The sequence in seven steps
Follow these steps in order. Skipping ahead — especially scheduling the exam before lining up a broker or CHRC — is the most common way candidates lose time.
Step 1: Confirm eligibility
Before enrolling in a course, confirm the basic eligibility items your provider or the official PA licensure guide lists for salesperson candidates. Age and prior-education specifics should be verified against the current official guide rather than assumed.
Step 2: Complete 75 hours of approved education
Complete Real Estate Fundamentals (30 hours / 2 credits) and Real Estate Practice (45 hours / 3 credits) — 75 hours / 5 credits total — from an approved or accredited provider. This must be completed within 5 years before your successful exam completion. See the course guide.
Step 3: Register for and pass the Pearson VUE exam
Register with Pearson VUE before applying for standard salesperson licensure. See the exam guide and exam prep guide for study planning.
Step 4: Line up an employing broker
Identify a broker willing to supervise and train you. Pennsylvania will not accept a salesperson application without an employing broker in place, so this should happen in parallel with education, not after the exam.
Step 5: Obtain your CHRC
Get a Criminal History Record Check (CHRC) from every state where you lived, worked, or completed professional training or studies during the past five years. The report must be dated within 180 days of your application submission. The ePATCH volunteer check is a different program and is not accepted for this purpose.
Step 6: Apply through PALS
Submit your application through the PALS system once education, the exam, your employing broker, and your CHRC are in place. See the application guide for the full sequence.
Step 7: Activate and plan for renewal
Once licensed, plan ahead for renewal: Pennsylvania salesperson licenses expire May 31 of every even-numbered year with no grace period, and 14 hours of Commission-approved continuing education are required per two-year cycle. See the renewal guide.
The Full Sequence, Step by Step
- Confirm eligibility — at least 18, high school graduate or equivalent.
- Complete 75 hours / 5 credits of approved education (Fundamentals + Practice).
- Apply for exam eligibility in Clarus — a separate step from the PALS license application.
- Receive authorization and schedule with Pearson VUE for the required National and/or PA State portion(s).
- Pass the required exam portions — retake only a failed portion, within your authorization window.
- Secure or finalize an employing-broker relationship — this can start earlier, in parallel.
- Obtain correctly timed CHRC documents through ePATCH, one per state where you lived, worked, or trained in the past five years, each dated within 180 days of application.
- Complete the PALS application and send it to your broker.
- Your broker certifies and submits the application.
- Commission review and license issuance.
- Verify your license in PALS before performing any licensed activity.