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Kaplan Real Estate Review
Determine whether Kaplan is the best online real estate school for you in this detailed review
Congratulations, you have decided to get your real estate license and start a new career. Now, the next step in your journey is deciding which real estate school to select to complete your pre-licensing credit hours and help you prepare for your national and state exams. In this article, we discuss the pros and cons of the Kaplan Real Estate School so you can quickly figure out whether it’s a good fit for you based on your budget and preferred learning method.
Given that this is a lengthy, detailed review, we’ve included jump-to links above for your convenience.
Video Review of Kaplan’s Real Estate Materials
In the above video, team member John breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of the Kaplan real estate course and exam prep materials. Please keep reading for more detail.
Kaplan Real Estate Education Cost
Kaplan offers courses for individuals in over 40 states. The company pretty much has the entire United States map covered, whereas competitors like AceableAgent for example, only offer courses for around 15 states. Therefore, Kaplan definitely has a leg up from that perspective.
Our team also likes that Kaplan offers multiple packages for people to choose from across various price points. That way you can pick the exact course that fits your needs, learning style, and budget. For example, to satisfy the 135 credit hours needed in California, you can choose between an at-home, self-paced option, an on-demand video course, or a live online course.
The different courses available in California
Plus, the nice thing is that all of the Kaplan courses are reasonably priced. Now obviously, cost varies by state and the number of credit hours required, but for the most part, the courses from Kaplan are near the more affordable end of the industry.
For example, in Iowa, you can purchase Kaplan’s on-demand video pre-licensing course and exam prep bundle for a shade under $400, whereas the comparable course from The CE Shop is priced slightly higher at around $450.
Strengths Of The Kaplan Real Estate School
Rather than waste your time running down a list of included study materials and features that you likely already know about, instead we are going to focus on the what we see as the biggest strengths, and weaknesses of the Kaplan Real Estate courses because, ultimately, we think that is going to be more helpful for you to determine whether Kaplan is the right online real estate school for your specific needs.
Ideal Choice For Visual Learners
The Kaplan courses are an excellent choice for visual learners, and we say that because if you do opt for one of the company’s on-demand packages, it’s primarily video-based (somewhat similar to The CE Shop).
The lessons take the form of a digital whiteboard, in which the instructor appears on screen, and guides you through the material by explaining key concepts, and providing examples. Then, as the instructor speaks, the digital whiteboard behind them updates with notes, text and graphics.
Example video lesson from Kaplan Real Estate
Plus, not only are the Kaplan instructors super knowledgeable when it comes to real estate, but they also have a real knack for breaking down complex topics into digestible chunks.
Our team was also pleasantly surprised by how energetic the instructors were. At first glance, our team was expecting some boring, monotone professor type, but that’s definitely not the case. All of the instructors in the videos are spunky and spirited. You can definitely tell they go off-script at times, which really helps with engagement.
Bottom line, if you process and synthesize information best through visual means, then Kaplan should mesh well with your preferred learning style.
Live Class Options
Now that we’ve discussed the on-demand packages from Kaplan, we would also like to highlight their live class options, which is fairly unusual for online real estate schools. For example, two of Kaplan’s biggest competitors, AceableAgent and The CE Shop, do not offer any live class options whatsoever.
Now to be clear, Kaplan does not offer live classes for all states, but for a lot of them they do, like California, Minnesota, and North Carolina, just to name a few. Therefore, if you are the type of person who prefers live instruction (maybe you like to mingle with your peers or you like to ask instructors questions on the fly), then Kaplan is an excellent option.
As far as the live classes themselves, they are flat out awesome. Just like with the on-demand videos, the live Kaplan instructors are outstanding. They do a great job of holding your attention from beginning to end, and we also like Kaplan’s live online classroom environment. It definitely adds a fresh, exciting element to the learning process as compared to the on-demand options.
Interactive Study Groups
Speaking of live instruction, highlight number three are Kaplan’s interactive study groups, which are available for the majority of their real estate courses at no additional fee.
How it works is that once a week, one of Kaplan’s expert instructors will hold a live Q&A webinar session. That way, you can connect with other students, and ask your instructor questions to clarify or reinforce key concepts covered in your course.
Kaplan offers live Q&A sessions for students
Overall, this is a super valuable resource for students, and something that a lot of online real estate schools do not offer, so it’s definitely nice that Kaplan goes the extra mile and supports its students by giving them regular access to instructors.
Bookmark Feature
This may be a minor point, but our team likes that Kaplan allows you to bookmark and take notes directly within their learning platform. You would be surprised how many online real estate schools do not offer this type of feature, and instead force students to take notes themselves offline (like AceableAgent, for example).
Kaplan makes it easy to take notes during lessons
Luckily though, that’s not the case with Kaplan. If you are watching a video, and you don’t understand the concept or you just know that you’ll need to review it again later for retention purposes, Kaplan makes it super easy (similar to Colibri). All you have to do is click the bookmark icon, and add whatever notes you’d like.
Then the nice thing is that from the main dashboard, you can visibly see all of your bookmarks so you can quickly revisit them whenever you’d like. It’s way better than taking notes in a separate word document or physical notebook.
Custom Quiz Tool
The last strength to cover has more to do with Kaplan’s exam prep (you know once you complete the pre-licensing credit hours and begin to prepare for your national and state exams). To be more specific, we would like highlight Kaplan’s custom quiz tool, which is super helpful.
Create custom quizzes with Kaplan
Essentially how it works is that Kaplan allows you to create your own quiz set based on a number of factors. You can choose the topic you want to focus on, the type of questions you want, whether you want a timer, etc. It’s just a super useful tool to really help you hone in on your weak areas so you can feel confident going into test day.
Weaknesses Of The Kaplan Real Estate School
Now that we’ve covered the major strengths of Kaplan Real Estate courses, let’s turn the tables and talk about weaknesses.
No Mobile App
Unfortantely, Kaplan does not offer a mobile app for students. As such, if you are a busy professional or mom or dad who is planning on studying on-the-go over lunch breaks or while you’re waiting to pick your kids up from soccer practice, then take note of this.
It’s definitely not ideal that you basically have to be sitting in front of your computer to complete lessons and study with Kaplan, so if that’s just not going to work with your lifestyle, then you may want to check out AceableAgent since they offer a stellar mobile app.
Somewhat related to the previous point, negative number two is that Kaplan’s digital platform is somewhat disorganized and dated.
For one, all of your materials are housed in different areas. Your syllabus, on-demand videos, interactive study groups, and exam prep materials are all technically different courses or modules that open in different browsers, which obviously isn’t ideal from a user experience standpoint.
A look inside the Kaplan Real Estate course
Overall, our team would prefer if everything was accessible from one simple, intuitive dashboard. Plus, the user interface itself feels somewhat dated. It’s just not as modern or sleek as what some competitors like AceableAgent and Colibri Real Estate offer.
Instead, they only offer a PassProtection Retake Policy, in which you can retake the same course within six months of the date purchased, which is helpful, but not nearly as valuable as getting your money back.
Verdict: Is The Kaplan Real Estate School Worth It?
It is finally time to answer the big question – are the pre-licensing courses and exam prep materials from Kaplan worth it?
Well, after using and reviewing the company’s courses and study materials, our team firmly believes the answer is yes. Sure, maybe Kaplan’s digital platform is not ideal, and they do not offer a mobile app for students to study-on-the-go, but other than that, Kaplan’s courses are rock solid.
Kaplan offers everything you need to easily complete your required credit hours and pass your national and state exams: you can choose between multiple different course formats (at-home self-paced, video on-demand, or live online), they give students regular access to instructors, their bookmark notes feature is super helpful, and their custom quiz tool is amazing.
All in all, our team gives Kaplan two thumbs up when it comes to real estate education.
Yes, the real estate courses from Kaplan are accredited. Also, last we checked The Kaplan Real Estate School has a 4.6 rating with over 1,000 reviews according to Trustpilot.
Is the Kaplan Real Estate School legit?
Yes, the Kaplan Real Estate School is absolutely legit. The School has been one of the most popular and effective choices among aspiring real estate professionals for years.
How good is Kaplan Real Estate education?
After testing the pre-licensing and exam prep materials from the company, our team believes Kaplan is one of the best online real estate schools in the nation. The company offers a multitude of tools and features to help you pass your real estate exams.
