Arkansas Statutory Requirements Governing Licensure
Area II is 10% of the exam: which activities require a license and who is exempt, what qualifies an applicant, how license status changes, how licenses renew, and what changes must be reported.
Activities Requiring a License, and Exemptions
Section 17-42-103(10) and (12) list the acts that require a license, from selling and leasing to collecting rent, auctioning, and advertising oneself as being in the business. Section 17-42-301(c) makes a single such act by an unlicensed person a violation, and § 17-42-109 allows a civil penalty up to $5,000 plus disgorgement of compensation. The exemptions in § 17-42-104 include owners acting for themselves, an attorney in fact under a recorded power of attorney taking no fee, attorneys at law, receivers and executors, a resident manager who lives on the premises, narrowly defined salaried clerical leasing staff, government employees, and employees of an Arkansas-licensed residential construction company under § 17-42-104(a)(11).
Broker Eligibility
Regulation 4.1(a) requires the age of majority; not less than 60 classroom hours completed within the 36 months preceding the application, at least 45 of them in a Commission-developed course; an affidavit of no unprofessional conduct; and disclosure of other licenses held and of disciplinary or fraud litigation. Section 17-42-303(b)(1) supplies the experience: an active bona fide apprenticeship under a valid salesperson license, or a salesperson or broker license from another state, for not less than 24 months within the previous 48. Section 17-42-303(b)(2) allows a waiver for an applicant who has held an active broker license for 18 months or has 24 months of acceptable real-estate-related experience. The criminal background check must be completed within the six months before the application is received (Regulation 4.1(c)(4)), and no license issues until the Commission approves it.
Change in License Status
An inactive licensee may not practice without activating (§ 17-42-308(a)(2)); activation costs seven approved classroom hours for each inactive year, capped at thirty (Regulation 6.2(d)). On termination, Regulation 7.5(a) gives the principal broker seven days to notify the Commission and return the license and pocket card, and that notification automatically inactivates the license. Transfer under Regulation 7.5(b) requires the new principal broker's signature, the transfer fee, and a statement that the licensee is taking no listings, management contracts, appraisals, lease agreements or copies belonging to the former firm.
Renewals and Required Notifications
Regulation 6.1(a) expires every broker and salesperson license on December 31; renewal applications with the fee are due by September 30, and a late filing is treated as an application to renew an expired license. Active status requires seven approved classroom hours of continuing education annually, one of which must address personal safety for agents and consumers. Regulation 7.6(a) requires prompt notice of any change of name, address or place of business on a Commission form plus the reissuance fee, and Regulation 10.16(a) requires a written report within thirty days of any conviction or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a crime other than a traffic violation.
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC)
- Exam vendor
- Pearson VUE
- Prelicensing education
- 60 classroom hours within the prior 36 months, 45 of them the Commission-developed Broker Pre-License Course
- Passing score
- 70 (scaled)
- Scored questions
- 120
Who regulates real estate brokers in Arkansas?
The Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) licenses principal brokers, executive brokers, associate brokers, and salespersons under the Arkansas Real Estate License Law, Ark. Code Ann. § 17-42-101 et seq., and the Commission Regulations. AREC contracts with Pearson VUE to deliver the licensing exams at test centers across Arkansas and at select military installations.
What education and experience do I need before the Arkansas broker exam?
AREC Regulation 4.1(a)(2) requires not less than 60 classroom hours completed within the 36 months immediately preceding the application, of which at least 45 must be in a course developed by the Commission — the Broker Pre-License Course, not merely a Commission-approved course. Ark. Code Ann. § 17-42-303(b)(1) adds the experience: an active, bona fide apprenticeship holding a valid salesperson license from AREC, or a salesperson or broker license from another state, for not less than 24 months within the previous 48-month period. Section 17-42-303(b)(2) allows the Commission to waive that experience for an applicant who has held an active broker license for at least 18 months or has 24 months of acceptable real-estate-related experience.
How is the Arkansas broker exam structured?
Unlike most states, Arkansas gives brokers a single UNIFIED examination rather than a national portion plus a state portion. Pearson VUE handbook #090400 (rev. June 2026): "The Arkansas Unified Real Estate Broker examination covers both general knowledge concepts, as well as Arkansas-specific content. The examination consists of 120 scored items and ten pretest (unscored) items." Because it is one-part comprehensive it cannot be divided into portions for reexamination — fail it and you retake the whole thing. The content outline effective December 1, 2025 publishes ten areas as percentages: Commission duties 4%, licensure 10%, other Arkansas statutes 6%, federal law 10%, broker operations 18%, agency 12%, property characteristics 10%, valuation 5%, contracts and financing 15%, property management 10%.
What score do I need, and how long do I get?
The Commission set a passing SCALED score of 70. That is not 70% correct: the handbook states the scaled score reported "is neither the number of questions answered correctly nor the percentage of questions answered correctly." Numeric scores are reported only to candidates who fail. The handbook publishes no per-exam time limit — its Quick Reference says only that you will have "two to four hours" to complete your exam, a range covering all five Arkansas real estate and property management exams. The exam fee is $75, paid to Pearson VUE at reservation.
Sources: https://www.pearsonvue.com/content/dam/VUE/vue/en/documents/publications/090400.pdf, https://arec.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/AR-Real-Estate-License-Law-April-2026.pdf, https://arec.arkansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024-Commission-Regulations-04092025-LKA.pdf, https://arec.arkansas.gov/licensing/exam-information/
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