Test preparation
Test preparation (abbreviated test prep) or exam preparation primarily refers to educational courses, tutoring services, and educational materials/learning tools designed to increase students' performance on standardized tests, particularly entrance examinations used for admissions to institutions of higher education, such as college (e.g. the SAT and ACT), business school (the GMAT), law school (the LSAT), medical school (the MCAT), and graduate school (the GRE). The term is also used to refer to studying for other types of tests such as qualifying examinations for admission to gifted education programs.[1]
Companies
Major companies offering test preparation services include:
- BenchPrep
- Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services
- College Board
- C2 Education
- Grockit
- Knewton
- Kaplan, Inc.
- Manhattan Review
- The Princeton Review
- Revolution prep
- StudyPoint
- Sylvan Learning
Resource providers
Most companies and educators that offer test preparation services also offer traditional (hard copy) and technology-based learning tools, such as books and other printed matter, software, websites, hand-held devices, or content for such devices. So do most test makers, publishers of self-help, instructional and educational materials, and makers of hardware and software.
Test makers
- ACT, Inc. - publisher of the ACT
- American Council on Education (ACE) - publisher of the GED test
- Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) - publisher of the MCAT test
- College Board - publisher of the SAT test
- Educational Testing Service (ETS) - publisher of the GRE and TOEFL tests
- Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) - publisher of the GMAT
- Harcourt Assessment - publisher of the Miller Analogies Test (MAT)
- Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) - publisher of the LSAT test
Third parties
- Barron's Educational Series - publisher of books and educational materials
- CliffsNotes - a publisher of study guides
- The Complete Idiot's Guides - publisher of instructional reference books
- For Dummies - publisher of instructional/reference books
- Gary Gruber - educator and author
- McGraw-Hill - publisher of books and educational materials
- Peterson's - publisher of books and educational materials
- SparkNotes - a publisher of study guides
- Texas Instruments - technology company that offers test-maker approved calculators and a variety of test preparation and test-taking tools
Criticism
Some test-preparation programs have been proven to help students improve test scores,[2] but others may have little effect.
Test preparation for the SAT is a highly lucrative field.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ Jenny Anderson (February 17, 2013). "Schools Ask: Gifted or Just Well-Prepared?". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
- ↑ American Book Company Validation Study
- ↑ http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/682204/2009_worldwide_exam_preparation_and_tutoring