TRENTON — The Department of Banking and Insurance today announced that starting next week, individuals seeking real estate licenses in New Jersey will be able to take the licensing exams remotely. The new remote option will provide greater flexibility to individuals who want to take the licensure exams during the COVID-19 emergency.

The new remote licensing exam will be available to individuals seeking licensure as real estate brokers, broker-salespersons, salespersons, and real estate school instructors. The remote option will remain in place permanently, and will be available to license seekers in addition to the current in-person testing option.

“This improvement will benefit our real estate professionals at a time when the ability to conduct business remotely has become increasingly important. Individuals interested in a real estate license will now have the flexibility to take the test online or in person at a designated testing site. This is one of several upgrades we are making to our licensing process to address the disruptions created by the COVID-19 pandemic and make the process more efficient in general for job seekers who want to enter the field,” said Commissioner Marlene Caride.

The New Jersey Real Estate Commission (REC), a division of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, administers and enforces New Jersey's real estate licensing law. The REC issues more than 88,000 licenses to real estate brokers, salespersons, referral agents, real estate schools, and course instructors, as well as establishes standards of practice for the real estate brokerage profession.

“We are pleased the department is making this change to provide a remote option for existing licensees and for individuals who want to pursue a career in real estate, especially during the public health emergency,” said Angela Sicoli, 2020 president of New Jersey Realtors. “This is an upgrade that will benefit New Jersey’s real estate licensees and real estate license candidates across the state at an important time, and into the future.”

License seekers will have the option to take license examinations remotely or in person beginning on September 21, 2020. The website currently used to schedule licensing exams will be revamped to allow for scheduling the remote option.

In-person exams may be scheduled on the current website before September 20, 2020. The website will be down on September 20, 2020 to allow for the transition to the new scheduling system. In-person and remote exams may be scheduled online starting September 21, 2020 on the new scheduling website: https://www.psiexams.com/njin

The department has issued a bulletin to inform the public and industry about the new remote option for real estate licensing exams.

The examinations are currently administered in person at one of ten locations of PSI Services LLC, the examination vendor under contract with the Department of Banking and Insurance. The Department will continue to partner with PSI to ensure the integrity and security of the examination process as it expands into remote testing. If the license applicant’s devices and/or internet connection do not meet PSI’s technology requirements, or if the license examinee’s location is not suitable for remote testing, the license examinee will need to schedule an in-person license examination at one of PSI’s testing centers. The Department asks applicants to take their exam at their scheduled time or reschedule the exam as soon as possible to allow others to be able to fill that vacant exam seat.