shouldiuse.io

Categories

VERDICT

Should I use Kaplan?

Exam prep and education company — courses, tutoring, and practice tests for dozens of licensing and admissions exams - kaplan.com

Depends. Buy Kaplan if you want structured, all-in-one prep for a major exam (MCAT, NCLEX, bar, CFA, securities) and can absorb the premium price. Skip it if you're a budget self-studier or want a software tool — cheaper specialists exist, and a 2026 breach exposed subscriber SSNs.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 12+ public sources; most snippets are truncated, so user quotes are cut off at the source.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useNo usable evidence in sources
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo usable evidence in sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

from $499

Real estate exam prep

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed

Best for

  • High-stakes exam takers (MCAT, NCLEX, bar, CFA)
  • Learners wanting live classes plus tutoring
  • Career changers who need external structure
  • Universities and firms buying prep at scale

Not for

  • Budget self-studiers — question banks and books cost far less
  • Anyone cautious about handing over SSNs — breach history
  • Niche-exam takers with better specialist providers
  • Buyers expecting software — this is a course catalog, not a tool

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

March 2026 breach exposed SSNs of 230k+ people; consider a credit freeze before enrolling

medium

Refunds are conditional; read the refund policy before paying for premium tiers

medium

Advertised entry prices like $499 (real estate) are per exam; every exam is priced separately

low

Affirm financing makes costly premium tiers feel affordable; total spend still exceeds rivals

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Prep for dozens of exams: MCAT, NCLEX, GRE, bar, securities, real estate
  • Live online courses, practice tests, and one-on-one tutoring
  • Official ACT prep partner, endorsed on ACT's own site
  • Monthly financing via Affirm spreads out course costs
  • Multiple Reddit users report passing CFP, bar, and SIE exams with it

Cons

  • Repeatedly called too expensive versus alternatives
  • March 2026 data breach exposed SSNs of 230,000+ people
  • Attackers had about 19 days of access before detection
  • Class-action lawsuits over the breach under investigation
  • Some licensing students say other providers beat it

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/02/2026 - 12 sources - Data breach reported March 2026: 230,000+ people affected, SSNs exposed, ~19-day attacker access, lawsuits under investigation.

official x3review x5security x3news x1
  • Kaplan North America data breach (March 2026), 230,000+ people affected; SSNs exposed; attackers had access for roughly 19 days; law firms are investigating class-action claims.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 2/5

    Rating

  • from $499

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 2/5. Users repeatedly call it too expensive vs rivals
  • Ease of use. No usable evidence in sources
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Courses, tutoring, books, practice tests across many exams
  • Support quality. No usable evidence in sources
  • Security posture: 2/5. 2026 breach exposed SSNs after 19-day access
  • $499 Starting price Real estate license course (2024)
  • 0 G2 seller reviews Kaplan's G2 seller profile is unrated
  • 1,462 Companies using Kaplan Per TheirStack tech-usage data
  • 230,000+ Breach impact People affected, March 2026

Pricing

Real estate exam prep

from $499

  • License exam prep course (2024 list price)
  • Exact price varies by state and exam

Security

Data breach reported March 2026: 230,000+ people affected, SSNs exposed, ~19-day attacker access, lawsuits under investigation.

  • Kaplan North America data breach (March 2026)230,000+ people affected; SSNs exposed; attackers had access for roughly 19 days; law firms are investigating class-action claims.⁹

Alternatives

Compare Kaplan with each alternative.

  • UWorld

    Question-bank-first prep many med, nursing, and CFA candidates prefer

    Kaplan vs UWorld

  • Achievable

    Cheaper self-paced option frequently suggested for FINRA exams

  • STC

    Securities licensing specialist some learners pick over Kaplan

    Kaplan vs STC

  • Self-study stack

    Official exam guides plus free practice tests; enough for disciplined self-studiers

Companies that use it

  • ACT³
  • CAIA Association
Full analysis

Based on 12+ public sources; most snippets are truncated, so user quotes are cut off at the source.

Big-name exam prep with huge exam coverage, but users call it pricey — and a 2026 breach exposed 230k+ SSNs.

Methodology

Based on 12+ public sources; most snippets are truncated, so user quotes are cut off at the source.

Sources

  1. Kaplan Test Prep official sitekaptest.com
    official
  2. All Kaplan Exam Prep Courseskaplan.com
    official
  3. ACT + Kaplan official prep partnershipact.org
    official
  4. Kaplan real estate school reviews and pricinghooquest.com
    review
  5. Kaplan is too expensive — Reddit r/usmlereddit.com
    review
  6. Kaplan CFP pass report — Reddit r/CFPExamreddit.com
    review
  7. Kaplan Test Prep Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.com
    review
  8. Kaplan MCAT Review — Test Prep Insighttestprepinsight.com
    review
  9. Kaplan data breach notification — The Recordtherecord.media
    security
  10. Kaplan breach lawsuit investigation — ClassAction.orgclassaction.org
    security
  11. Kaplan data breach report — UpGuardupguard.com
    security
  12. Companies that use Kaplan — TheirStacktheirstack.com
    news

Rate this review

Anonymous. You can change your vote.

Loading votes…

Comments

One queue. No nested comments. Give a display name first. Limit: 200 words per comment and 7 comments per day. You can edit or delete yours.

Save a name to write a comment.

0 / 200 words

No comments yet.