How to become a real estate agent in New York
New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services licenses agents here. New York has no third-party exam vendor; the Department of State administers the salesperson examination itself and candidates schedule it through their eAccessNY account.
- Entry license
- salesperson
- Exam vendor
- See handbook
- Verified
- Official source
Start at the source
New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services is the authority. Its site, dos.ny.gov, carries the current candidate handbook, approved education list, and application. Hours, fees and requirements change; the commission's version is the one that counts.
The path in New York
- Pull the candidate handbook from the commission above; it names the education hours, the application steps and the exam vendor.
- Complete pre-licensing education with an approved provider.
- Pass the exam: typically a national portion plus the state-law portion that catches candidates who studied only national material. The exam guide covers how to split your prep.
- Choose your sponsoring brokerage deliberately: the questions to ask matter more than the recruiting pitch.
- Before any of it, read the honest decision guide. The license is easy; the career is the decision.
Other states
| North Carolina | North Carolina Real Estate Commission |
| North Dakota | North Dakota Real Estate Commission |
| Ohio | Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Real Estate Commission |
| Oregon | Oregon Real Estate Agency |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania State Real Estate Commission (Department of State, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs) |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, Commercial Licensing Division (Real Estate) |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Real Estate Commission (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) |
The licensing roadmap, free
The universal path from pre-licensing to activation, the exam's two portions, and the brokerage questions, on one printable page. Enter your email and we will send you straight to it.
No spam. One useful sheet and occasional notes.