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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, @BGCA_Clubs

New York, NY (January 23, 2017) – Kaplan Test Prep has partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of America to provide up to $125,000 in test prep scholarships. The scholarships will help students get ready for the SAT® and ACT® for college admissions, and exams like the GRE®, GMAT®, LSAT® and MCAT® for graduate school-level admissions.

The “Practice with a Purpose” campaign will award Boys & Girls Clubs of America with a Kaplan test prep course for every 1,000 free test prep tools— including pop quizzes, 20-minute workouts or practice tests— used at www.kaptest.com/purpose (for college admissions exams) and www.kaptest.com/practice (for graduate admissions exams). Recipients selected by Boys & Girls Clubs of America can choose from one of Kaplan’s live, on site classes or live, online classes to help them advance their educational goals.

“Kaplan and Boys & Girls Clubs of America share a common mission of improving the lives of underserved students, which is fundamental to our nation’s economic and social success. We are excited to provide so many students with live instruction from Kaplan experts, who are caring, motivating and dynamic,” said Lee Weiss, vice president of college admissions programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “We need everyone’s help to do this right. By simply going to the campaign’s landing page and signing up for one of our free practice exercises, you can boost someone’s confidence, aid them in achieving their goals, and help them seize the moment. It’s a free and easy way to give back and help yourself too.”

“Boys & Girls Clubs play an important part in helping millions of kids and teens succeed academically with year-round programming designed to help them graduate high school, college or career ready,” said Dr. Damon A. Williams, chief educational and youth development officer at Boys & Girls Clubs of America. “Thanks to support from Kaplan and other teens who utilize resources on Kaplan’s website, more Boys & Girls Club teens will have access to test prep courses to help them pursue their dreams after graduation.”

For more information about Kaplan Test Prep and Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s partnership, please contact Russell Schaffer at 212.453.7538 or russell.schaffer@kaplan.com. To help Kaplan provide scholarships for Boys & Girls Clubs of America members, visit https://www.kaptest.com/purpose for college-level admissions exams and www.kaptest.com/practice for graduate-level admissions exams.

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 partnership.

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.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America

For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (GreatFutures.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,200 Clubs serve nearly 4 million young people annually through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun, friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Priority programs emphasize academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at Facebook and Twitter.

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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: @KaplanSATACT, @KapTestNews

New York, NY (December 13, 2016) –  A new Kaplan survey of nearly 1,000 PSAT students reveals why so many aspiring college students put so much effort into doing well on the exam: to get better prepared for the SAT® and to earn money for college*. The findings come as 3.8 million test takers across the country who took the PSAT in October begin receiving their scores this month. A deeper dive into students’ motivations are as follows:

• The SAT: A plurality (34%) say the main reason for why they prepared for the PSAT was to get ready for the SAT, one of two admissions exams used by the the vast majority of college and universities (including almost all the most competitive ones).  With highly parallel content, the PSAT  has traditionally functioned as a practice test for the SAT, but in recent years also for the ACT®, as the recent changes to the SAT made it more similar to the ACT.
• Scholarships: Earning scholarship money for college was the second most cited reason for prepping for the PSAT, given by 28% of students. $180 million in National Merit scholarships are awarded to top-scoring PSAT takers and doing well on the exam can go a long way in making sure affordability is less of an issue when deciding where to enroll.
• Required: Some high schools across the country require that their sophomores take the PSAT as a way to make them more open to the idea of applying to college.  Usually, these high schools even cover the costs. Of the students surveyed, 19% said the main reason they took it was because it was required by their high school.
• Recruitment: PSAT scores are one of the first pieces of information that colleges see about prospective students. Having this information, which is automatically sent to admissions officers, allows colleges to recruit high performing students early and gives students the benefit of knowing which schools think they “have what it takes.” This was the reason why 17% of students decided to prepare for the PSAT.
• AP® Classes: Just two percent said the main reason they prepared for the PSAT was to qualify for Advanced Placement courses. Some high schools, as part of the process for qualifying to take AP courses, require students to do well on the PSAT.  Doing well in AP courses and performing well on AP exams can go a long way in improving your GPA and earning credit for college, respectively.

“The PSAT is an important first step on the path to success in the college admissions process, so it’s important to prepare accordingly,” said Lee Weiss, vice president of college admissions programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “Aspiring college students should think about taking the PSAT before taking the SAT or ACT.”

PSAT preppers are among the record number of pre-college students turning to Kaplan, with the test prep industry leader reporting that more students have used Kaplan products and programs for the PSAT, SATⓇ and ACTⓇ this year than in any prior year in its 78-year history.  Uncertainty around the redesigned SAT has fueled a more than 54% growth in Kaplan’s SAT publishing offerings, 43% growth in Kaplan’s ACT publishing offerings, and 41% growth in Kaplan’s SAT Live Online offerings.

In 2016, Kaplan introduced several groundbreaking free, interactive livestreaming teaching events for the PSAT, SAT and ACT, which  prepared hundreds of thousands of students for these high-stakes tests.  PSAT Prep Live, the most recent of these events, taught by master Kaplan teachers, garnered enthusiastic responses from the tens of thousands of students who participated and were part of the dynamic live-chat discussion.

The PSAT/NMSQT® is a registered trademark of the College Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which were not involved in the production of, and do not endorse this product.  The SAT® and AP® are trademarks registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this product. The ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this product.

*For the survey, 981 students who took a Kaplan PSAT course were polled online in October  2016.

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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