How to become a real estate agent in Nevada

This page is independent of any school or brokerage. Requirements change (red.nv.gov serves its pages only to browsers, so the Division's forms and renewal pages come from Internet Archive captures dated in the sources (the forms are the April 2024 revisions), and Pearson VUE's handbook is its July 2025 edition), so each section names the official page it was read from and the date. If a figure below disagrees with the Division's page today, the board is right and this page is stale: the date tells you how stale.

1Nevada real estate licence requirements

• Age: 18 years or older, applying on Form 549, which each applicant must complete personally.
• Education: 120 hours of pre-licensing education: 45 hours (or 3 college credits) of real estate principles, 45 hours of real estate law including 18 hours of Nevada law, 15 hours of contracts in real estate transactions, and 15 hours of agency including 3 hours on the broker-agent relationship and 3 on risk reduction, proved by certificates or certified transcripts.
• Exam: original passing results from Pearson VUE for the Nevada state exam and the general exam, each dated within the last 12 months.
• Background: a fingerprint background waiver signed before fingerprinting, then a fingerprint verification form from an approved vendor on the Division's Form 619 list; fingerprints expire after six months.
• Prior licences: a certified licence history dated within 90 days from any state where you hold or held a real estate licence in the past ten years.
• Non-residents: a notarised Consent to Service of Process, Form 656.

Source: Nevada Real Estate Division, Real Estate License Checklist and Application, Form 549 (revised April 5, 2024; Internet Archive capture of June 27, 2025), read September 9, 2026; Nevada Real Estate Division, Real Estate Licensing Requirements, Form 501 (revised April 5, 2024; Internet Archive capture of January 13, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

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

1. Complete the 120 hours of pre-licensing education

   At a Nevada-approved school on the Division's Form 502 list or by college credit; the four subjects and their hours are set out on Form 501.

2. Pass both portions of the Pearson VUE exam for $100

   The salesperson combination exam is 80 general and 50 state questions, 130 in all with 5 to 10 pretest items per portion, in 240 minutes; 75% of questions correct passes, and the fee for the combined sitting is $100.

3. Sign the background waiver and get fingerprinted

   Use a vendor from the Division's approved list on Form 619 and file its verification form; the prints are good for six months, so time them against the application.

4. Apply on Form 549 with $140 within 12 months of passing

   The application carries the education proof, both exam results, the fingerprint form, any licence history and, for non-residents, the consent to service; fees are paid by cheque, money order or exact cash, or by card in person with a 2% fee, and are non-refundable.

5. Complete 30 hours of post-licensing education before the first renewal

   The original licence runs one year, to the last day of the month it was issued; the first renewal needs the 30-hour post-licensing course in modules A to O and a $195 fee.

Source: Nevada Real Estate Division, Real Estate Licensing Requirements, Form 501 (revised April 5, 2024; Internet Archive capture of January 13, 2025), read September 9, 2026; Pearson VUE, Nevada Real Estate Candidate Handbook, July 2025 (#092900), read September 9, 2026; Nevada Real Estate Division, Real Estate License Checklist and Application, Form 549 (revised April 5, 2024; Internet Archive capture of June 27, 2025), read September 9, 2026; Nevada Real Estate Division, Salesperson First Renewal (Internet Archive capture of June 28, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

3How much a Nevada real estate licence costs

The Division prints its licence fee on Form 549 and Pearson VUE its exam fee in the handbook; the fingerprint vendor and the schools set the rest.

Source: Pearson VUE, Nevada Real Estate Candidate Handbook, July 2025 (#092900), read September 9, 2026; Nevada Real Estate Division, Real Estate License Checklist and Application, Form 549 (revised April 5, 2024; Internet Archive capture of June 27, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

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

The fixed parts are 120 course hours, one Pearson VUE sitting of 240 minutes, fingerprints that last six months, and a Form 549 application within 12 months of passing; the Division publishes no typical processing time in the documents read for this guide, and the first licence runs one year. Those parts come from the Division's own forms and pages and the exam vendor's handbook, not a school's marketing:

• Education: 120 hours at an approved school, at its pace.
• Exam: 240 minutes for both portions at a Pearson VUE centre; results valid for 12 months.
• Fingerprints and application: vendor fingerprints within six months of applying on Form 549; no processing time is published.
• First licence: one year, ending on the last day of the month of issue, then the 30-hour post-licensing course.

Source: Nevada Real Estate Division, Real Estate Licensing Requirements, Form 501 (revised April 5, 2024; Internet Archive capture of January 13, 2025), read September 9, 2026; Pearson VUE, Nevada Real Estate Candidate Handbook, July 2025 (#092900), read September 9, 2026; Nevada Real Estate Division, Real Estate License Checklist and Application, Form 549 (revised April 5, 2024; Internet Archive capture of June 27, 2025), read September 9, 2026; Nevada Real Estate Division, Salesperson First Renewal (Internet Archive capture of June 28, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

5The Nevada real estate exam

The salesperson exam is 130 questions in 4 hours, salesperson combination exam, general (150 minutes) and Nevada state (90 minutes), at a Pearson VUE test centre. You need 75% of the questions answered correctly to pass. Scores are reported as a percentage with a diagnostic breakdown by content area; each portion's pass is good for 12 months. Retakes: the handbook sets no waiting period or attempt limit for the salesperson exam; a failed portion is rebooked with Pearson VUE, and the licence application must follow within 12 months of passing.

Pass rate

Neither the Division nor Pearson VUE publishes a pass rate for the Nevada salesperson exam in the documents read for this guide, so none is shown here.

Source: Pearson VUE, Nevada Real Estate Candidate Handbook, July 2025 (#092900), read September 9, 2026.

6Reciprocity: already licensed in another state?

Yes, for 16 states. A current salesperson or higher licensee from Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington or West Virginia qualifies for a reciprocal Nevada salesperson licence by filing Form 549, a certified licence history, the fingerprint waiver and prints, and passing only the Nevada state exam; other out-of-state licensees are excused from the general exam when applying for an equivalent licence but meet the education requirement.

Source: Nevada Real Estate Division, Real Estate Licensing Requirements, Form 501 (revised April 5, 2024; Internet Archive capture of January 13, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

7Renewal and continuing education

The licence runs two years after the first renewal; the original licence runs one year to the last day of the month it was issued. To renew you complete 36 clock hours of approved continuing education within the licence period and pay $195.

First renewal: the 30-hour post-licensing course in modules A to O before the first renewal, one year after issue, with a $195 fee on Form 580; a first-time licensee exempt from post-licensing under NAC 645.4442(2) completes 36 hours of CE instead.

Later renewals: 36 hours of continuing education per two-year term: 3 hours agency, 6 contracts, 3 ethics, 3 law and legislation, 3 risk reduction and 18 general, at least 18 of them by live instruction, with a $195 renewal fee; licensees aged 65 or over with 30 years in Nevada may apply for a reduced 12-hour requirement.

Source: Nevada Real Estate Division, Salesperson Subsequent Renewals (Internet Archive capture of January 13, 2025), read September 9, 2026; Nevada Real Estate Division, Salesperson First Renewal (Internet Archive capture of June 28, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

8How much real estate agents make in Nevada

The only independent, dated wage figure for agents is the Bureau of Labor Statistics' occupational survey. For Nevada, 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), Nevada, read September 8, 2026.

9After the licence: choosing a brokerage in Nevada

A new salesperson licence is only usable under a broker, so the next decision is which brokerage. On September 5, 2026, 3,942 Nevada agents had a published brokerage profile; the largest single company was Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices with 668 of them, and the largest brand was Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices with 668. Realty Census, which counts those profiles, also compares the brokerages a new Nevada agent can join, including which ones publish their commission split: see which Nevada brokerages publish their pay plan.

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

10Pre-licence schools in Nevada

The Division approves the pre-licensing schools and lists them on Form 502; college courses count by credit, and post-licensing and continuing education must be from approved providers, with half the CE hours by live instruction. The list is at the Division's education pages.

This page carries no affiliate links. If a schools page for Nevada 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: Nevada Real Estate Division, Real Estate Licensing Requirements, Form 501 (revised April 5, 2024; Internet Archive capture of January 13, 2025), read September 9, 2026.

Questions people ask about becoming an agent in Nevada

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

The fixed parts are 120 course hours, one Pearson VUE sitting of 240 minutes, fingerprints that last six months, and a Form 549 application within 12 months of passing; the Division publishes no typical processing time in the documents read for this guide, and the first licence runs one year. The education is 120 hours at the school's pace; the exam is one 240-minute sitting; fingerprints are good for six months and exam results for 12; and the application goes in on Form 549. The Division publishes no typical processing time, and the first licence lasts one year.

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

$240 to the state and its vendors ($100 exam, $140 licence), plus tuition for the pre-licence course, the fingerprint vendor's fee and tuition for the 120 hours and the 30-hour post-licensing course, which the schools set.

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

Neither the Division nor Pearson VUE publishes a pass rate for the Nevada salesperson exam in the documents read for this guide, so none is shown here.

How much do real estate agents make in Nevada?

The BLS May 2025 median for real estate sales agents in Nevada is $79,990 a year, with the middle half earning between $46,740 and $106,190. 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 Nevada have real estate licence reciprocity?

Yes, with 16 listed states: their licensees skip the education and the general exam and pass only the Nevada state exam. Other states' licensees skip the general exam only.

Sources and dates