Real Estate Salesperson (RES) Examination

From 22 Oct 2010 onwards, one of the key salesperson registration criteria for entry into the real estate agent industry will be to pass the mandatory examination set by the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) or possess equivalent qualification. Prior to taking the examination, applicants will be required to complete the preparatory RES course conducted by a CEA Approved Course Provider (ACP).

Overview

Under the new regulatory regime administered by the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA), one of the registration criteria for property agents (or individual salespersons) is that they must pass the CEA’s Real Estate Salesperson (RES) examination or have equivalent qualification. This is to ensure that agents intending to do estate agency work are well qualified, professionally competent and be able to work effectively in the real estate industry. Equally important is that they must uphold good ethical standards.

Pre-requisites

Please note that the minimum requirements to take the RES examination are:

For New Industry Entrants
- Must have 4 GCE “O” Levels; or
- 4 GCE “O” Level passes taken over two sittings, but the passes must be for different subjects;
- WSQ Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (Speaking, writing, listening, Reading and Numeracy) = Level 5; or
- Equivalent; (subjected to CEA’s approval. kindly forward your request to CEA at contact_us@cea.gov.sg at least 1 week in advance) It will take 10 working days for CEA to assess and revert the outcome.
- Must have successfully completed the new RES course

For Existing Industry Practitioners (Licensees or Salespersons registered with CEA)
- Applicable during Transition period from Jan 2011 to Dec 2011
- Not required to have 4 GCE “O” Levels or equivalent to take RES exam
- Not required to take new RES course in order to take RES exam
- Must be a registered salesperson found under the public register of CEA

Mode of Examination

RES Examination

RES is the new and only industry entry qualifying exams for Real Estate Salespersons.
The exam consists of 2 papers comprising mostly multiple choice questions (MCQs) and some short answer questions.
- Paper 1: MCQs and short answer questions
- Paper 2: Part I: MCQs, Part II: MCQs
With effect from the July 2011 RES examination, modular passing will be allowed. Candidates who have passed either Paper 1 or Paper 2 need to retake only their failed Paper from the August 2011 RES examination onwards. Upon passing the remaining Paper, the candidate will be considered as having passed the RES examination and will be subsequently issued an RES Certificate. The candidate must submit the salesperson registration application through and with support of a licensed estate agent within 2 years of the date of issue of the final results. Otherwise, the results will be invalid for registration purposes.
Candidates who failed both Papers will need to retake the RES exam as a fresh candidate; i.e. need to take Paper 1 and 2 in single sitting in their next attempt. Modular passing will apply only if the candidate has passed one Paper. There shall be no retrospective consideration of results from earlier RES examinations taken from Jan to Jun 2011.

Important Note: There is no change to the examination requirement for RES course participants to pass the RES examination within 2 years from the date of issuance of the Certificate of Completion of RES Course. If they are unable to pass the remaining Paper within the 2-year timeframe, they will have to re-take the RES course and take the full RES examination i.e. both Papers 1 and 2.

Duration of Examination

Paper 1: 2 hrs 30 mins
Paper 2: 2 hrs 30 mins

Successful candidates must apply for registration with CEA within 24 months of the date of issuance of the examination certificate after which, results will be invalid for licensing and registration purposes.

Examination Fee

$149.80 (Inclusive of GST) for 1 Paper
$246.10 (Inclusive of GST) for 2 Papers

Result and Certificate

The RES examination results are released 2 - 3 weeks after the examination is held. The process may be extended due to other relating factors such as the number of candidates taking the examination.

With effect from the July 2011 RES examination, modular passing will be allowed. The results for July 2011 RES examination onwards will be in one of the following formats:

Pass (P)
Fail (F)
Pass Paper 1; Fail Paper 2 (P1 F2)
Fail Paper 1; Pass Paper 2 (F1 P2)

A certificate will be issued to successful candidate. No replacement certificates will be re-printed for lost certificates, only a letter of confirmation of qualification attained will be issued upon formal request made. The exam fees paid do not cover the delivery of the certificate to the candidate.

Exam Registration

Registration for the following month's RES examination will only start after previous month's examination is completed.

Registration and payment for each month’s RES examination will close at 2pm, 9 days before the first exam paper or when full capacity is reach, whichever is earlier. Please note that no prior notice will be given.