Kaplan PMBR Continues Expansion with the Launch of Full Service Bar Review in Seven More States: Comprehensive Kaplan PMBR Programs to Be Available for More Than 80% of All U.S. Bar Takers

Test Prep Industry Leader Extends Full Service Bar Review to AR, MA, MD, MI, MO, OH and VA, Joining Existing Full Services Portfolio in AL, CA, CO, FL GA, HI, ID, IL, IA, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY NC, ND, PA, TX and DC

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 (March 3, 2010) – Thousands of graduating law students eager to practice their profession will soon have more options to help them pass the all important bar exam. Kaplan PMBR Bar Review, a leading provider of full-service bar review and division of Kaplan, Inc, is expanding its bar review offerings to include full-service preparation programs for students preparing for the state bar exams in Arkansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia.

Currently, Kaplan offers full-service bar review in 18 states (Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas), and Washington DC, in addition to preparation for the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) in all 48 states that require it. With this expansion, full service bar review from Kaplan PMBR Bar Review will be available to more than 80% of the U.S. bar taking population.

Aspiring lawyers in Arkansas, Maryland and Massachusetts will be able to take Kaplan PMBR for the February 2011 exam; and those in Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Virginia will have this option in time for the July 2011 exam.

“The popularity of our existing courses shows a demand for a highly personalized bar review that helps make the high volume of material needed to pass the bar more manageable,” said Jeremy Singer, president, Kaplan PMBR. “Students benefit from a bar review that helps them better prioritize and focus their studying according to their individual needs. Ultimately, the expansion of Kaplan PMBR’s comprehensive programs is about providing thousands of aspiring attorneys with greater choice in choosing a bar review program.”

In 2009, 68 percent of exam takers (53,991 out of 79,125) passed nationally, although pass rates varied by state.

Kaplan PMBR Bar Review’s full-service seven-state expansion represents the latest growth in Kaplan’s portfolio of legal education programs, which also includes The Study Group, a nationwide provider of self-study bar review with home study course offerings for full-service bar review in 30 U.S. states; three law schools (the wholly-online Concord Law School, Nottingham Law at Kaplan Law School and Holborn College in the U.K.); as well as criminal justice and legal training through its higher education division. Kaplan’s test prep division prepares tens of thousands of aspiring law students for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) annually.

Kaplan PMBR’s Complete Bar Review Course includes a Personalized Study System that pinpoints students’ specific areas of weakness and generates individualized assignments for targeted improvement, unlimited essay grading, unlimited Lectures-On-Demand that enable students to review parts of lectures specifically assigned to address individual weaknesses or make up missed in-class lectures at their convenience, mobile bar review iPhone apps that include a course manager and over 800 flashcards, innovative outlines designed for different learning styles, “Ask-An-Attorney” call-in support, an “MBE Qbank” online quiz builder, and a Money-Back Guarantee.

More information can be found at www.kaplanpmbr.com.

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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March 3, 2010

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Students use online reviews to find easy graders on faculty”

The Lantern (Ohio State University): GRE to change in autumn 2011, feature new content, flexibility”

Admit This!: “Shopping for College Professors”

Course Selection in the Rate-My-Professors Era: Kaplan Survey Finds That Grading Leniency Can Influence Student Choice Of Professor

Do Public Student Reviews Penalize Tough Grading Professors?

Available for Interview: Kaplan College Trends Analyst

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 (March 2, 2010) – While online teacher ratings sites are nothing new – RateMyProfessors, the most widely known of these sites, is more than ten years old – they may be contributing to grade inflation.  A new Kaplan Test Prep survey of 1,229 college students and recent college graduates* showed that of those who have visited professor rating sites, nearly half (46%) were influenced to take courses based on the “easy grading reputation of a professor.”  This supports previous research conducted by Cornell University which found that students shop for classes where the median grade is higher.  In fact, a 2009 analysis on grade inflation by a retired Duke University professor that found the average college GPA rose from 2.93 in 1991 to 3.11 in 2006.

“Our research shows that many of today’s college students are looking at multiple factors when picking out courses: overall teacher quality that will result in a good learning experience, but also instructors who don’t like to award a lot of C’s and D’s,” said Jeff Olson, vice president of research at Kaplan Test Prep.  “While it makes sense that students would opt for more lenient graders, it also helps explain the recent prevalence of grade inflation.”

Although grading leniency is a consideration for many, within the RateMyProfessors category options, peer opinion seemed to be the greatest influencer, with “Prior student comments about the professor” as the element most often cited by Kaplan survey respondents (77%) as the factor they most consider in choosing classes. “Overall quality of a professor” was the second most considered factor (70%), and “engaging teaching style of professor” was third (66%), followed by “easy grading reputation.”

Other survey highlights:

• On a scale of 1 – 10, with 0 being “Not at all reliable” and 10 being “Very reliable,” students consider RateMyProfessors to be more reliable than not, with an average ranking of 5.8
• Only 8% of students who visit professor rating sites say that writing a review is the primary reason they log on; 71% says it’s to select classes.
• Just 3% of students say that a professor’s “hotness” factors into their decision of which classes to take.
  Pre-Law students place a much higher premium on how engaging an instructor is (73%) than Pre-Med students do (57%).

  For more information or to arrange an interview on the impact of sites like RateMyProfessors.com  on the academic landscape please contact Russell Schaffer at: 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com.

*Based on responses from 804 Kaplan students who took the LSAT in December 2009 and 425 Kaplan students who took the MCAT in January 2010.

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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Jeff Thomas

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PRE-LAW PROGRAMS

Expert on: LSAT, law school admissions issues and trends

Jeff Thomas is the executive director of pre-law programs for Kaplan Test Prep, managing the company’s LSAT business, including marketing, program development and delivery.  A veteran Kaplan LSAT instructor, Jeff also maintains close relationships with admissions deans at the nation’s top law schools.  A successful entrepreneur, Jeff received a BS in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a JD, magna cum laude, from Albany Law School.

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February 7, 2010

The Houston Chronicle: “Students face tuition sticker shock: Getting help with college costs requires an early start and tenacity”

February 2, 2010

The Pipe Dream (Binghamton University): “Changes to affect graduate entrance exam”

Kaplan Takes GMAT Prep to a New Level with the Industry’s First Wholly Interactive Online Center, Social Media Networking, Personalized Analytics, Official Pearson Test Center Experience

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 (January 25, 2010) – As GMAT registration volume reached a record high 301,800 last year (an 11 percent jump since 2007), Kaplan Test Prep has just launched a course that redefines the GMAT prep experience, with the industry’s first fully interactive online center. The first-of-its-kind virtual test prep center brings social networking within the learning space to a new level. Through the Kaplan Online Center, students can manage their course progress, access online resources such as b-school video-on-demand, connect with their teachers or fellow GMAT prep classmates, attend live online business school admissions events, network with future MBAs from around the world, and more.

The new Kaplan GMAT preparation course not only incorporates a cutting-edge Online Center, but also features redesigned course materials. Kaplan’s GMAT prep program continues to provide industry-leading expertise aimed at giving students the edge they need to succeed in today’s increasingly competitive business school admissions environment, including:

• The Official Test Day Experience: Students can take any of their practice GMAT tests at an official Pearson/GMAT Testing Center. It’s the most realistic practice available, and it’s exclusively available to Kaplan students.
• Smart Reports™: This exclusive technology system analyzes students’ practice test performance and generates personalized recommendations on where to target for maximum score improvement.
• Score-Maximizing Curriculum: Whether they are taking the GMAT Classroom course, GMAT Advanced, or a Live Online course, Kaplan students receive nine instructional sessions focused on content review and strategy mastery for Quantitative, Verbal, and Analytical Writing.
• Unmatched Practice: With more than 6,000 practice items and nine proprietary computer adaptive tests (CATs) included, students won’t find more practice opportunities anywhere.

“Kaplan has always provided industry-leading test prep, and our new GMAT prep course further enhances our program to provide students with the most interactive, effective resources available to help them reach their score goals,” said Jason Moss, vice president, graduate programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “We based these revisions to our GMAT preparation course not only on our 40 plus years of GMAT expertise, but also on student feedback on what they are looking for in a successful GMAT prep program. We are confident that aspiring business school students are going to be excited about Kaplan’s new GMAT experience and all its resources to help them succeed.”

Prospective MBAs looking to raise their GMAT scores with Kaplan may also be heartened by the news that the job market for business school graduates may be seeing signs of picking up. According to a survey released in January 2010 by GMAC, the test maker, more than a third of the participating employers polled say they plan to hire more recent MBA graduates this year than they did in 2009, when many employers scaled back plans to hire MBAs and other recent graduates because of the recession. The survey found that 45 percent plan to maintain their current levels.

Aspiring business school students can register for a free session of Kaplan’s new GMAT prep course, to take place on February 15 at 8:30 PM EST, at http://www.kaplangmat.com. The sample class will be brought to participants via Kaplan’s Live Online technology, which puts students in a virtual classroom where they can ask questions and interact with their teacher and other classmates using audio, instant chat, whiteboard, polling, and screen-sharing functionality.

Kaplan’s courses help more prospective MBAs get into business school than any other course.* Kaplan offers the most comprehensive guarantee in the industry. Kaplan students who do not feel ready to take the GMAT, or who aren’t satisfied with their score improvement may retake the course for free. And students who don’t score higher on the GMAT may prep again for free or get their money back.

*The Harris Interactive® online study for Kaplan was conducted between December 6 and 21, 2007 among 196 US adults who applied to and were admitted into business school, of whom 181 took the GMAT and a course to prepare for it.

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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Financial Aid Season 2010 Brings Increased Competition, More Dollars and a Simplified Financial Aid Form for High School Seniors and College Students Seeking Financial Aid

Do Public Student Reviews Penalize Tough Grading Professors?

Available for Interview: Kaplan College Admissions Expert

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 (January 11, 2010) – Although the weak economy is nearly certain to keep the competition for financial aid intense, there’s good news for the 2010 freshman class and current college students: applying for federal aid is less daunting than in years past, scholarships still abound and colleges continue to step up.
 
Sure, the outlook is far from rosy.  Last year saw a big jump in the number of students applying for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – used to secure need-based money from the government in the form of loans, grants and work-study programs.  And according to a recent Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions survey of 401 college admissions officers, 43% reported an increase in the number of accepted students who declined admissions due to financial reasons.
 
But the promising news for applicants is that colleges are increasing levels of financial aid: according to a recent National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators survey, 55% of colleges said they increased aid for the 2009-2010 academic year.  Also good news: the online version of FAFSA is now significantly shorter, simpler and more user-friendly than last year. 
For students and their families going through the financial aid process now, following are a few tips to help secure the strongest packages possible:
 
1. Apply early and accurately with FAFSA:  Submitting FAFSA should be your first step, as it provides the lion’s share of all aid.  Resources are limited and awarded on a first come, first serve basis, so securing aid may be harder for late applicants.  Remember – submitting a FAFSA doesn’t guarantee aid, but not submitting one ensures you won’t get anything.  Applications for the 2010-2011 year are already available at www.fafsa.gov.
 
2. Scholarships – apply early and often:  Scholarships can be awarded for just about anything, including personal accomplishments, membership in certain organizations, parent’s community involvement, grades, anticipated field of study, etc.  For sophomores and juniors – bank scholarship money early and expand your future college options.  
 
3. You can negotiate direct aid with colleges:  You don’t necessarily have to take the first financial aid package that a college offers you.  By the time a school accepts you, it sees you as a worthwhile investment, so it will usually want to help you figure out financing.
 
4. Test scores count. Many merit-based scholarships do factor in SAT and ACT scores, so make sure you prep and get the best possible score you can. 
 
For more information or to arrange an interview on how to navigate this year’s complex financial aid puzzle, please contact Russell Schaffer at: 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com.    
 
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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January 10, 2010

The Chicago Tribune: “Testing 1-2-3”

January 5, 2010

The Financial Times.com: “GRE exam gets a facelift”