Real estate salesperson course
Aspiring real estate salespersons must complete the examination preparatory course conducted by CEA Approved Course Providers and obtain their Certificates of RES Course Completion, before registering for the RES examination.
Last updated 2 April 2026
The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) requires aspiring real estate salespersons (RESs) to complete the RES examination preparatory course conducted by CEA Approved Course Providers (ACP) and obtain the Certificate of RES Course Completion before registering for the RES examination. Only course completion certificates issued by CEA ACPs will be recognised for the purpose of taking the RES examination.
Note
Due to high demand for RES examination seats, it will not be possible to allocate an examination seat to every applicant with a valid Certificate of RES Course Completion. Aspiring RESs are advised to consider this carefully before signing up for the RES course with any CEA ACPs.
The Certificate of RES Course Completion has a validity period of two years. You are eligible to take the RES examination within two years from the date of your Certificate of RES Course Completion. Beyond the two-year validity period, you must attend and complete the RES course again should you wish to take the RES examination. There will be no extension to the RES course certificate validity period.
You may not be required to take the RES course and RES examination if you possess any of the recognised qualifications listed in the table below:
Qualifications equivalent to RES examinations
Name of Qualifications | Issuing Body |
|---|---|
Bachelor of Business Administration (Real Estate)1 | National University of Singapore (NUS) |
Bachelor of Science (Real Estate)2 | |
Bachelor of Science (Estate Management)3 | |
Bachelor of Real Estate (Property Management)3 | |
Bachelor of Real Estate (Valuation)3 | |
Diploma in Real Estate Business2 | Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) |
Diploma In Building Management3 | |
Diploma In Building & Real Estate Management3 | |
Diploma In Property Development & Facilities Management3 | Singapore Polytechnic (SP) |
Diploma In Building & Property Management3 |
Note:
Holders of the Bachelor of Business Administration (Real Estate) qualification from NUS are exempted from RES examination Paper 1. They will be required to take RES examination Paper 2. To be eligible to sit for RES examination Paper 2, they must complete the partial RES course for Paper 2. Course completers will be issued with the Certificate of Completion for RES Course (Paper 2).
Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) from NUS and Diploma in Real Estate Business from NP:
Holders of these qualifications who enrolled on or after 1 April 2020 are exempted from RES examination Paper 1 and must take RES examination Paper 2.
To be eligible to sit for RES examination Paper 2, they must complete the partial RES course for Paper 2. Course completers will be issued with the Certificate of Completion for RES Course (Paper 2).
Holders of these qualifications who enrolled before 1 April 2020 remain fully exempted from both RES examination papers.
These courses are no longer offered by NUS, NP, and SP. Holders of these degree or diploma qualifications remain fully exempted from both RES examination papers.
Individuals who have passed all 3 examinations in General Practice by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) on or before 1 March 2023 shall be deemed to have obtained qualifications equivalent to a pass in the RES examinations. Please note that this does not apply to RICS memberships, fellowships, or other RICS-accredited course qualifications.
Holders of all other qualifications will be required to take and pass the RES or REA examination if they wish to become an RES or a KEO respectively.
List of CEA Approved Course Providers
CEA Approved Course Providers | Contact details |
Benchmark Realpro Pte Ltd | Website: www.benchmarkrealpro.com |
Hastor Property Services Pte Ltd | Website: www.hastor.com.sg |
Life Mastery Academy Pte Ltd | Website: www.lma.com.sg |
Ngee Ann Polytechnic | Website: www.cet.np.edu.sg |
Pioneer Training & Consultancy Pte Ltd | Website: www.pioneertraining.org |
Real Centre Network Pte Ltd | Website: www.realcentrenetwork.com |
Realty International Associates Pte Ltd | Website: www.riaschool.com.sg |
Singapore Institute of Estate Agents | Website: www.siea.org.sg |
Note:
The ACPs are listed in alphabetical order and not in order of merit.
As of 1 Jan 2026, Institute of Estate Agents, Singapore is no longer a CEA Approved Course Provider.
Course requirement for aspiring RESs
You must have either:
A minimum of four GCE O-Level passes (results may be combined from a maximum of two examination sittings) or equivalent, which is one of the regulatory requirements for salespersons; or
Attained Level 5 and above in all five components of the Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) assessment: Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing, and Numeracy. Find out more about the WPLN Assessment developed by the British Council in collaboration with SkillsFuture Singapore at the British Council website.
For overseas qualifications or local private qualifications, ) you may email the academic certificates and academic transcripts, together with the completed Educational Qualification Assessment form (PDF, 209KB), to CEA at licensing@cea.gov.sg for assessment. You must attach all supporting documents when submitting your application.
Note:
We do not accept education certificates certified by a notary public as verification proof.
If you do not have original copies of your certificates, you must provide a letter of confirmation of award or a duplicate copy of the certificate from the issuing institution/ university.
For bachelor and above qualifications from China, you must provide verification proof from the Center for Student Services and Development, Ministry of Education, P.R. China (CSSD) if you do not have the original copies of your certificates.
Qualifications assessed to be accepted in lieu of four GCE O-Level passes for the purpose of RES course registration, RES examination registration, and salesperson registration, are valid for a period of three years from the date of CEA's notification. After this period, you will need to resubmit a fresh application for qualification assessment.