Licensing Requirements, Branch Offices and Cooperative Certificates
Area II is 5% of the broker state portion against 3% for salespersons, and two of its five subtopics are marked (Broker Only). Those two - branch offices with license display, and cooperative certificates for out-of-state brokers - are the part of Nevada licensing a salesperson never has to know.
Broker education and experience
NRS 645.343(2) lists the broker applicant's course work in semester units: three in real estate law including at least 18 classroom hours of Nevada law, three in principles of real estate, nine in appraisal and business or economics, nine in real estate, business or economics, three in BROKER MANAGEMENT, at least one in contract preparation and at least one on agency. NRS 645.343(3) requires 64 semester units of college-level work overall, inclusive of those. NAC 645.437(2) itemizes the approved broker management course, and the parts sum to 45 hours: 6 on office policy and procedure, risk management, errors and omissions, controlled business arrangements, compensation and independent-contractor status; 3 on business plans; 3 on brokerage forms; 6 on financing and closing costs; 6 on state and local law; 6 on federal law; 6 on agent-client relationships; 3 on valuation and economics; 6 on emerging trends. The Division's chart in candidate handbook #092900 states it as "45 hours or 3 college credits Broker Management course." NRS 645.343(4) allows 16 semester units of credit for each 2 years of licensed experience in the preceding 10 years, up to 8 years - but that credit may NOT be applied against broker management or the 18 hours of Nevada law. Separately, NRS 645.330(4) requires the applicant to have been actively engaged full time as a licensed broker-salesperson or salesperson in Nevada, or as a licensed broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson in another state or the District of Columbia, for at least 2 of the 4 years immediately preceding issuance.
Branch offices and license display (Broker Only)
NRS 645.530(2)(a) requires the broker to display the broker's license conspicuously in the place of business, and provides that where a broker maintains more than one place of business in the State an ADDITIONAL license must be issued for each branch office and displayed conspicuously there. NRS 645.530(2)(b) requires the broker to keep the licenses of all associated broker-salespersons and salespersons in the place of business, securely and available for public and Division inspection during usual business hours. NRS 645.550 requires a definite place of business, specified in the application and designated in the license, and no license authorizes business from any other office. NRS 645.560 requires a sign at the place of business and at every branch. NAC 645.175 adds that the broker is responsible for every branch, that a branch license issues only in the name the broker is licensed under, that a branch supervisor may not manage more than one branch, and that a branch need not have its own trust account but if it has one the supervisor must be a required signatory. NAC 645.177 requires each branch to be supervised by a broker or a broker-salesperson with 2 years of active experience within the preceding 4 years, and while supervising, that broker-salesperson carries a broker's duties and penalties.
Cooperative certificates (Broker Only)
NRS 645.605 authorizes the Administrator to issue certificates letting out-of-state licensed brokers cooperate with Nevada brokers. NAC 645.185 supplies the conditions: the certificate is valid for the earlier of 12 months or the completion or termination of the single transaction named in the application, and expires automatically when that transaction ends; it is not transferable; only a natural person who is a broker may hold one. The Nevada broker "shall be in charge of the transaction from beginning to end," and any money received in a cooperative transaction "may be handled only by the cooperating Nevada broker in accordance with NRS 645.310." The out-of-state broker may authorize only one broker-salesperson or salesperson to act for him, on a Division form filed before any transaction, carried in person while in Nevada. Each pairing of brokers is a separate agreement needing its own form, fee and certificate. And the limit that most often catches candidates: the certificate may be used only to represent someone who is NOT a Nevada resident in the PURCHASE of Nevada real estate - never as authority to sell Nevada property on an owner's behalf. Notice also the noun: this one is a certificate, while the business broker and property management credentials are permits.
Maintenance and required notifications
NRS 645.570(1) requires the broker or a corporate officer to notify the Division in writing within 10 days of any change of name or business location of any licensee, or of a change of association of a broker-salesperson or salesperson; failure to give that notice is cause for revocation. NRS 645.520(3) allows a licensee to be associated with only one broker or owner-developer at a time. NRS 645.330(2) lets the Division deny a license to a person convicted of, or who pleaded guilty, guilty but mentally ill or nolo contendere to, forgery, embezzlement, obtaining money under false pretences, larceny, extortion, conspiracy to defraud, unlicensed real estate activity, possession of a controlled substance for sale or any crime of moral turpitude - and forbids issuing one until at least 3 years after the fine or restitution is paid or the parole, probation or sentence expires, whichever is later.
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State-specific details
State exam facts
- State regulator
- Nevada Real Estate Division (NRED)
- Exam vendor
- Pearson VUE
- Prelicensing education
- 64 college credits, including a 45-hour (3-credit) Broker Management course and 45 hours (3 credits) of real estate law with at least 18 hours of Nevada law
- Passing score
- 75% (each portion scored separately)
- Scored questions
- 130
- Time limit
- 240 minutes
Who regulates real estate brokers in Nevada?
The Nevada Real Estate Division (NRED), within the Department of Business and Industry, licenses brokers and salespersons under NRS Chapter 645, and the Nevada Real Estate Commission adopts the regulations and imposes discipline. NRED contracts with Pearson VUE to deliver the licensing exams; Nevada no longer uses PSI, so a PSI bulletin found for Nevada is out of date.
What experience do I need before the Nevada broker exam?
Under NRS 645.330(4), a broker applicant must have been actively engaged full time as a licensed real estate broker-salesperson or salesperson in Nevada, or as a licensed broker, broker-salesperson or salesperson in another state or the District of Columbia, for at least 2 of the 4 years immediately preceding issuance of the broker's license. Education is separate: NRS 645.343 requires 64 semester units of college-level course work, including three semester units (45 hours) in broker management and three units in real estate law with at least 18 classroom hours of Nevada law. NRS 645.343(4) grants 16 semester units of credit for each 2 years of licensed experience in the preceding 10 years, up to 8 years, but that credit cannot be applied against the broker management course or the 18 hours of Nevada law.
How is the Nevada broker exam structured?
Pearson VUE's Nevada candidate handbook lists the Broker Combination exam as 130 scored items in 240 minutes: an 80-item national/general portion in 150 minutes and a 50-item Nevada state portion in 90 minutes. Each portion also carries 5 to 10 unscored pretest items inside the same clock. You need 75% correct to pass, and the two portions are scored separately — pass one and fail the other and you retake only the failed part, within 12 months.
What does the Nevada state portion actually test?
Pearson VUE publishes the Nevada outline (effective 15 January 2025) as percentages rather than item counts, with a separate percentage for salespersons and for brokers. For brokers the 50 state items are weighted: Duties and Powers of the Commission 5%, Licensing Requirements 5%, Agency and Duties Owed 20%, License Practice 20%, Disclosures 15%, Contracts 22%, Record Keeping 8%, and Special Topics 5%. Five subtopics are marked "Broker Only" — branch offices and license display, cooperative certificates, inspection of records, trust account records and management, and subdivisions. Record keeping is 8% for brokers against 3% for salespersons, while disclosures drops from 20% to 15%.
Sources: https://red.nv.gov, https://www.pearsonvue.com/content/dam/VUE/vue/en/documents/publications/092900.pdf, https://www.pearsonvue.com/content/dam/VUE/vue/en/documents/publications/092901.pdf, https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-645.html, https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NAC/NAC-645.html
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