Here's how it works and the steps required to become a Florida Real Estate Sales Associate Licensee.

• Complete the state required 63 hour Sales Associate Pre-License Course (either online or in the classroom).  You will be given a timed end of course exam that you have to pass with at least a 70%.  The exam is 100 questions, all of which are multiple choice.

• Submit a Sales Associate state application and fingerprint card to the State of Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Real Estate along with the fee required by the state (currently $152.00). Once your state application is approved, you will be notified by mail along with information on how and where to take the state exam.  The state exam is given by a company called Promissor, which offers the exam at convenient times in most major cities throughout Florida.  It generally takes around 30 to 45 days for the state to process your application (although they legally have 90 days to process it).  You can submit your application at any time, before, during, or after your pre-license course.  In our experience, students generally perform best when they take the state exam shortly after completion of their pre-license course.  Therefore, we recommend that you submit your state application at least 30 days before you anticipate completing the pre-license course. 

• Take and pass the state exam with at least a 75%.  The state exam is also 100 multiple choice questions.  Before the state will allow you to take the state exam, you must have successfully completed the Sales Associate Pre-License course and have been issued a Course Completion Certificate by a state approved real estate school (or other such organization authorized under F.S. 475.451).  You will need to mail your Course Completion Certificate along with your state application or take it with you to the state exam (if you submit your application prior to obtaining the certificate) as evidence that you have successfully completed the state required Sales Associate Pre-license Course. 

• You must be at least 18 years of age and have a high school diploma or GED.

• Important timeframes:  You must pass the state exam within two years of completing the pre-license course (otherwise you have to take the course all over again).  Your state application, however, will expire 1 year from the date received by the state.  In other words, if you didn't pass the state exam within the 1 year timeframe, you would have to re-file the state application.

NOTE:  You do not have to be a Florida resident or a U.S. citizen.