Getting a license: Real estate salespersons
To be licensed as a real estate salesperson, you must:

be 18 years of age or older.
complete a 60 clock-hour course in real estate fundamentals. Clock hours must be completed within 5 years prior to application for examination. A list of approved real estate courses are available in the real estate course catalog.
obtain a Candidate Handbook, which contains the examination application, from the course provider. Have your school stamp and complete the required information on the Examination Application. To schedule an exam, contact the provider of our Real Estate examinations, Promissor, at the toll-free number provided in the handbook.
pass the examination. Those who pass the exam will receive information on how to apply for a license. Results are valid for one year from the date of passing the examination.
complete and submit the Real Estate Salesperson, Associate Broker, or Branch Manager Application with the appropriate fee.


When you complete and the submit the application to the state you will need a broker to sign off "SPONSOR" you to get your license activated. You do not need a sponsor to take the classes or the exam.

It appears this question is coming from someone that is looking into coming to Washington State, but to learn Washington Laws of Real Estate, even experienced agent in another state needs to be sponsered by a broker in Washington state.

I just noticed you are in Ohio but the question was posed locally. I am not familiar with Ohio rules regarding this.

In order to activate it with the state, you need a broker to hang it with but you can get the license without the broker, you just cannot practice real estate.