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AceableAgent vs The CE Shop
Determine which online real estate school is best for you between The CE Shop and Aceable Agent
If your goal is to become a licensed real estate agent, you will need to complete the necessary pre-licensing requirements, regardless of which state you call home. That’s where The CE Shop and AceableAgent come into play. These are arguably the two most popular online real estate schools out there. In this article, we compare and contrast the pre-licensing courses and exam prep materials from both companies so you can quickly make an educated decision as to which one is right for your budget and learning style.
Given that this is a lengthy, detailed comparison, we’ve included jump-to links above for your convenience.
Video Review: Aceable Agent Or CE Shop?
In the video above, John compares and contrasts the pre-licensing and exam prep materials from AceableAgent and The CE Shop. For more detail, be sure to continue reading our full written comparison below.
In order to keep this comparison actually helpful for you, we are going to focus on the major differences between The CE Shop and AceableAgent and the categories in which each company wins. With that mind, let’s start by discussing The CE Shop.
Slightly Cheaper Course Offerings
The first win for The CE Shop is cost. Their pre-licensing courses are more affordable than those from AceableAgent (on average).
With that said, pricing between the two companies is almost neck and neck, and it does vary by state, but for the most part, The CE Shop seems to be the more the cheaper option.
Also, we should point out that the key is to compare the net cost between both companies, not MSRP, because both companies regularly offers sales and discounts.
The CE Shop typically offers four different course options
For example, in North Carolina, the Essentials package from The CE Shop costs around $475 after discounts, whereas the comparable package from AceableAgent after discounts costs around $565. And it’s the some story in California – The CE Shop’s Standard course costs around $160 post discounts, whereas the course from AceableAgent is closer to $250.
Remember though, pricing does vary quite a bit, but generally speaking, you’ll likely save around $50 to $100 by going with The CE Shop rather than AceableAgent.
More Ideal For Visual Learners
The CE Shop is the better choice for visual learners, and that’s because a big chunk of the company’s educational content is delivered in video format (similar to Kaplan).
And I’m not talking about some 1980’s style home video featuring a professor talking in a monotone voice. Instead, The CE Shop uses animated cartoon videos that really do a good job of holding your attention.
It’s the clear the company has invested serious time and resources into creating these videos, and it shows – they are very high quality.
Example video lesson from The CE Shop
Now to be fair, some of the content from AceableAgent is delivered via video as well, but it’s just not as frequent as The CE Shop, and not in the same engaging, animated format.
Bottom line, if you learn best via video as opposed to reading, The CE Shop is an excellent choice.
Perhaps this is a minor point, but our team likes that within the company’s custom learning platform, you can easily bookmark any explanation, video or quiz question to review at a later time.
Plus, the nice thing is that all of your bookmarks are easily accessible right from the main dashboard, which is very convenient.
It’s perfect for when you need a quick refresher on concepts or topics you are having trouble memorizing or understanding.
In fact, this is actually one of my biggest gripes with the digital platform from AceableAgent. There’s just nowhere to quickly take notes or bookmark key points. Instead with AceableAgent, you have to take your own notes in a separate word document or physical notebook, which is kind of annoying. I guess our team just prefers how The CE Shop does it.
Pre-Licensing Courses For More States
Lastly, this category is pretty straightforward – The CE Shop simply offers pre-licensing courses for more states in comparison to AceableAgent.
In fact, AceableAgent only covers 14 states, believe it or not. Therefore, your options are pretty limited. You’ll definitely want to make sure AceableAgent even offers courses for your state before proceeding.
The CE Shop offers courses for pretty much the entire US
Whereas The CE Shop, on the other hand, covers pretty much the entire United States. Last we checked, the company offers pre-licensing courses for over 45 states! Needless to say, The CE Shop likely has you covered regardless of where you live.
Now that you have an idea of the areas in which The CE Shop excels, let’s turn the tables and discuss the areas in which AceableAgent wins.
Audio Narration
AceableAgent is clearly the better choice for auditory learners, and that’s due to the fact that the company provides audio narration for each lesson that includes text. This is great because that means you do not have to read at all if you don’t want too.
Each lesson includes audio narration
I know our team hates PowerPoint presentations and PDFs that are comprised solely of text, so the fact that AceableAgent essentially does the work for you is pretty awesome. Honestly, the AceableAgent lessons are sort of like listening to a podcast (somewhat similar to Real Estate U).
Even the narrator does a great job using tone and inflection. In other words, it’s not just some monotone robot reading text. The narrator makes otherwise boring information sound somewhat interesting, so we have to give AceableAgent credit for that.
Stellar Mobile App
The next win for AceableAgent is that they offer a mobile app, whereas The CE Shop does not.
Now to be fair, The CE Shop’s custom learning platform is mobile friendly, but still, it’s just not the same as having a dedicated mobile app. Plus, AceableAgent’s mobile app is fantastic. It’s quick, modern, and super easy-to-use.
Stellar mobile app from AceableAgent
Bottom line, if you’re someone with a busy schedule and you plan to complete lessons and study for your state exam on-the-go (e.g. during your lunch break, waiting in the parking lot to pick up your kids, or doing household chores) then AceableAgent is likely the way to go. Their mobile app is super convenient.
High Pass Rates
This category might be somewhat controversial, and please take this with a grain of salt since a lot of this data is self-reported by the companies themselves based on their own surveys, but it does seem like AceableAgent students have a much higher pass rate compared to The CE Shop.
To give you an idea, let’s run through a couple example states:
(1) in Georgia, AceableAgent’s pass rate is 83%, while The CE Shop comes in at 56%; (2) in Texas, 72% pass rate for AceableAgent and 67% for The CE Shop; and (3) it’s same story for the overall national pass rate, AceableAgent claims to be over 90%, while The CE Shop touts 64% (both of which by the way are well above the national average of 52%).
Still, if you’re looking for the real estate school that gives you the best chance of passing your state exam, the stats from AceableAgent are pretty eye-popping (even better than the pass rates from Colibri).
Pass Guarantee
Lastly, this is somewhat related to my last point, but AceableAgent offers the better pass guarantee between the two companies.
So essentially how it works is that if you sign up for one of the company’s courses, complete all the hours required within the course, and then somehow do not pass your state licensing exam after three attempts within 90 days of completing the course, then AceableAgent will refund your money.
Now The CE Shop does technically offer a pass guarantee as well, but with a couple asterisks attached.
First, The CE Shop does not offer the guarantee for all states (it’s kind of hit and miss). Second, The CE Shop guarantee only covers the cost of your initial licensing exam, not the cost of the actual course, so that’s kind of a bummer.
For the record, Kaplan Real Estate does not offer a money back guarantee either.
It’s finally time to answer the all important question – should you go with AceableAgent or The CE Shop to help you get your real estate license?
Well, after testing the pre-licensing courses and exam prep materials from both companies, our team gives The CE Shop the slight edge, though it does somewhat depend on your preferred learning style.
For example, if you consider yourself an auditory learner, or you like listening to podcasts, then AceableAgent is the more ideal choice. And it’s the same story if you lead a busy, hectic life. In this case, I’d once again go with AceableAgent given their dynamite mobile app.
However, if money is your chief concern, then there’s a good chance The CE Shop is your answer. Likewise, if you’re more of a new school, visual learner that likes or needs engaging videos to hold your attention, then The CE Shop is once again the answer.
All in all, both companies have their own unique pros and cons, but if we had to choose just one, we recommend The CE Shop. In fact, The CE Shop recently earned the#1 spot on our list of the best real estate schools online.
Lesson format is probably the biggest difference between Aceable Agent and The CE Shop. The Aceable Agent lessons feature audio narration (almost like a podcast), whereas The CE Shop utilizes more video in their content (more ideal for visual learners).
Which is better - Aceable Agent or The CE Shop?
It depends. If you are an auditory learner or you plan to complete lessons and study for your state exam on-the-go, then Aceable Agent is likely the better choice. However, if you are more of a visual learner, then The CE Shop is likely the ideal choice given their engaging, interactive content.
Is Aceable Agent cheaper than The CE Shop?
Pricing between the two companies varies by state. However, on average, it seems like the courses and exam prep materials from The CE Shop are slightly more affordable.
