Need of a License: A real estate salesperson must be licensed by the state of Illinois to represent clients in the sale or purchase of real estate that is located in Illinois.
Who Grants a License: Licenses are granted by the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (“IDFPR”). IDFPR issues three types of real estate licenses for individuals: (1) leasing agent licenses; (2) broker licenses; (2) managing broker licenses. IDFPR does not issue salespersons licenses.
Qualifications to receive a License: A candidate must complete 90 clock hours of study at an IDFPR Advisory board-approved real estate school (search schools here), pass a school-administered final exam, and pass a state exam. All candidates must submit a full set of fingerprints, prove legal presence and pass a background check. All candidates must be at least 21 years of age. (Exceptions to the age requirement are available.) For more information about qualifications, see the 75 Hour Broker Pre-license Courses page on the IDFPR website.
Applying for the Exams: The testing vendor for the Illinois real estate broker exam is Applied Measurement Professionals (AMP). Candidates should create an account, and register with AMP before completion of their 90-hour pre-license curriculum. The pre-license school electronically sends all candidates' pre-licensure course completion information to AMP. Upon confirmation of the candidates' graduation from the pre-license curriculum, AMP allows the candidate to schedule an appointment to take the exam. Candidates should schedule their exam appointment through the AMP website scheduling page. For more information, see the Illinois Real Estate Examination Program Candidate Handbook.
Test Content: The Illinois state real estate licensing exam is comprised of two separate tests, the national test and the state-specific test. Five questions on each test are considered "experimental" questions and are not scored. Both portions are comprised of multiple choice questions with four answer choices provided for each question. The questions on the two portions are intermixed and do not appear as separate sections. Test takers are allotted 3.5 hours to complete both portions of the exam. The passing score for each portion of the exam is a scaled score of 75. The exam is presented in a computer-based format, but accommodations for paper-based tests and/or oral testing can be provided with special arrangements.
The national test consists of 100 questions, and tests the candidate's knowledge of general real estate concepts, including the following subject areas:
Agency Relationships and Contracts
Real Property Ownership/Interest
Finance
Real Property
Marketing Regulations (purchase and rental)
Property Management
Real Estate Calculations
The state-specific test consists of 40 questions, and tests the candidate's knowledge of the state-specific concepts, including the following subject areas:
Licensing Requirements
Laws and Rules Regulating
Real Estate Practice Disclosures
How to Apply for the License: The license application is issued by AMP upon passing both portions of the licensing exam. The list of documents required for licensure is subject to change, but is on the application. Candidates must send all required documents to AMP at the following address:
AMP
P.O. Box 13482
Springfield, IL 62791-3482
In the interest of candidate preparation, the following documents will likely be on the list of required documents: (1) completed application and application fee; (2) original Illinois state real estate licensing exam score report(s); (3) certificate issued by an IDFPR-approved school for completion of the 90-hour salesperson pre-licensure curriculum; (5) A fingerprint card.
Fees: The IDFPR charges a license application fee.
Who administers the test: The IDFPR and AMP.
License Renewal Requirements: An Illinois real estate licensee must take 12 credit hours of continuing education (either online or in the classroom) from an IDFPR-approved provider every two years.
Applicable Regulations: Real estate licensees in Illinois are regulated under Illinois Compiled Statutes, Professions and Occupations, and the Illinois Administrative Code, Title 68, Chapter VIII, Subchapter b, Part 1450.
