What is the USPAP exam and how do I prepare for it?

There is no standalone USPAP exam. USPAP knowledge is tested through the required 15-Hour National USPAP Course and inside the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination, which candidates take after completing their qualifying education and experience. To prepare, review the Exam Content Outlines for your credential level (updated for candidates testing from April 1, 2026) and bring your own financial calculator; alpha-programmable calculators are not allowed except the HP-12C.

The USPAP exam is the final examination at the end of the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, which Alaska counts among the 83 qualifying education hours for trainee registration. To prepare, study the USPAP Guidance and Reference Manual and the corresponding student manual for your course cycle. For Alaska credit, the course must be taught by an Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB)-Certified USPAP Instructor who holds a current Certified General or Certified Residential credential.

Arizona tests USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) within its national licensing examinations rather than through a separate exam: USPAP questions account for 22% of the Licensed Residential exam, 18% of Certified Residential, and 17% of Certified General. Prepare using the content outline in the PSI candidate bulletin, which lists each tested USPAP subtopic, from the ethics rule to the scope of work rule. The exam fee is $140, and passing requires a scaled score of 75 on a 0-to-110 scale.

California has no separate USPAP exam for licensure. USPAP knowledge is tested as a content area of the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination, weighted at 22% for the Licensed Residential exam, 18% for Certified Residential, and 17% for Certified General. PSI administers the exam, the fee is $85, each exam has 110 scored questions, and passing requires a scaled score of 75 on a 0-to-110 scale.

The USPAP exam is the test built into the 15-hour National Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course, which Delaware requires within the qualifying education hours for every appraiser credential. To prepare, study the 2024 USPAP edition, effective January 1, 2024, and its companion Guidance and Reference Manual, which contains Advisory Opinions and FAQs. Each qualifying course must be at least 15 hours long and include an exam.

There is no separate state USPAP exam in Hawaii. The 15-hour National USPAP Course includes its own end-of-course exam graded by the provider, and Hawaii's approved versions carry 15 qualifying hours with exam. The state's licensing exams, administered by Pearson VUE, are separate and require a scaled score of 75 to pass; all education and experience must be completed before taking the National Examination.

The USPAP exam is the end-of-course exam that follows the 15-hour National USPAP Course, and trainee applicants must pass end-of-course exams for their education to count. There is no separate standalone USPAP exam in Idaho. Preparation means completing the course, which the Board recognizes when delivered by Appraisal Qualifications Board certified USPAP instructors and educational providers.

Iowa's examination program lists no standalone USPAP exam. The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) is tested as a content domain within the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examinations, weighted at 17% on the Certified General Appraiser exam and 18% on the Certified Residential Appraiser exam. To prepare, review the Appraiser Qualifications Board content outline, which lists the tested USPAP topics, including the ethics rule, competency rule, and scope of work rule.

The USPAP exam is the closed-book test you must pass at the end of the 15-hour National USPAP course, which is part of the qualifying education for every Kansas appraiser classification. To prepare, complete the course through a board-approved provider; Kansas accepts only the Appraisal Foundation-developed National USPAP course for USPAP credit. There is no alternative to passing the exam for those 15 hours. USPAP is the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, the standards every appraiser must follow in each assignment.

There is no standalone state USPAP exam. The exam is the end-of-course test for the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, and passing it is part of the qualifying education required for every appraiser credential in Louisiana. USPAP also appears as a scored content area on the AQB-approved licensing exams administered by Pearson VUE, which the state retains to run its appraiser examination program. To prepare, take the 15-hour course through a state-approved provider; online delivery is accepted when the course is approved or certified by the AQB or IDECC.

Maryland fulfills USPAP requirements through coursework. Aspiring appraisers take the 15-hour National USPAP Course as part of the 75 hours of trainee qualifying education, and licensees renewing must complete the 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course at least once every 2 calendar years. The USPAP qualifying 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 separate USPAP exam in its licensing process; USPAP knowledge is tested through the exam in the 15-Hour National USPAP Course that every credential candidate completes. The state's licensing exams are distinct and cover national appraisal content. PSI Services administers Michigan's State Licensed, Certified Residential, and Certified General examinations, and passing requires a minimum scaled score of 75 on a 0-110 scale.

The USPAP exam is the closed-book, proctored end-of-course exam that concludes the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, required for every level of appraiser licensing in Minnesota. To prepare, complete the full 15-hour course, because the exam covers its content and course credit depends on passing it. The exam requirement applies whether the course is taken online or in person.

There is no USPAP exam; passing the course is the requirement. The exam Nebraska candidates take is the AQB National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination, administered by PSI for a $130 fee. It requires a minimum scaled score of 75 on the 0-to-110 scale and includes 110 scored questions.

USPAP is not itself an exam; it is the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, the standards you learn in the 15-Hour National USPAP Course and revisit in the 7-Hour National USPAP Update Course every 24 months after licensure. The examination that leads to licensure is the AQB-approved exam that Pearson VUE administers. You can prepare using the National Appraiser Candidate Handbook and the AQB content outlines downloadable from Pearson VUE. A scaled score of 75 on the 0-110 scale passes.

In New Mexico, the USPAP exam is the closed-book, end-of-course examination that follows the 15-hour National USPAP Course; you must pass it to receive education credit. Qualifying education courses must be at least 15 hours and include this exam. The board will not accept "cram courses" designed only to prepare students for an examination.

New York does not administer a separate "USPAP exam." The 15-Hour National USPAP Course ends with a final exam, and the Department of State requires a minimum score of 70% to complete any qualifying course. Licensure itself requires the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examinations, which include state-specific questions on New York appraisal law and carry a minimum passing scaled score of 75.

North Carolina has no separate USPAP exam; the 15-Hour National USPAP course ends with a proctored, closed-book final examination that must be passed for credit, and no credit is given by challenge examination. To prepare, take the course from a North Carolina Appraisal Board-approved sponsor, either in a classroom or online. The state licensing exam for higher credentials is separate and is set and collected by Pearson Professional Assessments.

Ohio does not administer a stand-alone USPAP exam. The 15-hour Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course required for appraiser assistant registration ends with a closed-book, proctored final exam, so preparing means completing an approved course. The state licensing exam is separate: it has 125 questions, requires a minimum scaled score of 75 to pass, and you must meet the experience requirement before being seated for it.

Oregon has no standalone USPAP examination. The USPAP requirement is met through the 15-hour National USPAP course, whose final exam Appraiser Assistant applicants must pass within the 2 years before registering; the 8-hour Valuation Bias and Fair Housing course added in 2026 also ends with a final exam. Licensing and certification candidates instead take the national examination through Pearson VUE.

There is no standalone national "USPAP exam." The term usually refers to the written examination at the end of the 15-Hour National USPAP Course, which every aspiring appraiser must pass as part of qualifying education. Rhode Island requires a written, proctored examination for all distance-education offerings, so online versions of the course include a proctored exam. To prepare, study the course materials covering the Preamble, Definitions, the five Rules (Ethics, Competency, Record Keeping, Scope of Work, and Jurisdictional Exception), and Standards 1-10.

There is no separate stand-alone USPAP exam in South Dakota. Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) knowledge is tested in two places: the required 15-Hour National USPAP Course, which counts toward qualifying education and ends with a closed-book exam, and the national licensing exam, where uniform standards is the largest single content domain (18% of the Certified Residential exam). Completing the 15-hour course is the required preparation for both.