Chapter 47 Education and Exam Requirement
Continuing Education Course Limitations
1. A particular course offering may not be taken for credit more than once from the same entity and/or instructor during a renewal period. 2. Courses taken as a result of a disciplinary action will not count towards the normal continuing education requirements for licensees.
PSA Post-license Education Active Military Exception
A provisional sales associate who has received orders for active military service may request an extension of time to complete the post-license education requirement, if the request is received in writing prior to the expiration of the license. The request must be accompanied by a copy of the military orders for active military service. The time extension will be one (1) year from the date of return from active military service. A licensee on active military service must request an inactive status prior to each term for which the license is to be issued. If an extension is approved, a provisional sales associate will be allowed to renew the license by requesting an inactive status in writing prior to each term for which the license is to be issued.
Professional Associations/Affiliations
National Association of REALTORS® - REALTORS® All real estate licensees are not the same. Only real estate licensees who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® are properly called REALTORS®. They proudly display the REALTOR® logo on the business card or other marketing and sales literature. REALTORS® are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly. REALTORS® subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. An independent survey reports that 84% of home buyers would use the same REALTOR® again.
PSA Required courses must be approved by the Commission and offered by one of the following entities:
The Commission An area vocational-technical school A college or university A private school The Oklahoma Association of Realtors, the National Association of Realtors or any affiliate The Oklahoma Bar Association, American Bar Association or any affiliate An education provider
Pre-license A person seeking to apply for a license must:
Complete the appropriate form provided by the Commission. The form shall include such things as: Name, addresses and birth date Biographical information License history Criminal and/or civil charges Employment data Photograph Other necessary documentation Appear for an examination. The applicant must sit for the exam as soon as possible after filing an approved application. Be of good moral character. The applicant must possess a reputation for honesty, truthfulness, trustworthiness, good moral character and fair dealing.
Exceptions Some licensees are not required to complete continuing education:
1. Licensees who maintain inactive licenses. However, if a licensee desires to activate his or her license, he or she must complete the required hours prior to activation. 2. Provisional sales associates. They have a separate and unique requirement. 3. Nonresident licensees who hold an Oklahoma license, if they maintain a current license in another state and satisfy the continuing education requirement in that state.
Continuing Education
Continuing education is defined as any course offering intended to: Improve the knowledge of licensees. Keep licensees abreast of changing real estate practices and laws. Help licensees meet the statutory requirements for license renewal. The purpose of continuing education is to provide an educational program through which real estate licensees can continually become more competent and remain qualified to engage in real estate negotiations and transactions that best serve the public. Note: PSAs are not required to complete continuing education. They have a separate and unique requirement to fulfill. You will learn more about that later in this chapter.
PSA Post-license Education Licensee Responsibilities
Each PSA is responsible for furnishing evidence to the Commission of successful completion of his or her post-license education requirement. Evidence may be in the form of: A certificate or documents A certified transcript Note: If a PSA fails to complete the post-license requirement prior to the expiration date, the associate will be ineligible to renew the license. To receive credit for classroom offerings, the associate must be physically present at all sessions and successfully complete all course requirements. To receive credit for distance-education courses, the associate must successfully complete all course requirements, including all modules and an examination. PSA Post-license Education Course Limitations A PSA can only receive credit for courses specifically approved by the Commission. Courses taken as a result of a disciplinary action will not count towards the normal post-license education requirement.
Continuing Education Licensee Responsibilities
Each licensee is responsible for furnishing evidence to the Commission of successful completion of his or her continuing education requirement. Evidence may be in the form of: A certificate or documents. A certified transcript. To receive credit for classroom offerings, the licensee must be physically present at all sessions and successfully complete all course requirements. To receive credit for distance-education courses, the licensee must successfully complete all course requirements, including all modules and an examination.
Association of Real Estate License Law Officials
Long-Term Goal: To be recognized as the global leader on real estate regulatory matters. We will meet this goal when: ARELLO will be recognized by all government agencies, industry organizations, consumers and practitioners as the unquestioned authority and source of leadership on real estate regulatory issues. ARELLO will be an integral part of every jurisdiction's achievement of excellence, and will be an essential knowledge source to all member jurisdictions. As a result, ARELLO will be the organization that facilitates worldwide license portability. The practice of real estate (and its regulations) will be virtually the same from one jurisdiction to the next. There will be common real estate regulations, similar laws and practices worldwide, and cross-jurisdictional business would flourish. ARELLO will be relevant in each member jurisdiction while at the same time be truly global. It will be the essential resource for current and emerging regulatory jurisdictions and regulators. Qualification standards will ensure that individuals with honesty, integrity and trustworthiness are licensed and practitioners individually—and the industry as a whole—will enjoy a high reputation. Consumers will feel safer and more confident during the real estate transaction. ARELLO will be seen as the comprehensive resource to assist in protecting the public interest.
Instructor and Entity Requirements - Professional Associations/Affiliations
The Commission has established a number of requirements for instructors and entities to receive approval of course offerings. Some of the requirements include standards for: Instructor qualifications Course content Facility approval Advertising of offerings Course guidelines and limitations Distance education courses Grading Record retention
Course Approval
The Commission may approve and/or accept any offering provided by an entity which meets the purposes, goals and objectives of the continuing education requirement.
Broker Examinations The following rules apply for real estate examinations:
The applicant must appear in person to sit for the exam. Examinations are conducted in Oklahoma City, McAlester, Tulsa, and Woodward. Broker exam fee is $75.00. PSA/SA exam fee is $60.00. Exams are administered via computer. If an applicant requests to take the exam in writing and a computer is available, the applicant will be assessed an additional $20 fee. (If the request is due to a disability, the fee may be waived.) If an applicant fails the exam, the Commission may allow retake upon receipt of another fee. (An applicant who fails may request within thirty (30) days to visit the Commission office and view the exam to determine whether or not it was graded correctly.) The original exam application is valid for one (1) year from date of filing. A score of 75% is considered passing on the broker or PSA/SA exam. Passing exam scores are valid for ninety (90) days from the date the exam was taken.
Broker Applicant An applicant for a broker license must meet all of the following requirements:
The applicant must have served two (2) years or the equivalent as a licensed PSA or SA. His or her service must have been under the instructions and guidance of a licensed real estate broker of Oklahoma or any other state. The service must have taken place for a period of at least twenty-four (24) months within the five (5) year period immediately prior to the filing of the application.
Obtaining a License
Upon successful completion of the exam and final approval of the application, the applicant may do one of the following: Have a broker sign a form verifying sponsorship. Place the license on inactive status. In the case of a broker, once the exam is completed and the application approved, the applicant will be required to select a type of broker license. Broker license types were covered in chapter 46. All licenses are mailed to the business address of the sponsoring broker. Note: No person may begin operations in the real estate business without first having been issued a numbered license certificate.
Pre-license Education and Exam Requirements
When making application for a license, an applicant must present proof of completion of the educational requirement. A PSA applicant can use a certified transcript from an institution of higher learning, which documents the successful completion of a three-academic-hour basic course of real estate as evidence of successful completion of the clock hour requirement, provided the applicant received college credit for the course. This will also hold true for any broker applicant who has completed and received credit for five academic hours of advanced courses in real estate. In both of the above situations, the college must be accredited by the Oklahoma State Regents of Higher Education or the corresponding accrediting agency of another state. The Commission reserves the right to accept any course or courses whose content they determine to be equivalent to the Basic or Advanced Real Estate Courses.
Continuing Education Required Number of Hours
As a condition of license renewal, each licensee is required to complete twenty-one (21) clock hours of Commission-approved course offerings every three (3) years. Twelve (12) of the 21 hours must be on required subjects. The remaining nine (9) clock hours may be electives. All 21 hours must be taken during the license term that precedes the one for which the license is being renewed. The required offerings will include all of these four (4) core subjects each license term: Professional Conduct Broker Relationships Act Fair Housing Current Issues, including Code and Rule updates
Ineligible Courses The following offerings do not meet the continuing education requirements:
General training or education not directly related to real estate or real estate practices. Offerings in mechanical office and business skills, such as typing, speed reading, memory improvement, report writing and personal motivation that are not directly related to real estate. Sales promotion or other meetings held in conjunction with the general real estate brokerage business. Meetings which are a normal part of in-house training. That portion of any offering devoted to breakfast, luncheon, dinner or other refreshments. Prelicense general training for obtaining a provisional sales associate or sales associate license. License examination refresher courses for provisional sales associate, sales associate or broker. The list above does not limit the Commission's authority to disapprove any offering which fails to meet the adopted purposes, goals and objectives of continuing education.
Pre-license Application Approval
If the Commission determines that an applicant is qualified, it will approve the application. If the applicant submits an incomplete application or one that warrants investigation, he or she can follow one of two courses of action: Sign a form acknowledging the application has not received final approval and request permission to sit for the exam. Note: If the application is later denied, the exam grade will be voided and the fee will not be refunded. Wait for final approval of the application. If the Commission determines that an applicant is not qualified, it will deny the application and notify the applicant within fifteen (15) days. A denied applicant has the option of filing a written appeal of the denial within thirty (30) days after he or she receives notice. The Commission will conduct a hearing within sixty (60) days of receiving the written request.
PSA Post-license Education
Prior to the first license expiration date, which is twelve (12) months after original issue, a PSA must successfully complete forty-five (45) clock hours of post-licensing education. This course of study is referred to as the Provisional Post-license Course of Real Estate, Part II of II. The PSA can take the core course outlined in the Rules or may take specialty courses, such as property management, appraisal, home inspections, etc. The PSA should contact the Education Department to be sure the course material will count toward the Part II requirement. The Commission reserves the right to approve and/or accept any offering or combination of offerings of 90 hours which meet the purposes, goals and objectives of the provisional sales associate post-license education requirement.