licence requirements, explained

Washington is one of the more approachable states to get licensed in: no degree, ninety hours of education rather than a hundred and eighty, and no limit on exam attempts. The parts that catch people out are deadlines, not difficulty.

Who can apply

• At least 18 years old.
• A high school diploma or equivalent.
• Completion of the required pre-licence education.
• Fingerprinting and a background check, done through IdentoGO after you pass the exams.

The education: 90 clock hours

Two courses make up the requirement: a 60-hour Real Estate Fundamentals course and a 30-hour Real Estate Practices course, both from a DOL-approved provider.

Each course has its own school final exam, which must be passed before you are eligible to sit the state exam. People sometimes assume the school final IS the licensing exam. It is not — it is the gate to it.

The exam

Washington's broker exam is administered by PSI, not Pearson VUE. It runs 140 questions in three and a half hours, split into a national portion (105 questions, 100 scored) and a Washington portion (35 questions, 30 scored).

You need a scaled 70 on each portion, and they are scored independently — passing one does not carry the other.

The deadlines that matter

• Both exam portions must be passed within SIX MONTHS of each other, or you retake both.
• Exam results stay valid for ONE YEAR. Apply for the licence before they expire or you sit the exam again.
• There is no cap on retake attempts, so neither deadline is a reason to panic — but both are a reason to diarise.

After you pass

Submit fingerprints through IdentoGO, apply to the Department of Licensing, and affiliate with a designated broker. A Washington licence is held under a real estate firm; the designated broker is the licensee responsible for that firm.

Fees and continuing-education requirements change periodically. Confirm the current figures with the Department of Licensing rather than trusting any third-party page, including this one.