1.2 Arkansas License Requirements

Arkansas's licensing requirements are tested heavily on the state portion. Know the exact numbers and the order of the steps.

Salesperson Eligibility

Age and Character

• Be at least 18 years old (the Arkansas age of majority).
• Be of good moral character.
• Disclose criminal history; AREC reviews convictions individually under its licensing-and-criminal-history rules. A conviction is not an automatic bar unless it directly relates to fitness to practice.

There is no Arkansas residency requirement — out-of-state applicants may obtain a license, and nonresident provisions apply.

Pre-License Education (60 Hours)

Complete 60 classroom hours from an AREC-approved school, including at least 30 hours in basic principles of real estate:

The 60-hour certificate does not expire for salesperson applicants — a meaningful Arkansas advantage. (By contrast, a broker's 45-hour broker course must be completed within 36 months before broker application.)

Exam Tip: Distinguish three different "hour" numbers that examiners love to scramble: 60 pre-license (salesperson), 18 post-license (salesperson), and 7 annual CE. Brokers add a 45-hour broker course and complete a 30-hour post-license course.

The Examination

The national and state portions are scored independently. If you pass one and fail the other, you generally retake only the failed portion within the retake window (commonly six months); after that window you retake both. A "scaled score" means your raw correct count is statistically equated to a 0-100 scale so different exam forms are equally difficult.

Note: Prep sites commonly cite a 4-hour total seat time. AREC/Pearson VUE materials emphasize the question counts and the scaled-70 standard rather than a fixed clock; budget your time to roughly 2-4 hours and confirm the current seat time in the Pearson VUE Arkansas Candidate Handbook.

Background Check

Every applicant must pass a state (Arkansas State Police) and federal (FBI) fingerprint-based criminal background check (Ark. Code Ann. § 17-42-315). AREC initiates the check after processing the application; the applicant pays the actual cost of the state and federal checks (there is no single fixed statutory dollar amount). Results are reported directly to AREC, which reviews them for suitability.

Fees and Deadlines

Warning: Miss the 90-day post-exam filing window and you may have to re-test. Calendar it the day you pass.

Broker License Requirements

Upgrading to broker requires more education and experience:

A principal broker (or executive broker) is the supervising broker who holds the firm's trust account and is responsible for the conduct of affiliated licensees. An associate broker holds a broker license but works under a principal broker.

Application Process (Salesperson)

1. Complete the 60-hour pre-license course at an AREC-approved school.
2. Apply to AREC for exam eligibility; pay the $50 application fee.
3. Submit fingerprints for the state and federal background check.
4. Receive exam eligibility from AREC.
5. Schedule and pass the Pearson VUE exam (scaled 70 each portion); pay the $75 exam fee.
6. Affiliate with a principal broker who will sponsor and supervise you.
7. File license forms within 90 days of passing and pay the $25 Recovery Fund fee.
8. Activate the license through your broker — only then may you practice.

Exam Tip: A salesperson can never hold an active license without a sponsoring principal broker. Without affiliation the license is inactive and no real estate activity for compensation is permitted.

Criminal History and Character Review

Arkansas reviews criminal history individually rather than imposing an automatic lifetime bar. Under the state's licensing-and-criminal-history framework, AREC weighs whether a conviction directly relates to the duties and responsibilities of a licensee, how much time has passed, evidence of rehabilitation, and the nature and seriousness of the offense. Applicants concerned about a record may request a predetermination of eligibility before investing in education.

Exam Tip: A criminal record is not an automatic disqualifier in Arkansas. The decisive question is whether the offense directly relates to fitness to practice, judged with rehabilitation and recency in mind.