Online Course Syllabus

Here is some information to help you successfully complete your course.  Please read carefully.

Attendance:  State regulations require that you complete all required hours and engage in all associated learning activities, quizzes, and the final exam for the course before proceeding to take the State licensing exam.  Please see the course completion instructions in your Learning Management System (LMS) for the specifics of your state's enforced seat time tracking.

Getting Started: Read this course syllabus as it will be your most valuable reference tool.  Access your Online Video course via the Learning Management System (LMS).  Here, you'll find all course materials, including readings and videos, quizzes, and final exams.  Additionally, you'll discover links to Live LEARN sessions, Career Mentor Connect, QBanks, Live Exam Prep sessions, and the Community Forum.  

Recommendations:  Have a notebook, pen or pencil, and a highlighter with you while viewing the online course.  Take a 10-minute break every hour to stretch, check emails, or grab more refreshments.  Should you have any inquiries, please reach out.

Thank you for choosing Kaplan.

The Illinois Real Estate Broker Prelicensing Online 60-Hour course sets the foundation for your real estate licensing education. We have found that distance education students who set a regular study schedule do better than those who do not.  Begin your studies with the 60-Hour Broker Prelicensing Online course.

IMPORTANT - Information required to report licensing completion. 

The Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR) requires that we report your licensing completion directly to PSI.  There are two steps to this process that you will need to complete. 

1.  You must be pre-registered with PSI.   To register as a student with PSI so Kaplan may electronically submit your course completion(s), go to the following link and either register as a new student or log in to your account, here.  

2. After registering with PSI, please remember to provide Kaplan with your PSI registration number so we can report your completion.  Please email your registration number to cs_gradingQA@kaplan.com to assist with reporting.  Failing to follow the above steps may delay the reporting of your course completion and further delay scheduling your licensing exams with PSI. 

Completing your Online Course 

• You are required to complete all of the content within the course in order to receive credit.  Be aware that if you are inactive in a course for twenty minutes, the course will time out and you will need to log back in to pick up where you left off.

• Illinois requires that you spend the required amount of time in your course.  In order to comply with this requirement, your online courses are time-tracked. 

• When launching a video for the first time, please allow the video to play all the way through. The timer will recognize the time you have spent watching the video once you have finished watching it.  You will only get time credit for watching a video once.  If you stop the video, you will not receive time credit until you resume and complete the entire video.  Rewatching videos will not count toward time credit.  We recommend using a desktop or laptop, and the web browser Google Chrome for the best experience. 

• If you have completed the course and still have time left, that means you have answered quiz and unit exam questions faster than the average person. Please spend the remaining time reviewing quizzes and unit exams to ensure you receive credit for your time. 

• You will know you have completed your course when all components on the Dashboard page under Required For Completion have the checkmark icon appearing and are no longer grayed out. If the check mark does not appear or any of the icons are gray, you have not completed the course. 

• To supplement your learning, we highly suggest that you attend our weekly National and Illinois Interactive Study Group sessions. You can access the interactive study groups by navigating to the home screen on your Learning Management System and selecting the enrollment titled "LIVE! Interactive Study Groups (National and Illinois)".  

• If you have content-related questions please email your lead instructor at releadinstructoril@kaplan.com

If you purchased a correspondence course with an online final exam: Per Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR), a proctor and passing score are required for the online exam. You will need to arrange for the proctor, which is someone who will make sure you take the test without outside assistance. A proctor can be any disinterested 3rd party, unrelated to the real estate industry. Examples of acceptable proctors: are librarians, high school or college faculty members, clergy, and state testing centers. Examples of unacceptable proctors: are friends or relatives, employers or coworkers, and any person who would benefit from your successful course completion.

When you click the icon for the Proctored Exam, a form will pop up. You and your chosen proctor must read this form and complete all required fields and submit the form electronically. At that time the exam will become accessible. You have 4 attempts to pass the exam. The passing score is 75% or higher. 

Please be aware that inactivity of 10 minutes or more will cause your exam to time out and be graded constituting a valid exam attempt. 

ACCEPT YOUR AFFIDAVIT

Once you have completed your course material and exam, you are required to accept an electronic affidavit as part of the completion of this course stating you have completed each assigned module of instruction. You will need to complete this step before your course is considered complete.

YOUR COURSE COMPLETION CERTIFICATE

Once you complete all items under the Required for Completion section of your Dashboard and accept your affidavit, your certificate will be sent to you in the mail.

Don't forget to complete the Illinois 15-Hour Broker Interactive Prelicensing Online video course next. 

Illinois 15-Hour Broker Interactive Prelicensing Online Video Course 

You must complete all of the content within your Illinois 15-Hour Broker Interactive Prelicensing Online Video course to receive credit. Be aware that if you are inactive in a course for twenty minutes, the course will time out and you will need to log back in.

• Illinois requires that you spend the required amount of time in your course. To comply with this requirement, your online courses are time-tracked. 

• When launching a video for the first time, please let it play all the way through. The timer will recognize the time you have spent watching the video once you have finished watching it. You will only get time credit for watching a video once. If you stop the video, you will not receive time credit until you resume and complete the entire video. Rewatching videos will not count toward time credit. We recommend using a desktop or laptop, and the web browser Google Chrome for best results. 

• If you have completed the course and still have time left, that means you have answered quiz and unit exam questions faster than the average person. Please spend the remaining time reviewing quizzes and unit exams to ensure you receive credit for your time. 

• You will know you have completed your course when all components on the Dashboard page under Required For Completion have the checkmark icon appearing and are no longer grayed out. If the check mark does not appear or any of the icons are gray, you have not completed the course. Please be sure to provide an evaluation after the course content via the Feedback node in the course.

If you purchased a correspondence course with an online final exam: Per Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR), a proctor and passing score are required for the online exam. You will need to arrange for the proctor, which is someone who will make sure you take the test without outside assistance. A proctor can be any disinterested 3rd party, unrelated to the real estate industry. Examples of acceptable proctors: are librarians, high school or college faculty members, clergy, and state testing centers. Examples of unacceptable proctors: are friends or relatives, employers or coworkers, and any person who would benefit from your successful course completion.

When you click the icon for the Proctored Exam, a form will pop up. You and your chosen proctor must read this form, complete all required fields, and submit the form electronically. At that time the exam will become accessible. You have 4 attempts to pass the exam. The passing score is 75% or higher. 

Please be aware that inactivity of 10 minutes or more will cause your exam to time out and be graded constituting a valid exam attempt. 

ACCEPT YOUR AFFIDAVIT

Once you have completed your course material and exam, you are required to accept an electronic affidavit as part of the completion of this course stating you have completed each assigned module of instruction. You will need to complete this step before your course is considered complete.

YOUR COURSE COMPLETION CERTIFICATE

Once you complete all items under the Required for Completion section of your Dashboard and accept your affidavit, your certificate will be sent to you in the mail.

• Upon passing the course exam, you will be able to complete the affidavit located on your dashboard. After you have digitally signed the affidavit, you will be able to download a copy of your certificate.  Please print or save this certificate for future use.

• Preregister for your exams with the third-party party provider PSI.

• Take your online Exam Prep course and attend a Live Exam Prep session.

Selecting a Brokerage and Applying for a License

In Illinois, the license application process is done with a sponsoring broker.  The process of applying for a real estate license is done after a sponsoring broker has been selected by the candidate.  

• Interview with real estate brokerages after passing  the licensure exam to select a sponsoring broker 

• Apply for a real estate license with your sponsoring broker online using the IDFPR's Online Services Portal.

• The license application fee for a Real Estate Broker license is $125.00

• Consult the PSI candidate handbook for a more comprehensive understanding of the requirements and qualifications.

NOW begin Exam Preparation by testing in the Drill and Practice QBank, which is located in your LMS account (Please refer to the Study Tools section for more details).

PSI administers both the National and the State Broker Exams.

• • National Exam - 100 questions, 150 minutes.  Passing is 70% or better.

  • State Exam - 40 questions, 90 minutes.  Passing is 75% or better.

You must register with PSI as a student prior to your course completion, and your course completion information must be received electronically from your school to complete the examination registration process. To register as a student with PSI so your school may electronically submit your course completion(s), go to the website and either register as a new student or log in to your account. 

You will receive an email confirmation when eligible to test. 

Schedule and Take Your State Licensing Exam

• On the day of the examination, you should arrive 30 minutes before your appointment.  If you arrive late, you may not be admitted to the examination site, and you will forfeit your examination registration fee. 

• Students must provide one form of ID upon check-in.

• After passing the state exam, applicants for licensure can apply for their real estate license without a sponsoring broker, however, a license will not be issued without a sponsoring broker's approval.

• Upon completion of the license application process, licenses can be downloaded and printed from the IDFPR online portal.

• Agents must carry a physical or electronic copy of their real estate licenses on their person at all times.

• You are allowed to bring a basic calculator but it cannot have memory capabilities or have an alphanumeric keyboard and two #2 pencils into the testing area.  

• The testing area is monitored with cameras. Personal items like your phone, keys, and purse will be locked away on site.

• Don't cram the night before your scheduled exam. Get a good night's sleep so you are well-rested on exam day.

• Know where you are going and arrive at the testing center at least 30 minutes prior to your scheduled testing time. 

• Eat a meal or have a snack before the exam. You do not want to be hungry during your examination.

• We want to hear from you! Please let us know when you pass your licensing exam. 

The Exam Prep course contains a National Real Estate Exam Prep Online Video Course and a State Exam Prep Online Video Course.  Your course resources are found within the course in your LMS.  You will utilize the exam prep workbook PDFs, pre-tests, and post-tests.  This course will prepare you to take your licensing exams.  We recommend breaking this course into 2 days for the National and 2 days for the State.  Follow the instructions for the National information and repeat the same process for your State Exam Prep course.    

National Day 1:

Taking the Pre-Test

• Block off 2 hours and take the pre-test:

  • In your LMS, go to the National Real Estate Exam Prep Online Video Course and take the National Real Estate Exam Prep Pre-Test.

    • You will need a piece of scratch paper, a pencil, and a calculator while taking your exams.

• After completing your Pre-Test:

  • Review every question.  Know why the right answer is right and why the wrong answer is wrong. 

  • Analyze the performance tracker results for each exam and note which areas were the weakest.

  • Write down specific questions you have after taking each exam.

National Real Estate Exam Prep Online Video Course

• You will need your National Real Estate Exam Prep Workbook PDF (you can print this out), a highlighter, a pen, and any questions you may have from the pre-test.

• Watch the online video and highlight and star the tested areas in your exam prep book.  Look up any questions that were challenging when you took your pre-test.

• Review the National Exam Prep workbook and your test results.  Use the QBank to take practice tests to strengthen your weak areas.  

• Understand the concepts.  Know why the right answer is right and why the wrong answer is wrong.

National Day 2:  

Taking the Post-test

• Block off two hours and take the National Exam Prep Post-Test in the LMS.

• Compare your post-test results to the pre-test results.  

• Review the performance tracker for each exam and note which areas were the weakest.

• Determine your weak areas and create practice quizzes for those areas in the QBank.

• If you score below 80%, go back and review the material.

• If you score 80% or higher, you are ready to pass the National exams!

• Repeat this process for your State Real Estate Exam Prep course.

  • If you score 80% or higher, you are ready to pass your State exam!