Kaplan Test Prep Issues Statement on ABA Decision to Withdraw Proposal to Eliminate Standardized Testing Requirement in Law School Admissions

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

Press Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Twitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanLSATPrep

New York, NY (August 7, 2018) — The following statement about the American Bar Association’s decision to withdraw a proposal to eliminate the admissions test requirement for law schools comes from Jeff Thomas, executive director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep:

“The ABA’s decision to withdraw the proposed rule change allowing for test-optional admissions policies means that the law school admissions process remains unchanged for now. Schools must continue to require that their applicants take a standardized test, be it the LSAT, GRE, or even the GMAT, as two law schools currently allow some applicants to do.

“Considering the potential significance this rule change would have had on the law school admissions landscape, it’s understandable why this decision has been postponed. It’s important to note that it only passed by one vote in committee this past May. A close vote doesn’t equal consensus and that may have given many ABA members some pause about making such a drastic change. The postponement also allows schools that are considering using the GRE and GMAT more time to conduct validity studies, a requirement for offering alternatives to the LSAT.

“The reality is that regardless of what the ABA ultimately decides, any major changes to admissions policies do not happen overnight. Prospective students applying to law school this fall should still consider the LSAT a central component of their admissions strategy, as it’s the only test accepted at every ABA-accredited law school. Aspiring attorneys applying to start in 2020 or beyond may have other viable admissions strategies, but we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out first.

“We’ll be tracking this issue closely over the next few weeks and months as we conduct our annual admissions officers survey, speaking with law schools directly about which test scores they plan to allow applicants to submit. In our 2017 survey, 25 percent of schools said they were considering allowing their applicants to submit GRE scores in lieu of LSAT scores. A lot has changed since that time, so that percentage may increase, as the call for change among law schools remains strong.”

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.

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Kaplan Test Prep Survey: A Majority of Pre-Law Students Want Law Schools to Require a Standardized Admissions Test

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

Press Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Twitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanLSATPrep

New York, NY (August 2, 2018) — As the American Bar Association prepares to announce if it will lift the rule mandating all accredited law schools require applicants to submit a score from a standardized test like the LSAT® or GRE®, pre-law students are rendering their own verdict. According to a Kaplan Test Prep survey, 58 percent of aspiring lawyers say the ABA should keep the standardized testing requirement in place, 36 percent want it lifted, and 6 percent are not sure.*

One student who favored keeping the requirement shared, “The LSAT puts all students on a level playing field. GPAs vary tremendously based on school and major so the LSAT is a good way to score all students,” while another said, “The LSAT is an important indicator of how students perform under pressure and timed. It also is a good equalizer.” An opponent of the requirement said, “I don’t think standardized tests are really measuring a student’s ability to excel at a law school. It’s just measuring how good you are at taking standardized tests.”

The origin of the ABA’s pending decision came two and a half years ago, when, during the tail end of an unprecedented application drought affecting law schools nationwide, the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law announced that it would begin allowing applicants to submit GRE scores in lieu of LSAT scores for admissions. Since that February 2016 move, more than 20 other law schools across the country (including many of the top-ranked programs like Harvard, Columbia, and UCLA) adopted this policy too, in an effort to expand and diversify their applicant pool. Most recently, Cornell and UPenn not only began to accept the GRE, but also the GMAT®, which has long been the admissions test used by business schools.

The decision, expected to be announced within the next week at the 2018 Chicago ABA Annual Meeting, may go one of two ways:

1. The ABA House of Delegates could concur with the decision the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar made in May to drop the requirement, thus leaving it up to the individual law schools to decide if they want to require a test or not, or;
2. The ABA House of Delegates could refer the decision back to the Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar for further consideration, at which point the latter group would reconvene, taking the full House of Delegates’ recommendations into account, but not obligated to act on them. After further discussion between the two bodies, their original ruling could still go into effect, lifting the requirement.

“Most pre-law students and their future selves — law school students — are fair, but fiercely competitive, so the fact that a strong majority wants a standardized admissions test as a screening element makes sense based on everything we know about them,” said Jeff Thomas, executive director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “It’s important to note that even if the recommendation to lift the testing requirement is approved and implemented, it’s doubtful that law schools will decide en masse to do so. In fact, we expect many will stick with their own admissions test requirement, be it the LSAT, GRE, or GMAT, as admitting students unlikely to complete their legal education (as measured by high dropout rates and/or low bar passage rates) would risk the school losing its accreditation. In that sense, standardized tests act like a safeguard against bad admissions practices that can have long-term ramifications for both law schools and their students. Additionally, recent Kaplan research shows that pre-law students would submit an LSAT score anyway to gain a competitive advantage over those who do not.”

To schedule an interview about Kaplan’s survey results, please contact Mike Tague at michael.tague@kaplan.com or 212-974-2785.

*Based on the results of a Kaplan Test Prep survey conducted by email in July 2018 of 127 pre-law students who took a Kaplan LSAT preparation course.

Test names and other trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are endorsed by nor affiliated with Kaplan or this survey.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.

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Kaplan Test Prep Survey: Most Pre-Law Students Say They Would Take the LSAT® Even if It Wasn’t an Admissions Requirement

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)Press Contact:

Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Twitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanLSATPrep

New York, NY (July 12, 2018) — A new Kaplan Test Prep survey of over 350 aspiring lawyers finds that even if law schools opt out of requiring applicants to take a standardized test for admissions, 73 percent said they would likely submit an LSAT score anyway to gain a competitive advantage over those who don’t*. This comes as the American Bar Association, the organization which accredits the country’s 200-plus law schools, is set to meet in Chicago in early August to decide the future of admissions testing for law schools: either to still require a “valid and reliable” exam or not require one at all, leaving it up to the individual law schools to decide what’s best for them. 

“There’s some strategic thinking going on among these pre-law students. In an admissions process that’s becoming increasingly rigorous because of a recent surge in applicants, aspiring attorneys will continue to look for every competitive advantage possible. For generations, that competitive advantage has been a high LSAT score,” said Jeff Thomas, executive director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep.

Students surveyed who favor requiring a test in the admissions process focused on a high LSAT score acting as an equalizer and the exam acting as a reasonable barrier to prevent less qualified applicants from getting in. 

• “Without the LSAT being so important I probably wouldn’t have gotten into a great law school. But because of the LSAT, I can show merit without needing to be able to afford a fancy school. In my opinion, tests like the LSAT really level the playing field for students like me.”
• “Many of the skills developed for the LSAT are vital to your future success as a potential lawyer…(abolishing the requirement) might lower the overall quality of the legal profession. Attempting to lower the standards can be detrimental.”
• “The LSAT is a very challenging test that students need to work hard to study for. I feel like it ‘weeds out’ the people who will not make it in law school. I believe that (not requiring a test) will result in more students not graduating or dropping out.”

Pre-law students who are against standardized testing in the admissions process often cited issues around fairness and access, with one calling their use “very limited.”

“While we won’t know the future of admissions testing in law school for another few weeks, we think that even if the requirement is abolished, law schools will stick with some sort of test for a few reasons. First and importantly, the ABA is cautioning that should a law school choose not to require a standardized test and then find themselves admitting students incapable of graduating, the school would risk being out of compliance with ABA rules and losing their accreditation. Second, law schools find a standardized test helpful in that it’s the common yardstick they use to measure applicants who come from colleges of varying competitiveness. An ‘A’ at an Ivy League school, for example, is not the same as an ‘A’ at a lower ranked, less well-known school. Third, test scores are important factors in law school rankings calculations, which are heavily relied upon by students in deciding where to attend. Schools will continue to prefer high scores in as much as they boost their place in the rankings,” added Thomas.

To schedule an interview about Kaplan’s survey results, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.

*Based on the results of a Kaplan Test Prep survey conducted by email in June 2018 of 359 pre-law students who took a Kaplan LSAT preparation course.

Test names and other trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are endorsed by, nor affiliated with Kaplan or this survey.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.

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Kaplan Partners With Online Proctoring Leader to Make Administering Assessments Easier for Nursing Schools

Partnership with Examity will ensure security through mobile-friendly proctoring

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

Press Contacts: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Ben Watsky, Watsky@whiteboardadvisors.com, 202.851.3601
Twitter: @KapTestNews, @Examity

Natick, MA (June 21, 2018) – Kaplan Nursing, a unit of its Test Prep services that prepares students for the NCLEX-RN® Exam, today announced it has partnered with Examity, the leading provider of online proctoring and identity verification, to provide Kaplan’s partner institutions (nursing schools) with greater flexibility in administering high-quality assessments. Examity’s seamless, secure, remote proctoring solution will streamline the testing process and help to eliminate scheduling and facility constraints.

“We’re committed to leveraging the potential of emerging technologies to enhance the accessibility of educational resources for our school partners and their students,” said Erika Blumenthal, Vice President and General Manager, Kaplan Nursing. “Examity was the only proctoring solution to provide an online proctoring platform that met our specific needs — providing our partners with both flexibility and security as they administer assessments.”

Research suggests that the country’s acute nursing shortage could persist through 2025, driving demand for solutions that can increase access to high-quality nursing education, especially in rural areas or regions without easy access to nursing schools. Kaplan Nursing works to address this need through a comprehensive online review program for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) taught by Masters’ educated instructors, as well as additional resources including English learning tools and multi-level remediation.

“Online programs offer the potential to provide high-quality educational opportunities at unprecedented scale. Ensuring quality and integrity is a critical part of that equation, particularly with critical professions like nursing,” said Michael London, Founder and CEO of Examity. “Kaplan has a decades-long track record as a leader in nursing education, and we are grateful for the opportunity to support them in creating a more secure, flexible testing environment for nursing schools and their students around the country.”

Recently recognized as one of the ten fastest-growing companies in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal, Examity works with a diverse cross-section of postsecondary institutions and online learning providers including the University of Arizona, Penn State, and Yale, to provide customized online proctoring solutions designed to address the needs of individual schools and programs. Examity was the first platform to provide live, record-and-review, and fully automated proctoring options.

NCLEX-RN® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc, which does not endorse this product.

About Kaplan Nursing

Kaplan Nursing (www.kaplannursing.com) is a unit of Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com), a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.

About Examity

Examity was founded to meet the needs of the growing number of online education and certification programs looking to ensure integrity. Examity provides a cost effective and flexible test integrity solution including live, recorded and automated options. Since its founding five years ago, Examity has partnered with 300+ institutions and certification programs worldwide. For more information, visit Examity.com or follow the company on Twitter @examity.

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Kaplan Test Prep and CBLA Collaborate to Publish First Official OET Study Guide

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

Press Contacts: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, +1-212-453-7538
Sujata Stead, sujata.stead@oet.com.au, +61-418-830-181
Twitter: @KapTestNews

New York, NY (May 28, 2018) — Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (CBLA), the owners of the Occupational English Test (OET), and Kaplan Test Prep, the world leader in test preparation, today announced a collaboration on publishing “Official Guide to OET”, the first official study guide for the healthcare-specific exam.

OET assesses the English language skills of healthcare professionals seeking to register and practice in an English-speaking environment. Unlike general English tests, OET test materials are based on real healthcare scenarios so employers can be confident that successful candidates have the right level of English to provide safe, high-quality patient care.

OET results are recognized by healthcare boards and councils globally, including in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Dubai as proof of English language proficiency.

The book, available by August, will be the first guide to prepare students for the updated OET, which launches in September.

The OET has gained popularity, with double-digit growth annually, as healthcare professionals increasingly look to this exam as most appropriate for assessing their English language ability.

“We are delighted to have worked with Kaplan Test Prep to create the first official OET study guide. The new book is relevant, an excellent study resource, and will no doubt assist our candidates in developing both the English language skills and confidence to deliver patient safety and quality care in a variety of healthcare settings,” said Sujata Stead, CEO of CBLA.

”The collaboration with CBLA to create this official guide allows us to produce a world-class preparation resource that combines Kaplan’s unparalleled expertise in proven test-taking strategies with verified test-like content vetted by CBLA,” said Steven Marietti, President, Licensure division, Kaplan Test Prep.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptestglobal.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in test preparation.

About Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment

CBLA, a venture between Cambridge Assessment English, UK and Box Hill Institute, Australia, owns the OET, which is available in more than 100 venues in 40 countries. For more information visit http://www.occupationalenglishtest.org.

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The New York Mets and Kaplan Test Prep to Present College Prep Day at Citi Field on May 3 to Help Students Navigate the Admissions Process

Press Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538

Twitter: @metsgroupsales, @KapTestNews,@KaplanSATACT

New York, NY (April 20, 2018) — To help high schools students across the New York City area gear up for the college admissions process, the New York Mets will be hosting College Prep Day on Thursday, May 3 at Citi Field, partnering with Kaplan Test Prep, a premier provider of educational test preparation services. Kaplan will provide guidance and insights to the expected group of approximately 4,000 students on the path to college and how to be stand-out applicants.

As part of College Prep Day, attending students will enjoy video spots featuring Mets players describing their college experiences, as well as exclusive insights from Mets Front Office personnel on the importance of a college education and what the Mets organization looks for when hiring interns and full-time positions. A Kaplan Test Prep executive will also offer guidance for college applicants navigating the admissions process on topics including how to decide which college admissions test is right for you and how to maximize your potential for scholarships. Additionally, Kaplan will share exclusive insights from its annual college admissions officers survey, including how social media factors into the admissions process, and provide an opportunity to secure a scholarship for an SAT® or ACT® prep course. Following the informative program, the event continues with exhibitors on the Mets’ Field Level Concourse where students can meet with admissions advisors who will answer questions and provide information about their colleges and universities. Attendees will then enjoy a day at the ballpark to watch the Mets take on the Atlanta Braves.

“We couldn’t be more excited about partnering with the Mets to inspire New York area students to succeed in their college admissions journeys,” said Brian Carlidge, executive director of pre-college programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “Both the Mets and Kaplan share strong New York roots and decades of promoting educational programs. Our goal with College Prep Day is to leave attendees feeling well informed, better prepared, and more confident so they can own the college prep process and achieve their goals.”

The event will commence at 11 AM with the Kaplan presentation, followed by the Mets Front Office talk, and then the college fair with exhibitors. If you are a NYC area student who’d like to attend, please contact your school’s guidance office to encourage them to participate. Schools that would like to participate can contact Mark Phillips at mphil@nymets.com or 718.565.4350.

SAT® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board. ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc. Neither endorses this event.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Among those tests are the SAT®, PSAT®, ACT®, GRE®, GMAT®, LSAT®, MCAT®, NCLEX-RN® and bar exams. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.

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Kaplan Test Prep Survey Finds Colleges And Applicants Agree: Social Media is Fair Game in the Admissions Process

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

Press Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Twitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanSATACT

 

New York, NY (April 17, 2018) — More than two-thirds of colleges (68 percent) say that it’s “fair game” for them to visit applicants’ social media profiles like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to help them decide who gets in — despite the fact that less than a third actually engage in the practice, according to Kaplan Test Prep’s annual survey of admissions officers*. Notably, students agree: a separate Kaplan survey of over 900 high school students finds that 70 percent consider social media profiles “fair game” for admissions officers evaluating applicants — an increase from 58 percent in 2014**.

Admissions officers who say it’s “fair game” shared the following reasoning:

• “Employers do it all the time. Colleges can do it as well.”
• “I think if things are publicly accessible without undue intrusion, it’s OK. If it’s searchable, it’s fair game.”
• “We don’t do this, but we could. I think high school seniors make poor choices sometimes when they put stuff online.”

Admissions officers who said they viewed this as an “invasion of privacy” shared the following:

• “Their application should be the sole decider.”
• “We use social media for recruitment, not admissions.”
• “We only look at social media if the applicant includes or provides it.”

But while a strong majority of admissions officers are ideologically comfortable with this practice, only 29 percent say they have actually done it — a decline from 35 percent last year, and down from a 40 percent high watermark in Kaplan’s 2015 survey. But this isn’t because admissions officers are necessarily forbidden from doing it, as only 20 percent say that their school has official guidelines or policies; and of that 20 percent, only 33 percent are not permitted to do so.

Yariv Alpher, executive director of research for Kaplan Test Prep, noted that some of the decline can likely be attributed to changing social media habits, as teens have migrated from Facebook to non-archival social media platforms like Snapchat.

“You cannot visit an applicant’s social media profile if you can’t locate them, and as one admissions officer shared with us, ‘Students are harder to find.’ They’ve gotten savvier in hiding or curating their social media footprints, even as they’ve become very comfortable with the notion of having a digital presence to begin with. By the same token, colleges have largely become comfortable, in theory, using social media to help them make admissions decisions,” said Alpher. “That said, in practice, the strong majority are sticking with the traditional elements of the application, like standardized test scores, GPA, letters of recommendation, and personal statements, which still overwhelmingly decide an applicant’s path. For most, these traditional factors provide enough useful information to make a decision, like it has for generations of their predecessors.”

And lest applicants think that what they post online can’t be held against them once they are already accepted, they should think again. Nearly one in 10 (nine percent) admissions officers say they had revoked an incoming student’s offer of admission  because of what they found on social media. This finding comes on the heels of Harvard University’s decision last year to revoke the acceptances of at least 10 students for posting highly offensive memes on a private Facebook group for incoming freshmen.

For a short video illustrating the results of the survey, visit here.

To schedule an interview about Kaplan’s survey results, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.

*388 admissions officers from the nation’s top national, regional and liberal arts colleges and universities – as compiled from U.S. News & World Report – were polled by telephone between July and August 2017.

**914 high school students who prepared for the SAT®, ACT®, or PSAT® with a Kaplan course between October 2017 and February 2018 were polled via email.

Test names are the property of the respective trademark holders, none of whom endorse or are affiliated with this survey.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Among those tests are the SAT®, PSAT®, ACT®, GRE®, GMAT®, LSAT®, MCAT®, NCLEX-RN® and bar exams. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.

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Kaplan Test Prep Survey: No Consensus Among Pre-Law Students on Law Schools Accepting the GRE® for Admission

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

Press Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Twitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanLSATPrep

 

New York, NY (April 12, 2018) — As momentum builds among law schools to allow applicants to submit GRE scores instead of LSAT® scores, those most directly impacted by the admissions policy are largely split on the issue. A Kaplan Test Prep survey of nearly 2,000 pre-law students finds them roughly evenly divided: 39 percent are against law schools offering applicants a GRE option; 33 percent are in favor of it; and 28 percent are unsure*. The survey also found aspiring lawyers divided on taking the GRE had they been given the option, with 28 percent saying they would have; 28 percent saying they would not have; and 44 percent unsure.

Among the pre-law students who would have taken the GRE, given the option, much of their reasoning focuses on the flexibility of the GRE and the perceived notion that the LSAT is more challenging:

• “Currently, I am interested in several different grad schools that accept the GRE. Also, the GRE tests knowledge rather than just skills. The GRE, in general, is easier to study for and still a strong predictor of how a student will do in law school.”
• The GRE is, as far as I know, a much easier test to study for and take. But more importantly, taking the GRE would allow me to apply for many different kinds of graduate school, rather than just law school.”
• “The LSAT is a monster. The GRE is also rough, but you can take the GRE at any time. You don’t have to force yourself to be ready by a certain date, because the GRE is offered so often.”

Among the students who would have still stuck with the LSAT, the reasoning often focused on the thinking that the LSAT is the more relevant test for law school:

• “The LSAT seems more appropriate and indicative of one’s ability to reason like a lawyer. I don’t know why any law school would require a test that contains two sections of math on it. Seems like a pretty irrelevant test with regards to law students.”
• “I wouldn’t, only because I believe the LSAT tests a specific set of skills that the GRE does not. There is a reason the LSAT was developed as the exam for law schools specifically, rather than using the GRE from the get-go.”
• “The LSAT is an exam for a specific profession, and teaches skills that are required for law school success. I imagine that students who submit an application with only a GRE score will be subject to higher scrutiny.”

The finding come just as the American Bar Association, which governs the nation’s 200+ law schools, deliberates this week on what, if anything, to do about the issue and law school admissions testing in general. To date, nearly 20 law schools already allow or have announced plans to allow applicants to submit GRE scores, including Harvard, Northwestern, and Georgetown.

“Opening up the applicant pool to GRE takers gives law schools more prospective students to choose from just as they begin to recover from a period of historically low application volume. It provides something of a safety net in case another application slump hits. It also gives law schools the opportunity to diversify their student bodies, a long-held goal by many in the legal education community. But our survey finds that many of tomorrow’s lawyers aren’t convinced of the efficacy or personal benefits of this admissions approach,” said Jeff Thomas, executive director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “Only 17 out of 204 accredited law schools currently allow applicants to submit GRE scores. That means most applicants are probably going to be applying to at least one law school that is still LSAT-only, so it makes sense to prepare for the LSAT. Additionally there is some uncertainty if the American Bar Association will allow this admissions policy to continue. If they come out and clearly state that law schools have a right accept GRE scores, we expect more schools to adopt this policy, which may provide students a true choice.”

Thomas also notes individual test takers’ skill sets and preparation may determine which of the two exams is more challenging, despite the perception among many pre-law students that the GRE is the “easier” of the two exams.

For a short video illustrating the results of the Kaplan survey, click here.

To schedule an interview about Kaplan’s survey results, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.

*Based on the results of a Kaplan Test Prep e-survey conducted between June 2017 and February 2018 of 1,977 pre-law students who took a Kaplan LSAT course.

GRE® is a registered trademark of the Educational Testing Service. LSAT® is a registered trademark of Law School Admission Council, Inc. Neither is affiliated with this survey.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Among those tests are the SAT®, PSAT®, ACT®, GRE®, GMAT®, LSAT®, MCAT®, NCLEX-RN® and bar exams. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.

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Kaplan Test Prep Survey: Most U.S. Business Schools Concerned that the Current Political Climate Will Diminish International Enrollment

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

Press Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Twitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanGMATPrep

 

New York, NY (March 28, 2018) –  The vast majority (68 percent) of the most competitive business schools in the United States are concerned that the current domestic political climate will have a negative impact on international student enrollment in the years to come, according to a new Kaplan Test Prep nationwide survey*. Those concerns may be warranted. A recent report from Graduate Management Admission Council, the organization that writes the GMAT, found that only 32% of U.S. programs saw growing international application volumes in 2017, versus 49% in 2016. America’s loss seems to be Canada’s gain, as the country’s northern neighbor is reporting a 77% gain in international applications, up from just 46% in 2016. As part of the Kaplan survey, one business school admissions officer shared that it is particularly concerned about losing Mexican applicants to schools in Canada, while another business school said that some prospective international students withdrew their candidacies before they completed the applicant evaluation process. But one school said that any decline should only be temporary, citing what happened after September 11, which prompted a decline in applications, followed by a rebound.

But American business schools concerned about a potential decline have messages of inclusion and encouragement for prospective business school students from outside the United States who may not view the country as a particularly welcoming place for them:

• “We have gone out of our way – did a video and sent letters to our current students as well as our connections outside the country – to tell people that we embrace diversity.”
• “We simply share with them that this is uncharted territory for all of us. The economy is very strong right now. Even if all they get is an incredible education and internship, that’s an incredible thing to market in their home country.”
• “We try to use alumni who are non-U.S. to help promote program. Florida is very welcoming and diverse, with a large international population, from South America, and Central America for example. We also just launched scholarships for international students to demonstrate financially that they are welcome.”
• “Because there are challenges, we need students like you. This is a short-term thing.”
• “We reassure students that there are not real issues as opposed to the hype in media that’s out there.”

“Many business schools pride themselves on their robust international student presence and a culture that’s welcoming to aspiring MBAs from outside the U.S. In fact, it’s often a recruitment platform for attracting future international students, in addition to American applicants who also appreciate a globally diverse learning environment. With many U.S. business schools relying on international students to make up upwards of 30 percent of their total student population, it’s likely that they are adjusting their recruitment strategies accordingly,” says Noah Teitelbaum, executive director of pre-business programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “What American business school leaders can take heart in is that a volatile political climate doesn’t necessarily lead to a long term cratering of students from abroad, as British business schools continue to see robust growth in international applicants, despite initial Brexit worries. The next few admissions cycles will tell us if what we are seeing in the United States right now is a blip on the radar screen or part of a more consequential multiyear trend.”

For a one-minute video on Kaplan’s survey results, visit here.

To schedule an interview about Kaplan’s survey results, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.

*Based on the results of a Kaplan Test Prep survey conducted by phone between August and October 2017. The survey included responses from 138 business schools, including 17 of the top 50, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.                                                                         

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Kaplan Test Prep Survey: High School Students Express Increased Interest in Activism and Prefer to Attend a College Where Fellow Students Share the Same Politics

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

Press Contact: Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Twitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanSATACT

 

New York, NY (March 21, 2018) — A Kaplan Test Prep survey of more than 500 teens finds that 76 percent of future college students are more interested in topics related to politics, social justice, and/or activism than they were two years ago*. The survey results also suggest that this age group prioritizes group affinity, with 61 percent saying that it’s important for them to attend a college or university where their fellow students generally share the same political beliefs as they do.

The results come during a time of student activism not seen in decades. March 14’s National School Walkout, organized to memorialize the victims of the Parkland, FL high school massacre and call for stronger gun control/safety laws, attracted the participation of hundreds of thousands of teens across the country — and Kaplan’s survey showed that many did so even at personal risk, as 46 percent who said they were participating were intent on doing so even if it hurt their chances of getting into college. Hundreds of thousands of students are also expected to participate in March For Our Lives events, also calling for stricter gun laws, on March 24, throughout the country. Additionally, another National School Walkout is scheduled for April 20, the 20th anniversary of the Columbine high school shooting.

Students shared the following perspectives on why their interest is higher today:

• “Current events such as the tragic Parkland high school shooting have opened my eyes and pushed me to invest time to learn about issues. Learning more about the government and society now will benefit and prepare me for the challenges I will face on my journey to give my generation a greater future.”
• “The issues that I would always only hear about before have suddenly become much more relevant. This is true especially for gun control, which no longer seems like a distant issue but instead a very real and pertinent one. It is also true in terms of sexism, which is something that I am increasingly aware of as I age.”
• “There has just been a lot of controversy going on politically, especially after the election, and I am starting to realize the impact young people can have.”
• “As I’ve grown up, I’ve gained more knowledge about politics and ongoing issues around me. Many of my friends are as invested as I am, and we’re also exposed to a lot of different opinions through social media. I’ve also become more interested because I’m going to vote for the first time this upcoming November.”
• “In recent years, I’ve become more aware about how politics affects me and my family personally, and what it means for my future. I’ve seen more social injustices in the past year than in my entire life.”

“While the tragic Parkland school shooting was a galvanizing point, we’ve seen a few trends leading to the newfound activism among teens including a greater interest in social and political issues, native engagement with social media, and the rise of teenage social media influencers. Today’s teens have not only the passion but the tools, platforms and digital savvy to channel and amplify their voices quickly, at an unprecedented scale,” said Yariv Alpher, executive director of research, Kaplan Test Prep. “Our survey results show reasons to be inspired and reasons to be cautious. It’s heartening to see that a strong majority of teens are newly engaged and actively invested in broader social issues. But with many teens reflecting a desire to attend a college where fellow students share their political views, we hope that will not hamper openness and willingness to engage with others in a constructive exchange of views and ideas. Regardless, the bottom line is certainly a positive one: today’s teenagers are becoming active, engaged citizens.”

For a short video illustrating Kaplan’s survey results, click here.

*567 high school students from across the United States who took a Kaplan SAT® course were polled by email between March 12-13, 2018.

SAT® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.

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