Above The Law: “A Truly Universal Bar Exam Would Be Welcomed”
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, @KaplanBarReview
New York, NY (December 8, 2016) — A new Kaplan Bar Review survey of 1,000 law school graduates from the class of 2016 finds a nearly unanimous judgment: 91 percent want every state to adopt the Uniform Bar Examination to license new attorneys.* This percentage represents a significant jump from when Kaplan first surveyed law school graduates on this issue in 2013, when 80 percent supported UBE adoption across the country. Kaplan’s findings come as three additional states — Illinois, Maine, and North Carolina — consider joining the 26 other jurisdictions that have adopted the UBE.
When asked why they support the adoption of the UBE, which is essentially a national licensing exam for would be practicing attorneys to practice law across multiple states without having to take multiple state-specific bar exams, 89% say because it provides more job portability; 38 percent say because the exam is easier to study for; but just 16 percent say because the exam’s content is easier.
“While the job market for new attorneys has improved significantly in recent years, it remains tight, and law school graduates recognize that the UBE offers greater portability and flexibility in terms of career opportunities. The UBE is not necessarily an easier exam than state-specific bar exams, but it may make the job search a bit easier,” said Tammi Rice, vice president and general manager, Kaplan Bar Review. “It’s important to note, however, that although more than 90 percent of recent graduates prefer universal adoption the UBE, half of the U.S. jurisdictions still don’t use this, including four of the five biggest states: California, Texas, Florida and Illinois. This may change, but given unique issues that states face, we believe many will hold onto their state-specific bar exams.”
Rice points out that adopting the Uniform Bar Examination has led to a boost in the overall exam passage rate for some states, but not others. Since adopting the UBE, the passage rate in both New York and DC jumped. In New Mexico however, the bar passage rate dropped. “There are a lot of variables for why a state’s bar passage rate may rise or fall after the UBE is adopted. In some states, the UBE is actually harder than the state-specfic bar exam was, but in some states it’s not as challenging. Law schools realize how important it is for their students to pass and many have made it a priority to make sure their students get the preparation they need to succeed, as many aspiring law students look at this statistic when deciding where to enroll. A school’s bar passage rate also weighs heavily into the rankings.”
The 26 U.S. jurisdictions that have adopted the UBE are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
To schedule an interview with a legal education expert at Kaplan, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.
*Kaplan Bar Review conducted the survey via email in August 2016. It includes responses from 1,000 law school graduates from the class of 2016.
About Kaplan Bar Review
Kaplan Bar Review (www.kaplanbarreview.com) provides full-service bar review programs in 51 jurisdictions (all 50 states and Washington, DC). Additionally, Kaplan Bar Review offers supplemental preparation for the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE).
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1 CommentNote 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 (November 28, 2016) – Kaplan Test Prep’s 2016 business school admissions officers survey finds that 92 percent accept the GRE as an alternative to the GMAT, giving aspiring MBAs more flexibility than ever in deciding which exam to take to get in*. This all-time high percentage in Kaplan’s annual survey represents a huge jump from its 2009 survey — the first year Kaplan asked the question — when only 24 percent of business schools said they accepted GRE scores.
But despite increased acceptance of the GRE among business schools, there’s a point of consideration for MBA applicants who are considering this option: The GMAT might still give applicants an edge at some schools. Twenty-six percent of admissions officer say those who submit a GMAT score have an admissions advantage over those who submit a GRE score. Only 2 percent say GRE takers have the advantage; the remaining 73 percent say neither exam taker has the advantage, essentially unchanged from Kaplan’s 2015 survey.
Business schools have contended that accepting the GRE as an alternative to the GMAT — long the only accepted admissions exam –widens the pool of applicants beyond students from ‘traditional’ MBA backgrounds like finance, banking or consulting. Kaplan survey data supports this notion and finds that schools have been successful in this effort, with 61 percent saying offering the GRE option has resulted in the enrollment of more students from nontraditional backgrounds. The GRE has not, however, significantly contributed to business schools enrolling more female students (25 percent), students of color (24 percent), or low income students (16 percent). It’s important to note, unrelated to the GRE, that the percentage of female students at top business schools has increased over the past several years and there are other efforts underway to increase the number of students of color; and the GRE alone isn’t the only reason business schools have enrolled more students from non-traditional MBA backgrounds.
“One reason acceptance of the GRE continues to grow seems to be because it generally broadens the application pool to include prospective students who might bring a different set of experiences and skills to business school and the business world, which is important as the economy continues to diversify. It’s also possible that business schools that don’t offer the GRE option may lose excellent prospective students to schools that do,” said Brian Carlidge, executive director of pre-business and pre-graduate programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “We continue to stress to students to understand that some schools are still reluctant to give both tests equal cachet, even though they accept both exams. Our advice is to gather intel and ask admissions officers if their program has preference for one exam over the other.”
*The survey was conducted between August 2016 and October 2016 of admissions officers at 224 business schools in the United States. Among the 224 business schools are 18 of the top 50, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
GMAT® is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Council™. Kaplan materials do not contain actual GMAT items and are neither endorsed by nor affiliated in any way with GMAC. GRE ® is a registered trademark of the Educational Testing Service, which neither sponsors nor endorses 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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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 (November 15, 2016) – Aspiring business school students preparing for the GMAT® exam with Kaplan Test Prep will retain exclusive permission to take a realistic practice exam in a Pearson Professional Center, the network of test centers that administers the actual exam, thanks to a renewed five-year agreement between Kaplan and Pearson VUE. With the agreement, Kaplan students can participate in “The Official Test Day Experience” — a practice exam in the same testing environment as the actual GMAT® exam to experience a dry run under realistic test day conditions.
Kaplan has offered its students the Experience since 2004 — exclusively through Pearson VUE since 2006 — and remains the only test prep provider whose students are allowed to sit for a practice exam in the actual GMAT® exam testing facilities. As part of the Experience, students have a chance to go through their exam environment in advance from start to finish — from check-in, to security procedures, to computer setup, to lighting, to seating arrangements, to break procedures, to everything in between. The Experience is available to Kaplan students in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Hong Kong.
“The Experience provides Kaplan students with a distinct competitive advantage. Familiarity with the testing environment helps boost test takers’ confidence, which is key to success on test day. Because admissions officers tell us that a low GMAT® exam score is one of ‘the biggest application dealbreakers’, every question you answer correctly on the exam is that much more important in helping you get into a top program,” said Brian Carlidge, executive director of pre-business and pre-graduate programs, Kaplan Test Prep.
Bob Whelan, managing director of Pearson VUE, said, “We have a longstanding relationship with Kaplan Test Prep and I am pleased that, through our continued partnership, we will help students prepare for the GMAT® exam with a potentially positive effect on their lives and careers.”
The in-center Official Test Day Experience is administered as one of the nine practice computer-adaptive tests that are included in Kaplan’s In Person course; Kaplan’s In Person PLUS course; Live Online course; online Self-Paced course; and private tutoring programs.
The announcement of the agreement renewal comes as Kaplan launches its revised GMAT prep course, which includes the all new GMAT Channel. The GMAT Channel is an innovative new way to prep for the GMAT® exam, which gives every student unlimited access to Kaplan’s top-rated GMAT faculty for live, online elective instruction every day of the week.
Kaplan has been preparing students for the GMAT® exam for over 40 years, and helps thousands of would-be MBAs annually. For more information about Kaplan’s GMAT test preparation course options, visit www.kaplangmat.com.
GMAT ® is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Council™. Kaplan materials do not contain actual GMAT items and are neither endorsed by nor affiliated in any way with GMAC.
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. Additionally, Kaplan offers new economy skills training (NEST) programs and resources designed to provide training in skills that are in high demand in today’s job market and prepare participants for hire.
About Pearson VUE
Pearson VUE (www.pearsonvue.com) is the global leader in computer-based testing for high-stakes certification and licensure exams in the healthcare, finance, information technology, academic and admissions markets. We offer a full suite of services to develop, manage, deliver and grow test programmes for over 450 clients via the world’s most comprehensive network of highly secure test centers in 180 countries. Pearson VUE owns Certiport, the global leader in foundational IT certification solutions, and is a business of the world’s leading learning company Pearson (NYSE: PSO; LSE: PSON).
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