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Aspiring Key Executive Officers are required to complete the the real estate agency course. Find out about the requirements and the Approved Course Providers.
Last updated 27 August 2025
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The Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) requires aspiring Key Executive Officers (KEOs) to complete the Real Estate Agency (REA) examination preparatory course conducted by CEA Approved Course Providers and obtain their Certificates of REA Course Completion before registering for the REA examination. Only the Certificate of REA Course Completion issued by CEA Approved Course Providers will be recognised for the purpose of taking the REA examination.
You may not be required to take the REA course and REA examination if you possess any of the recognised qualifications in the table below:
Qualifications equivalent to REA examinations
Name of Qualifications | Issuing Body |
Bachelor of Science (Real Estate)1 | National University of Singapore (NUS) |
Bachelor of Science (Estate Management)2 | |
Bachelor of Real Estate (Property Management)2 | |
Bachelor of Real Estate (Valuation)2 | |
Diploma in Real Estate Business1 | Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) |
Diploma In Building Management2 | |
Diploma In Building & Real Estate Management2 | |
Diploma In Property Development & Facilities Management2 | Singapore Polytechnic (SP) |
The Bachelor of Science (Real Estate) course and Diploma in Real Estate Business course are currently offered by NUS and NP respectively:
Students enrolled in these two courses on or after 1 April 2020 and subsequently attain these qualifications will be granted partial exemption from one REA examination paper (i.e. Paper 1). They will be required to take REA examination Papers 2 and 3 in 2025 and 2026. If they are taking the REA examination from 2027 onwards, they will be required to take REA examination Paper 2.
To be eligible to sit for REA examination Papers 2 and 3 in 2025 and 2026, they must attend and complete the partial REA course for Papers 2 and 3. Course completers will be issued with the Certificate of Completion for REA Course (Papers 2 and 3).
Students enrolled in either of these two courses before 1 April 2020 and subsequently attain these qualifications will continue to be exempted from the REA examinations.
These courses are no longer offered by NUS, NP, and SP. Past graduates who are holders of these academic qualifications will not be affected by the amendments to the Regulations. These qualifications will continue to be recognised as passes in the RES and REA examinations.
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 REA examinations.
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.
REA examinations in 2025 and 2026:
The Certificate of REA Course Completion has a validity period of two years. You are eligible to take the REA examination within two years from the date of your Certificate of REA Course Completion. Beyond the two-year validity period, you must attend and complete the REA course again if you wish to take the REA examination. There will be no extension of the REA course certificate validity period.
REA examinations from 1 January 2027:
If you are sitting for REA examinations from 1 January 2027, the Certificate of REA Course Completion is not required.
For more information on the removal of the REA course requirement and the validity period of modular REA examination passes, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 186KB).
List of CEA Approved Course Providers for the REA course
CEA Approved Course Providers | Contact details |
Real Centre Network Pte Ltd | Website: www.realcentrenetwork.com |
Singapore Estate Agents Association | Website: www.seaa.org.sg |
Note: The Approved Course Providers are listed in alphabetical order and not in order of merit.
Course requirement for aspiring KEOs
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 KEOs; 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 (PDF, 935KB) 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 REA course registration, REA examination registration, and KEO application, 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.