- be at
least 21 years old
- be a
high school graduate or equivalent (G.E.D.)
- successfully complete
the pre-license 45-hour basic transactions real estate education course
- pass
the state of Illinois exam
- be
sponsored by a licensed broker in Illinois
About the
pre-license 45-hour basic transactions real estate education course
Also
called the “pre-license course,” this is a
mandatory education course for all salespersons. The course covers all
factors involved in real estate transactions including finance, real
property law, property, listing, agreements, taxes, legal descriptions,
Illinois License Law and ethics.
The Illinois
Association of REALTORS provides several options to fulfill this
training requirement: classroom, home study, and an online course.
After completing
the course, you must take an exam based on the course materials. IAR
will e-mail your exam to a local board of REALTORS for proctoring. Once
you pass this exam, you are issued a transcript that will enable you to
sit for the state exam, which is administered by Applied Measurement
Professionals (AMP).
1) Classroom
Option
The education course is
available in a classroom setting at approximately 70 IAR-sponsored
branch locations throughout Illinois. This option is best for
individuals who like to interact with others, want immediate
feedback to their questions and real-world examples.
Check the current
pre-license class schedule.
School
Policies
Attendance is
required.
All
absences up to 10 percent must be made up.
Missing more than 10 percent of the course results in failure.
Course completion requires a minimum of 75 percent or higher on the
final exam.
Tuition
Pre-license
classes are $295, which includes course materials.
Some branch
locations offer an advance registration fee of $275.
Refund Policy
A $25 fee is
non-refundable.
Written
cancellation of enrollment received by IAR prior to the class start
date will entitle the student to a refund of all other fees.
50 percent of
the tuition will be withheld if registration is cancelled within 10
hours after class begins. No refund will be issued thereafter.
Repeat
privilege
Any IAR real
estate transactions student who fails receives one free retake exam
and/or may repeat the course within one year on a space-available basis
at no additional tuition.
2) Online Course
If you
have discipline and are comfortable working on the computer with no
companion printed materials, the online Real Estate Transactions Course
is a good choice. The
online course is available from
RECampus, which is an online school sponsored by the Illinois
Association of REALTORS in partnership with Dearborn Publishing, Inc.
When you sign up for this course, be sure that the e-mail you submit is
your own, because once the program starts, the course will only
recognize the computer and e-mail address from which it was initially
logged into as enrolled. Also note: To take the online course, you must
download the software enhancer Java Virtual Machine to properly view the
materials. Click here to
download Java.
3) Home Study
A home
study course is available from the IAR REALTOR Store. You have twelve months to complete the
courses. The course does
have an instructor available to answer your questions via
telephone or e-mail. To order, visit the IAR
Online Pre-License Store,
or call 800/529-2696.
Who is exempt
from taking the pre-license 45-hour basic transactions real estate
education course?
Attorneys admitted
to practice law by the Illinois Supreme Court are exempt from
taking the pre-license course. A photocopy of your current Illinois attorney
registration pocket card certificate and consent to audit form must be
included in the examination registration submitted.
Candidates applying for licensure on the basis of reciprocity need only
take the Illinois State Supplemental examination. Documentation is
required: the certification from each state of licensure. Visit the
Ill. Dept. of Financial and
Professional Regulation
for an updated list of reciprocal states.
How to get
sponsored by a broker
Often even
before taking the state exam, individuals who are serious about a career
in real estate sales interview with several area brokers to learn about
their companies and whether they are looking for new agents. It’s a good
idea to do this to learn more about the profession and to consider where
you would like to work after you get your license. This is an informal
process and one that you initiate on your own.
Taking the
exam
As you prepare for the Illinois
Real Estate Salesperson exam, it is wise to read the
Candidate Handbook: Illinois Real Estate Examination
Program, a step-by-step guide published by
AMP, Inc. the state of
Illinois’ authorized administrator for its real estate exams. The guide
is available to download, free-of-charge. You can also reach AMP by calling 1-800-345-6559 or
info@goAMP.com.
The guide provides
detailed requirements for registering for the exam, how to schedule an
exam appointment as well as a detailed outline of the contents of the
text, sample exam questions, rules for the examination, as well as what
happens after the exam.
Proctored testing
is available at 12 AMP Assessment Center located throughout the state.
The exam is administered by appointment only Monday through Friday at 9
a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday testing will also be available in the
Chicago area, Springfield and St. Louis. The exam fee is $45 and you
will have 3˝ hours to complete it.
What if I fail
the exam?
Candidates
are allowed up to three attempts to pass the examination. After the
third attempt, you are required to retake the pre-license 45-hour basic transactions
course.
Last step,
obtaining your official salesperson license
After you pass the
Illinois Real Estate education exam you can apply for your salesperson license
from the
Illlinois Dept. of Financial and
Professional Regulation, 217/782-3414.
What about
real estate continuing education?
Real estate
salespersons are required by the state of Illinois to take 12 hours of
approved continuing education every two years. Likewise, licensees are
required to apply for a license renewal every two years from the
Illinois Dept. of Financial and
Professional Regulation.
Get more details about continuing education requirements.
