I passed the california real estate exam 5 years ago but I did not apply for the license at that time, do I have to retake the exam if I want to apply for the license now, do you know what the process is?

You have one year to apply for the license after you pass thr exam. Since it has been five years since you passed the exam, you have to take the prelicensing courses again and apply to take the exam again.

Thank you for your response, I was unable to find the information on my own. This is helpful, the bad thing is I have to start all over again. Thank you again.