Learn how to become a real estate agent in New York with Kristen Bacorn. Learn New York real estate license questions with RELNY.

FAQS | New York Real Estate License Questions | RELNY

Do you have questions about how to become a real estate agent? Learn how to get a real estate license with Real Estate License NY. Acclaimed real estate expert Kristen Bacorn has taught over 100,000 real estate students in New York, and has finally created an Audio-Book styled fully accredited 77hr NYS real estate Salesperson Licensing course. Our course has narration in English, with subtitles and transcripts in English, Spanish, Russian, Korean & Chinese. Give us a call or send a text message to 1-877-997-3569.

Get Your NYS Real Estate Salsperson License

Learn How To Become A Real Estate Agent In New York With RELNY

Common New York Real Estate License Questions With Kristen Bacorn

Real Estate Licensing New York (RELNY) is a new school that has burst into the New York real estate market, and appears to be taking it by storm!  We may be a new school, but our group of interdisciplinary experts have decades of experience in fields as diverse as law, architecture, literature, IT, film production and more.

RELNY centers all its efforts on students and their success.  We are committed to time-tested academic rigor and impeccable scholarship delivered with top-quality production values.  But we’re not above having a little fun.  RELNY firmly believes that education can also be edu-tainment, and that people learn best in a relaxed, enjoyable setting. 

We also know that students like you are way too busy to read a lot of verbose jargon, so we keep our words simple and straight to the point, while still meeting all State standards.  RELNY is also committed to giving back to the community, and offers support to charities related to real estate; for more info, please see our section on Giving Back.

We also pride ourselves at RELNY on customer support. We answer all types of questions, whether they are technical, administrative, procedural, academic, career, or about real estate in general.  You can reach out to us at any time during your course; for details, please see our section on Support.

We believe it is not enough just to offer a 77-hour course following state rules.  RELNY offers a total support system, with exam prep, supplemental books and videos, and a job placement service to help you find your ideal workplace.  And, we will be here throughout your career, with advanced courses and continuing education you can take in future.

At RELNY, we are only as good as our students, and we plan to keep growing and learning how best to anticipate and meet your education needs.

The mission of Real Estate Licensing New York (RELNY) is to provide the nation’s highest quality education in real estate professional studies.  The Real Estate Salesperson Licensing course is an intensive vocational course that establishes the foundation for a responsible professional career.  RELNY’s mission is to provide learners an extraordinary experience that meets, or even exceeds, the standards set by Association of Real Estate License Law Officials and embedded in New York State Real Property Law.

Live classroom education has the limitation of reaching only those few students who can attend classes at a specific time and place with a specific instructor.  Distance education, by contrast, captures course delivery by superior instructors, allows individual learner interactivity, and delivers on demand.

RELNY’s unique distance learning course in Real Estate Salesperson Licensing has been prepared by an instructor with 35 years of experience in the real estate industry, an Ivy-League education, and additional certifications in Architecture and Finance.  Our head instructor is approved by New York State Department of State (DOS) and is also certified as a distance instructor (CDEI) by Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO).  The basic subject matter was developed and field-tested in front of live audiences before being built into a distance product.  All curricula, written matter, and video presentations have been reviewed by an expert real estate attorney.

RELNY shares national and state standards that multi-valent learning is the most effective.  In RELNY’s distance learning course, students see, hear, read, repeat, and interact with the material, instead of simply attending a lecture.  Top-quality photography and graphic design give illustrations to keep the course interesting and memorable.  Consistent with ARELLO’s procedure, the course tracks learner progress to the minute and gives exceptional detail on each learner’s mastery of course material.

Real Estate Licensing New York is committed to creating and maintaining the most thorough, accurate, and current real estate education available in the United States.  RELNY understands that real estate licensing is career education, and therefore directly responsible for promoting the livelihoods of students and their families.  Accordingly, theoretical material is balanced with examples derived from real estate practice. 

RELNY’s mission is dedicated to success and satisfaction of learners, under adherence to all legal guidelines. Throughout course design, strict compliance with New York State Dept. of State requirements and Association of Real Estate License Law Officials’ standards has been upheld.

Would you like to work in New York real estate?  Well, you have come to the right place:  Real Estate Licensing New York (RELNY), a state-approved New York school. Here is the course you are required to take — by state law — so you can become a licensed real estate salesperson (and later a broker).

Students tell us they take our course for three main reasons:

It is required by state law to get a real estate license,

It gives you info to pass the two required salesperson licensing exams,

Number 3 is very important, because real estate is a challenging profession!  You certainly want to learn as much as you can with us, so you are ready to jump in, start competing and making money as soon as you get your license.  This course gives you so much knowledge about laws, principles and procedures that many people take the course just to learn about their own personal wealth management.

No one can legally work as a real estate salesperson in New York State until they have taken the required course.  You can’t work without the course, but you have to work to pay for the course! It’s a real Catch 22, isn’t it? With that in mind, one of our guiding principles is affordability.  We streamlined our development to deliver you the most comprehensive education at the most competitive prices possible!

We at Real Estate Licensing New York (RELNY) decided that we were going to create the ultimate new, 21st century salesperson course.  We were determined to make an unprecedented course that would be an industry leader.  And the main thing we thought about, throughout course development was… you.  The needs and wants of students were always foremost in our minds.

First, we searched to find the ultimate best teacher.  We scoured Yelp reviews, Amazon book reviews, and talked to hundreds of students.  Everyone seemed to agree that the best teacher in the industry is Kristen Bacorn, a Harvard-educated broker who, in her long career, has guided 100,000 students to success.  We at RELNY were thrilled when Kristen agreed to come on board with us as Head Instructor.  You will get to know Kristen well as she leads you through this 75 hours with warmth and a great sense of humor.

Then we put together a talented team of graphic artists, researchers, designers, video producers and writers.  We even built our own brand-new video recording studio.  The result is this state-of-the-art course, which we believe is by far the best course you will ever find in New York State.  Our course, which strictly follows New York State Dept. of State’s mandatory Salesperson Syllabus, covers a range of fascinating topics, including construction, finance, law, environment, management, civil rights and more!

We are so confident of the effectiveness of our course that we even offer a unique Performance Guarantee. If you successfully complete our 75-hour course and don’t pass your State Licensing Test and you purchase an upgraded program, we will provide you with free exam prep until you do pass!

RELNY understands that everyone learns differently, so we have built a multi-media course. You can learn the material by looking at the artwork and reading the captions, listening to Kristen’s voice-over, reading the textbook, watching Kristen’s video — or, all of these things! And after the course is done, we offer free exam prep tools to make your study easy.

RELNY is proud to have students from all over the world.  We make subtitles for Kristen’s narration available in five languages!  Right now, we offer English, Spanish, Korean, Russian and Chinese. You can learn at your own pace, take classes any time of day, and repeat any parts of the course you choose. 

RELNY is also proud to have students with a wide range of abilities.  RELNY’s course is designed in strict compliance with federal laws Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II and 1973 Rehabilitation Act§ 504.  We offer the following modifications and accommodations:

Multi-media course delivery including audio narration for low vision students, and written subtitles and transcripts for low hearing students

Self-paced study, allowing unlimited time, 24/7, to play, pause, repeat or review course content during enrollment period

Free download of course transcript which includes color illustrations; text size can be enlarged

Option to purchase enhanced course textbook and/or large print exam study guide

Screen control with mouse or buttons or voice?

Individual, one-on-one tutoring on an as-needed basis, arranged case-by-case

Take our 75-hour Salesperson Licensing course

Pass both School and State Licensing Tests

Find a licensed NY broker who will “sponsor” you by approving your license application and supervising your work

Submit Salesperson License Application to NYS Dept. of State (DOS), Division of Licensing Services

Start your new career in your broker’s office!

Supporting and communicating with our students is a priority for RELNY.  You can contact us 24/7 by phone or in writing.  If for some reason we are unable to help you immediately, we will contact you within 24 to 48 hours — or much sooner! 

Phone:  Our main number is 877-99RELNY (877-997-3569).  To get you to the right person fast, we have extensions for things like registration and sales, general info, tech support, academics and careers/job placement.  (To get to your teacher Kristen and her team, you would choose the extension for academics).

                 Email:  You can write us at these emails:

Registration, buying books & study materials, enrollment changes

Questions about registration through 3rd parties affiliates (other schools or websites which sell RELNY’s courses)

To contact instructor or ask about course material

Chat: Our website is realestatelicenseny.com).  At any point while taking your course or browsing our website, you can click on Help Chat to choose your topic and start a chat.  If no one is available to assist you at that time, you may leave a message, and we will respond within 24 to 48 hours — or much sooner!

Mail:  Our mailing address is 25 Melville Park Road, Suite 160, Melville, NY 11747 (please be aware that this is not an office open to the public).

Although student communications are a welcome positive experience, RELNY has prepared a formal protocol in the event a problem should arise.  Our procedures are based on best practices advocated by US Dept. of Education’s Program Integrity & Improvement rules.  Our distance education students are encouraged to resolve any difficulties directly with our team. In more complicated cases, we ask the student to fill out a written complaint form which provides full details and asks the student to propose their desired resolution.  RELNY considers student concerns of utmost importance, and all complaints are to be reviewed by our Executive Team and legal counsel, investigated (if necessary), and addressed within 30 days.

Distance education is a blessing, but it can also be a curse when you get technical problems!  RELNY has a specialized IT team dedicated to supporting you if you run into any computer problems.  You can reach them any time online (support@relny.com) or by phone (877-99RELNY or 877-997-3569). 

RELNY’s state-of-the-art student communications system runs on the Zendesk platform for Customer Relations Management.  Zendesk are described as the “Champions of customer service,”  and received nothing but four and five star ratings from independent software analysts like PC Magazine and Capterra.

We at RELNY committed a lot of effort and resources to making sure you have the most efficient and enjoyable customer experience.

Before you start the Real Estate Salesperson Licensing course, let’s go over the prerequisites set in New York State Real Property Law.  To get a real estate Salesperson License in New York State, you must be at least 18 years old.  (But you don’t have to be 18 to take the course; some people take the course at age 17 and get their license after they turn 18.)  No previous education is specifically required; you do not need a high school or college diploma.  RELNY does not give any entrance exam or pre-test.

You do not have to be an American citizen to get a license, but you must have legal work status, because a license is a job qualification.  You do not have to live in New York State, but when you start working as a salesperson, your sponsoring broker must be licensed in New York.[1]

Dept. of State (DOS) considers license applications by persons convicted of a felony or sex offense on a case-by-case basis; if you have such a conviction, please contact DOS directly for details on their specific rules and procedures.

[1]Here are the exact words of NYS Real Property Law, Article 12A, § 440-a, License required for real estate brokers and salespersons:    “No person, co-partnership, limited liability company or corporation shall engage in or follow the business or occupation of, or hold himself or itself out or act temporarily or otherwise as a real estate broker or real estate salesperson in this State without first procuring a license therefor as provided in this article. …No person shall be entitled to a license as a real estate salesperson under this article unless he or she is over the age of 18 years. No person shall be entitled to a license as a real estate broker or real estate salesperson under this article who has been convicted in this state or elsewhere of a felony, of a sex offense, as defined in subdivision two of §168-A of the Correction Law or any offense committed outside of this State which would constitute a sex offense, or a sexually violent offense, as defined in subdivision three of §168-A of the Correction Law or any offense committed outside this State which would constitute a sexually violent offense, and who has not subsequent to such conviction received executive pardon therefor or a certificate of relief from disabilities or a certificate of good conduct pursuant to article 23 of the Correction Law, to remove the disability under this section because of such conviction. No person shall be entitled to a license as a real estate broker or real estate salesperson under this article who does not meet the requirements of section 3-503 of the General Obligations Law [which requires licensees to be current on any child support obligations].

Here are the exact words of NYS Real Property Law, Article 12A, § 442-g, Nonresident licensees:   1. A nonresident of this State may become a real estate broker or a real estate salesperson by conforming to all of the provisions of this article…”

Once you register, you can start the course immediately.  Like, that minute!  Your four-month enrollment period begins when you start RELNY’s online course. You have four months to complete the 75-hour course and take our School Test through PSI testing service. (RELNY’s time limit does not apply to the state licensing test.) 

During your four-month enrollment period, you may access the course 24/7, and learn at your own pace. You may take as many classes as you like per day, repeat classes, and stop and start in the middle of chapters or lectures; we’ll hold your place.

When you have finished 67.5 hours of the 75-hour course — that’s 90% — we will send you an email saying that you may now take the School Test (you cannot test before completing 67.5 hours). A button to register for School Test will also appear on your dashboard.  RELNY does not give the test; instead we use an impartial, third-party tester. Please be sure to make a reservation through our professional testing service, PSI, at least a few weeks before your desired test date.

RELNY offers different timelines depending on the package you register for.  It’s part of our effort to keep our courses as flexible and affordable as possible.

In short, with a stable internet connection, you can access RELNY on just about any device, using just about any current browser.  (We recommend latest versions of Chrome of Firefox, and also support Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Safari, and others.)

To deliver the highest quality learner experience, RELNY committed to Open Edx as our education development platform.  Created jointly by Harvard and MIT, this technologically advanced system is now supported by business giants like Google, Microsoft and IBM, and universities like Stanford, Berkeley and Georgetown.  Open Edx offers:

Cross-device / cross-platform capability to work on any device

Inclusivity and adaptability to student needs

Interactive content with adaptive video streaming

Multimedia, animation, simulation; capability for augmented reality and virtual reality

Seamless integration with third party tools and extensions

Intelligent analytics, including student dashboard with near real-time data analysis

Extensive data collection to help developers continually improve instruction

Separate from RELNY, if Dept. of State allows online testing for School and State Salesperson Licensing Test, you will also need a camera attached to your computer (for testing security protocols).  For further information on test procedures, you may contact PSI (800-733-9267) and NYS Dept. of State (518) 474-4429).

You may create a username and password on sales.relny.com. You can create an account through Google or Facebook if you like.  After you register, when you sign in, you will see the dashboard.  The list of numbered Chapters and Lectures appears, showing which ones you have finished, which you are still working on, and which you have not started yet.  Finished Lectures, Chapters and Quizzes/Tests are marked with a green checkmark ✓.

To move through the course, click on “Next” or “Previous” to go forward and back, or you can use the Right and Left arrows on your keyboard. If you need to stop a lecture in the middle — and everyone who has a family, a pet or even a phone has to do that sometimes — the RELNY system will keep your place for you to rejoin when you come back.  If you find parts of the course that you would like to study again, you can place your own bookmarks.

For further info on how to use our system, our instructor Kristen has narrated a video, called Course Orientation, found on the dashboard. It shows all the features available to you.

RELNY puts students first, so at end of course you will be offered a Learner Satisfaction Survey to tell us about your experience. Results of the Survey are confidential, and you are not required to give your name.  But if you would like to share and have your comments posted on our site, you may give permission on the Survey.

With the increasing popularity of online courses, regulatory standards for student verification have become stricter.  Schools are required to keep track of your log-ins and time online, and to stop now and then during the course to check student’s ID.  We do this by asking you to re-enter your secure username and password now and then throughout the course.  Also, if RELNY’s system detects inactivity for a long time — ten minutes or more — you will be asked to log in again.

We know it’s a pain, and we don’t like the identity checks too much either.  But we value cyber-security, and pride ourselves on protecting the privacy of your exclusive account.  So please don’t take it personally when the course stops in the middle and asks you to check in; it’s just for everyone’s safety.

RELNY’s 75-hour Salesperson Licensing Course strictly follows NYS Dept. of State’s Salesperson Syllabus, last revised in 2018.  The Syllabus has 19 Chapters, which we have divided into 75 one-hour Lectures (listed at the end of this article).  At the beginning of each chapter is a Table of Contents taken directly from the Dept. of State’s Syllabus.  Our course has 348 Learning Objectives, which are also stated at beginning of each chapter.

We will not publish the state Syllabus here, because it is about 50 pages, but if you would like to read it, Dept. of State has posted it at: https://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/re_salesperson/pdf/2018RESalespersonCurriculum.pdf.

The course begins with Chapter One (of course), License Law, which goes over the basics of real estate licensing and the state laws we have to know and follow.  Each chapter builds on the ones before, which is why you are required to take the chapters in order.

We at RELNY understand that your time is valuable, and you may sometimes have to stop in the middle of a Lecture or Chapter.  That’s fine!  You can stop whenever you want. Our system tracks your time and progress; we will save your place for when you come back.  If you want to know how much time is left in the lecture you are in, just look at the timer that appears on your screen.

During course development, we made sure to include memory devices (mnemonics) to help learners retain the facts they will need for the test.  You will notice during our course that Kristen uses little tricks, like pictures, puns, acronyms and jokes to help you remember key concepts.  We’ve had students tell us that they often think about our slides while taking the State Test, and that they learned many things they will never forget.

NYS Dept. of State (DOS) does not require the Salesperson Licensing course to be graded; you will not get an A, B, C or D at the end of the course.  Instead, you will get a Certificate of Completion.  To go forward through the course, you must pass the Quizzes and Lecture Tests in the body of the course.  Also, DOS does not consider the course completed unless you have passed the School Test.  In other words, you may watch, listen to or read every word of the 75-hour course and pass all Quizzes/Tests, but you cannot get a Certificate of Completion until you pass RELNY’s School Test.

In each lecture, you can view the slides, listen to Kristen’s voice, and read subtitles or transcript — or all of these at once — whatever way you like to learn.  You can also download the transcript and read it at your own pace, like a textbook.

After a few ideas are discussed, you will be given some quiz questions.  The quizzes do not affect your grade on the school test;  the reason for a quiz is to let you know if you understood the course material.  If so, great!  Keep going!  If not, you can go back and look at some things again, and then try the same quiz again. You cannot skip the quizzes.  You can’t go forward with the course until you pass each quiz. But, if you truly do not know the answer to a question, you can click on“Show Answer.” Please remember, or jot down, the answers to questions you do not know.  If you click Show Answer, you will learn the correct answer, but your answer will be counted as incorrect.We strongly suggest that you pay attention to the quizzes, because many quiz questions will be on your final school and state licensing tests. To repeat a quiz they failed, do they immediately retake exact same questions? ARELLO doesn’t like that. NO more show answer; if you get it wrong, you can try again.  They get one chance at lecture test.  But they can access quiz & lecture questions in practice tests.  If you fail, you can move.  After they study, they can re-take lecture test once to raise readiness meter.

For example, you may see a quiz question like, “What was America’s first fair housing law?”  And of course the answer is, “1866 Civil Rights Act.”  You are extremely likely to see this question on your final tests, so it helps to learn the answer during these little quizzes.

At end of each one-hour lecture is a Lecture Test.  It covers everything in that lecture (and does not include topics from other lectures or chapters).  The purpose of this test is to make sure you really understood the lecture and will be able to answer final test questions about it.  You cannot go forward to the next lecture until you have passed the Lecture Test.  If you pass, beautiful! Keep going! If not, don’t worry, just go back and look at the lecture again until you feel you really know it. And remember, you can bookmark things you want to study again.

Nobody likes tests, at least nobody sane likes tests! But please just think of these questions as ways to check your knowledge and to increase your chances of passing the final licensing tests.  Try to have fun with the tests, which educators like to call “assessments,” and use them as a learning tool.You can always go back and look at anything you answered already.

Have you ever taken a course and wondered if you are ready for the final exam?  Well, we find a way for you to know that!            

RELNY’s expert designers have developed a unique tool called the Exam Readiness Meter (ERM) to help you measure your progress and improve your confidence.   After significant industry research, we feel safe in saying that at the time of introducing this course, RELNY is the only online school in our state to offer this helpful feedback monitor that tells you how well you are scoring on Lecture Tests compared to School and State Licensing Tests.

Each time you take a quiz, our system records your number of right and wrong answers.  As you pass through the course, the ERM compares your percent of right answers to your percent of course completion.  For example, if you are 90% through the course, but your ERM score is 70%, you should study before taking School or State Tests.When your ERM is above 85%, you are probably ready to pass both tests.

We think it’s great for students to have ongoing progress reporting right on their screen as they go through the course.

Now, for the big dogs!  The School and State Licensing Tests.  Students always ask us the difference between state and school tests.  Both tests cover the same topics and even have many of the same questions.  The State Test has slightly fewer math questions than RELNY’s School Test, and the State Test has more complicated words than RELNY’s test, which uses simple language.

Some people get mixed up and think that they don’t have to pass both tests to get a real estate Salesperson License.  Wrong! 

You must pass both school and state tests to get your license!

Another thing some people get confused about is timing.  Some people assume (mistakenly) that they have to take School Test first and State Test second.  Not true!  You can take School Test after you have finished 67.5 hours of the course (and not until then, according to state regulations).  But the State Test you can take any time!  You can even take the state test before you take the course — nobody cares.  Of course, if you pass the State Test, you still do have to take the course and the School Test, no getting around that.

Our School Test was written by our team of real estate experts, but it is proctored by an independent testing center, such as a library. There are free options like libraries or you could choose to pay for one of the optional test centers. A list of the test site locations is given below.

Once you locate your preferred test center location, check the notes for the procedure for making an appointment. Each test location has its own procedures. Generally, once you make the appointment, you should email us and we will confirm the appointment and provide the necessary information to the test center.  You need can make your test appointment, as long as it is within your RELNY enrollment period and after completing 90% of the course. Taking the test after your enrollment period is permitted, but you would have to pay for a time extension.  (It is rare for students to need an extension, as most people finish the course in a few weeks, and have plenty of time to study after that).  The school final exam is given only in English. Quiz questions and lecture tests are in English only.

The New York State Department of State (DOS) gives the state licensing test at their own centers. The state test is separate from the school final exam. There are about a dozen NYS test locations throughout the state. You register for a test date on the DOS website through an app called eAccess,[1] and you will be charged $15. DOS describes eAccess as, “a secure, password-protected occupational licensing management system available online 24/7.”

The State Test is offered in the same five languages as this course:  English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Korean. School Test is only in English.  Like the school test, the state test has 75 questions, gives you 1.5 hours to finish, and requires 70% (53 questions right) to pass. Please remember to schedule both your school and state tests a few weeks in advance, because the test centers have limited seats and sometimes have a waiting list.

What about online testing?  During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dept. of State (DOS) followed established recommended guidelines and safety requirements, such as reduced seating and mask wearing at test centers.  Please contact DOS for info on online testing options.

Our school test has 75 questions and you have 1.5 hours to finish.  The passing score is 70% or more, which means you must get 53 questions right.   Both School and State Tests are scored pass-fail; you will not get a numeric grade, and will not receive info on which questions you got right or wrong.   So, you must score 70%+ to pass both School and State Tests, but you will only be told whether your score was above or below 70%; you will not get your exact numeric percent score.

You should get your school final exam score in about 48 hours. DOS takes 2-5 days to grade the tests; you can find out if you passed the State licensing exam by visiting eAccess.

We believe that you will pass both School and State Tests, but sometimes things don’t go as planned.  If for some reason you do not pass School Test, you are allowed to take it again for free.  As a matter of fact, we have three different tests, so on your next test the questions will be different, but of about equal difficulty.  If you do not pass the second time, you may still take the test again, but it will cost an administrative fee of $50.  Please remember that, even if you finish the course, New York DOS does not consider the course complete until you successfully pass the School Test.  And, even if you pass State Test, you cannot get a real estate license without passing School Test.

If for some reason you do not pass the State Test, you are allowed to take it again as many times as you like — until you run out of $15.  But you can only reserve one test date at a time.

If you do not pass a test, please do not be discouraged, and do not take it personally.  We have seen highly intelligent people who did not pass because they didn’t know what to expect, they were surprised by all the big words on the state test or they just get nervous over tests in general.  If you go back, study and try again, you will succeed, and it will show your strength of character.  We will help you!  RELNY is the school with the State Exam Pass Guarantee!  Keep reading and we’ll tell you all about it.

[1] You can find eAccess at: https://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/eaccessny.html

Real Estate Licensing New York (RELNY)

Yes.  New York State Dept. of State (DOS) requires anyone who wants to work in real estate sales or rentals to get a real estate license from the state government.  To get a license, you must complete a salesperson course at an accredited school and pass two tests.  RELNY (Real Estate Licensing of New York) is a school accredited by NYS Dept. of State.  A description of business activities requiring a real estate license in New York is at: https://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/re_salesperson/re_sales_broker_faq.html#1andhttps://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/pdfs/RE-Law.pdf(§ 440 , page 3).

No.  Salespersons are not required to have a high school or college education. DOS does require salespersons to be 18 years old at time of licensing.

You will have 3-6 months to complete the course depending on your package. Additionally an extension is always an available option.*

Yes.  The NYS Real Estate Salesperson course is 75 hours long.  However, Dept. of State allows you to miss 10%.  In other words, you must complete 67.5 hours of the 75-hour course to get a certificate of completion.  You cannot take the school test unless you have finished at least 67.5 hours of class time.

Attendance is tracked automatically when you login and take the course.

RELNY strictly follows Dept. of State’s syllabus, which requires different time limits for each chapter.  So, some chapters are longer than others. However, this 75-hour course is divided into 75 one-hour modules, which we call Lectures.  You may take as many or as few lectures per day as you want.  You can even stop in the middle of a lecture and come back later.

No. You can download transcripts of our 75-hour course, which is like a free online textbook.  If you prefer to buy a book, we sell a textbook with lots of additional material, and we also sell a test study book written by our head instructor, Kristen Bacorn.

Yes, we have many options, depending on your needs.

Yes.  Your registration gives you access to our course for 3-6 months depending on your package.  You are welcome to go back and see any parts of the course as many times as you like.

RELNY’s course is entirely online.  However, you are welcome to download transcripts of Kristen’s course narration voice-over.  If you prefer a book/eBook, we sell textbooks with the transcript, an exam study book and a full-color book of the course slides.

Sorry, no. Just as two people cannot share a concert ticket, two people are not allowed to share a classroom registration.  After you register for the course, no one but you is allowed to take it, and the system periodically verifies your identity to meet state regulations for attendance.

The Salesperson Course

When you register with RELNY, you must complete the course, including the school test within your 3-6 month enrollment period depending on your package.  A time extension may be added for an additional fee. You have two years after completion of your course to take the State Test.

That’s a hard question, because everybody is different!  In general, if you don’t study long enough, you won’t learn all the things you need to know, and if you study too long, you will start to forget things.  Most students say they study 2-3 weeks before taking the test. We recommend you bookmark lecture tests.

We offer online practice tests, 10 hours of video real estate exam prep, online webinars, and private tutoring options.

Phone:  Our main number is 877-99RELNY (877-997-3569).  To get you to the right person fast, we have extensions for things like registration & sales, general info, tech support, academics, and careers/job placement.  (To get to your teacher Kristen and her team, you would choose the extension for academics.)

Email:  You can write us at these emails:

Yes!  You cannot get a real estate license in NYS unless you pass both school and state tests.

It doesn’t matter.  However, Dept. of State allows anybody to take the Salesperson Licensing Test any time they want to, as many times as they want to (but you can only make one appointment at a time).  So, you can take the state test before you finish the course, after you finish the course, or before you even start the course!  Any time!

Both school and state tests are 75 multiple choice questions, which you have 1.5 hours to finish.  Passing grade for the state test is 70% (53 questions right).  Passing grade for the school test is 75.

You register for the school test through RELNY. When you have completed the required 67.5 hours of class time, we will inform you that you may now take the school test. Our School Test was written by our team of real estate experts, but it is proctored by an independent testing center, such as a library. There are free options like libraries or you could choose to pay for one of the optional test centers. A list of the test site locations is given below.

You register for the state test through NYS Dept. of State, Division of Licensing Services.  Go to a section of their site called e-Access at https://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/eaccessny.html.  Register your username and password, and the site will guide to you make an exam reservation.  The state hasabout a dozen testing centers throughout the state.  A list of state testing centers is at: https://www.dos.ny.gov/licensing/realestate/re_examsites.html.

It is a good idea to make an exam appointment about 2-3 weeks in advance, because the testing service sometimes has a waiting list.

Oh, gee, we don’t know!  Some people insist the school test is harder and some say the state is harder.  Both tests cover pretty much the same material.

Both school and state tests have anywhere from 2-6 math questions.  Probably the school test has a little more math.

At the time of writing these FAQs, the State Test is given in Spanish, Korean, Russian and Chinese.  For details, please check Department of State website under Real Estate Salesperson Exam Procedures. At this time,RELNY’s school test is offered in English only, but we are trying to get permission to translate to other languages.

Dept. of State says, “Persons with disabilities who require accessibility information should call 518-474-4429.  Persons who require testing modifications should not schedule an exam and, should instead, call 518-474-4429.”

RELNY’s third-party professional testing service, PSI, says that all their tests have “access in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and every reasonable accommodation will be made in meeting a candidate’s needs. Applicants with disabilities or those who would otherwise have difficulty taking the examination should review the candidate information bulletin for instructions or call our ADA Services Team at 1-800-733-9267 extension 6750 for further information.”

Bring government-issued ID and your confirmation of your exam appointment. 

You should also bring a calculator, but it must be a very basic calculator.  Department of State says, “Calculators are permitted if they are battery or solar powered, silent, non printing and do not contain an alphabetic keyboard. PDA’s are not allowed.  Cellular phones, beepers and any other electronic devices MUST be turned off during the exam.”  The testing center also does not allow calculators that can store equations.

A good rule of thumb is to bring a calculator that costs less than $10.

You can get your state test results a few days after your test by signing on to Department of State’s e-Access site.  Your school test results are provided within 48 hours after you take your test.  Both tests are pass/fail, with no numeric score.

If you do not pass the test, you must take it again and pass before getting your license.  The second test requires an exam fee.

The Real Estate Tests

Salesperson is the entry-level real estate license.  You must take the salesperson course and tests before you can become a broker.  To become a broker, you must work as a salesperson for at least two years and be able to prove you have done a certain number of real estate transactions.  This experience is shown with a point system which is in the Real Estate Broker License application.

Salespersons can only work under the supervision of a sponsoring broker.  Some professionals who have worked in real estate, such as mortgage brokers or landlords, are allowed to do this process faster than two years.  For more info, check DOS website under “equivalent experience.”

No.  In New York State, all real estate brokerages must have a principal broker — a person with a NYS Broker License.  Salespersons cannot open their own real estate firm nor be an officer of a real estate firm.  But, when you get your broker license, then you can definitely work independently, without supervision, or open your own company.  It IS legal for a salesperson to create an LLC and have their commissions paid to the LLC, but that does NOT mean the LLC is a real estate brokerage.  It is a legal organization created for tax and liability reasons. NYS Real Property Law, Article 12A, § 442-1 says, “it shall be permissible for a real estate broker to pay… compensation received to an unlicensed corporation or an unlicensed limited liability company if each of its shareholders or members, is associated as an individual with the broker as a duly-licensed associate broker or salesman.”

A sponsoring broker (sometimes called representative broker) is a NYS licensed broker who has agreed to sign your license application and allow you to work in their brokerage under their supervision.  You need a sponsoring broker at the time you apply for your license, because they have to approve or sign your license application.  The broker has a legal responsibility to supervise all salespersons whose licenses they hold.

After you have finished your 75-hour sales course and passed both the school and state tests, you may apply for your license. You can apply online on Department of State’s website, or mail a paper application to Albany. DOS gives complete details through e-Access.  If and when DOS approves your application, your license is sent to your broker — not you — and the broker holds your license during the time you work for them.

I don’t know — five minutes?  Dept. of State has no minimum time period for a salesperson to be associated with a sponsoring broker.  You may leave a brokerage any time by informing your broker (called termination of association) and a broker may terminate a salesperson at any time.  The procedures for this are covered in our course.

When a salesperson works for two completely different brokerage companies, it is called dual licensure.  Department of State will issue as many licenses to a person as they see fit; however, both sponsoring brokers must agree to the dual license situation.  Dual licensure is very rare, because brokers usually do not agree to it.

Department of State says, “Article 12-A of the Real Property Law provides that anyone who, on behalf of another and for a fee, 1) negotiates a sale, exchange or rental of real property, 2) collects rent, or 3) negotiates a commercial loan secured by a mortgage must be licensed as a real estate broker.

Receiving payment for real estate services without a real estate license is illegal.  It doesn’t matter if it is called a referral fee, finder’s fee, or anything else.

Your New York State (NYS) license is only valid in New York State.  You cannot practice real estate in any other state, though you can refer business to licensed brokers in other states and earn a referral fee.  About a dozen states have what is called “reciprocity” with New York.  That means it is easy to get a license there based on your New York licensure; in a state with reciprocity, you may not have to take any classes or tests to get a license.  Some states have partial reciprocity and some have no reciprocity.  Every state has it’s own laws and procedures, and you have to check with the state government.

Your real estate license must be renewed every two years.  You do this by taking continuing education courses (CE) at any time during those two years.  You do not have towaittwo years to take your continuing ed; you areallowedtwo years in which to take it anytime.  So, take your CE whenever it’s convenient for you, and renew your license online at DOS’s website when it expires. If your license expires, you cannot practice real estate or get commissions until you renew your license.

No. When your license expires, you do not have a NYS real estate salesperson license until you renew it.  Without a license, you cannot practice real estate or get real estate commissions.

Learn How To Become A Real Estate Agent In New York With RELNY

Real Estate Licensing New York (RELNY)

The Salesperson Course

The Real Estate Tests

Real Estate Practice