Artificial intelligence is making its way into another corner of the mortgage industry — licensing education.
Aceable announced Tuesday the launch of Ace Mode, a personalized study platform that uses machine learning to identify knowledge gaps and tailor exam preparation to individual students. The company said the technology is being rolled out across its professional licensing programs, including mortgage originator education.
While much of the industry's investment in AI has focused on loan production, compliance, and customer-facing tools, education providers are beginning to explore how the technology can be used before an originator ever enters the workforce.
According to Aceable, the platform analyzes a student's performance on quizzes, assessments, and practice questions to determine which topics need additional attention. The system then directs students toward those areas through personalized practice sessions while also offering flashcards, glossary tools, mastery tracking, and full-length mock exams.
"As a former Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), high-stakes exams are personal for me. I know the feeling of walking in unsure whether you studied the right things," said Blake Garrett, founder and CEO of Aceable. "Ace Mode answers that question for students. It shows them where they're still weak and sends their practice straight back to those gaps, so confidence on test day is earned, not guessed."
Aceable already operates an NMLS-approved mortgage education platform offering pre-licensing courses and exam preparation for aspiring MLOs. The company provides national and state-specific licensing education through online and instructor-led formats designed to prepare students for the SAFE Mortgage Loan Originator Test.
Licensing remains one of the first hurdles for individuals entering the mortgage industry. Prospective MLOs must complete NMLS-approved pre-licensing education before passing the SAFE exam, which covers federal mortgage laws, ethics, mortgage knowledge, and loan origination activities.
"Every student walks in with different strengths and different gaps, but most courses treat them all the same," said Bill Mulford-Carper, vice president of product at Aceable. "That's the problem we're solving with Ace Mode."
The company is also preparing to expand its mortgage continuing education offerings. Aceable is developing updated CE content for the 2026 education cycle and plans to offer both live webinar and self-paced online courses. The company said national and state-specific continuing education options will be available and is currently accepting signups for a waitlist ahead of the launch.
For lenders and brokerages focused on recruiting new talent, the emergence of AI-powered exam-preparation tools may offer another way to support career changers and first-time entrants as they move through the licensing process. Industry pass rates for first-time SAFE exam takers have historically presented a challenge for many candidates, making targeted exam preparation an area of growing interest among education providers.
*This article was primarily written by a human author. AI tools were used in a limited capacity for research assistance or light editing.
