Based on the high cost of taking the insurance exam, it’s important that your insurance pre-license class or test prep course gives you the best opportunity to pass on your first attempt.
Kaplan has been in the business of educating and preparing students for over 80 years. Specifically, they’ve been in the financial and insurance licensing space for just over 50 years. Given their long history and excellent reputation in the industry, it’s no wonder that the Kaplan Insurance Licensing Course ranks highly among our reviewed courses.

But is the Kaplan Insurance Licensing Course right for you? Read on to find out!

Pros and Cons of the Kaplan Insurance Pre-License Course

As one of the most popular insurance licensing education providers, Kaplan courses have a lot of great features. There are also a few aspects that may not work for some learners. Weigh the pros and cons of the Kaplan Insurance Course before beginning to find out if it is the right fit for your situation.

Kaplan Insurance Pre-License Course Pros and Cons
PROS	CONS
Time Tracking	Price
Flexible Course Format	Forced Progression
Dashboard View	State-Specific Information Not Integrated
Customizable Study Calendar
QBank Questions

Pros of Taking a Kaplan Insurance Course

There are many reasons that Kaplan is one of the best companies out there for test prep. Here are a few top features that we loved with the Kaplan Insurance pre-licensing education course.

• Time Tracking: Most states have a required minimum number of hours of pre-licensing education. To accurately track this, Kaplan provides an online course tracker as you complete the modules within the course. This tracker is displayed in the upper right corner of the screen so that you always know where you are in relation to your overall required hours.
• Flexible Course Format: Kaplan has developed a course that is both flexible and meets the needs of each learner. The Basic Self-Study package includes the course and supplemental study materials, as well as multiple exams. This is a self-directed course, so you should be comfortable pushing yourself to study and prepare without the help of an instructor. It is the most flexible course since everything is self-paced. It is also one of the most budget-friendly options available from Kaplan.

For those who want or need an instructor-led course, the EssentialsPlus Live and OnDemand package includes live reviews, OnDemand videos and webinars, and access to instructors. This is a good option for students who need that additional support or want an instructor to really get into the weeds of insurance licensing with them.
The Essential plan is a hybrid option, with an online self-paced course that includes video and audio supplements. No matter what you need, Kaplan has a package that will work.

• Dashboard View: Students are able to see progress in all of the required portions of the course in the Dashboard. The Dashboard view shows the percentage completion of the study calendar and online course for both lines of insurance. It also displays your average score on assessments. The Performance Tracker study tool offers another view of progress, focused on how many questions are answered correctly throughout the course. After we scored terribly on the pre-assessment (and were reassured from Kaplan that most people do–it’s all part of the learning process), the Performance Tracker automatically populated our score and updated as we answered questions from quizzes and other assessments.
• Customizable Study Calendar: The required course modules can quickly get overwhelming, especially if you are taking a course with two lines of insurance. All Kaplan study plans include a study calendar that is pre-populated with the required course modules. In our case, we had two study calendars: one for the property line and one for the casualty line. The study calendar is fully customizable. You can change your start or end date, add a custom event to block off dates or times or exclude weekends from your study time.

• QBank Questions: One of our favorite features of the Kaplan insurance pre-licensing education course is the QBank, which includes over 650 questions developed by instructors and experts who know insurance and know the test. As you answer questions, your progress is shown as a percentage of questions answered correctly within a topic area.
  Using the QBank, we created custom quizzes to test our knowledge of certain topics. You can save your quizzes to try them again later as you continue to study. Using the download option, you can even access your quizzes offline, although there is a limit to the number of downloads available.
  The QBank did include state-specific questions, while other aspects of the course did not. This was one of the best ways that we found to quiz ourselves on state laws and regulations.

Cons of Taking a Kaplan Insurance Course

While Kaplan Financial has a lot of great features, there are some things to consider when comparing it to other available insurance pre-licensing education courses.

• Price: Kaplan Financial is not the cheapest insurance pre-licensing course available, but it is also not the most expensive. The cheaper alternatives only beat Kaplan’s price by around $20 and did not include as many extra study tools when comparing similar packages. Given Kaplan’s high pass rate and strong reputation, we would gladly pay that extra amount to know that we’re spending our time and money on a path to pass the insurance licensing exam on the first attempt.
• Forced Progression: Some students may benefit from the step-by-step model of the Kaplan course, which forces participants to complete one module before moving on to the next. We prefer a completely self-directed course that allows us to jump around as needed and go forward or back with complete control. When registering for a self-directed course, we expected to be able to access any part of the material when we wanted, rather than being required to go through in order.
• State-Specific Information Not Integrated: The state-specific information that is testable on the state insurance licensing exam is presented in a separate study booklet and not included in the pre-course assessment, final mastery exam, or any of the other study modules. The information included is easy to study and accurate, but it would be nice to have it worked into the overall study plan more effectively.
  The exception to this is the included state-specific questions in the QBank. This quickly became one of our most used resources as we worked through the modules. If you can’t get the entire package or just need a boost to study before the test, we highly recommend purchasing the QBank questions a la carte through Kaplan.

Pricing and Packages

Kaplan offers different options to meet the needs of each learner. Consider how you learn best (instructor-led or self-study), the time you have available, and your budget. Kaplan has an insurance course package that will work for you.

Basic Self-Study Package

The most budget-friendly package is the Kaplan Basic Self-Study Package and the one that we tested out. It costs $129.00 and includes everything you need to study on your own and pass your state’s insurance licensing exam.

The Basic Self-Study package comes with the license exam manual and cram sheets, access to the QBank, the state law supplement and cram sheets, a mastery exam, a pre-study assessment, the required Certification Exam, a performance tracker, checkpoint exams throughout the modules, 90 days of access to the self-study online course, a customizable study calendar, and the ability to submit questions to instructors through InstructorLink. This package is ideal for those who can motivate themselves to stick to a study plan without the external push of an instructor or group. It is also a great option for those who want to work at their own pace or need the increased flexibility that comes with a self-study course.

You have access to the course material for 90 days with any of Kaplan’s packages, with the option to purchase up to 90 days of additional time, if needed. This can help you study right up to your licensing exam and make sure the information is fresh in your mind.

Essential Self-Study Package

If you want a few additional features, consider the Kaplan Essential Self-Study Package. At $169.00, it comes with all of the things people love about the Kaplan Basic Package, plus some extras that make it especially great for auditory and visual learners.

One of the most important tools included in the Essential Self-Study Package is the video and audio review. If you would rather watch and listen to information than read it in an online module, this additional feature can make the entire experience much smoother for you. You will still have the online modules for reinforcement and study as well.

The Essential package offers a money-back guarantee, providing peace of mind that the extra investment will pay off or Kaplan will give you a refund.
The Essential plan also comes with the license exam manual and cram sheets, QBank, state law supplement and cram sheets, mastery exam, pre-study assessment, Certification Exam, performance tracker, checkpoint exams, self-study online course, study calendar, and InstructorLink.

This plan is also self-paced, so you will be able to work through all of the content on your own schedule. Use the customizable study calendar to set study goals and deadlines, as well as keep yourself on track to be ready by your scheduled exam date.

EssentialPlus Live and OnDemand Package

The premier study package from the premier insurance pre-license education provider, the Kaplan Essential Plus Live and OnDemand Package has everything you may need to prepare for your licensing exam.

This is Kaplan’s only package that includes live and recorded lessons, making it the go-to choice for learners who want or need the help of an instructor. At $209.00, it is also Kaplan’s most expensive package.

The EssentialPlus plan comes with everything of the other Kaplan plans: license exam manual and cram sheets, QBank, state law supplement and cram sheets, mastery exam, pre-study assessment, Certification Exam, performance tracker, checkpoint exams, self-study online course, study calendar, and InstructorLink. Purchasers also have access to the video and audio reviews included in the Essential plan.

The highly-rated feature that makes the EssentialPlus package different are the live and OnDemand online review classes. Students are able to test their knowledge, ask questions, and get feedback in real-time as they work toward their pre-licensing education completion certificate.

What Makes Kaplan Insurance Pre-Licensing a Good Course?

Many students looking at insurance pre-licensing education wonder what criteria they should use when choosing a course. Consider the following areas when you compare insurance pre-licensing education classes.

Insurance Exam Preparation

One of the most important things that an insurance pre-licensing education course will do is prepare you to pass your state’s insurance licensing exam. To do this, the course must:

• Be a recognized pre-licensing education course in your state that provides the required hours of study or instruction
• Include material needed to pass the state exam

Kaplan does both of these and is widely recognized as one of the leading providers of professional education. All of Kaplan Financial’s courses are exam-focused. The materials are developed and led by instructors who have taken and passed the exact exam that you will be taking, so they know the material as well as test-taking strategies.
The pass rates reported by Kaplan Financial are:

• 95.9% for life insurance exam
• 94.5% for health insurance exam
• 94.7% for life & health insurance exam
• 89.7% for property & casualty insurance exam

Any Kaplan insurance test prep review would not be complete without comparing the pass rates of Kaplan graduates to the overall insurance exam pass rate. National average pass rate provided by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) across all lines is 60%. Kaplan graduates average 93.7% across all lines, one of the highest pass rates for an insurance pre-licensing education provider.
It’s also noteworthy that Kaplan includes their process for determining pass rates since there is not a regulated standard methodology. Data is collected from students over a 12 month period to determine the pass rate. This kind of transparency is yet another aspect of the course and company that sets Kaplan apart from competitors.

Ease of Use

Most insurance pre-licensing providers in today’s market have multiple study packages designed to meet the different needs of students. This flexibility is a must-have for any company providing test prep materials to today’s learner. You should consider your learning style and availability when deciding which option is best for you.

Cost vs. Value

Kaplan Insurance pre-licensing education is not the cheapest option on the market. Depending on your budget and how much preparation you need to pass the state licensing exam, this may be a big factor for you. Fortunately, Kaplan offers multiple packages and a la carte study tools so there’s something for every budget.
Kaplan does offer one of the best values, with a long history of providing excellent education, valuable study tools, and exam-focused test preparation. When you consider the high pass rates and flexible options of Kaplan’s insurance pre-licensing education courses, the performance justifies the slightly higher cost.

How Does the Kaplan Insurance Course Score?

Overall, Kaplan’s Insurance Pre-Licensing Education Courses score a 4.7 out of 5 based on these criteria (Insurance Exam Preparation, Ease of Use, Cost vs. Value). Kaplan fulfills the three main criteria of a good insurance pre-licensing education course and is the industry leader in two of them: exam preparation and ease of use.

What is the Best Insurance Pre-Licensing Education Course?

Ready to start? It’s hard to find a better option than Kaplan, with an average pass rate of over 90% across all insurance lines. The performance of their course graduates makes Kaplan insurance pre-licensing education our top recommendation for the required state education on the path to becoming an insurance agent. The flexible options and value of the course make it an enjoyable option that will prepare you for the next step: passing the insurance license exam!