10 best sites for insurance classes online
10 best sites for insurance classes online | Insurance Business America
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10 best sites for insurance classes online
Taking insurance classes online allows you to prepare for licensure and CE exams at your own pace. Here are the best websites to get them
Proper training is the foundation of a successful career in an often specialized and tightly regulated field like insurance. With a packed schedule, however, it’s not always easy to squeeze in time to take the necessary coursework. This is where online insurance courses come in handy.
In this article, Insurance Business lists the best places to take insurance classes online. We will give you an overview of the different course offerings and benefits to make your search easier.
Whether you’re just starting your career in the industry or an insurance veteran set on updating your skills, this guide can help.
Read on and find out which of these websites offer the best insurance classes for your needs.
The Insurance Business research team reviewed the course offerings of dozens of insurance training websites to find out the ones that provide the best insurance classes online. The courses we analyzed range from pre-licensing to continuing education. They also cover different lines and specializations, including sales and claims adjusting.
Because of this, it’s difficult to pick a clear-cut number one. The team instead decided to arrange the list alphabetically. Here are our choices for the 10 best websites to take insurance classes.
1. 360training
360training is one of the world’s largest regulatory compliance online training and certification providers, with more than 11 million users. The Texas-headquartered firm also has offices in the Philippines and Pakistan. The company caters to a range of industries, including food and beverage, healthcare, human resources, and real estate.
It offers online insurance courses for individuals and businesses. Industry professionals can choose from 360training’s portfolio of training courses for insurance agents and adjusters. These range from exam preparation and pre-licensing to continuing education. The insurance classes are categorized by lines of authority and jurisdiction, so you can easily filter through and find the courses that suit you.
360training offers a free 14-day trial, which gives users full access to all course features. This allows you to try out the service before committing to a paid subscription. After the trial period, you can choose to subscribe to a monthly or annual plan. You can access the courses 24/7, so you can work on them in your own time.
A good starting point for any insurance course is this guide on how to become an insurance agent. For newbies, it’s an introduction to the industry; for seasoned pros, it serves as a refresher on the basics.
2. A.D. Banker
A.D. Banker offers a range of pre-licensing courses and continuing education for insurance and securities professionals. It has been preparing students for the FINRA and state insurance licensure exams for more than 40 years. The courses can be purchased individually or in bundles.
One of the popular features of its online insurance classes is the note-taking function. This enables you to take notes within the course dashboard that you can access on multiple mobile devices.
Self-paced online insurance courses are available in most states but if you’re from any of the 11 states below, you can only take in-person classes:
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas
Maryland
Missouri
Nebraska
Virginia
Another drawback, depending on your pace, is the courses’ 60-day access period. Some may argue, however, that two months is enough time to complete the coursework.
3. CompuCram
CompuCram provides exam preparation solutions mostly for real estate professionals, although it also offers insurance classes online and in person. Its insurance courses cover pre-licensing, test preparation, and continuing education. Self-study programs are also available.
A major component of CompuCram’s courses involves industry buzzwords. These lessons help you understand the meaning of different industry terms. The programs also come with a readiness indicator that tracks your progress in practice tests and simulated exams.
The courses, however, don’t really provide a way for users to communicate directly with instructors. If you have any questions or need extra help, you might have to sort things out yourself. The company does have a support team, but the assistance they provide is limited to technical issues.
The good news is that CompuCram is so confident that its users will pass the exams that it offers a money-back guarantee.
4. ExamFX
ExamFx offers online classes that help insurance and securities professionals prepare for pre-licensing and continuing education examinations. Its programs are customizable, allowing you to create a study plan that suits your needs. Another useful feature is the insurance glossary, which helps you understand the meaning behind industry buzzwords.
Users can also access a feature called guarantee exam. This is intended to be taken after you’ve completed the course and before the exam date. The test is designed to simulate the actual exam accurately. This means that if you pass the guarantee exam, there’s a strong likelihood that you have the real test in the bag as well.
ExamFx’s online insurance classes also come with a 60-day access period.
5. Insurance Training Center
The Insurance Training Center (ITC) offers specialized insurance classes online for both industry professionals and insurance buyers. Unlike many of the featured websites on our list that focus on exam preparation, ITC specializes in insurance education.
You can choose an individual plan or an all-access subscription to multiple programs. ITC courses are available in 55 countries and accredited by the UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute (CII).
6. Kaplan
Kaplan offers pre-licensing coursework and exam preparation classes for various industries. The platform is a popular choice for insurance professionals because of its comprehensive range of programs. You can choose to take insurance classes online or in person in select states.
Kaplan’s programs adopt its tried-and-tested three-phase strategy:
Prepare: go over concepts and terms likely included in the tests
Practice: apply the knowledge you gained by answering practice questions
Perform: answer a simulated exam
Instructors are available to answer your questions. Each program also comes with a dedicated email support team to address issues and concerns.
Kaplan, however, doesn’t conduct live online sessions. It also doesn’t offer programs for continuing education.
7. National Online Insurance School
The National Online Insurance School offers state-approved pre-licensing coursework for aspiring life and health insurance professionals. It also assists industry professionals in obtaining insurance licenses.
Courses come with instructional videos to help you visualize key concepts and exam simulators to help gauge your readiness for the state licensure exam. You can also access state-certified instructors to help you with the lessons and guide you through the insurance licensing process.
Your course enrollment is valid for three months. This is longer than the 60-day access period allowed by most online insurance course providers.
8. STC
Securities Training Center (STC) is known for its FINRA programs, but it also offers a comprehensive range of courses for life and health insurance professionals. The company provides pre-licensing and continuing education.
If you choose to take STC’s insurance classes online, you can access a curriculum designed to meet state-specific requirements. Lessons are presented in different formats, including pre-recorded videos and live sessions. STC also provides interactive practice tests and a progress-tracking tool with easy-to-understand metrics.
You can upgrade your program if you want to access additional features and more in-depth tutoring. Your enrollment is valid for six months.
9. The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research
The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research is a non-profit organization focused on risk management and insurance professional development. The group is recognized as among the best sources for industry knowledge, continuing education credits, and designation opportunities.
The National Alliance has programs for insurance professionals at all levels. These include a high school program for future industry leaders, boot camp for insurance agents, and corporate training.
For its online insurance courses, there are three tiers of membership – essential, intermediate, and advanced. Each tier gives members access to various tools and classes to help them grow their careers.
10. WebCE
WebCE provides continuing education and exam preparation courses in a range of industries, including insurance, real estate, and financial services.
The company provides access for one year, the longest access period among the websites on our list. This gives you more than enough time to finish the 20 to 40 hours of study materials.
WebCE allows you to generate an unlimited number of practice exams, which is beneficial if you want to practice in realistic conditions. If you want to access flashcards and workbooks, however, you will need to pay for them separately.
When investing in insurance education, you want to make sure that the program imparts the right skills and knowledge to help you get the right licenses and designation. Here are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing an online insurance course:
Curriculum
The program’s curriculum must align with your training needs. Request a detailed outline of the courses, so you can check if the topics are relevant to the licenses or designation you’re targeting. If there are areas that aren’t covered, ask if there’s an option to add or upgrade.
Customizability
A good online insurance program should be flexible to meet your unique training needs. Look for a provider that can customize modules to suit your professional goals. Many insurance education providers offer tiered programs that come with varying features to cater to insurance professionals at all levels.
Training method
Insurance classes online may be conducted with or without a facilitator. If your learning style requires direct supervision, you may want to choose a program where you can communicate directly with instructors.
User-friendly features
Most online insurance courses come with features that allow you to test your knowledge and gauge your readiness for the exams. These tools must be easy to navigate and provide metrics that are easy to understand.
Convenience
Access periods vary between providers. Choose a program that allows you to work at your own pace. You must also be able to access the modules any time you want.
Training provider
The insurance education provider must show genuine interest in meeting your training needs. You can do this by assessing the manner and timeliness of their responses through phone calls and emails.
Insurance is a highly specialized and tightly regulated industry. Insurance professionals need the right skills and competencies to grow their careers. Proper training and education play a crucial role in helping them achieve that.
An insurance career, however, also entails long hours of hard work. Because of this, squeezing in time to take the necessary coursework can be challenging. Taking insurance classes online allows industry professionals to get the required education at their own pace.
A good insurance training program should focus on key areas such as product knowledge, ethics, and industry regulations and policies. It must also have features that help you meet the various licensure and designation requirements.
Ultimately, an effective insurance education program equips you with the skills and expertise to thrive in your career.
Part of being a successful insurance professional is keeping abreast of the latest developments within the industry. You can do this by signing up to our daily newsletters. It’s free and gives you access to breaking news and the latest industry happenings.
What are the other benefits of taking insurance classes online? Do you agree with our list of the top websites for taking insurance courses? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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