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How to Become an Appraiser / Real Property Appraisal / National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination
Evaluating the required real property knowledge and skills to practice safely and establish public trust.
The National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination (National Exam) is a critical step in the appraiser credentialing process. Candidates take this examination after completing all required qualifying education and experience hours. The exam is designed to assess whether candidates are ready to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world appraisal practice and to support public trust in the profession.
Under Title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) of 1989, all individuals seeking a state license or certification as a real property appraiser must pass an exam that is issued or endorsed by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) of The Appraisal Foundation® (the Foundation). In response to this mandate, AQB developed the National Uniform, which launched in 2008.
The exam:
To support consistency in education and examination, Guide Note 1 in the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria (Criteria) provides suggested subtopics for each required educational topic area listed in the ECO.
The Appraisal Foundation is seeking proposals from qualified organizations to provide examination development, psychometric consulting, job analysis, examination maintenance, reporting, and related support services for the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) National Licensing Examinations.
Proposals are due by August 21, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Interested organizations may download the RFP
below.
The following chart provides data on candidate performance for the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination, as issued or endorsed by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB). These statistics reflect how candidates have performed across various credential levels and can offer insight into exam trends, pass rates, and areas of challenge for prospective appraisers.
Each of the Licensed Residential, Certified Residential, and Certified General examinations contain 125 questions. Of those, 110 are scored, while 15 items are unscored questions used to evaluate future exam content.
Candidates are permitted the following time durations for each exam:
You will take the exam through the testing provider contracted by your state appraiser regulatory agency. Each state determines where and how the exam is administered, including the specific test vendor, testing locations (in-person or online), and scheduling process.
To find out where and how to register, contact your state appraiser regulatory agency, which will provide details on:
Even though the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) develops and maintains the National Exam, the exam is administered at the state level.
The best way to prepare is by reviewing the Exam Content Outlines (ECO).
To prepare:
You may also consult the resources and references available on this page to help guide your study.
Yes, but there are specific requirements:
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