1.2 Delaware License Requirements

Salesperson License Requirements

Delaware's salesperson path has five gates. Memorize the numbers — the state portion tests them directly.

1. Basic eligibility

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Hold a high school diploma or equivalent (GED)
• Demonstrate good moral character (the background check evaluates this)

2. Pre-license education — 99 hours

Complete 99 hours of real estate principles and practices from a Commission-approved school. The full 99 hours may be taken online via distance education. Education is treated as recent: you must sit the exam within the window the Commission allows after course completion, so do not let your certificate go stale before testing.

3. Examination (Pearson VUE)

The Delaware salesperson exam is administered by Pearson VUE and combines a national and a state test in one appointment:

You must score 70% on each portion independently. "Pretest" (experimental) questions are unscored and unmarked — you cannot identify them, so answer everything. A 70% national pass plus a 68% state fail means you passed national and failed state; you re-register and retake only the state portion.

4. Background check

Delaware requires a fingerprint-based state and federal (SBI/FBI) criminal background check before a license is issued. The fee is paid separately to the fingerprinting vendor, and results route to DPR.

5. Post-license education — 12 hours within 90 days

Critical, often missed: Salespersons licensed on or after May 1, 2022 must complete 12 hours of required new-licensee modules within 90 days of licensure. Failure to do so results in suspension of the license until the requirement is met.

Exam trap: The 12-hour post-license requirement is separate from the 21-hour biennial CE covered in Section 1.4. New licensees do both.

Broker License Requirements

A Delaware broker can operate independently and supervise others, so the bar is higher than for a salesperson.

Experience and education

The broker exam is not the same test as the salesperson exam; it adds office-management, escrow-accounting, and supervisory-liability content. An associate broker has passed the broker exam but elects to work under another broker (see Section 1.3) rather than open an office.

Fees and Timeframes

Fees change; always confirm at dpr.delaware.gov. Typical structure:

The Licensing Sequence

1. Complete the 99-hour pre-license course.
2. Submit fingerprints for the SBI/FBI background check.
3. Register and pay through Pearson VUE.
4. Pass both portions at 70%.
5. Submit the notarized license application and fee to DPR.
6. Affiliate with a licensed broker — you cannot practice without one.
7. Complete the 12-hour new-licensee modules within 90 days.

Worked scenario: Maria finishes the 99-hour course, passes national (78%) and state (72%), and applies. Her license issues March 3. Her 12-hour deadline is roughly June 1 (90 days). If she ignores it, her license is suspended even though she passed the exam — a classic distractor that tempts test-takers to think the exam is the finish line.

Key Point: Passing the exam is necessary but not sufficient — broker affiliation and the 90-day post-license modules are mandatory to keep an active license.

Reading the Exam Content Outline

The Pearson VUE Candidate Handbook publishes a content outline so you know roughly how the 75 scored national and 30 scored state questions distribute. State-portion topics weight heavily toward the material in this chapter — Commission structure, license categories, supervision, escrow, agency disclosure, and fair-housing add-ons. Budget your time: the full 4-hour block covers all 120 questions, which works out to roughly 2 minutes per question with comfortable margin to flag and review. Bring two valid IDs with matching names, arrive early, and expect on-screen results immediately after you finish.

Citizenship and Identity Requirements

Delaware requires applicants to be a U.S. citizen or a lawful resident and to verify identity at the test center. Name mismatches between your ID and your registration are a frequent, avoidable reason candidates are turned away at the door — register in your exact legal name.