The Princeton Review is primarily a test-preparation company, and the most visible competitor to Kaplan, though both companies are expanding into other areas. As an employee, I was told that the name comes from founder John Katzmann's alma mater, but that the company has no official ties to Princeton University. The name is also purported to be unrelated to the location of the Educational Testing Service, which generates many of the most popular tests used in education in the United States (and thus, represents probably the single greatest source of revenue for The Princeton Review, Inc.), including the SAT, GRE, and GMAT.

The Princeton Review publishes much of their own material, both for use in their classes (e.g. The Big Book of LSAT's, various manuals for each major test) and for those studying independently (e.g. the 'Cracking the ___' line). Most are of high quality and emphasize a fairly consistent set of strategies within each test, so that a student who has studied 'Cracking the SAT' will not find much of the information in the book contradicted by a Princeton Review class. Rates and schedules for classes vary from region to region.

There are some really interesting issues regarding the ethics involved with test preparation for money--I was always somewhat uncomfortable with the idea that one of the effects of my employment seemed to be an exacerbation of pre-existing inequalities, as most of my students were relatively privileged.

More information, resources, and schedules are available at http://www.review.com/ (note: http://www.princetonreview.com/ redirects to this address as of late 2001/early 2002). The following more complete description comes from http://www.review.com/integrated/templates/defaultRH/invest.cfm?Type=AboutUs&TPRPage=147&Display=AboutUs :


The Princeton Review helps students achieve "Better scores. Better schools." In 1981, company founder John Katzman prepared 15 high school students for the SAT with an intensive six-week course offering a systematic approach to achieving higher test scores. The Princeton Review now helps millions of students each year to navigate standardized tests and the college and graduate school admissions process through its courses, books, software and Web sites.

The Princeton Review, Inc. became a public company on June 19, 2001. Shares are available on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol "REVU".

The company manages its business through three divisions: Test Preparation Services, Admissions Services and K-12 Services.

Test Preparation Services

The Test Preparation Division provides test preparation at 500 classroom locations in over 41 states and 11 countries, as well a s admissions counseling, one-on-one tutoring, and online instruction. By combining cutting edge technology with the Company's test expertise, The Princeton Review has led the way in developing new products and innovative ways of using online tools to help students raise their scores on standardized tests. Students can now take their test preparation courses in the classroom, online, or mix and match as their needs dictate.

Admissions Services

The Admissions Services division of The Princeton Review empowers high school, college and graduate students with the most comprehensive resources to help them make the right educational and career decisions, while enabling higher educational institutions with a complete and integrated web-based solution, second to none, for managing and automating all phases of the admissions process. In addition, we empower guidance counselors from individual high schools to guide their students to the best career or college plan and measure the success all the way to the district or state levels.

The Admissions Services Division provides the technology and content foundation for many constituents in higher education:

For over 600 higher education institutions, Prospect Relationship Manager (PRM)manages and automates all phases of the admissions process - from student recruitment to application processing, to assisting in yield management. These offerings allow our partners to outsource the logistics, cost, and inefficiency of manual processing. We have processed well over half a million admissions transactions in the last 2 years while also delivering quality support and service to applicants and institutions.

For over 1200 secondary schools and community service organizations use our Education and Career Opportunities System (ECOS). ECOS is an online product designed to help g uidance counselors guide and monitor their students throughout their educational careers. Schools can use the ECOS system for all their students.

For 600,000 unique visitors every month, www.PrincetonReview.com provides guidance throughout every step of the college and graduate school admissions process. We help students prepare for standardized tests, find the best school for them, complete and submit online applications, and learn how to find the financing necessary to afford college or grad school. PrincetonReview.com hosts hundreds of articles to provide expert advice to students and parents as they navigate this confusing process.

K-12 Services

The K-12 Services division prepares younger students for state assessment testing with its powerful online service www.homeroom.com and related print products and professional development seminars. Homeroom.com allows schools to assess students' academic strengths in order to provide the necessary remedial exercises. Homeroom is a Web-based subscription service designed to help students in grades 3 through 11 master the information and test-taking skills required by a new generation of state exams. The K-12 Services Division authors workbooks and branded content for textbooks published by McGraw-Hill.

Helping Others

The Princeton Review Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was established in 1987 to address the test preparation needs of underserved students. Find out more about the Foundation's broad range of outreach and advocacy activities.

Fostering Change

The Princeton Review has always been an aggressive advocate of students' rights, promoting open and fair testing. (See Core Beliefs.) The Princeton Review presence fosters accountability (and intelligence) in the unjust world of standardized testing. TPR's history of involvement in controversial testing issues helps both present and future students.

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