Effective Oct. 1, 2003, the Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission began using a new vendor, PSI Examination Services, to administer its licensing tests.

This FAQ (frequently asked questions) page has been created to provide information to Polley pre-license students about the licensing examination process. It consists of three sections:

1. Registering to take the licensing exam 
2. About the examination itself
3. Securing your license

As of Aug. 19, 2004, PSI is based in Las Vegas NV. It administers tests for Pennsylvania Real Estate Broker licenses, and for Pennsylvania Real Estate Salesperson licenses (including builder/owner salespersons, rental listing referral agents, and cemetery brokers). BE ADVISED: PSI frequently (occasionally, several times in a single month) updates or revises information about its services. You should check its website, www.psiexams.com, for the most current information available.

The previous vendor, Experior Examination and Licensing Services, no longer provides testing services on behalf of the Commission. If you hold earlier Polley Associates materials that refer to Experior, you should be aware of this vendor change.

Registering to take the licensing exam

Individuals who want to take the licensing exam must first register with PSI Examination Services to do so. To register, you must complete the PSI registration form that is included in the 14-page "Candidate Information Bulletin" distributed to Polley students on their first day of class. Duplicate copies of this bulletin are available for download as an Adobe Acrobat document from PSI's website.

The completed one-page, double-sided form must be accompanied by 

• 1) a $56 examination fee (payable only by money order, cashier's check, or Visa or MasterCard; personal checks are NOT accepted), and
• 2) ONE of the two original Uniform Real Estate Transcripts issued to students by Polley Associates when they successfully finish their courses.

As of Aug. 19, 2004, the form, fee, and transcript should be mailed to

PSI Examination Services
Attn: Examination Registration PA RE
3210 East Tropicana
Las Vegas NV 89121
Fax (702) 932-2666 | Voice (800) 733-9267

• Important! Save the second of the two original transcripts in your files. It, and NOT a copy, must be submitted to the Commission for a license to be issued. Original transcripts are identified by an embossed Polley Associates seal. Transcripts lacking this seal will not be accepted by PSI or by the Commission. Duplicate original transcripts are available from Polley Associates at a cost of $10, but may take up to two weeks to process and mail.

Processing applications from first-time registrants takes about two weeks. PSI's bulletin reports that, once materials have been received and eligibility to take the licensing exam is approved, it will mail to applicants "a confirmation notice containing instructions for scheduling an appointment to take the examination." If your eligibility is denied, according to the bulletin, PSI will notify you of its denial by First Class mail.

When you receive a confirmation notice, you must contact PSI -- on the web or by phone -- to schedule a testing appointment. As of Dec. 4, 2003, PSI conducts examinations in these Pennsylvania cities: Allentown, Bristol, Cranberry Township, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, King of Prussia, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Scranton. Specific addresses for each location are available from the PSI website.

Once your testing appointment has been made, it is advisable to request a criminal record check from the Pennsylvania State Police. This record check is needed to secure your license. If requested by mail, the process may take several weeks; if requested via the Internet, it often takes only minutes! Learn more about the record check here.

About the examination itself

The licensing exam is administered on a computerized testing station. Before the test begins, PSI allows you to spend up to 15 minutes in a self-guided tutorial to learn how the testing station works.

The exam is conducted in two parts: a national portion that covers real estate principles and practices, and a state portion that covers Pennsylvania-specific real estate law. The national portion consists of 80 multiple-choice (four possible answers) questions that must be completed in no more than two hours. The state portion consists of an additional 30 multiple-choice questions that must be completed within an additional hour.

Each portion is scored separately. Effective Oct. 1, 2004, to successfully pass the exam you must correctly answer 70% of the questions on EACH portion (60 of 80 questions on the national, 23 of 30 on the state). Failure on either portion creates the need to re-test the portion you failed. Scores are reported immediately after the exam ends (after three hours, or earlier if  applicants indicate they are done with the exam.

If you pass the exam, PSI will issue a printed "passing score report" before you leave the testing site. It is important to save this report; you will need the original to secure your license, and you should keep a copy for your records. PSI will also provide an application for a Pennsylvania Real Estate Salespersons' License; you will need to complete and submit this form to secure your license (see below).

If you fail the exam (either or both portions), you can schedule another appointment to re-take it by contacting PSI through its website or by phone. You will not be required to submit new registration materials. However, you will be required to pay a $56 fee for each re-take (either or both portions).

Once you pass the licensing exam, you need to complete the salespersons' license application and submit it to the Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission, accompanied by

• 1) The original printed "passing score report."

• 2) An application fee of at least $67. The exact amount of the fee depends on when your exam was taken. The application offers more specific information on this topic.

• 3) The second of the two original Uniform Real Estate Transcripts issued to students by Polley Associates when they successfully finish their courses, as mentioned earlier on this page. It is important to keep a copy of this transcript for your records, but remember that only an original (with embossed seal) is acceptable to the state.

• 4) A completed criminal record check conducted by the Pennsylvania State Police.

  • You can request the record check online at the State Police website (www.psp.state.pa.us), using the "Criminal History Check" link found on its web pages. A "Request for Criminal Record Check" form also is included in PSI's Candidate Information Bulletin, and can be mailed to the State Police.

  • You must pay a $10 fee (if mailed, payable only by certified check or money order -- personal checks are NOT accepted; if online, payable by credit card) to have this check performed.

  • It may take State Police three weeks or longer to process a mailed request and return the criminal record check by mail. On the other hand, if your request is made via the Internet at the State Police website, a report may be returned in as little as 10 minutes and can be printed from your computer.

  • The record check will take the form of either a "no record" response, or a criminal record will be attached.

  • The record check is valid for only 90 days from issuance.

  • Your application for a license may be delayed and/or denied if you have ever been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor, or pled guilty or nolo contendre. The Commission requires additional documentation from those so convicted before it considers issuing a license. Contact the Commission for details.