Last updated 15 August 2026
This page describes exactly how we arrive at the comparisons published on this site. If you think our approach is wrong, we would rather you could see it and say so than have to guess at it.
What we compare
Every school we list is assessed on the same five things, using each provider's published information:
- State approval. Does the school hold current approval from that state's real estate commission for the required pre-licensing courses? A course that isn't approved doesn't count toward your hours, which makes this the only criterion that can disqualify a school outright.
- What each price tier actually includes. Entry-level packages routinely exclude exam preparation. Comparing headline prices without comparing contents is misleading, so we look at what you get at each tier rather than the cheapest number.
- Course format. Self-paced text, video, livestream classes with a scheduled instructor, mobile app. People learn differently and this is often the deciding factor.
- Pass guarantees and refund terms. Several schools advertise pass-or-refund arrangements. We look at what actually triggers them, since most require you to complete every practice exam first.
- Support. Whether instructor help is available, and in what form.
What we do not do
We do not currently publish numeric scores or star ratings, and we do not claim to have personally enrolled in the courses we list. Scores imply a measurement, and we would rather publish no number than one we can't stand behind.
Where we describe a course, we are describing what the provider publishes. Where we describe a state's requirements, we are describing what the state publishes. We try never to blur those two things.
We also don't publish student reviews or testimonials. If we do so in future they will be real, attributed, and clearly marked — and we will not delete negative ones about schools that pay us.
How we order the schools
Our ordering reflects editorial judgement about which school suits most readers in that state, based on the criteria above. Where a school leads for a specific reason — the lowest starting price, the only livestream option, the strongest mobile experience — we say what that reason is rather than implying a general superiority.
The order is decided before commercial terms are considered. We earn different commission rates from different schools. That is a real conflict of interest and the honest way to handle it is to name it rather than pretend it doesn't exist.
How we verify state requirements
Required hours, exam format, passing scores, and application and exam fees come from the relevant state agency's own published material. Each state page links to those sources and records the date we last checked them.
We deliberately do not take these figures from other comparison sites. Where we cannot verify something from an official source, we leave it out and say so, rather than publishing a number we can't trace. On a page about licensing law, a missing figure is a much smaller problem than a wrong one.
How we handle prices
Course prices in this category change constantly — discounting of 25–40% is close to permanent, and packages get renamed and restructured. We record prices as published on the school's site along with the date. Always confirm the current price on the school's own page before buying.
When we update
State pages are reviewed on a recurring basis and whenever we become aware of a change in that state's requirements. The "last updated" date at the top of each page reflects the last time its facts were checked, not the last time a word was edited.
Tell us when we're wrong
If a figure on this site doesn't match what your state commission says, we want to know. Requirements change, and pages go stale. Corrections reach us at josh@alticllc.com.