"In-House" Examination Program
The Real Estate Licensing Board at its February meeting voted to return to an "in-house" administration of its real estate license examination program whereby all examination services (exam development, exam administration, and related administrative services) would be performed by the Board Staff without the assistance of an outside testing service.
According to a comprehensive plan developed by the Staff and approved by the Board, examination questions are to be written by knowledgeable persons directly involved in the real estate business and/or real estate education. These questions will be subjected to strict review by the Staff, a professional testing expert, and a committee of real estate practitioners and educators. The questions will then be assembled into test forms according to specifications recommended by a separate committee of real estate professionals and approved by the Board. Separate tests will be given for broker and salesman licenses, and will continue to contain questions on general real estate principles and practices, N. C. real estate laws and rules, and trust account guidelines.
Examinations will be given each month (on a Saturday) at six (6) test centers across the state.
All administrative support services will be performed by the Board
Staff using the latest computer technology. Candidates will be scheduled for examination and examination "admission tickets" will be issued on a weekly basis. In addition, all scoring of examinations and issuing of score reports to candidates will be performed entirely in the Board Office during the week following the examination. And, as an added feature, candidates who fail their examination will be afforded an opportunity to review their examinations in the Board Off ice.
The Board voted to implement an "in-house" examination program after carefully considering alternative proposals submitted by several private testing firms. The Board determined that it could administer a high quality "in-house" program at a substantial financial savings and thus divert the need for any immediate increase in license application fees.
The first examination to be administered under this new program is scheduled for January 1984.
Poole Reappointed
Board Member Brantley T. Poole has been reappointed to the Real Estate Licensing Board by Governor Hunt for a three-year term expiring July 31, 1986.
Mr. Poole is owner of Poole Realty Company in Raleigh and has been active in the real estate business for more than 25 years.
Pennsylvania Reciprocity
The Real Estate Licensing Board has entered into an understanding of conditional reciprocity with the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission whereby North Carolina real estate brokers and salesmen can under certain conditions obtain nonresident Pennsylvania real estate licenses without passing Pennsylvania's licensing examination.
Persons interested in obtaining further information regarding the qualification requirements for Pennsylvania real estate licenses should contact the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission, P.O. Box 2649, Room 611, Transportation and Safety Building, Commonwealth Avenue & Forster Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17105 (Phone: 717-783-3658).