We publish and maintain this guide to give you clear steps to obtain your California Real Estate License. We have been in the real estate licensing business for over 40 years and stand behind our products & customer support.

If you have any questions with this process feel free to call our office and we will be happy to walk you through it.

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CEO, Revei
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Real Estate License Guides

  1. Getting a Real Estate License
  2. DRE State Exam License Tips
  3. After you get your Real Estate License


Last Updated: 3/9/2024

How to get a California Real Estate License

Three Steps to Become a California Real Estate Salesperson

  1. Complete 135 hours of required education
  2. Apply for your Salesperson Exam/License Application (w/fingerprinting and background check)
  3. Pass the California Salesperson License Exam

Revei helped over 3,000 people get their California Salesperson License in 2019 and 2020. Call us if you have any questions!

For more details on each requirement, see below:

1) Complete 135 hrs of Required Education

In order to apply for the California Department of Real Estate (DRE, formerly known as BRE) state exam, you are required to complete 135 hours of DRE approved college level real estate courses. (Real Estate Principles, Real Estate Practice, 1 Elective). These courses can be simple to study for and complete using our simple self-study method. In about 2 months you could be ready to apply for the DRE salesperson license exam.

The Legal Aspects of Real Estate course, also called Real Estate Law is recommended for most people looking to get into the real estate business. The Legal Aspects course in combination with Real Estate Principles and Real Estate Practice will give a new licensee a good base to their career in either residential or commercial real estate.

2) Appling for your Salesperson Exam/License Application

This includes a fingerprinting and background check.

Once you have completed your required education, you can apply for your license exam. There are 2 forms that need to be filled out. RE 435 Salesperson Exam/License Application and RE 237 Live Scan Service Request. These forms get mailed to CalBRE with a check in the amount of $305 to cover the exam and license fees.

3) Pass the California Salesperson License Exam

The DRE state exam is 150 questions and you will have just over three (3) hours to complete it. To pass it you will need a score of 70% or better.

DRE has a database of questions that cover all of the course topics above from the hundreds of textbooks available. The required education alone is not enough to help someone pass the state exam. You want to make sure you get study material specifically for the state exam as well. This study material should include but not be limited to real estate vocabulary, a math review, acronyms, and over 1,000 questions and answers for you to study.


Revei can offer you an exam prep package - call us for more questions when you are ready!

For more information about how to get your California DRE Real Estate License, see our education packages for your education requirement at www.revei.com/prelicensing.

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