How do I take and pass the USPAP exam?

You take the USPAP exam by completing the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, the qualifying education requirement for every real property appraiser credential. For state credit, an AQB-Certified USPAP Instructor who also holds a current Certified Residential or Certified General credential must teach it. The required materials are the 2024 USPAP edition, the 2026 USPAP Guidance and Reference Manual, and the student manual. Many providers recommend finishing basic appraisal principles and procedures courses first, and the course content stays consistent unless USPAP itself is revised.

Alaska satisfies the USPAP requirement through coursework rather than a separate state exam. To qualify, complete the 15-Hour National USPAP Course (or an approved equivalent), which counts toward the 83 trainee hours, and pass each qualifying course's final examination. The course must be taught by an AQB-Certified USPAP Instructor to earn state credit. For renewals, take the 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course once every two years; the 15-hour course used for certification cannot satisfy this update requirement.

California does not require a standalone USPAP exam; the requirement is met through coursework. Qualifying education for every credential includes the 15-hour National USPAP Course, which must be taught by an Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB) Certified Instructor who is also a Certified Residential or Certified General appraiser in good standing, and the course must be BREA-approved. For renewals, licensees take a 7-hour National USPAP Update Course every two years as part of the 56-hour continuing education cycle.

Connecticut does not require a standalone USPAP exam; USPAP enters through course requirements. Each two-year continuing education cycle requires a 7-hour USPAP course taught by a Certified USPAP Instructor, and the 15-hour USPAP course cannot substitute for it, though it can count as an elective. The Department of Consumer Protection's approved-course dataset lists where to take qualifying and USPAP courses.

In Georgia, the 15-hour National USPAP course is one of the required courses inside the 90 hours of trainee qualifying education, and you earn credit by passing the course's end-of-course examination at a Board-approved school. There is no separate state USPAP exam; the PSI-administered state licensing exams begin at the State Licensed classification. All qualifying education, including USPAP, must be completed within the 5 years before you apply.

Iowa does not administer a separate exam on the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). The 15-Hour National USPAP Course is part of the 83 hours of qualifying education required to register as an associate real estate appraiser. The certification exam, taken through PSI with a minimum scaled score of 75, is separate. Practicing appraisers must also complete the 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course once every two years.

In Kansas, the USPAP exam is taken at the end of the 15-hour National USPAP course, which Kansas accepts only in the version developed by the Appraisal Foundation and taught by an Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB)-certified USPAP instructor. The course ends with a closed-book exam, and you must pass it to earn credit; the board allows no alternative to that exam. You complete this course as part of your qualifying education, before the board approves you to sit for the licensing exam.

There is no standalone state USPAP exam in Louisiana. The exam that counts is the end-of-course exam for the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, which is included in the qualifying education hours you must complete within the 5 years before applying. The 7-Hour USPAP Update Course used for continuing education has no final exam.

Maryland meets its USPAP requirement through coursework rather than a standalone exam. To become a trainee, you complete the 15-hour National USPAP Course, which counts toward the 75 tested hours of qualifying education you must finish within the 5 years before applying. The course must be taught by an instructor who is both an AQB certified USPAP instructor and a state certified residential or certified general appraiser.

Michigan has no standalone USPAP examination. The USPAP requirement is met by passing the course exam at the end of the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, which counts within the qualifying education for every appraiser credential. Under Michigan rule R 339.23320, USPAP qualifying education credit is awarded only when the course is taught by at least one AQB certified instructor who is a Certified Residential or Certified General appraiser.

Minnesota does not give a separate state USPAP exam. The exam is the closed-book, proctored end-of-course test that concludes the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, which is required qualifying education at every appraiser license level. You must pass it to earn course credit, regardless of whether you take the course online or in person.

In Mississippi, you take the USPAP exam as part of the 15-hour National USPAP course, which every qualifying education package includes. Each qualifying course must include a proctored, closed-book exam. Course completion must fall within five years of your application date for a Licensed, Certified Residential, or Certified General credential.

You complete the 15-Hour National USPAP Course (or an AQB-approved equivalent) as required qualifying education for initial licensure, and Nebraska requires it within two years of application. The course is delivered in person or virtually by approved providers, and it must be taught by an AQB-Certified USPAP Instructor who holds a current Certified General or Certified Residential credential. Course content follows the current USPAP edition, whose most recent update took effect January 1, 2024.

Nevada counts the 15-Hour National USPAP Course as qualifying education for intern registration, and you must complete it within the 5 years before you apply. The course may be delivered in person or virtually, but for state credit it must be taught by an AQB-Certified USPAP Instructor who holds a current Certified General or Certified Residential credential. Nevada also requires a 3-hour course on state appraisal law and a 4-hour supervisor/intern course at the same stage.

New Jersey does not offer a standalone USPAP examination. The exam that leads to licensure is the AQB-approved test administered by Pearson VUE. To be admitted, you must present the Board-issued Green Card (exam approval card), which the Board sends within 1 week of approving your application and which remains valid for 2 years. Each exam has 110 scored questions, and a scaled score of 75 on the 0-110 scale passes.

The 15-hour National USPAP Course is part of New Mexico's qualifying education for trainee appraisers. All coursework must be given in 15-hour segments with a closed-book examination at the end, and you must pass that exam to receive credit. USPAP courses approved through the AQB course approval program, or taught by an AQB-certified national USPAP instructor who is also a certified appraiser, do not need separate board approval. Distance education is acceptable if the course provides interaction and holds AQB or accredited-college content approval.

In New York, USPAP is covered through the 15-hour National USPAP Course, which is part of the qualifying education for every appraiser category and must be taught by an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor who holds certified residential or certified general status. To pass, you must score at least 70% on the final exam, the same minimum that applies to every qualifying course.

Complete the 15-Hour National USPAP course from a North Carolina Appraisal Board-approved sponsor; it is one of the required trainee qualifying education courses. The course must include a proctored, closed-book final examination, and the Board gives no credit by challenge examination. You must finish the course within 5 years before submitting your trainee registration application.

There is no standalone state USPAP exam in Ohio; you demonstrate USPAP knowledge by passing the closed-book, proctored final exam of the 15-hour National USPAP course required for registered appraiser assistant education. The course must have at least one instructor who is AQB-certified in USPAP and a state certified appraiser in good standing. After you hold a credential, Ohio requires 7 hours of the National USPAP Update Course, or its AQB-approved equivalent, at least once in each two-year education cycle.

In Oregon, the USPAP requirement is met through the 15-hour National USPAP course and its final exam, which Appraiser Assistant applicants must complete within the 2 years before applying. After registering, you must complete the 7-hour National USPAP continuing education course at least every two years. The course must be completed within the board's qualifying education windows, and you must pass the final exam to earn credit.

In Pennsylvania, the 15-hour National USPAP course (or its equivalent) must be taught by an AQB Certified USPAP instructor to count toward trainee qualifying education. The course must include an examination that you pass; courses without a passed exam do not count. If you take the course by distance education, the final examination must be written, closed-book, and proctored in person or remotely by an approved official.

The 15-Hour National USPAP Course, required for initial licensure, ends with a written examination that you must pass to earn qualifying-education credit. The course must be taught by an Appraisal Qualifications Board (AQB)-Certified USPAP Instructor who also holds a Certified General or Certified Residential credential. In Rhode Island, every distance-education offering requires a written, proctored examination.

There is no separate USPAP exam. The 15-hour National USPAP Course ends with a closed-book examination that counts toward your qualifying education, and online versions must include a written closed-book final exam proctored in person or remotely. USPAP is also the largest single content domain on the South Dakota national licensing exams, weighted at 22% for State-Licensed, 18% for Certified Residential, and 17% for Certified General.

In Tennessee, USPAP is tested at the course level rather than through a separate state exam. The 15-hour National USPAP Course counts toward the 87 hours of Registered Trainee qualifying education, and you must pass the course final exam and attach the completion certificate to your application.

USPAP coursework, not a standalone state exam, is how Wisconsin covers this material. The 15-hour National USPAP course counts within the 150 hours of core curriculum required for the Licensed Appraiser credential, and a 7-Hour National USPAP Update must be included in the 28 continuing education hours due each biennium. Wisconsin automatically accepts courses approved by the AQB and courses approved by any other US state or territory.