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This Kaplan Real Estate review will take you on an in-depth look inside the Kaplan Real Estate course. See why this real estate school is not my top choice and discover what former students say about their experience with the program in their Kaplan Real Estate reviews.
NOTE: My work is supported by affiliate commissions. Learn more
Introduction
If you have read anything else on this site, you may already know that my husband and I have been researching and using online real estate schools since March 2020. During this time, we have reviewed all of the top online real estate schools in the United States. Unlike others, we have actually used each course. This enables us to create content that we hope, will help you make the right decision when choosing which school to use to get your real estate education to become a real estate agent. I hope this Kaplan Real Estate review will guide you to understanding more about their program.
Overview Of Kaplan Real Estate
Kaplan is well know in the world of education. They have been providing educational services since they were founded in 1938 when Stanley Kaplan started tutoring students out of his basement. Over the years, they have grown to be a powerhouse in the world of test prep and online education.
Today, they’re online educational system includes real estate, appraisal, home inspection, contracting and professional development. Kaplan owns Dearborn real estate education which provides the real estate educational platform many real estate schools use across the country.
Inside The Kaplan Course
Here I will take you on a deep look inside the Kaplan Real Estate course. We will look at the sign up process, and then, actually look inside the course to see what’s offered and how the platform functions.
To help you even more, below you will find the video done by my husband that does a walk-through of the Kaplan Real Estate course. This should let you know exactly what you will get if you decide to sign up.
Sign Up Process
One of the things I do not like about Kaplan Real Estate is their sign up process. The process is a bit cumbersome and I did not like the way the options are laid out. It’s just not as user-friendly as Real Estate Express or AceableAgent. This is not a reflection on the course itself, but simply my opinion on the way signing up works.
To sign up, choose your state, license type, and product type. Then click VIEW COURSES.
States Available
One of the good things about Kaplan Real Estate is that they do have a variety of states available for pre-licensing education. At the present time they cover 22 states. This is not as many as Real Estate Express which covers over 37 states. (read my Real Estate Express review to learn more)
At the time I compiled this Kaplan Real Estate review, Kaplan had pre-licensing real estate courses in the following states:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
To see if they have added more, just choose your state below to see if they have a course for your state:
The Course Dashboard
Once you have signed up and can access your account, you will come to the Kaplan Real Estate course dashboard. Here you will see the course you signed up for, certificates, affidavit you must sign, and access your course final exam.
The Course Itself
When you have entered the actual course, you will see that it’s laid out in units and each unit is broken down into lessons. The Michigan real estate course has 28 units but the number of units and lessons will vary depending on the requirements of your state.
Each unit’s lessons are delivered in bite-sized segments. You will read the short paragraphs and then click next to progress to the next segment. Lessons can have many segments that you must study in order to get to the end of that particular section.
At the end of each lesson you will have a quiz. This is to see if you have actually learned the material that you were just presented. You will immediately see the results of the quiz. If you do not pass a quiz you can retry until you finally pass it.
The amount of time it takes to complete the Kaplan Real Estate course will depend on your state’s requirements. Michigan for example has a requirement that you must take 40 hours of pre-licensing education while Texas requires 180 hours.
The Course Final Exam
As is the case with every real estate pre-licensing course, you will need to take and pass the course final exam before you can move on to the next steps of becoming a real estate agent.
Help And Support
Should you run into any problems or need help as you take your pre-license course, Kaplan Real Estate does offer support. You can access support and email them right from the course platform. Just click the email icon at the top of the site. Kaplan Real Estate also has a phone number that you can call to try to reach support. I tried to contact them by email but they never responded. This is not a good sign.
Options Offered
One of the unique features of Kaplan Real Estate school is that they offer different types of package options that other online real estate schools don’t have. While most online real estate schools offer a self-paced online course option, Kaplan Real Estate has on demand self-paced online study, live online study, and home study options.
On Demand Self-Paced Online Course
Their self-paced online real estate course is the main course option that most people would choose. This option allows you to take the pre-licensing course on your own schedule and at your own pace. You do not have to worry about the schedule of a classroom. This is the most popular type of online course because there are so few limitations.
Live Online Study
For those who would still prefer to be on a schedule and actually meet live in a classroom environment with a live instructor, then this option would be perfect. You would actually be on a set schedule and meet with your instructor and other students online in a webinar type format.
Home Study
The home study option is a textbook based study program from the comfort of your home. Much like any home study program, you would get a hard copy of the textbook and study like they did in years past. This option has an interactive study group which meets online and Career Mentor Live Online Connect. These are webinar based groups that meet at specific times online.
What Does Kaplan Real Estate Cost?
Kaplan Real Estate school costs a bit more than other online real estate schools. The cost will depend on your state but the range can be anywhere from $299 to $800. As stated, this range is actually quite a bit higher than other comparable real estate schools but some of this is because they offer several different types of options which I listed above.
The Good
Below I list all of the positive things I see with Kaplan Real Estate Education. There are some very good points with this school.
Good Learning Platform
The Kaplan Real Estate school has an easy to use and straightforward learning platform. It deliver the course material in a simple user-friendly interface that eliminates any confusion. Although, it’s not nearly as good as the learning platforms of AceableAgent or Real Estate Express, it’s still one of the better platforms on the market.
Home Study And Live Options
This is a great feature that Kaplan Real Estate Education offers that is unique compared to the other popular online real estate schools on the market. While most people want the self-paced online course option, Kaplan adds these other choices to cater to those who would rather meet live on a schedule or use a textbook. It’s just nice to see that they have these options to give them something to stand out from others.
24/7 Online Access
If you take their online self-paced course option, you will be able to access your course at any time and in any location. You can study at your own convenience.
Good Exam Prep
Kaplan is known for their expertise in making good exam prep. So this is an added benefit should you choose to use them.
Decent Passing Rates
Although Kaplan does not publish their passing rates, Texas does and we can see that for Texas, Kaplan has a very high pass rate at close to 76%.
The Not So Good
In this section I want to point out some of the negatives I see with using Kaplan for your real estate education.
Some Interactive Content
As you can see in our video above, there is some interactive content in the Kaplan course material. They do have quizzes throughout the course but not as much video content.
No Passing Guarantee
While Kaplan Real Estate does not have a passing guarantee, they do have what is called PassProtection™. This policy states that if for some reason you do not pass your state licensing exam, you may retake the course as long as it’s within 6 months of the purchase. This is not as good as a passing guarantee, but it is better than nothing.
Higher Priced
As stated above in the pricing section, Kaplan Real Estate is not your budget based course. Now that’s ok. Budget based courses are not typically that good. However, their packages tend to run quite a bit higher than other schools on the market. If price is a factor for you, then you may want to look at Real Estate Express as a better option.
Kaplan Real Estate Reviews And Ratings
Since this review is all about my opinion and what I think after using the course, I wanted to add other Kaplan Real Estate reviews and to summarize what other students have said about this real estate school.
What They Liked
Looking at the hundreds and thousand of reviews across the web, here is what former students seem to like about this school:
- Knowledgeable instructors
- Good exam prep
- Content is good and extensive
What They Didn’t Like
Here is a summary of the things students did not like after using Kaplan:
- Proctoring issues
- Hard to use website
- Very disorganized
- Small text size makes material hard to read
- Take a long time to answer support questions
- Takes a long time to schedule exams
My Verdict
Kaplan Real Estate is a well-known name in the real estate education industry. They have a long track record and extensive experience teaching people how to pass their real estate licensing exam. However, after getting inside their course and seeing it myself, it’s just not my favorite option.
I found the course easy to use and navigate and I do like that the course content is delivered in small bite-sized chunks making learning a bit easier. However, the whole experience using the Kaplan learning platform was just ok. I like when learning is easy and the environment is a bit more interactive and fun. Kaplan does not really provide this.
That being said, they do have everything you will need to help you pass your state exam which is what really matters. The actual content will give you the knowledge you need to help you pass your exam.
They do have higher priced courses compared to others. I am not sure that the price is justified considering their content is not any better than other lower priced options. For me, I would rather pay a lower price and get as good or even a better experience with other real estate schools.
Their additional options of live online and home study course is nice, but for me, it’s not that important.
Overall, I like Kaplan and they are in my list of the top 5 schools in the United States. I just cannot rate them higher than 3 stars based on my experience inside the course itself. I know there are some who give it much higher ratings, but for me, it’s a good school but just not my top choice. This means I simply cannot give them my highest rating.
Kaplan Real Estate FAQ
Is Kaplan Real Estate Accredited?
Yes, Kaplan Real Estate school is accredited and approved to offer real estate courses in every state they have courses available.
Is Kaplan Real Estate School Legit?
Yes, Kaplan Real Estate school is a legitimate school and has been around for many years. They are one of the older real estate schools in the industry. You can feel safe signing up and taking a course with them.
How Long Does It Take To Complete The Kaplan Real Estate Course?
The length of time it will take to complete any pre-licensing real estate course will vary depending on your state’s requirements. For example, Alabama requires 60 hours of education while Colorado requires 168 hours of education. The average time to complete the pre-license education though is between 4 to 6 months.
Is Kaplan Real Estate School Good?
While this is a matter of preference, they do offer good course material and everything you will need to get help to pass your real estate licensing exam.
