Kaplan Real Estate Review: Is It Right for Your Education?
Gina is a licensed real estate salesperson, experienced trainer, and former high school educator of 1,000+ learners. She writes for Fit Small Business with a focus on real estate content.
Jealie is a staff writer at Fit Small Business, specializing in real estate education.
This article is part of a larger series on How to Become a Real Estate Agent.
Kaplan is an accredited real estate school that uniquely offers traditional learning, online livestreaming, and self-paced formats. Because of this, Kaplan earned a 4.24 out of 5 rating on our list of best online real estate schools. We based this score on 32 factors of high-quality education for real estate professionals, such as course features, learning styles and formats, national availability, customer reviews, pricing, support, and our expert score.
Kaplan Real Estate reviews show students enjoy the school’s various learning formats, interactive features, and comprehensive courses. Check out our review to see if Kaplan is the best fit for your education.
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Overall Score:
4.24 / 5
Pros
- Variety of online and offline course formats
- Instructors are active professionals in the industry
- Accredited by the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) and Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (IDECC)
- PassProtection Retake Policy
- Interactive course features and extensive career support
- Courses accessible on phone, tablet, and desktop
Cons
- Prices can be higher compared to other competitors
- Allows only up to 6 months of course access
- No in-person class option
- Courses not available in all states
- No physical school to visit for support
- The website is difficult to navigate, especially for first-time site visitors
Who Kaplan Is Recommended For
- Students looking for a variety of learning formats
- Aspiring agents looking for several online learning tools and interactive features
- New and veteran agents needing extensive career support for every stage of their career
Who Kaplan Is Not Recommended For
- Agents looking for budget-friendly education
- Students located in any of the states where Kaplan doesn’t offer real estate courses, like West Virginia, Maine, and Vermont
- Students who prefer in-person classes
- Prelicensing courses: Starting at $149
- Post-licensing courses: Starting at $16
- Broker licensing courses: Starting at $93
- Continuing education courses: Starting at $9
- Exam prep: $49
Kaplan Real Estate Reviews: What Users Think of Kaplan
Kaplan Real Estate school reviews show students are satisfied with its excellent teachers—saying that instructors are very professional, friendly, and responsive. Agents praise Kaplan’s study group instructions, detailed explanations, and weekly materials, which helped them pass the real estate exam on the first try. Students also recommend the exam prep courses from Kaplan, which equipped them with the knowledge necessary to get their license.
- Trustpilot: 4.4 out of 5 stars with 1,012 Kaplan Real Estate reviews
- Agent Advice: 4.09 out of 5 stars with 58 Kaplan Real Estate reviews
However, unfavorable Kaplan Real Estate reviews express dissatisfaction with some of its outdated content. Several students also complained about system glitches they encountered while completing their course. A student experienced an unresponsive platform that auto-saved incorrect exam answers. If you’re looking for affordable real estate education with streamlined navigation and intuitive dashboards, we recommend The CE Shop and Aceable Agent.
Would Our Expert Use Kaplan?
With decades of experience, Kaplan Real Estate school reviews demonstrate how far it has progressed to include several features that aid students’ online learning. Our favorites are its online courses, packed with various interactive elements, such as videos and flashcards, to help students stay on track while learning at their own pace.
Furthermore, depending on your location, Kaplan offers comprehensive courses for every stage of your real estate career—from prelicensing to post-licensing and continuing education (CE). Kaplan also provides broker licensing education in a few states, professional development programs, and a resource center for career advancement.
As a result, Kaplan was included as the best accredited online real estate school in 2023. Its features provide helpful educational resources and sufficient instructor and customer support, so you’ll receive the best return on your investment. However, it allows only up to six months of course access. If you wish for more extended course access, consider The CE Shop because its courses are accessible for 12 months and enable you to repurchase unfinished courses at 50% of the retail price.
Types of Education Available at Kaplan
Find comprehensive real estate courses on Kaplan for prelicensing, post-licensing, broker licensing, continuing education (CE), and exam prep.
Prelicensing
Kaplan’s prelicensing education is available in 23 states, offering the complete prelicensing hours you need to become a licensed real estate agent. Courses are available in several packages with various course delivery methods. Depending on your location, you can purchase packages in on-demand, self-paced online, home study, live online, and hybrid formats.
Courses include high-quality content, supplemental learning tools, and guided instructor support. Below is a summary of what’s included in state-specific prelicensing package tiers offered by Kaplan. The availability of these packages and their inclusions vary by state and type of learning format you choose.
Basic State Live Online Package | Career Launcher Live Online Package | Carnegie Career Launcher Live Online Package |
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In some states, newly licensed agents are required to take additional courses after passing the exam. If you’re looking to remove the provisional status of your license, Kaplan offers post-licensing and first-renewal courses in 10 states. Depending on where you live, Kaplan’s post-licensing education is conducted through live online, self-paced online, on-demand, and home study formats.
Post-licensing courses are available in the following states:
- Washington
- California
- New Mexico
- Texas
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- Pennsylvania
Just like its prelicensing courses, Kaplan’s post-licensing education is accredited by ARELLO and IDECC to ensure you have all the knowledge and skills necessary to advance your career. Although it is only available in some states, Kaplan’s post-licensing courses may include virtual exam proctoring.
Kaplan offers a wide selection of state-approved continuing education in 26 states, available for agents and brokers looking to maintain their licenses. Depending on your location, choose course formats that best suit your learning style, like live online, on-demand, and even home study.
Purchase Kaplan’s continuing education in bundled packages or as individual courses to customize your education based on your interest and lacking credit hours. These courses also allow scheduling flexibility so you can attend all classes and a scheduled open house anytime, anywhere.
Kaplan offers broker licensing education in nine states if you upgrade your license to a broker level. Taught by seasoned professionals, Kaplan provides high-quality education to help you set up your real estate business. Broker licensing courses are available in home study, on-demand, and live online classes, which include exam prep content, instructor support, Real Estate Broker Drill and Practice QBank, and virtual classroom exam proctoring, depending on your state.
Broker licensing is available in the following states:
- California
- Nevada
- Colorado
- New Mexico
- Texas
- Minnesota
- Illinois
- Georgia
- New York
Kaplan’s exam prep courses can help aspiring agents pass and secure a real estate license. Students can choose from different learning formats: on-demand, live online, home study, and self-paced online. Depending on the format, exam prep courses include videos (for on-demand courses), instructor-led national and state concept reviews (for live online classes), digital workbooks, and hundreds of multiple-choice questions with rationales. Real estate experts created these materials to mirror the topics and subtopics in the actual exam.
Exam prep content is divided into specific lessons so you can master each topic and process information for better results. After a test, you can review answers by reading the in-depth explanations. Exam prep courses also include a performance tracker to help you identify the parts that need more focus.
Kaplan Alternatives
Schools |  |  |  |
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Best For | Customizable education with interactive elements and student support | Course affordability for aspiring or experienced agents | Self-paced online curriculum for all stages of your real estate career |
Key Features |
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Starting Price* | $85 | $24 | $9 |
Learn More |
*Pricing here is for comparable options; exact price depends on location, course selection, and learning format.
Kaplan Pricing & Plans
Kaplan’s pricing differs from state to state due to varying real estate topics and the number of education hours required by each jurisdiction. Choose between tiered packages and individual courses that you can tailor according to your education needs. Prelicensing (starts at $149) and broker licensing (starts at $93) courses tend to be more expensive because they require more education hours.
If you purchase premium packages, get access to professional development courses like Kaplan’s Real Estate Accelerator live online course. Kaplan has also partnered with Dale Carnegie to provide prelicensing packages that include an on-demand Carnegie course.
Plans | Prelicensing | Post-licensing | Broker Licensing | Continuing Education | Exam Prep |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Who Plan Is Best For | Aspiring agents getting a real estate license for the first time | Agents looking to fulfill additional prelicensing requirements | Agents who want to upgrade their license to a broker level | Agents who need to renew their real estate license | Agents looking for extra study, tools, and preparation time to pass exams |
Annual Price Range (per Course)* | $149 to $1,099 | $16 to $799 | $93 to $889 | $9 to $499 | $49 to $229 |
Annual Price Range* | ✓ | ✕ | ✓** | ✕ | ✕ |
Variety of Course Formats** | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Instructor Support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Supplemental Learning Materials | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Exam Prep Materials** | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
Supplementary Textbooks** | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Customer Support | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
*Price range includes all course packages in all states.
**Availability varies by state.
General Kaplan Features
Aside from its high-quality education, Kaplan’s features help students understand and fulfill all the state-specific requirements to obtain and maintain their license. Its simple learning management system (LMS) platform reduces all the necessary complications when taking an online course. Furthermore, Kaplan’s multiple course formats, PassProtection policy, and extensive career support help prepare agents for their lifetime careers.
Kaplan education dashboard
Additional Kaplan Features
The following are outstanding features of Kaplan’s real estate education for a seamless and convenient online education:
- Easy to navigate
- Simple user interface
- Accessible course table of contents
- Slide-based content delivery
- Click-through navigation
Kaplan’s LMS is straightforward, making the learning experience simple and convenient. The student’s main dashboard will only see the courses you paid for and links to your final exam, affidavit, and completion certificate. On top of your dashboard, you will see icons for your account’s home page, course and message notifications, personal account info, Kaplan’s contact page, and the logout button for easy navigation.
Lessons are provided in manageable, bite-sized segments, so you can focus on mastering one learning objective at a time. Access digital textbooks on your dashboard and take quizzes to evaluate your knowledge after each lesson. Kaplan’s LMS automatically saves your course progress, so you can easily continue from where you left off. Once you’ve finished the course hours, you can unlock the final exam to complete your course.
- Accessible on all devices
- Online and offline learning formats
- Availability varies by state
Kaplan offers four learning formats to provide the most effective online real estate education possible that matches your learning style. See below to learn which mode of delivery perfectly suits your education needs (available learning formats may vary by state):
- Live online: This study option provides the benefits of live classroom instruction from the comfort of your home or at work. The virtual in-classroom experience of Kaplan’s live online classes allows you to interact with your instructors and classmates to ask questions and get answers in real time.
- Online video on-demand: If you need more flexibility, Kaplan’s on-demand video courses allow you to complete your lessons as your schedule allows. With prerecorded instructor-led videos, you can review each lesson segment as often as you like on the go.
- Online instruction: This course format is for students who prefer self-paced interactive content. Kaplan’s online education is text-based and is best for those who love to read.
- Home study solution: If you prefer physical textbooks over online reading materials, Kaplan’s home study solution might work best. You can complete your courses by reading and answering physical workbooks and textbooks delivered to your home. Home study packages include access to Interactive Study Groups to ensure you still have direct interaction with your instructors.
- Weekly live webinars
- Real-time interaction with instructors
- Cover the state and national portions of the exam
If you purchase Kaplan’s prelicensing packages, you get access to the Interactive Study Groups. Designed for online and home study students, the Interactive Study Groups are weekly live webinars covering the real estate exam’s state and national portions. These live webinars allow you to engage with Kaplan’s expert instructors and other prelicensure students for a lively discussion of topics. Students can prepare any questions and bring them to the study groups to review key concepts covered in the prelicensing courses.
- Free Career Toolbox
- Professional development courses
- Access to seasoned real estate and business professionals
Kaplan’s real estate Career Toolbox
In addition to quality real estate education, Kaplan provides career advancement resources to help agents succeed in real estate. Whether you’re looking for free tools or paid courses, Kaplan is a one-stop shop for those looking for comprehensive real estate career development. If you’re taking prelicensing classes at Kaplan, you may find some of these tools already included in your package:
- Career mentor live online connect: This feature allows prelicensure students to interact with real estate industry experts, ask questions, and exchange ideas with classmates through live instructor-led webinars.
- Real estate accelerator course: It is a two-day intensive live online course designed to give prelicensing students real-world skills, tools, and detailed activities to stay on top of their game. Students enrolled in this course also receive eight weeks of professional coaching from seasoned real estate professionals to help them launch their careers successfully.
- Business brokerage training: This training course is designed for business brokers who want to serve clients better and generate more income while protecting their business. This course teaches agents how to start their businesses, grow revenue, and succeed in a cut-throat industry.
- Dale Carnegie OnDemand course: In partnership with Dale Carnegie, Kaplan provides an on-demand training course for agents who want to develop skills to help them win connections and influence people in real estate.
- Career Toolbox: Kaplan’s Career Toolbox page contains a plethora of free real estate news, blogs, recorded webinars, a video library, and topical advice to help you stay abreast with the latest industry trends.
- Seasoned and practicing professionals
- State-approved education
- Access to instructor support
Kaplan’s faculty includes practicing real estate brokers, attorneys, appraisers, mortgage experts, and certified public accountants (CPAs). Some of Kaplan’s instructors are also writers of real estate literature and even act as advisers on pending real estate legislation. They teach proven industry principles and relevant real-world experience to help students understand the industry better.
Live webinar with Kaplan’s real estate experts
On average, Kaplan’s faculty members have nine years of real estate teaching experience. With access to experienced instructors, agents can get quality education and relevant skills to navigate the industry even in down economies. Moreover, since instructors at Kaplan are practicing professionals, they customize programs to meet busy students’ needs efficiently.
- Retake courses at no additional cost
- Pass rate that beats the industry standard
- Accessible for six months from the date of purchase
If students are unsuccessful in passing their licensing exam, they can retake the same classes within six months from the date of purchase. Kaplan’s PassProtection Retakes are unlimited, but students may need to purchase new course materials. If the six-month period has elapsed, a student will have to repurchase the class, and a new PassProtection term will begin. This policy only applies to live or live online class students.
- Customizable drills and practice QBanks
- Performance tracker
- QBanks are accessible anytime, anywhere
- Additional study tools available
Kaplan’s decades of experience can help you pass the state licensing exam through its real estate drills and practice QBanks. These exam prep tools provide students with an interactive testing platform to test them with questions outlined in the PSI or Pearson VUE. Students can simulate different test environments and customize quizzes according to topics and subtopics. Kaplan’s QBanks also come with a performance tracker so students can pinpoint problem areas.
Kaplan’s additional study tools
You can purchase additional study tools from Kaplan if you need more assistance when preparing for the licensing exam. The school offers a math on-demand refresher course, practice flashcards, exam prep apps, and study packages that help you master critical concepts to ace the exam.
- Accessible anywhere
- No need to commute for an in-person exam
- Available in select states
Kaplan Real Estate education
In some states where students are required to take a proctored final exam, Kaplan offers virtual exam proctoring. Virtual proctoring works the same way as in-person proctoring. Instead of meeting proctors in a physical classroom, the final exam will be proctored in Kaplan’s virtual classroom on the student’s LMS platform. With this feature, students no longer have to worry about commuting and can focus instead on passing their final exams.
- Six-month course access
- Course extension up to 90 days
- Additional charges apply
Kaplan’s course extension policy
Like other online real estate schools, Kaplan allows up to six months of access to their real estate courses from the date of purchase. Live online classes may have shorter course access since courses are accessed on a live schedule. For busy students who need more time, you can contact Kaplan to have your course extended for 30 to 90 days. Course extensions are not free and have corresponding charges.
- Instructor support
- Phone, email, and chat support
- Dedicated student, technical, and curriculum support teams
- Specialized phone numbers for select states
Aside from the instructor support that comes with purchasing a course, Kaplan has dedicated student, technical, and curriculum support teams you can reach via phone, email, and chat.
For students enrolled in any of Kaplan’s programs, the school has a student support team that you can contact through phone and email. Students in California, Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Texas also enjoy a specialized phone number specific to their state for questions about reprinting a certificate, locating and tracking materials, or requesting a transfer.
If you’re having problems accessing your course, you can contact the technical support team by phone or email from Monday to Friday. If you have questions about your curriculum, a team of national and state-specific subject matter experts is ready to assist you via email.
Ease of Use
Completing a course through Kaplan is convenient and straightforward, with an online platform that is simple and easy to navigate. Although its web layout can be intimidating for first-time site visitors, Kaplan provides all the necessary information to fulfill all education requirements specific to your state. Kaplan also lists all the courses and programs available in each state, licensing exam information, and some frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Kaplan’s website also spells out all the information about a course or package, including the learning format, course topics, inclusions, and pricing. Paying for a course is also easy. You must create an account, add your shipping information, and specify your payment method.
Kaplan’s dedicated student, technical, and curriculum support teams will assist you with enrollment—choosing the right package, taking the exam, and getting a course completion certificate. You will also get guided instructor support throughout your course so you can complete all your education requirements on time.
How We Evaluated Kaplan
The best online real estate schools offer new and experienced agents the tools they need to start and continue learning throughout their careers. We examined schools for realtors based on the following criteria:
25%
Course Features/Learning Style
20%
Pricing
15%
Education Provided
15%
Additional Features
10%
Customer Reviews
10%
Expert Score
5%
Help & Support
25% of Overall Score
Consists of various formatting and learning styles for each course to meet the specific needs of the agent as well as ease of course accessibility.
20% of Overall Score
Pricing is based on the cost of pre- and post-licensing, continuing education courses, broker prelicensing, and exam prep of the top real estate accredited schools.
15% of Overall Score
The availability of each level of education for different stages of licensure. This would include pre- and post-licensing, continuing education courses, broker prelicensing, and exam prep.
15% of Overall Score
Extending services past licensure, such as coaching, training, and career assistance. Also, whether the provider offers pass or refund guarantees for its courses.
10% of Overall Score
Based on customer feedback for each program, with particular attention given to reviews of the product and popularity of the provider, to certify the course meets user satisfaction.
10% of Overall Score
Expertise in the field and firsthand experience with the providers allow us to evaluate the standout features, value for the money, and ease of use for each school.
5% of Overall Score
To find the best real estate accredited schools, we looked into the convenience and attainability of customer service for technical support and instructor assistance.
*Percentages of overall score
Bottom Line
Kaplan Real Estate education reviews show it is a great school to consider when completing your real estate education. With a wide selection of courses for every stage of your career and several learning formats, Kaplan is easily one of the best online schools nationwide. While its pricing can be more expensive than other education providers and its learning platform could be improved, these pitfalls could be overlooked in exchange for the high-quality education you can take anytime, anywhere.
