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.

Overview

Put Your Expertise to Work on the AQB National Exam

Exam Statistics

Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

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:

• Evaluates a candidate’s ability to apply appraisal knowledge in practice
• Is based on actual job tasks and reflects the core competencies needed to perform real property appraisal work
• Follows the Exam Content Outlines (ECO), which organizes content into broad topic areas aligned with the Required Core Curriculum for each appraiser classification. Candidates preparing for the National Exam starting April 1, 2026, should review the updated Exam Content Outlines.

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 Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) is expanding its pool of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who support the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examinations. SMEs bring real-world appraisal knowledge and professional judgment to the exam-development process, helping keep the National Exam aligned with the knowledge and judgment expected of appraisers entering the profession.

Who Should Apply

Applicants must hold an active appraisal credential in good standing or have a current or recent appraisal-regulation or pre-licensure education role with directly relevant subject-matter expertise. Licensed Residential, Certified Residential, and Certified General appraisers are encouraged to apply, from newer professionals to seasoned appraisers, across property types, markets, real property subspecialties, and practice settings. Practitioners, supervisors, reviewers, educators, regulators, and other relevant specialists are welcome. Prior exam-development experience is not required.

How SMEs Contribute

• Practice Analysis and Exam Framework: Help identify and evaluate the tasks and knowledge important to entry-level appraisal practice and help organize that knowledge into the examination framework or blueprint.
• Exam Content Development and Review: Write, review, or revise examination questions; verify supporting references and keyed answers; or review assembled exam forms for accuracy, relevance, clarity, coverage, and appropriate difficulty.
• Standard Setting: Apply professional judgment from the perspective of a minimally qualified appraiser when helping recommend a passing standard.
  

What Participation Looks Like

• Participation may include secure independent or asynchronous work, live virtual meetings, or in-person meetings or workshops.
• Selected SMEs are placed in a qualified pool and invited to assignments as examination needs arise; selection does not mean participation in every activity.
• Serving as an AQB SME is primarily a volunteer service. Nominal compensation may be provided for certain assignments. Before an assignment is accepted, the Foundation or PSI provides the purpose, expected preparation and participation time, format, deadlines, travel expectations, and any applicable compensation or reimbursement information.
• SMEs may decline a particular assignment without automatically losing their place in the pool.
• Selected SMEs receive training before performing assigned work.
• SMEs selected through this application cycle will serve a term ending December 31, 2029, subject to satisfactory performance and continued program needs. Performance will be evaluated throughout the term, and participation may end before the term concludes based on performance, failure to meet program requirements, changes in eligibility, or other program needs.
  

Before You Apply

The application, which includes all of the following, should be completed in full.

• Background and professional information
• Details about your qualifications and participation:
• <l2>SME work-area preferences and relevant subject-matter expertise
• Applied experience, availability, and participation needs
• Required disclosures and certifications</l2>
• A short video of up to five minutes, submitted with the application

How Applications are Evaluated

Applications are reviewed in two stages. In the first, applicants' names and other identifying information are redacted, and reviewers score the application using an established rubric for relevant subject-matter expertise, applied experience, and general availability. Applicants must meet all three minimum qualifications to advance.

Applicants who advance proceed to a separate video review addressing communication, collaboration, receptiveness to feedback, entry-level judgment, and professionalism. All applicants submit a video with the application, but it is reviewed only if the application advances.

Applications are due November 15, 2026.

View the recruitment flyer: https://appraisalfoundation.sharefile.com/public/share/web-s515b55a89c6e4fde88fd228ca5669828

Questions: AQB@appraisalfoundation.org

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.