- Eligibility Overview: Who Can Pursue AI-GRS
- Two Entry Paths Into Candidacy
- Standards, Fair Housing, Ethics & the Review Exams
- The 4,500-Hour Experience Requirement
- Exam Mechanics: Modules, Fees, and Format
- The MAI/SRPA Alternative Route
- Fees and Dues Snapshot
- Requirements After You're Designated
- Planning Your Qualification Timeline
- Frequently Asked Questions
- You need Certified General Real Property Appraiser status, or a bachelor's degree if you lack that certification.
- Standard candidates need 4,500 specialized hours over at least 36 months, including 1,000 qualifying review hours.
- You must pass Review Theory - General and Review Case Studies - General, plus the two-module comprehensive exam.
- Current MAI/SRPA members can skip the comprehensive exam via five qualifying review reports, but Review Theory - General still applies.
Eligibility Overview: Who Can Pursue AI-GRS
The AI-GRS Membership Designation from the Appraisal Institute is built for appraisers who specialize in reviewing other appraisers' work - checking assumptions, methodology, and conclusions rather than producing original valuations. Because review work sits on top of general appraisal practice, the eligibility bar reflects that: you need either an active professional credential or a baseline education level, plus documented review-specific experience and a set of examinations that confirm you can apply review theory consistently.
Before you spend money on applications, it helps to understand exactly what "qualifying" means for this designation. There are three moving pieces: your credentialing/education status, your experience hours, and your exam results. Miss any one of them and your candidacy application stalls. The rest of this guide walks through each requirement in the order the Appraisal Institute evaluates them, based on the Comprehensive Examination Guidebook (effective January 1, 2023) and the Candidate Policy Manual (effective April 17, 2026).
Two Entry Paths Into Candidacy
The Appraisal Institute recognizes two ways to establish initial eligibility for AI-GRS candidacy:
- Certified General Real Property Appraiser status (or equivalent): If you already hold this credential, you've satisfied the baseline entry requirement and can move directly into documenting experience and scheduling exams.
- Bachelor's degree or higher: If you do not hold Certified General Real Property Appraiser status, a four-year degree satisfies the entry requirement instead. This path is common for candidates transitioning from adjacent analytical or valuation-support roles into formal review work.
Neither path replaces the experience and exam requirements described below - they simply determine whether you're allowed to start the candidacy process. If you're unsure which category applies to your background, it's worth reviewing the full designation overview in What Is AI-GRS Certification? before you submit paperwork.
Standards, Fair Housing, Ethics & the Review Exams
Beyond credentials and hours, candidates must formally satisfy three educational requirements and pass two named examinations before the designation application is complete:
- Standards requirement
- Fair Housing requirement
- AI Business Practices and Ethics requirement
These are distinct from the comprehensive examination modules covered later in this article. In addition, candidates must pass:
- Review Theory - General - the foundational review-methodology exam
- Review Case Studies - General - an applied exam testing your ability to work through review scenarios
These two exams function as gatekeepers within the candidacy process itself, separate from the two-module comprehensive exam discussed below. If you're building a study sequence, it's worth mapping out which content overlaps between Review Theory - General and the comprehensive exam's General Review Theory module - a distinction covered in more depth in the AI-GRS Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 2 Content Areas.
Key Takeaway
Don't confuse the candidacy-stage Review Theory - General and Review Case Studies - General exams with the two comprehensive examination modules - both sets must be passed, but they serve different checkpoints in the qualification process.
The 4,500-Hour Experience Requirement
The standard experience requirement for AI-GRS is substantial and deliberately review-focused:
- 4,500 specialized hours total
- Accumulated over at least 36 months
- Within the preceding 10 years
- Including 1,000 qualifying review hours specifically, as documented experience
This structure means general appraisal experience alone won't get you across the finish line - a meaningful chunk of your logged hours must be genuine review work: analyzing, critiquing, and reporting on appraisals produced by others. Candidates coming from a pure production-appraisal background often underestimate how much of their existing hour count will actually qualify as "review" versus "appraisal" time, so it's worth auditing your work history against the experience guidebook criteria early rather than late in the process.
What Counts as Qualifying Review Experience
Review hours generally need to reflect actual evaluative work on someone else's appraisal - not administrative support, not solo appraisal production. Candidates should track engagement type, date ranges, and reviewed-report references contemporaneously rather than reconstructing logs at application time.
- Formal desk and field reviews of appraisal reports
- Written critiques identifying methodology or data issues
- Documented review assignments spanning the required 36-month window
Exam Mechanics: Modules, Fees, and Format
AI-GRS's comprehensive examination is delivered at Pearson VUE Professional Testing Centers and is split into two modules that map to the designation's two official domains:
| Module | Domain Focus | Questions | Time Allowed | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Module 1 | General Appraisal Concepts | 50 scored MCQs | 3 hours 30 minutes | $150 |
| Module 2 | General Review Theory | 50 scored MCQs | 3 hours 30 minutes | $150 |
Both modules together represent 100 scored questions and 7 hours of allotted testing time across two separate appointments - not one combined sitting. You can schedule the two modules separately within your authorized testing windows, and both must be passed. Registering for both at once costs $300 rather than paying $150 twice, though that $300 exam fee is separate from the $300 experience application and the $100 designation application filed later in the process.
The exam is closed book. You're permitted one financial calculator, with memory cleared both before and after testing, and an optional ungraded on-screen spreadsheet is available if you want to work through calculations visually. Expect occasional unscored pilot items mixed in with the 50 scored questions per module - these don't count toward your result but are indistinguishable from scored items during the test.
For a deeper breakdown of what each module actually tests, see the AI-GRS Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 2 Content Areas. If you want a sense of how demanding the format feels in practice, How Hard Is the AI-GRS Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through the exam experience in detail, and AI-GRS Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass covers scoring specifics.
The MAI/SRPA Alternative Route
If you're already a current MAI or SRPA member in good standing, the Appraisal Institute offers an alternative path into AI-GRS that bypasses the comprehensive examination entirely. Instead of sitting Module 1 and Module 2, qualifying MAI/SRPA members submit five qualifying appraisal review reports as evidence of review competency.
One important nuance: this alternative route exempts you from the comprehensive examination, but the Review Theory - General examination described earlier still applies. In other words, MAI/SRPA members skip the two-module Pearson VUE exam but still need to demonstrate review-theory competency through that separate exam requirement.
Key Takeaway
Existing MAI/SRPA members should confirm their five review reports meet the "qualifying" criteria well before submitting - this route removes the comprehensive exam but not every testing requirement.
Fees and Dues Snapshot
Budgeting for AI-GRS involves several distinct line items rather than one flat certification fee:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Exam Module 1 or Module 2 individually | $150 each |
| Both exam modules together | $300 |
| Experience application | $300 |
| Designation application | $100 |
| Active-practicing AI-GRS-only national membership dues | $710 (plus chapter/regional dues) |
Note that national membership dues are billed separately from application and exam fees, and chapter or regional dues vary by location on top of the $710 national figure. For a complete cost walkthrough across the entire candidacy-to-designation lifecycle, see AI-GRS Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Requirements After You're Designated
Qualifying for AI-GRS isn't a one-time event - designated members must maintain their status through continuing education. The requirements depend on when your cycle begins or renews:
- Cycles beginning or renewing July 1, 2025 or later: 100 hours over five years, including Standards, Fair Housing, and AI ethics education.
- Existing points-based cycles ending between 2025 and 2029: the legacy 500-point requirement remains in effect until those cycles transition to the hour-based system.
If you're mapping out a multi-year plan, factor this ongoing obligation in alongside your initial qualification timeline - designation maintenance is a permanent part of holding AI-GRS, not a one-time hurdle.
Planning Your Qualification Timeline
Because AI-GRS combines a credential/education gate, a multi-year experience requirement, ethics coursework, and two distinct sets of exams, most candidates benefit from sequencing their preparation rather than tackling everything simultaneously.
Confirm Eligibility & Start Logging Hours
- Verify Certified General Real Property Appraiser status or bachelor's degree eligibility
- Begin contemporaneous tracking of qualifying review hours toward the 1,000-hour minimum
Complete Ethics & Fair Housing Requirements
- Finish Standards, Fair Housing, and AI Business Practices and Ethics coursework
- Schedule Review Theory - General once foundational material is fresh
Prepare for the Comprehensive Exam
- Study General Appraisal Concepts and General Review Theory as distinct domains
- Book Module 1 and Module 2 within your authorized testing window
File Applications
- Submit experience application once hours and months thresholds are met
- File designation application after passing all required exams
A structured, domain-by-domain study approach - rather than generic cramming - tends to work best given the exam's closed-book format and calculator restrictions. The AI-GRS Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt breaks this down further, and practicing with realistic timed questions on our practice test platform can help you gauge readiness for the 3-hour-30-minute module format before test day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not necessarily. Certified General Real Property Appraiser status (or equivalent) is one entry path. If you don't hold that certification, a bachelor's degree or higher satisfies the entry requirement instead.
The standard path requires 4,500 specialized hours accumulated over at least 36 months within the preceding 10 years, including 1,000 qualifying review hours documented specifically as review experience.
Yes. Current MAI/SRPA members in good standing can use an alternative route involving five qualifying appraisal review reports and are exempt from the comprehensive examination, though the Review Theory - General examination still applies.
Each module costs $150 individually, or $300 for both together. This is separate from the $300 experience application and the $100 designation application filed later in the process.
No. Both modules must be passed, but they can be scheduled separately within your authorized testing windows at Pearson VUE Professional Testing Centers.
For related context on how AI-GRS fits into a broader career and its terminology, see What Is AI-GRS?, AI-GRS Meaning, and AI-GRS Jobs. You can also start practicing exam-style questions anytime on our AI-GRS practice test hub.