At a Time of Unprecedented Change in the World of Legal Education, Kaplan Test Prep Goes Under the Hood to Answer the Question: “How Do Law School Admissions Officers REALLY Decide Who Gets In?”

Participating Admissions Officers are from the Top Ranked Harvard University School of Law, New York University School of Law, University of Virginia School of Law, and
University of Pennsylvania Law school

Monday, August 19, 8:00 PM ET; Register at http://blog.kaplanlsat.com/the-180-live/

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)

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

New York, NY (August 16, 2013) – Kaplan Test Prep’s most popular event for pre-law students is back, for its third straight year.  “You Be The Judge – A Mock Admissions Roundtable,” a special episode on Kaplan’s legal affairs web show “The 180,” airing Monday, August 19, at 8:00pm ET, will give aspiring law students a behind-the-scenes look at what really happens during a law school admissions committee meeting.

Viewers will get to watch admissions officers from Harvard University School of Law (@Harvard_Law), New York University School of Law (@nyulaw), University of Virginia School of Law (@UVALaw), and University of Pennsylvania Law school (@PennLaw) conduct a realistic mock admissions meeting. They will review, discuss and analyze “sample” applicants’ LSAT scores, undergraduate transcripts, personal statements, diversity statements, letters of recommendation, resumes and work experience, academic misconducts, criminal records, application addenda and more to show attendees exactly how they arrive at their ultimate decisions.

During the event, online attendees can weigh in with their own opinions on “the committee’s” deliberations and verdicts as part of a live Twitter chat, using the hashtag #the180.  Plus they can ask questions directly to Kaplan Test Prep admissions experts.

First held in August 2011, “You Be The Judge – A Mock Admissions Roundtable” is Kaplan’s largest annual pre-law event, attracting thousands of prospective law school students.

“During this time of unprecedented change in both law school application trends and legal education*, this must-attend event will give pre-law students an exclusive look into how the actual decision makers arrive at their final judgments of who gets in, who doesn’t, and why.  The powerhouse admissions panel we assembled from some of the country’s top JD programs will give attendees unparalleled behind the doors access,” said Jeff Thomas, director of pre-law programs, Kaplan Test Prep.  “While an applicant’s LSAT remains by far the most important admissions factor, this event will give attendees a complete, holistic view of exactly what else top law schools look for in new students.  The admissions decisions they arrived at regarding the mock applicants will surprise you, as what transpired opened the eyes of many members of the studio audience.”

To register for the event, students can visit http://blog.kaplanlsat.com/the-180-live/.  Journalists interested in learning more about the changing  legal education and law school admissions landscapes, are also welcome to attend and can contact Russell Schaffer at 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com for more information.

* “Is legal education solely law schools’ responsibility? ABA task force thinks not,” The ABA Journal, Mark Hansen, June 26, 2013: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/task_force_efforts_focus_on_broad_themes/

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 90 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’s Fourth Annual Road to Business School Kicks Off August 6 to Give Tomorrow’s MBAs the Competitive Edge to Get In

The Three Week Long Series of Events Will Include Workshops and
Networking Opportunities, with Over 30 Top MBA Programs

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)

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

New York, NY (August 2, 2013) – Young professionals and students looking to earn their MBA can get insider advice and learn about dozens of top business schools directly from admissions officers at Kaplan Test Prep’s free, annual Road to Business School—a three-week series of events taking place in six cities nationwide and online—which kicks off August 6.

Kaplan’s 2013 Road to Business School comes on the heels of recent news that applications to several top business schools surged by double digits this admissions cycle, reversing a three-year decline.*  An additional report shows that companies plan to hire more employees with MBAs in 2013 than they planned to in 2012. **

Each stop on Kaplan Test Prep’s Road to Business School, which attracts thousands of aspiring MBAs every year, will include a strategy workshop on the GMAT—the primary admissions exam that business schools use to evaluate applicants—and an admissions strategy session, where attendees can learn how to put together the strongest application possible.  Attendees can also attend a panel discussion with admissions officers to learn more about the components of the application.  One of the most popular parts of Road to Business School is the “open tabling session,”at which dozens of top business schools participate in each city, giving attendees a chance to network and ask specific questions about specific MBA programs from the decision makers themselves.

Participating schools include: Cornell University (Johnson), Duke University (Fuqua), Emory University (Goizueta), Northwestern University (Kellogg), NYU (Stern), UCLA (Anderson), UC Berkeley (Haas), University of Chicago (Booth), University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler), the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and University of Texas – Austin (McCombs).

Following is the scheduled list of events that are part of the 2013 Road to Business School series:

• How to Impress a Business School (live, online): Tuesday, August 6 – 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET

• Chicago: Thursday, August 8 – 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM CT

• Los Angeles: Saturday, August 10 – 10:30 AM – 2:30 PM PT

• San Francisco: Sunday, August 11 – 12:30 PM – 4:30 PM PT

• Boston: Monday, August 12 – 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM ET

• New York City: Wednesday, August 14 –  5:30 PM – 9:30 PM ET

• Washington, D.C.: Thursday, August 15 – 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM ET

• Virtual Fair (live, online): Sunday, August 18 – 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM ET

• 100 Hours: a GMAT Study Plan (live, online): Tuesday, August 20 – 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET

• The New GMAT (live, online) – Free Training: Wednesday, August 21 – 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET

• Minority MBAs: The Road Less Traveled (live, online): Monday, August 26 – 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET

• Women in Business and Management (live, online): Tuesday, August 27 – 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET

The Virtual Fair will include over 30 MBA programs, each with its own “booth” that attendees around the world can join from anywhere with an internet connection

“The Road to Business School is a must-attend event for any aspiring MBA.  With the number of applications to top business schools picking up, the number of GMAT takers at an elevated level, and the MBA job market projected to improve, Road to Business School attendees will gain important admissions strategies and learn  how to forge ahead in their careers,” said Nada Arnot, vice president of pre-business and pre-graduate programs, Kaplan Test Prep.

Those interested in attending any of the Kaplan Test Prep Road to Business School events should register at www.kaplangmat.com/roadtobschool.

For media, each city event will also provide a good opportunity to speak with aspiring MBAs about their career successes, challenges, and goals and take B-roll footage.  To cover an event in person, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.

*“MBA Applications Surge at Top Schools,” Louis Lavelle, BusinsessWeek, May 9, 2013: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-09/mba-applications-surge-at-top-schools
**”New Year May Bring MBA Hiring Boom,” Louis Lavelle, BusinessWeek, December 9, 2012:
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-09/new-year-may-bring-mba-hiring-boom

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 90 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 Acquires Grockit Social Learning Platform and Test Prep Assets

 Acquisition Will Enhance Kaplan’s Social and Adaptive Learning Capabilities

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)

Press Contacts: Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571
Twitter: @KapTestNews

New York, NY (July 31, 2013) – Kaplan, the industry leader in test prep worldwide, has acquired the test prep assets and social learning platform of Grockit, Inc., a San Francisco-based pioneer in social learning applications and technologies. GSV Advisors acted as exclusive financial advisor to Grockit in this transaction.

Grockit, Inc. was founded in 2007 to improve academic achievement and extend learning outside of the classroom by advancing online social learning as the dominant instructional design.  Grockit branded test prep has since helped over a million users around the world prepare for various tests including the SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE and LSAT through its social learning platform.  The company is rebranding as Learnist and is now focused on developing learning products outside of test prep markets.

“We’ve long recognized the Grockit team as innovators in social learning and gamification, and the company’s initiatives are consistent with our efforts to improve student outcomes through learning science,” said Rochelle Rothstein, Executive Vice President, Kaplan Test Prep. “As we seek to better understand the role of social learning and gamification in test prep effectiveness, the acquisition of Grockit branded assets accelerates our efforts.  We’re looking forward to exploring platform synergies to improve our student experience.”

“We’re proud of our pioneering work in social learning, and can’t think of a team that’s better positioned to take our platform to the next level than Kaplan, the recognized leader in test prep,” said Roy Gilbert, CEO of Grockit. “We’re confident in Kaplan’s ability to continue innovating on the Grockit platform, and excited to direct our full attention to Learnist, our web and mobile social learning app focused on broader social learning.”

Grockit introduced its Learnist product in 2012 to enable people from all around the world use the web and mobile application to teach and learn from rich media assembled by experts across the Learnist.com community.

About Grockit, Inc.  

Grockit, Inc., was founded to improve academic achievement and extend learning outside of the classroom by advancing online social learning as the dominant instructional design. With its 2013 acquisition by Kaplan, the company has rebranded itself as Learnist.  Applying adaptive learning algorithms and innovative social networking and online gaming technologies, Grockit and Learnist users discover a fun and engaging learning experience. Founded in 2007 by Farb Nivi, a former Teacher of the Year for The Princeton Review and academic director at Kaplan, Learnist is headquartered in San Francisco and has received funding from Atlas Venture, Benchmark Capital, Discovery Communications, Inc., Integral Capital Partners, GSV Capital and NewSchools Ventures. For more information, visit Learnist.com.

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 90 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: Today’s Pre-Law Students Want Changes in Legal Education, Are Looking for Nontraditional Employment Opportunities, Favor Mandatory Pro Bono Work and Value Racial Diversity

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)

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

New York, NY (July 29, 2013) – A Kaplan Test Prep survey of 750 pre-law students* finds that tomorrow’s lawyers are advocates for change, have an altruistic side and are adapting to new career realities. Key survey results include:

• Legal Education Has to Change: It’s hard to find legally-minded individuals overwhelmingly in agreement on almost any subject, but 79% of pre-law students say that the U.S. legal education system needs “to undergo significant changes to better prepare future attorneys for the changing employment landscape and legal profession.” Notably, the American Bar Association, the organization that accredits law schools, agrees — it is currently preparing to make recommendations on how to address growing concerns about the cost of a law school education and its effectiveness in preparing graduates to actually practice law.** In the meantime though, some law schools are already taking proactive measures to remedy the situation.***
• More than Half Are Considering Employment Outside Traditional Legal Roles: As the employment landscape continues to struggle, 56% of pre-law students say they plan to use their future JD in a non-traditional legal field – up from 50% in a February Kaplan survey. Of that 56%, 63% say the current job market for lawyers factored into this decision – up from 58% in February.
• A Majority Favor Mandatory Pro Bono Work: While lawyers are often stereotyped as power and money-hungry, 68% of pre-law students surveyed say they would support a New York State Bar-like rule mandating that new JDs complete 50 hours of pro bono work before being admitted to the bar. While this rule currently only exists in New York, California and New Jersey are considering implementing a similar measure.
• Racial Diversity Important to Pre-Law Students: While the Supreme Court recently decided to punt a high profile affirmative action case, Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, back to the state, 55% of pre-law students responding to Kaplan Test Prep’s survey say that it’s important that the law school they attend have a racially diverse student body.

For more information or to speak with a Kaplan Test Prep law school admissions expert about the survey results, please contact Russell Schaffer at 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com.

*The online survey was conducted in June 2013 of 750 pre-law students who took an LSAT course with Kaplan Test Prep.

** “Is legal education solely law schools’ responsibility? ABA task force thinks not,” The ABA Journal, Mark Hansen, June 26, 2013: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/task_force_efforts_focus_on_broad_themes/

***”Does law school have a future?”, Forbes, Elizabeth G. Olson, December 18, 2012: http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/12/18/does-law-school-have-a-future/

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 90 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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As the U.S. Supreme Court Sends Affirmative Action Case Back to Lower Court, Kaplan Test Prep Survey Finds That 60% of College Applicants Say Racial Diversity is Important to Them in Considering Colleges

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)

Press Contacts: Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571; Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Twitter: @KapTestNews

New York, NY (June 24, 2013) – In the highly-anticipated affirmative action case of Fisher v University of Texas at Austin, the U.S. Supreme Court today sent the case back to the federal appeals court for further review, noting that that colleges’ affirmative action plans are constitutional only if such racial preferences are the only way to achieve diversity on campuses, and that the lower court did not apply “strict scrutiny” to UT’s admissions policy.  While the case undergoes additional review, a recent Kaplan Test Prep survey of 689 high school students* shows that a majority (60%) say it’s “very important” or “somewhat important” for the college they attend to have a racially diverse student body.

“Whether or not affirmative action survives, it seems racial diversity is something a majority of college applicants today value in the schools they attend,” says Seppy Basili, vice president of college admissions and K-12 programs at Kaplan Test Prep.  Kaplan’s survey asked applicants about the importance placed on multiple factors related to campus life.  Of greater importance to students was a “socially conscious campus community” (82%); less important to them were “strong programs in music, art, or performing arts” (49%); “a competitive sports program” (49%); and a “vibrant Greek (fraternity/sorority) life” (31%).

While the Fisher ruling did not offer a definitive opinion on the use of race as a factor in admissions decisions, it keeps the affirmative action issue simmering — especially with a second affirmative action case up for review in the fall session of the Supreme Court (Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action). 

“Apart from race-conscious affirmative action, schools seek to achieve a diverse population in two general ways: finding other proxies for race to bring diversity to campus, and seeking partnerships with K12 institutions to improve the pipeline of academically talented, low-income students.  In fact, improving the pipeline by closing the achievement gap becomes ever more critical as so many U.S. businesses today are also committed to diversity in the workforce.”

Basili notes that alternative approaches to diversity outreach already in use by colleges and universities across the country include expanding financial aid, implementing economic affirmative action and instituting a percent plan based on class ranking, like those already in place in Texas, Florida and California.

Filed by a white applicant who was denied admission to the University of Texas, the Fisher lawsuit had argued that Texas’ Top 10 Percent Plan, which guarantees admission to any Texas public college for residents in the top 10^th of their high school class, has produced sufficient levels of diversity at UT-Austin that the school has no need to give extra consideration to applicants based on race.

Only eight of the nine Justices voted on the decision, as Justice Elena Kagan recused herself from the case, since she was involved, in her previous position as U.S. Solicitor General, in the submission of a brief supporting UT when the case was before a lower court.

To speak with Seppy Basili in more detail about Kaplan Test Prep’s survey and what the Supreme Court ruling means for students and schools, or to speak with Kaplan Bar Review constitutional law expert Kermit Roosevelt, please contact Carina Wong at 212.453.7571 or carina.wong@kaplan.com.

*The online survey was conducted in May and June 2013 of 689 Kaplan Test Prep students who prepared for the May and June administrations of the SAT and ACT.

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 90 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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With the U.S. Supreme Court Poised to Decide on a Seminal Affirmative Action Case, Kaplan Test Prep Survey Finds that 60% of College Applicants Say it’s Important that the Schools They Attend Have a Racially Diverse Student Body

Click here for a PDF of full results of the survey.

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)

Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571
Twitter: @KapTestNews

New York, NY (June 12, 2013) – With a U.S. Supreme Court decision on a high-profile affirmative action case (Fisher v University of Texas at Austin) due imminently, a new Kaplan Test Prep survey shows that a majority of future college students value racial diversity in their own campus experience. The survey of 689 high school students* finds that 60% say it’s “very important” or “somewhat important” for the college they attend to have a racially diverse student body.

“For students who seek racial diversity as part of their campus experience, the reality is that most schools are committed to it, regardless of what the Supreme Court may decide on race conscious affirmative action,” said Seppy Basili, vice president of college admissions and K-12 programs, Kaplan Test Prep. Basili notes alternative approaches to ensure diversity are already in use by colleges and universities across the country through expanding financial aid, implementing economic affirmative action, eliminating legacy preferences and instituting percent plans based on class ranking, like those already in place in Texas, Florida and California.

Kaplan’s survey asked teens about the importance they place on multiple factors related to campus life, in addition to racial diversity. Of greatest importance to students was a “socially conscious campus community” (82%); less important to them were “strong programs in music, art, or performing arts” (49%); “a competitive sports program” (49%); and a “vibrant Greek (fraternity/sorority) life” (31%).

The Fisher lawsuit, filed by a white applicant who was denied admission to the University of Texas, argues that Texas’ Top 10 Percent Plan, which guarantees admission to any Texas public college for residents in the top 10th of their high school class, has produced sufficient levels of diversity at UT-Austin that the school has no need to give extra consideration to applicants based on race. In addition to the pending Fisher decision, a second Supreme Court case up for review in the fall promises to make affirmative action a continued topic of debate in the months to come; the upcoming Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action challenges the constitutionality of a ban on “preferential treatment” on the basis of race and other factors in college admissions.

To speak with Seppy Basili in more detail about Kaplan Test Prep’s survey, please contact Russell Schaffer at 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com.

*The online survey was conducted in May and June 2013 of 689 Kaplan Test Prep students who prepared for the May and June administrations of the SAT and ACT.

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 90 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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Coming Overhaul to the GED in 2014: Those Without a High School Diploma Will Have to Work Harder to Pass It

New Exam to Emphasize Skills Important for Success in the Workplace and in College;
Will Move to a Computer-Based Format; Price to Increase

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)

Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571
Twitter: @KapTestNews

New York, NY (June 10, 2013) – One of the most widely taken exams in the U.S., the GED, is undergoing an overhaul. The new exam launching in January 2014 will be more challenging and expensive, raising the bar for earning one’s high school equivalency, even as the number of U.S. adults without a high school diploma has risen to 39 million—nearly the same number of U.S. adults with a four-year college degree (40.5 million).

While only 2 percent of non-high school graduates take the GED every year, for these 800,000 individuals, the bad news is that the new exam set to launch in January 2014 is going to be more rigorous and more costly to take.  The good news is that those who pass should be better prepared to succeed in whatever next step they take, whether seeking employment, advancing from their current jobs, or entering college. Among the changes to the GED:

• The new GED will shift from its current paper-and-pencil format to a completely computer-based format. The test maker says that this format will help test takers to learn computer literacy skills necessary to succeed in college and in the workplace.
• While the length of the GED will stay at around seven hours, the new exam will condense its current five subject subtests into four: Reasoning through Language Arts; Math; Science; and Social Studies; and the number of written sections will double to two.
• A new scoring scale will be released by the test maker in summer 2013.
• More analysis and a deeper understanding of math will be required.
• Content will better reflect the Common Core standards for grades K-12, which have been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia.
• The cost to take the GED will double to $125, though this may vary by state.

“In today’s competitive, global work environment, having a high school diploma or equivalent is an employment imperative for individuals, and having a high school-educated population is an imperative for our economy to thrive,” said Lee Weiss, executive director of GED programs, Kaplan Test Prep.  “The changes to the GED make the test more rigorous in order to better prepare test takers for college and career opportunities. It’s critical that adults take the test to avail themselves because job options for those without high school diplomas are rapidly shrinking.  It’s equally critical for states to invest in this population, as numerous studies demonstrate that a more educated workforce means lower unemployment, lower taxpayer burden, a more competitive market, and better opportunities for economic growth.”

While the GED has far more test takers annually than the admissions exams to business school (GMAT), law school (LSAT) and medical school (MCAT) combined, it’s an often misunderstood test. Here are some facts about the GED and GED test takers that you may not know.

• Approximately 10% of all GED takers are incarcerated.
• The average GED taker is 26, has completed 10th grade, and has been out of school for nine years.
• About 10% of all GED holders go on to earn a college degree.
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, GED/high school degree holders make $700 a month more ($3,100) than those who did not complete school $2,400.
• The following celebrities, among many others, hold GEDs: Bill Cosby*, Michael J. Fox**, and Pink***.

To take the GED, you must register with an official GED testing center. There are more than 3,400 testing centers across the United States and Canada operated by community colleges, local school boards, and adult education centers. Contact a local testing center by calling 1-800-62-MY-GED (1-800-626-9433).

Time is of the essence to prepare for and pass the current GED, as test takers who do not pass all five GED tests by the end of 2013, will need to start over again with the 2014 GED tests.  Kaplan offers preparation books and guided-study courses to prepare test takers for the current and 2014 series GED tests.

For more information about the upcoming changes to the GED and the challenges its test takers face, please visit Kaplan’s GED test change center at http://www.kaptest.com/GEDChanges or contact Russell Schaffer at 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com.

*”Bill Cosby,“ Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/people/bill-cosby-9258468

**”A Lesson in Life from Michael J. Fox,” NPR, April 16, 2010: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126052271

***”Pink,” Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/people/pink-562098

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 90 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 Launches ResidencyPrep to Help International Medical Graduates Secure Increasingly Competitive Residency Spots in the U.S.

Program Will Help Foreign-Born and Trained Doctors through
“Match” Process and to Understand American Medical Culture

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)

Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571
Twitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanMedical

New York, NY (June 7, 2013) – International medical graduates (IMGs) hoping to practice medicine in the U.S. face particular challenges. Like their American-born and educated counterparts, non-U.S. born doctors who attend medical school overseas must pass all three steps of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) to legally practice medicine. But, they also have to overcome language and cultural barriers.

Especially challenging for IMGs is the increasingly competitive process of securing a residency spot at a U.S. hospital, commonly referred to as “matching.”  To help IMGs through the residency application process, Kaplan Test Prep has launched ResidencyPrep, which includes three services:

• Application Support: ResidencyPrep consultants, who have program director experience, provide three rounds of feedback on students’ applications, interview responses and personal statements with Kaplan Medical’s

• Application Support website. Four hours of On-Demand video explain every step of the application process.
  Simulated Interviews: Students receive three practice interviews and extensive feedback on presentation skills via face-to-face video calls with standardized interviewers trained by program directors to precisely simulate the interview experience.

• Live Online Seminars: Students get access to 16 hours of instruction on the  Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education core competencies from program directors who are experts at training IMGs. This will help them understand the competencies required in residency before applying and become better candidates.

“By the time MDs are applying for residency, programs can see from their scores that they are smart. It’s here where interpersonal and communication skills and other competencies make the difference,” said Greg Samios, president of health programs, Kaplan Test Prep.  “Because the approach to medicine can vary from country to country and from culture to culture, it’s crucial that IMGs learn about the norms and customs in American medical education. If not, they’ll be at a distinct disadvantage.”

Samios notes that training foreign-born and educated doctors will help alleviate the worsening doctor shortage hitting the United States. The American Association of Medical Colleges, the organization that writes the MCAT, the medical school admissions exam, estimates that the doctor shortage will balloon to nearly 63,000 by 2015 and to around 100,000 over the next decade.

“The United States is in the midst of a historic doctor shortage*, which is predicted to worsen in the next few years.  Twenty-five percent of U.S. physicians are international medical graduates and they have a huge role in caring for Americans, especially in underserved areas**.  IMGs are going to be key to finding a solution to this crisis and our goal with ResidencyPrep is to better prepare IMGs for U.S. residency as well as continuing to help them to achieve high scores on the USMLE,” Samios added.  “It is great news that U.S. medical schools have enrolled more students and will graduate more in the coming years, but this alone won’t solve the problem.  The other important piece is increasing the number of residencies, which are currently woefully underfunded.  If that piece isn’t fixed, the road to practicing medicine will be harder for all aspiring doctors, not just IMGs, and patients will likely suffer as a result.”

For more information on ResidencyPrep and the matching process, students can visit www.kaptest.com/ResidencyPrep. Journalists interesting in discussing how the process works and the unique challenges that IMGs face should contact Russell Schaffer at 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com.

*“U.S. doctor shortage will get worse unless Congress ups funds,” UPI, May 11, 2013:

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2013/05/11/US-doctor-shortage-will-get-worse-unless-Congress-ups-funds/UPI-87481368309009/#ixzz2VHQJHmyx

**http://www.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/img/img-workforce-paper.pdf

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Kaplan Bar Review Announces Grants to Support Academic Research into the Effectiveness of Modern Legal Education

Kaplan Will Provide a Total of $50,000 and Academic Resources to Assist Selected Researchers

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)

Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571
Twitter: @KapTestNews

New York, NY (June 4, 2013) – Legal education in the U.S. is at a crossroads. Against the backdrop of a tough job market for recent law school graduates and decline in law school applications, many academics, professionals, and students are questioning the effectiveness of how future lawyers are currently educated*. To help find solutions to these challenges, Kaplan Bar Review will donate a total of $50,000 in research grants to academics to study the efficacy of varying approaches to legal pedagogy. Additionally, Kaplan Bar Review will support chosen applicants by making available to them Kaplan’s unique expertise in research and educational assessment.

“At Kaplan Bar Review, we work with thousands of students every year, in addition to working with law schools themselves, which provides us with a unique understanding into the challenges of the current climate of legal education, including the diminishing resources earmarked for research,” said Steven Marietti, general manager and vice president, Kaplan Bar Review. “These uncertain times provide a great opportunity to examine legal education and how we prepare young people to enter the profession. We want to be able to help support some of the promising experiments and initiatives that may provide new, evidence-based methods to teach the law.”

“Kaplan Bar Review’s new research grant program comes at a particularly opportune moment because some law schools are cutting faculty funding for research,” said Michael Hunter Schwartz, dean and professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s William H. Bowen School of Law, who sits on the grants program decision committee. “More significantly, the particular types of projects that Kaplan will be supporting, including studies focused on the teaching and learning process in law school, are of critical importance to a field searching for innovative ways to be more effective.”

Any U.S.–based academic researcher working on the efficacy of pedagogy in the legal realm is eligible for a Kaplan Bar Review grant, with preference given to researchers associated with an American university; researchers associated with legal faculty; and/or academic support personnel. The research must be intended to be published as a substantive paper, article, or book chapter. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

● Pedagogical initiatives in core laws school subjects or electives
● Pre-law school admissions or preparation
● Bar exam passage
● Practice-readiness
● Continuing legal education

For more information about the Kaplan Bar Review Legal Pedagogy Efficacy Research Grants program, prospective researchers can visit: www.KaplanBarReview.com/ISS. For journalists interested in writing about the program, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.

*“A Call for Drastic Changes in Educating New Lawyers,” The New York Times, February 11, 2013, Ethan Bronner. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/11/us/lawyers-call-for-drastic-change-in-educating-new-lawyers.html

About Kaplan Bar Review

Kaplan Bar Review (www.kaplanbarreview.com) provides full-service bar review programs in 38 states (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming) and Washington DC, making its courses available to over 92% of the U.S. Bar-taking population. Additionally, Kaplan Bar Review offers supplemental preparation for the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE).

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Kaplan Test Prep Launches Its 2nd Annual “Stanley’s Story, Your Story” Contest, A Nationwide Search for Students’ Stories of Inspiration

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO)

Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571
Twitter: @KapTestNews

New York, NY (May 8, 2013) – At the height of the Great Depression, a 14-year-old named Stanley Kaplan tutored an adolescent underachiever to academic success, sparking a business that became an educational pioneer that has helped millions of students achieve their academic and career goals.  To honor its inspiring and visionary founder and help make the college dream more accessible for students today, Kaplan Test Prep is again sponsoring its “Stanley’s Story, Your Story” contest. High school students are invited to write and submit an essay — of 100 words or less—about who inspired them most and why.  A selected group of essay enthusiasts from Kaplan will then winnow down the thousands of expected entries to 10 and post them to Kaplan’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/KaplanSAT, where they will be voted on by the public.  First prize will be $3,000; the second place winner will receive $1,000; the third place winner will receive a free 2013 Kaplan SAT or ACT Classroom Course.

“We are excited to launch our second annual ‘Stanley’s Story, Your Story’ contest not only because we want to advance our longtime goal of making higher education accessible to as many students as possible, but also because we know we will be inspired ourselves by what students share with us,” said Kate Hurley, SAT and ACT programs manager, Kaplan Test Prep. “We look forward to reading what this year’s group of students has to say on who inspires them.”

Derrian Lewis, of Bible Grove, Illinois, was among the more than 3,000 teens who participated in last year’s contest.  Below is an excerpt from her first place essay:

“As I was flipping through the television channels one day, I came upon a news story about an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Ted Rummel. … He is a paraplegic surgeon who continues to practice from his wheelchair…As I watched this story, I felt so inspired because I myself have a physical disability that requires the use of a wheelchair. Throughout my high school career, I have had to make a plan for my future and have decided to pursue a career in the medical field. For a few years now, I have really been interested in becoming a surgeon, but have had so many people tell me, ‘you cannot be a surgeon, you’re in a wheelchair.’… Dr. Rummel has shown me that I CAN be a surgeon and a good one too…Dr. Ted Rummel has truly inspired me to follow my dream and become a surgeon!”

To submit a “Stanley’s Story, Your Story” essay, students should visit www.kaptest.com/stanley.

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 90 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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