- What Is AK-REB Certification?
- Who Administers the Exam and Where You Take It
- Eligibility Requirements Before You Can Sit
- Exam Format, Fees, and Scoring Mechanics
- The 15 Domains You'll Be Tested On
- National/General vs. Alaska Law: Two Outlines, One Exam
- After You Pass: Licensure, Insurance, and Renewal
- Who Hires AK-REB Licensees and What the Credential Signals
- Building a Study Plan Around the Domain Weights
- Frequently Asked Questions
- AK-REB is the Alaska Real Estate Broker Exam, delivered by Pearson VUE for the Alaska Real Estate Commission.
- You need 140 scored items (80 National/General, 60 Alaska law) plus 10-15 unscored pretest items across a 4-hour session for $115.
- Passing means a scaled score of 75 on a 0-100 scale, not 75% raw correct answers.
- Eligibility requires being at least 22, 30 classroom hours within 18 months, and 36 months of licensee experience within the prior 60 months.
What Is AK-REB Certification?
AK-REB stands for the Alaska Real Estate Broker Exam - the state-administered licensing exam that experienced salespersons in Alaska must pass before they can practice as a broker or associate broker. It is not a designation you add after your name for marketing purposes; it is the regulatory gateway that the Alaska Real Estate Commission uses to confirm that a candidate understands both universal real estate principles and Alaska-specific statutes before granting broker-level authority.
Unlike an entry-level salesperson exam, AK-REB assumes you already have field experience. The test is built for licensees who have been active in the industry and are now stepping into supervisory, brokerage-management, or independent-practice roles. That context matters: the exam blends national real estate concepts with a heavy dose of Alaska law, and it expects you to apply that knowledge the way a working broker would - not just recall definitions.
If you're still deciding whether this path fits your career, the breakdown at Is the AK-REB Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 walks through the practical tradeoffs in more depth.
Who Administers the Exam and Where You Take It
The Alaska Real Estate Commission owns the licensing standards and content outlines, but the actual test delivery is handled by Pearson VUE at proctored, computer-based test centers. This is a closed-book, in-person exam - there is no remote or take-home version. You schedule a seat, arrive with valid identification, and sit for up to 4 hours to complete the exam.
Because the Commission sets the content and Pearson VUE handles logistics, the two most important things a candidate needs to track are (1) the current outline effective dates from the Commission, and (2) scheduling availability through Pearson VUE. For a breakdown of testing windows and how far in advance to book, see AK-REB Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Eligibility Requirements Before You Can Sit
You cannot walk into a Pearson VUE center and register for AK-REB the way you might for a general-knowledge certification exam. Alaska requires candidates to meet three concrete gates first:
- Minimum age of 22.
- 30 classroom hours of Commission-approved broker training, completed within the 18 months immediately before applying.
- 36 months of active and continuous real estate licensee experience, documented within the preceding 60 months.
These requirements exist because AK-REB is a broker-level exam, not an entry point into the profession. The Commission wants proof that you've already practiced as a licensee before you're tested on the judgment and legal responsibilities that come with brokering. A full walkthrough of how to document experience hours and training credits is available at AK-REB Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Key Takeaway
Start counting your 36-month experience window and your 18-month training window early - both are time-bound, and missing either resets your eligibility clock.
Exam Format, Fees, and Scoring Mechanics
The AK-REB exam costs $115 and gives you 4 hours to answer 150-155 total questions. Of those, 140 are scored - 80 covering National/General real estate principles and 60 covering Alaska-specific law - while the remaining 10-15 are unidentified pretest items that don't count toward your score but are indistinguishable from scored questions during the test.
Scoring is where many candidates get confused. Alaska reports results on a 0-100 scaled score, and you need a 75 to pass. That is not the same as answering 75% of questions correctly - scaled scoring adjusts for item difficulty, so the raw percentage needed to reach a 75 scaled score can differ from a straight 75% correct. For a full explanation of how scaled scoring works and why it isn't a simple percentage, read AK-REB Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Reference materials are not allowed at your station. You may bring a silent, handheld, nonprinting calculator without an alphabetic keypad, but financial calculators are specifically prohibited - so leave anything with amortization or cash-flow functions at home. A detailed cost breakdown, including how the $115 fee fits into your total licensing budget, is covered in AK-REB Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
| Exam Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Administering Body | Alaska Real Estate Commission |
| Test Delivery | Pearson VUE, computer-based, test center |
| Fee | $115 |
| Time Allowed | 4 hours |
| Scored Items | 140 (80 National/General + 60 Alaska law) |
| Pretest Items | 10-15 unidentified, unscored |
| Total Items Presented | 150-155 |
| Passing Score | 75 on a 0-100 scaled score |
The 15 Domains You'll Be Tested On
AK-REB content is organized into 15 domains split across the two outlines. Domains 1-8 belong to the National/General portion, and Domains 9-15 belong to the Alaska law portion. Knowing the official item counts helps you decide where to invest study time.
Domain 1: Real Property Characteristics, Legal Descriptions, and Property Use (10 items)
Covers land descriptions, physical and economic characteristics of property, and zoning/use classifications.
- Legal description methods and terminology
Domain 2: Forms of Ownership, Transfer, and Recording of Title (8 items)
Covers deeds, estates, tenancy types, and the recording process that establishes public notice of title.
- Distinguishing joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and community property concepts
Domain 3: Property Value and Appraisal (10 items)
Covers valuation approaches and the factors appraisers and brokers use to estimate market value.
- Sales comparison, cost, and income approaches
Domain 4: Real Estate Contracts and Agency (15 items)
The single largest National/General domain - covers listing agreements, purchase contracts, and agency relationships/duties.
- Elements of a valid contract and agency creation/termination
Domain 5: Real Estate Practice (12 items)
Covers day-to-day brokerage operations, advertising, and general practice standards.
- Fair housing and advertising compliance basics
Domain 6: Property Disclosures and Environmental Issues (9 items)
Covers mandatory disclosures and environmental hazards affecting transactions.
- Material fact disclosure obligations
Domain 7: Financing and Settlement (8 items)
Covers loan types, the closing process, and settlement statement mechanics.
- Conventional vs. government-backed financing distinctions
Domain 8: Real Estate Math Calculations (8 items)
Covers proration, commission splits, loan-to-value, and area/measurement calculations.
- Commission and proration formulas you must compute manually
Domain 9: Powers of the Alaska Real Estate Commission (6 items)
Covers the Commission's authority, disciplinary powers, and rulemaking scope.
- Grounds for disciplinary action against licensees
Domain 10: Licensing (6 items)
Covers Alaska-specific license classifications, applications, and renewal cycles.
- Broker vs. associate broker license distinctions
Domain 11: Licensee Duties and Disclosures to the Public (9-11 items)
Covers Alaska-specific disclosure statutes owed to buyers, sellers, and the public.
- Statutory disclosure timing requirements
Domain 12: Requirements Governing the Activities of Licensees (9 items)
Covers trust accounts, recordkeeping, and conduct rules unique to Alaska.
- Trust account handling and audit requirements
Domain 13: Personal Services Agreements (4-6 items)
Covers Alaska's personal services agreement rules between licensees and clients.
- Required contract elements under Alaska statute
Domain 14: Property Management (9 items)
Covers landlord-tenant law and property management obligations under Alaska rules.
- Security deposit and lease disclosure statutes
Domain 15: Broker Only (15 items)
The largest single domain on the entire exam - covers office registration, supervision duties, and broker-specific legal responsibilities not tested at the salesperson level.
- Broker supervisory obligations over affiliated licensees
For a domain-by-domain study breakdown with more detail on each subtopic, see AK-REB Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 15 Content Areas.
National/General vs. Alaska Law: Two Outlines, One Exam
AK-REB is really two content outlines fused into a single exam session. The National/General outline (Domains 1-8, effective April 1, 2025) covers concepts that would be recognizable to any broker candidate in the country. The Alaska law outline (Domains 9-15, effective September 14, 2023) is entirely state-specific and cannot be studied through generic national prep materials.
This split explains why Domain 15 (Broker Only, 15 items) and Domain 4 (Real Estate Contracts and Agency, 15 items) are the two heaviest domains on the exam - one is the most heavily weighted Alaska-specific domain, the other the most heavily weighted national domain. Treat them as your top study priorities.
Curious how difficult the combined outline actually is in practice? How Hard Is the AK-REB Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 compares the national and Alaska-specific portions side by side.
After You Pass: Licensure, Insurance, and Renewal
Passing AK-REB is not the finish line - it's the trigger for a set of licensing steps you must complete quickly:
- You must submit a complete license application within six months of passing the exam, or your passing result expires.
- You must carry errors-and-omissions (E&O) insurance before licensure is granted.
- If you're licensing as a broker, you must register an office. If you're licensing as an associate broker, you must affiliate with a licensed broker instead.
Once licensed, your credential is on a fixed clock: Alaska real estate licenses expire January 31 of even-numbered years, and renewal requires 20 continuing-education hours - 8 designated/core hours and 12 elective hours. Mark this cycle on your calendar early; missing it can lapse your license entirely.
Who Hires AK-REB Licensees and What the Credential Signals
An AK-REB pass signals to brokerages, clients, and the Commission that you're qualified to operate at a supervisory or independent level - managing your own office, overseeing affiliated agents, or handling transactions without a supervising broker's direct sign-off. Brokerages actively look for broker-licensed staff to run branch offices, manage property management divisions (tied directly to Domain 14 content), and train newer salespersons on compliance matters covered in Domains 9-12.
Because the credential is tied to a state regulatory body rather than a private organization, it carries direct legal weight in Alaska - you cannot use the title "broker" or open your own brokerage without it. For a look at how this translates into compensation structures and career paths, see AK-REB Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis.
Building a Study Plan Around the Domain Weights
Rather than studying domains in the order they're listed, allocate time proportional to item counts. Domain 4 (15 items) and Domain 15 (15 items) deserve the most repetition; Domains 2, 7, 8, 9, and 10 (6-8 items each) need solid but lighter coverage.
National/General Foundation
- Domain 4 (Contracts and Agency) and Domain 5 (Practice) - highest national item counts
- Domain 3 (Appraisal) and Domain 1 (Property Characteristics)
National/General Cleanup + Math
- Domain 6 (Disclosures/Environmental), Domain 7 (Financing/Settlement)
- Domain 8 (Math Calculations) with manual practice problems, since financial calculators are prohibited
Alaska Law Core
- Domain 15 (Broker Only) and Domain 11 (Licensee Duties/Disclosures)
- Domain 12 (Requirements Governing Licensee Activities)
Alaska Law Cleanup + Full Simulation
- Domain 9, 10, 13, 14 review
- Full-length timed practice sessions replicating the 4-hour, 150-155 question format
If you want a condensed reference to review in the final days before your test date, AK-REB Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts compiles the highest-yield facts across all 15 domains. For a more comprehensive step-by-step prep strategy, pair it with AK-REB Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. You can also run full-length simulated sessions on our practice test platform to get comfortable with the pacing before test day.
Frequently Asked Questions
AK-REB stands for the Alaska Real Estate Broker Exam, the Pearson VUE-delivered licensing test administered on behalf of the Alaska Real Estate Commission.
You'll see 150-155 total questions in your 4-hour session: 140 scored items (80 National/General, 60 Alaska law) plus 10-15 unidentified, unscored pretest items.
You need a scaled score of 75 on a 0-100 scale. This is not the same as answering 75% of raw questions correctly.