National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examinations

Background

Title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) of 1989 requires all state licensed and certified appraisers to successfully pass an examination administered by a state or territory that is issued or endorsed by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) of The Appraisal Foundation. As a result, in 2008 the AQB launched the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examinations.

Exam Design, Content, and Timing 

The National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examinations test a candidate’s ability to apply the knowledge and experience they have obtained. The Exam Content Outline (ECO) contains broad conceptual topic areas, which are related to the Required Core Curriculum modules (topics) established by the AQB for each real property appraiser classification. Guide Note 1 in the Real Property Appraiser Qualification Criteria includes suggested subtopics for each educational topic area required. Although candidates for an appraiser credential are not required by the AQB to obtain education covering each subtopic area, Guide Note 1 was issued to provide topics that would likely appear on the exams.

The Licensed Residential, Certified Residential, and Certified General examinations are comprised of 125 questions each. Of those examination questions, 110 items are scored and 15 items are pretest questions and will not be scored. Candidates are permitted up to the following length of time for the three examinations: 

  • Licensed Residential Examination: Four (4) hours 
  • Certified Residential Examination: Four (4) hours 
  • Certified General Examination: Six (6) hours 

Exam Administration

State appraiser regulatory agencies and/or examination vendors can apply to become AQB-approved administrators for the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examinations. 

State appraiser regulatory agencies and examination developers may use the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examinations or develop “equivalent examinations.” Equivalent examinations must be reviewed and approved by the AQB before they can be administered to candidates for a state appraiser license or certification.

Some Helpful Links

National Examination Sample Questions National Examination Content Outline / Guide Note 1
National Examination Q&As 
National Examination Statistics 
National Examination Administrator Application
National Examination Equivalency Guidelines
AQB Approved Examination Vendors