The Harvard Crimson (Harvard University): “Graduate School Applications Likely To Surge”
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Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571
New York, NY (November 10, 2010) – Beginning in July 2011, the tens of thousands of students who take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) every year will face that test’s first ever computer-based administration since it was introduced in 1974. The PCAT’s conversion from a pencil-and-paper format to a computer-based format makes it one of the last post-graduate admissions tests in the U.S. to go digital, following the MCAT (which converted in 2007), GMAT (converted in 1997), GRE (converted in 1992), TOEFL (1998) and a host of other pre-health tests including the DAT (Dental Admission Test) and OAT (Optometry Admission Test). Following the PCAT’s conversion next year, among major graduate level exams, only the LSAT remains a paper-based test. Although the PCAT is not widely known outside the world of pharmacy, the number of test takers in this high-earnings-potential profession (pharmacists command a median starting annual salary range of $70,000 – $110,000) has nearly tripled in the past decade – last year, more than 33,000 PCATs were administered. Currently, over 65% of American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy institutions require the PCAT for application to pharmacy degree programs, and with student pharmacist enrollments continuing to rise for nine consecutive years, this number is likely to increase.
Would-be pharmacy school students who want to take the PCAT in its current paper-based format before it changes will have one final chance to do so in January 2011. But while the PCAT’s format will change, its content, order of subtests, scoring and reporting will not. Consisting of approximately 240 multiple-choice questions broken out into five sections, the PCAT is one of the most difficult exams to prepare for as it tests basic scientific knowledge in three science subjects (physics, organic and inorganic chemistry), math skills and verbal knowledge. The exam spans approximately four hours, including one short break given in the middle.
“While computer-based exams bring advantages, such as increased number of test administrations and increased test security, some test takers find the new format a challenge since it’s so unfamiliar to them,” said Amjed Saffarini, executive director, pre-health programs, Kaplan Test Prep. In a 2005 Kaplan survey of students, 80 percent of respondents said they had never taken a college level exam on computer. “While we believe that this change represents a step forward for the PCAT in the long term and Kaplan will be fully prepared to ready students to take the new exam, we are advising students to carefully consider the pros and cons of taking the test before the change to computer.”
To give aspiring pharmacists a more in-depth look at the upcoming changes to the PCAT, on Wednesday, November 10, beginning at 7:00 PM EST, Kaplan Test Prep will be hosting a live online event, “PCAT Test Changes: An Insider’s Guide,” with Dr. Jennifer Athay, Pharm.D., director of student affairs, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. All virtual attendees need is a computer and an Internet connection. To register, visit www.kaptest.com/pcatinsider.
For more information about the PCAT’s planned 2011 changes, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com), a division of Kaplan, Inc., 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 and a complete array of books, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as English language and professional licensing exams. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.
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Also in Survey: Majority of Programs Haven’t Yet Planned
for GRE Change in August 2011
For a 2-minute video news release discussing the results of the survey, click here. Feel free to share the video as part of your story, crediting Kaplan Test Prep.
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
New York, NY (November 9, 2010) – According to a new Kaplan Test Prep survey of graduate school admissions officers at 108 top programs across the United States*, the admissions process will likely become increasingly competitive – 78% predict an increase in the number of applicants for the current cycle. This comes on the heels of an announcement made earlier this year by ETS – the administrator of the GRE, the admissions exam required by most graduate programs – that in 2009, global registration for the exam topped 675,000, a 9% increase over the prior year.
“The past couple of years have been hard for college graduates trying to enter the workforce for the first time, as well as for working professionals looking to change careers or bounce back after layoffs, which has made graduate school an appealing destination for both groups,” said Liza Weale, executive director of pre-business and pre-graduate programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “An increase in applications will result in an even more competitive admissions process, making it imperative for aspiring graduate students to put together a strong application. A graduate degree remains an important tool for job applicants seeking to be more marketable and can serve as a strong hedge against unemployment.”
The survey also shows that even with the vastly changed GRE set to launch in August 2011, 81% of graduate schools have still not developed a transitional policy with regard to accepting scores from the current GRE or the new one. And although the exam’s administrator says the new exam was created to make it a better predictor of student success in graduate school, 77% of admissions officers surveyed don’t know if it will be, based on the information they know. The GRE’s administrator also says the new test will have a new format, new scoring scale and new question types; that it will be about an hour longer than the current GRE; and that there will be stricter limitations around the frequency of taking it.
“The new GRE will be dramatically different – there is a lot of uncertainty among both test takers and the graduate school community,” added Weale. “While it’s safe to say most graduate programs will develop a transitional policy over time, we advise students to take the GRE before it changes, since scores are good for five years, and avoid the mystery if they can. Prospective students who want to apply for a graduate program with fall 2011 deadlines should take the current GRE because scores from the first administrations of the new test in August, September and October won’t be released until late November – too late for most fall 2011 application deadlines.”
Other Kaplan Test Prep survey results:
For more information about the graduate school admissions process and the new GRE or to schedule an interview with a Kaplan expert, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.
*The survey was conducted by phone in August 2010 and included responses from 108 of the top 200 graduate programs – as designated by U.S. News & World Report – in education, engineering, psychology and public administration. Kaplan also conducts surveys of admissions officers at colleges, business schools, law schools and medical schools.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com), a division of Kaplan, Inc., 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 and a complete array of books, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as English language and professional licensing exams. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.
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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
New York, NY (November 3, 2010) – Leading game publisher Aspyr Media and world test prep leader Kaplan Test Prep today announced that futureU™, one of the industry’s first SAT test prep videogames, is now available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. futureU, originally developed in 2008 with version for Nintendo DS, PC and Mac, is based on proven Kaplan Test Prep content and methodologies. The game is designed to provide a fun, interactive and engaging supplemental test prep resource for students preparing for the SAT.
“As the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch play an increasing role in how students receive their information, it made sense for us to expand the futureU SAT test prep game to this mobile platform,” said Kristen Campbell, Executive Director of Pre-College Programs for Kaplan Test Prep. “Aspyr’s ability to deliver engaging games to students across multiple-platforms has enabled us to bring futureU to a new audience of SAT preppers.”
Utilizing the mobile and touch screen capabilities of Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod devices, futureU is now more convenient than ever, making a fun SAT test prep option available whenever and wherever users are, enabling them to play and learn at their own pace. The game offers a unique interactive experience with actual gameplay that engages users to sharpen critical thinking skills, build relevant knowledge and reduce test anxiety. futureU is made up of six individual games and three quiz types divided into three main categories – Reading, Writing and Math.
Developed as a complement to traditional SAT study methods, futureU is grounded in Kaplan curriculum and features hundreds of questions and a scoring system to track players’ progress. It incorporates a wealth of in-game content to challenge and sharpen skills within the three main study areas of the SAT:
“futureU provides an outstanding complement to students’ traditional preparation for the SAT. Harnessing clever, interactive elements on the iPad touch screen interface, this first class app gives high school students an engaging, game-like experience, while focusing on developing the strong underlying knowledge and skills to succeed in the college admission process,” said Dr. David Palumbo, Chief Information Officer of National Heritage Academies, a leading charter school management company.
“Students are always on the go and busier than ever. So for us to work with Kaplan to develop a mobile version of futureU for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices that allows students to study – even when they might only have a few extra minutes here and there – just made sense,” said Michael Rogers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aspyr Media. “And with more schools checking out iPads to students, the game will be available to offer a growing number of students a unique and entertaining way to study without really feeling like they’re studying.”
futureU for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices is free to download at the iTunes Apple App Store or at www.futureugame.com, with up to four extended levels available for $1.99 each. futureU is also available for the Nintendo DS, Mac and PC.
Through November, the company is making a special offer to teachers and tutors in the U.S. Aspyr is giving away a free, full-length PC or Mac version of the futureU SAT prep game for their classroom or school library so all of their students can benefit. Simply email schools@aspyr.com from your school email and pay a minimal shipping and handling fee of $9.95.
About Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions
Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions (www.kaptest.com), a division of Kaplan, Inc., 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 and a complete array of books, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as English language and professional licensing exams. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.
About Aspyr Media
Aspyr Media, Inc. is a leading video game publisher that creates, packages and delivers fun to millions around the world. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Aspyr strives relentlessly to ensure a quality experience for consumers and industry partners. Titles include Call of Duty®, Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock, Harry Potter™ Deluxe Edition , Spider-Man 2™ The Game, Star Wars: Empire at War, Treasure World™ and many more. To fall more deeply in love with Aspyr and its amazing line of products, visit www.aspyr.com and see just how much fun you can legally have. More information on futureU can be found at www.futureugame.com.
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* Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iPhone, iPad and iPod are trademarks of Apple, Inc.
** SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board, which neither sponsors nor endorses this product.
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VICE PRESIDENT OF COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PROGRAMS
Expert on: The new SAT; college admissions trends
Lee Weiss is Kaplan Test Prep’s vice president for college admissions programs. Lee joined Kaplan while he was still in college, as an SAT instructor in 2002. He has now come full circle as he leads the launch of Kaplan’s revamped course for the new SAT. He has been with Kaplan in a full-time capacity since 2009, leading the GRE business through its own major test changes in 2011. He holds a B.S. from Cornell University, and an M.Eng from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Graduating law school doesn’t guarantee your ability to be a lawyer. The Bar Exam is likely the most important test of an aspiring lawyer’s legal career. It’s a rigorous and intensive exam held over the course of two or three days (depending on the test taker’s jurisdiction). Passing a state’s Bar Exam is a key step toward being licensed to practice law within that state. Essay questions requiring detailed answers to complex fact patterns, testing the test taker on both general legal principles and that state’s particular laws. The Multistate Bar Examination, or MBE, which is currently given in 48 states, is made up of 200 multiple choice questions that test knowledge of common law principles in seven substantive areas – Torts, Contracts, Real Property, Constitutional Law, Evidence, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure.
Brief history of the Bar Exam: The first state to introduce a Bar exam was Delaware in 1763 – 25 years before it was the first state to ratify the Constitution. This milestone set into motion the process of other states instituting a legal careers entrance exam. The MBE was introduced in 1972 to test subjects based upon principles of common law and Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code (covering sales of goods) that apply throughout the United States.