1.2 Illinois License Requirements
Key Takeaways
- An Illinois Broker license requires 75 hours of pre-license education: 60 hours of Real Estate Principles plus a 15-hour Applied Real Estate Principles course that must be taken live.
- The licensing exam is delivered by PSI and contains 140 scored questions — 100 national plus 40 state — with a 75% scaled passing score on each section, taken separately.
- Applicants must be at least 18, hold a high school diploma or GED, and the exam fee is $58 per attempt.
- Managing Broker licensure requires roughly 45 additional hours of education plus two of the prior three years of active Broker experience.
- Brokers renew every two years (current cycle ends April 30, 2026) with 12 hours of continuing education.
Broker License Requirements
To qualify for an Illinois Broker license you must meet baseline eligibility and finish the mandated coursework:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 18 years old |
| Education | High school diploma or GED |
| Sponsorship | Must be sponsored by a Managing Broker before practicing |
| Background | No disqualifying criminal history; honesty/integrity standard |
| ID number | Social Security Number or ITIN required |
Pre-License Education: 75 Hours
The single most-tested logistics fact is the 75-hour requirement, split into two parts:
| Component | Hours | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate Principles (Topics) | 60 | Online or classroom |
| Applied Real Estate Principles | 15 | LIVE only (classroom or live webinar) |
| Total | 75 |
The 15-hour Applied course is interactive and cannot be self-paced — it must be delivered live. Exam items frequently ask "may the Applied course be completed self-study online?" The answer is no. Worked example: a candidate finishes a 75-hour online package where the Applied segment was recorded video. That candidate is not exam-eligible because the Applied portion must be live.
The PSI Licensing Examination
Illinois contracts exam delivery to PSI. The test is computer-based and offered at PSI centers or by remote online proctoring.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| National (general) section | 100 scored questions |
| State (Illinois) section | 40 scored questions |
| Total scored questions | 140 |
| Unscored pretest items | 5–10 mixed in (do not count) |
| Total testing time | ~3.5 hours |
| Passing score | 70% national, 75% state (scored separately) |
| Delivery | PSI, computer-based / remote proctored |
The two sections are scored independently, and the cut scores are different: you must reach 70% on the national (general) section and 75% on the Illinois state section. In practice that means you may miss up to 30 of 100 national and 10 of 40 state items. Passing one section but failing the other means you re-test only the failed section, not the whole exam. A candidate who clears national at 80% but scores 72% on state passes national and must retake only the 40-question state portion (72% is below the 75% state cut, even though it would clear the 70% national bar).
Fees and Startup Costs
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Pre-license education package | ~$300–$900 |
| PSI exam fee | $58 per attempt |
| Application fee | ~$150 |
| Fingerprint / background check | ~$50–$100 |
| Typical total to launch | ~$558–$1,208 |
Managing Broker, Leasing Agent, and Renewal
Managing Broker
Moving up to Managing Broker — the tier that supervises Brokers and operates an office — requires both experience and added schooling:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Experience | Active as a licensed Broker for 2 of the prior 3 years |
| Education | ~45 additional approved hours |
| Exam | Pass the Managing Broker examination |
| Sponsorship | None required; the Managing Broker is the supervisor |
Leasing Agent
The Leasing Agent license is the narrowest tier — residential leasing only, no sales. It requires a 15-hour course and a separate leasing exam, and the holder must be sponsored by a Managing Broker. New leasing employees may work up to 120 days under a temporary permit while completing the requirement.
Continuing Education and Renewal
Brokers renew on a two-year cycle; the current cycle ends April 30, 2026.
| CE Component | Hours |
|---|---|
| Total CE per renewal | 12 |
| Core course (includes 2 hrs Fair Housing) | 6 |
| Electives (must include Sexual Harassment Prevention) | 6 |
Trap: the first renewal after initial licensure has a different, transition-specific CE requirement — don't assume every Broker always does exactly 12 hours; first-time renewers should confirm their post-license obligation.
Putting the Numbers Together
Candidates lose points by confusing the various hour figures, so anchor each one to a tier and a purpose. The 75 pre-license hours belong to the Broker applicant and break into 60 + 15. The 15 Applied hours are the live, interactive capstone — the figure most often swapped out in wrong answers (watch for 10 or 20). The 45 added hours and the 2-of-3-years experience window belong to the Managing Broker upgrade. The 15 standalone hours belong to the Leasing Agent. And the 12 CE hours belong to renewal, repeating every two years.
A clean way to study is a one-line summary per tier:
- Broker: 18+, HS diploma/GED, 75 hrs (60 + 15 live), pass the 140-Q PSI exam at 70% national / 75% state, then get sponsored.
- Managing Broker: active Broker 2 of last 3 years, ~45 added hours, pass the Managing Broker exam, may then supervise.
- Leasing Agent: 15 hrs, residential leasing only, sponsored by a Managing Broker, may work up to ~120 days under a temporary permit while finishing.
- Renewal (Broker): 12 CE hrs every 2 years — 6 core (with 2 hrs Fair Housing) + 6 electives (with Sexual Harassment Prevention).
The other reliably tested point is the independent scoring of the two exam sections. Many candidates assume a single combined score; the exam rewards those who know the national section is scored at a 70% cut while the Illinois state section requires 75%, that the two are graded independently, and that a re-test covers only the failed section. Keep the fee anchors straight too: the PSI exam fee is $58 per attempt, and a failed section means paying again to re-sit.
Finally, remember pre-license education must be completed at an IDFPR-approved school — credit from an unapproved provider does not count, no matter how many hours it claims.
Tie every number to its tier and the logistics items on the state section become near-automatic points.
A candidate completed 75 hours of fully self-paced online coursework, including the Applied Real Estate Principles segment as recorded video. Are they exam-eligible?
On the Illinois licensing exam, what happens if you pass the national section at 80% but score 70% on the state section?