How to become a real estate agent in Missouri

This page is independent of any school or brokerage. Requirements change (the MREC's own site could not be read when this page was built, so its eligibility sheet, application, FAQ and renewal notice come from Internet Archive captures dated in the sources; PSI's handbook is its July 18, 2024 update), so each section names the official page it was read from and the date. If a figure below disagrees with the MREC's page today, the board is right and this page is stale: the date tells you how stale.

1Missouri real estate licence requirements

• Age: 18 years of age.
• Pre-exam course: a Certificate of Satisfactory Completion from a 48-hour pre-exam salesperson course at an accredited Missouri real estate school, earned on or before the exam date.
• Exam: a pass on both portions of the Missouri salesperson examination, given by PSI.
• Practice course: the 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice Course (MREP), taken after the 48-hour course and before the application; it can come before or after the exam.
• Background: fingerprints through the statewide vendor IDEMIA (IdentoGO), registered first at the Missouri Automated Criminal History Site with the MREC's registration number 0004, for a Missouri and FBI criminal history check before applying.
• Deadline: a complete licence application within six months of the completion date of the 48-hour course; licensed attorneys skip the courses and apply within six months of passing.

Source: Missouri Real Estate Commission, Examination and Licensure Eligibility Requirements (Internet Archive capture of May 12, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

2Steps to get your Missouri real estate licence, in order

1. Complete the 48-hour pre-exam course

   The course must be at an accredited Missouri school in classroom, online, correspondence or home-study form, and the six-month clock to apply starts on its completion date.

2. Pass both portions of the PSI exam for $52

   The national portion is 100 questions in 150 minutes with 70% to pass and the state portion 40 questions in 120 minutes with 75% to pass; the $52 fee covers one or both portions, and a retake is $52 again.

3. Take the 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice course

   Before or after the exam, but after the 48-hour course and before the application.

4. Register at MACHS and get fingerprinted with IdentoGO

   Register online at machs.mo.gov (or by phone through IdentoGO) with code 0004, then attend a fingerprint site with photo ID; the results go to the MREC from the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the FBI.

5. Apply with $100 and your broker's signature within six months

   The application carries both course certificates and the passing score reports, is signed by you and by the broker you will be licensed under, and the fee is non-refundable.

Source: Missouri Real Estate Commission, Examination and Licensure Eligibility Requirements (Internet Archive capture of May 12, 2026), read September 9, 2026; PSI, Missouri Real Estate Examination Program candidate handbook (updated July 18, 2024; Internet Archive capture of May 12, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Missouri Real Estate Commission, Application for Real Estate License (Internet Archive capture of June 29, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

3How much a Missouri real estate licence costs

The MREC prints its fee on the application form and PSI's fee in the candidate handbook; fingerprinting is paid to IdentoGO and tuition to the schools.

Source: PSI, Missouri Real Estate Examination Program candidate handbook (updated July 18, 2024; Internet Archive capture of May 12, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Missouri Real Estate Commission, Application for Real Estate License (Internet Archive capture of June 29, 2025), read September 9, 2026; Missouri Real Estate Commission, Examination and Licensure Eligibility Requirements (Internet Archive capture of May 12, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

4How long it takes to become a real estate agent in Missouri

The fixed parts are 48 course hours, one PSI sitting of up to 270 minutes, the 24-hour practice course, fingerprinting, and a complete application within six months of the first course; the MREC publishes no typical review time in the documents read for this guide. Those parts come from the MREC's own documents and the exam vendor's handbook, not a school's marketing:

• Pre-exam course: 48 hours at an accredited school, at its pace; the six-month window starts when it ends.
• Exam: 150 minutes for the national portion and 120 for the state portion at a PSI centre.
• Practice course and fingerprints: 24 hours of the practice course, and a fingerprint appointment of about ten minutes after registering at MACHS.
• Application: filed within six months of the 48-hour course; no review time is published.

Source: Missouri Real Estate Commission, Examination and Licensure Eligibility Requirements (Internet Archive capture of May 12, 2026), read September 9, 2026; PSI, Missouri Real Estate Examination Program candidate handbook (updated July 18, 2024; Internet Archive capture of May 12, 2026), read September 9, 2026.

5The Missouri real estate exam

The salesperson exam is 140 questions in 4.5 hours, two portions, national (150 minutes) and Missouri state (120 minutes), multiple choice at a PSI test centre. You need 70% on the national portion and 75% on the state portion to pass. Passing score reports are printed and filed with the licence application, with the pass dates listed on the form. Retakes: a retake of one or both portions costs $52; registrations expire one year after registering, and the application must still be filed within six months of the 48-hour course.

Pass rate

Neither the MREC nor PSI publishes a pass rate for the Missouri salesperson exam in the documents read for this guide, so none is shown here.

Source: PSI, Missouri Real Estate Examination Program candidate handbook (updated July 18, 2024; Internet Archive capture of May 12, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Missouri Real Estate Commission, Application for Real Estate License (Internet Archive capture of June 29, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

6Reciprocity: already licensed in another state?

By recognition rather than reciprocity. The MREC's FAQ says Missouri has specific nonresident requirements that recognise other states' education and national exams: a holder of a current, active salesperson licence elsewhere skips the 48-hour course, passes only the state portion of the Missouri exam, takes the 24-hour practice course, is fingerprinted, and applies within six months of passing with a licence certification issued within three months.

Source: Missouri Real Estate Commission, Nonresident licensing requirements (Internet Archive capture of April 21, 2026), read September 9, 2026; Missouri Real Estate Commission, Frequently Asked Questions (Internet Archive capture of July 15, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

7Renewal and continuing education

The licence runs two years, with salesperson licences renewed by September 30 of even-numbered years. To renew you complete 12 clock hours of approved continuing education within the licence period.

First renewal: the same 12 hours as every renewal; a licensee who misses the CE must complete the 24-hour Missouri Real Estate Practice course instead.

Later renewals: 12 hours of continuing education per two-year cycle, at least 3 of them an approved required core course (Fair Housing for the 2024-2026 cycle), on file with the MREC before the September 30 renewal deadline; schools have 10 days to report completions.

Source: Missouri Real Estate Commission, 2024-2026 Renewal Information (Internet Archive capture of August 5, 2025), read September 9, 2026; Missouri Real Estate Commission, Frequently Asked Questions (Internet Archive capture of July 15, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

8How much real estate agents make in Missouri

The only independent, dated wage figure for agents is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' occupational survey. For Missouri, release May 2025:

BLS counts agents paid as employees and reports wages, not the commissions of self-employed agents, so these are a floor for the occupation rather than what a typical commissioned agent takes home.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Real Estate Sales Agents (41-9022), Missouri, read September 8, 2026.

9After the licence: choosing a brokerage in Missouri

A new salesperson licence is only usable under a broker, so the next decision is which brokerage. On September 5, 2026, 6,575 Missouri agents had a published brokerage profile; the largest single company was Keller Williams with 1,904 of them, and the largest brand was Keller Williams with 1,904. Realty Census, which counts those profiles, also compares the brokerages a new Missouri agent can join, including which ones publish their commission split: see which Missouri brokerages publish their pay plan.

Source: Realty Census, Missouri count and brokerage ranking, September 5, 2026 (realtycensus.com/missouri/), read September 9, 2026.

10Pre-licence schools in Missouri

The MREC accredits the real estate schools and approves each 48-hour, 24-hour and continuing education course; the approved education providers are listed on its website. The list is at the MREC's approved education providers page.

This page carries no affiliate links. If a schools page for Missouri is added with affiliate links, it will say so at the top, and schools will be ordered by what the state publishes or alphabetically, never by commission.

Source: Missouri Real Estate Commission, Frequently Asked Questions (Internet Archive capture of July 15, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

Questions people ask about becoming an agent in Missouri

How long does it take to become a real estate agent in Missouri?

The fixed parts are 48 course hours, one PSI sitting of up to 270 minutes, the 24-hour practice course, fingerprinting, and a complete application within six months of the first course; the MREC publishes no typical review time in the documents read for this guide. The pre-exam course is 48 hours at the school's pace; the exam is one PSI sitting of 150 plus 120 minutes; the 24-hour practice course fits before or after it; and the application, with fingerprints done, must reach the MREC within six months of the first course. The MREC publishes no typical review time.

How much does it cost to get a real estate licence in Missouri?

$152 to the state and its vendors ($52 exam, $100 application), plus tuition for the pre-licence course, the IdentoGO fingerprint fee and tuition for the 72 hours of courses, which the schools set.

What is the pass rate for the Missouri real estate exam?

Neither the MREC nor PSI publishes a pass rate for the Missouri salesperson exam in the documents read for this guide, so none is shown here.

How much do real estate agents make in Missouri?

The BLS May 2025 median for real estate sales agents in Missouri is $43,960 a year, with the middle half earning between $37,180 and $63,600. BLS counts agents paid as employees and reports wages, not the commissions of self-employed agents, so these are a floor for the occupation rather than what a typical commissioned agent takes home.

Does Missouri have real estate licence reciprocity?

Partly. An active salesperson from another state skips the 48-hour course and the national exam, but still passes the Missouri state portion, takes the 24-hour practice course, gets fingerprinted and applies within six months with a fresh licence certification.

Sources and dates