1.2 New York License Requirements
Key Takeaways
- Salesperson applicants must complete 77 hours of DOS-approved pre-license education (raised from 75 hours on 12/21/2022)
- The salesperson state exam is 75 multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes; the passing score is 70% (≈53 correct), but DOS reports only "pass" or "fail"
- Salesperson fees: $15 exam fee plus a $65 two-year license application fee; the broker application fee is $185
- Applicants must be at least 18, sponsored by a licensed broker, and meet honesty/trustworthiness standards
- Brokers need 152 total qualifying hours plus a 2-year/3-year experience requirement scored on a points system
Salesperson License Requirements
Basic eligibility: at least 18 years old, sponsored by a licensed broker, and able to meet DOS honesty/trustworthiness standards (certain convictions can bar licensure under Correction Law Article 23-A review).
Education — 77 hours
The pre-license requirement rose from 75 to 77 hours on December 21, 2022, adding fair housing, implicit bias, and cultural competency content. The 77-hour course covers:
- License law and the Department of State's regulations
- Law of agency and independent contractor relationships
- Real estate instruments, contracts, and leases
- Estates, interests, liens, and easements
- Real estate finance and closing/RESPA
- Land use, zoning, and environmental issues
- Fair housing and human rights (federal + NY Human Rights Law)
The State Exam
| Detail | Salesperson exam |
|---|---|
| Questions | 75 multiple-choice |
| Time limit | 90 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% (≈53 of 75) |
| Result reported | Pass / Fail only — no number |
| Administered by | DOS at state test sites (scheduled via eAccessNY) |
Trap: Many states use PSI or Pearson VUE. The NY salesperson qualifying exam is given directly by the Department of State, and you must bring valid photo ID. DOS reports only pass/fail, but the cutoff really is 70% — "there is no passing score" is wrong.
Fees and the Application Process
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Salesperson exam fee | $15 |
| Salesperson license (2-year term) | $65 |
| Broker license application | $185 |
Steps to license (salesperson):
- Complete the 77-hour course and pass its proctored school final.
- Create an eAccessNY account on the DOS site.
- Schedule and pass the 75-question state exam ($15).
- Secure a sponsoring broker (you cannot activate without one).
- Submit the license application ($65); the broker certifies sponsorship.
Broker License Requirements
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Education | 152 total hours (77-hr salesperson + 45-hr remedial-equivalent + 75-hr broker course, per DOS curriculum) |
| Experience | 2 years as a licensed salesperson OR 3 years general real estate experience |
| Points | Must accumulate the minimum experience points for the activity type (e.g., residential sales/rentals carry set point values) |
| Exam | Multiple-choice, 2½ hours, based on the 152-hour curriculum |
Worked example: A salesperson with exactly 2 years of active licensure still must show enough transaction points — closing residential sales, leases, and listings each carry point values. Time alone is not sufficient; an exam answer that says "2 years is automatically enough" is wrong.
Continuing Education
Every licensee renews on a 2-year cycle and must complete 22.5 CE hours, including specific mandatory components (detailed in the renewal rules): fair housing/discrimination, agency, implicit bias, cultural competency, ethics, and recent legal matters.
Continuing Education — Exact 22.5-Hour Breakdown
The 22.5-hour CE requirement per two-year cycle is not freely chosen; New York mandates specific minimum components. Memorize these for the state exam:
| CE component | Minimum hours |
|---|---|
| Fair housing and/or discrimination | 3.0 |
| Ethical business practices | 2.5 |
| Implicit bias training | 2.0 |
| Cultural competency | 2.0 |
| Law of agency (first renewal: 2 hrs; later: 1 hr) | 1.0–2.0 |
| Recent legal matters | 1.0 |
| Electives (to reach 22.5) | remainder |
Trap: A licensee continuously licensed since before July 1, 2008 may be exempt from CE entirely — but newer licensees never are. Also note the agency requirement is 2 hours at first renewal and 1 hour at each renewal after that.
License Term, Renewal, and Reciprocity
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| License term | 2 years, renewed online via eAccessNY |
| Late renewal | A license may be renewed within 2 years of expiration; after that, requalification is required |
| Sponsoring broker change | The salesperson's license must be transferred; you cannot work unsponsored |
| Reciprocity | New York has written reciprocity with several states (e.g., Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania); reciprocal applicants skip the NY exam but must keep a license in good standing in the home state |
Worked example: A salesperson lets the license lapse 18 months ago and wants to work again. Because 18 months is within the 2-year window, they can renew by completing CE and paying the fee — no need to retake the 77-hour course or the state exam. Had it lapsed for more than 2 years, they would have to requalify from scratch.
Honesty and Trustworthiness Review
Certain criminal convictions can disqualify an applicant, but under Correction Law Article 23-A DOS must weigh the offense's relationship to real estate work, time elapsed, and evidence of rehabilitation rather than imposing an automatic lifetime bar. An exam answer claiming "any conviction is an automatic permanent disqualification" is incorrect.
Salesperson vs. Associate Broker — a Tested Distinction
New York issues three license levels, and the exam expects you to separate them cleanly:
| License | What it means |
|---|---|
| Salesperson | Works under a sponsoring broker; cannot operate independently or hold escrow |
| Associate broker | Has met all broker qualifications but chooses to keep working under another broker |
| Broker | Qualified and operating independently; supervises salespersons and holds escrow |
The trap: an associate broker has the same 152-hour education and experience as a broker but is still supervised — they are not a salesperson who happened to take extra courses. Both salespersons and associate brokers must have an active sponsoring broker on file with DOS to do business.
How is the New York salesperson exam result reported, and what is the underlying cutoff?
Which combination of pre-license education hours is correct for New York?