Where to take the 90-hour West Virginia course
West Virginia splits its 90 hours into four named subjects and wants at least 70 per cent in each of them. Only one of the national schools sells the course; the other is worth knowing for what comes after.
The CE Shop
- Covers all 90 hours across the four subject areas the Commission requires, so one purchase clears the whole education requirement
- Four package tiers from course-only upward, so you can decide how much exam preparation to pay for rather than buying it by default
- Its West Virginia exam prep is built for Pearson VUE specifically, which is the vendor the Commission actually uses
- Self-paced online, which West Virginia permits without any cap on distance delivery
Colibri Real Estate
- Sells a seven-hour West Virginia CE package, which is exactly one year's requirement, so you are not buying hours you cannot use
- West Virginia exam prep including a live option, useful if self-paced revision has not been working for you
- A sensible second stop once you are licensed, since West Virginia CE is due every single year rather than every two
- No West Virginia pre-licensing course — its state pages describe the 90-hour requirement but sell no course against it
How to get your West Virginia licence
Five steps, and the background check comes first — which is the reverse of most states.
Get fingerprinted before anything else
West Virginia requires a state and national criminal background check before you may register to sit the exam, scheduled through IdentoGO. The report expires after 90 days, so do not run it and then take three months over the coursework.
Complete 90 hours in four subjects
Thirty hours of principles and practice, then 20 each of law, finance and appraisal, with at least 70 per cent in every one. Online delivery is allowed with no cap, provided the course is ARELLO-certified.
Pass both portions with Pearson VUE
Eighty national questions in 150 minutes and 50 state questions in 60, at 70 per cent for a salesperson. The $59 fee is charged per portion, not per sitting, and your authorisation lasts 90 days or two attempts — whichever runs out first.
Apply within 90 days of passing
Each pass certificate is good for 90 days. You will need a Verification of Sponsoring Broker form signed by the broker who will employ you, so line that up while you are still studying.
Check how close 30 June is
Your licence expires on 30 June regardless of the day it was issued, and the renewal window only opens on 1 May. If you are licensed in the spring, budget for the $75 renewal almost immediately.
From the West Virginia Real Estate Commission — note the Commission is at rec.wv.gov — its pre-licensing, continuing education and background check pages and its schedule of fees, together with W. Va. Code § 30-40-14, §§ 30-40-13, 30-40-16 and 30-40-17, CSR Title 174 series 3, and the West Virginia candidate handbook published by Pearson VUE, verified August 2026. The Commission does not publish the background-check fee, so we have not printed one. West Virginia requires no errors and omissions insurance and runs no state group policy — the requirement appears nowhere in the statute, the rules or the Commission's forms. Note also that the Pearson handbook contradicts itself on how long a passing score lasts, saying both one year and 90 days; the Commission says 90 days, and the Commission governs.
West Virginia FAQs
How long is my West Virginia course good for?
Three years. The statute requires the course to "have been completed during the three-year period preceding the date of application," and that is a change — West Virginia allowed five years until 9 June 2023, with courses taken before that date still running on the old window. Guides written before the change still say five years, and following them means an application the Commission will not accept.
When does my first licence actually expire?
On 30 June, whatever month you were licensed. West Virginia licences run with the state's fiscal year rather than from your issue date, so being licensed in April or May means paying the $75 licence fee and then the $75 renewal within weeks. The renewal window opens on 1 May and closes on 30 June; renew late and there is a $50 penalty through August, and a licence not renewed by 31 December is cancelled outright, at which point you start the whole process again.
Am I exempt from continuing education at my first renewal?
Probably, but the exemption has two conditions and both must hold. It applies to a licensee who passed both the national and state examinations during the fiscal year of their first required renewal, and who renews on or before 30 June of that year. Miss the June deadline and you lose the exemption as well as paying the late fee. After that it is seven hours of continuing education every fiscal year — annually, not biennially, which is more often than most states.
Does West Virginia require errors and omissions insurance?
No. There is no E&O requirement anywhere in West Virginia's real estate statute, in the Commission's rules, or among its forms, and no state group policy. The West Virginia Association of REALTORS® offers E&O cover as a voluntary member benefit, which is a trade-association product rather than a licensing condition, and is probably why some guides describe it as mandatory here.
When do I need my background check done?
Before you register for the exam — which is the opposite of the usual order. The Commission states that applicants "are required to submit a state and national criminal background check prior to registering to sit for the exam," scheduled through IdentoGO using service code 228Q6K. Reports expire 90 days after issue, so the sequence matters: get the check, register, sit the exam, then apply within another 90 days of passing.