Test preparation

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A group of students preparing for a test Four Tulane University Students Studying January 2008.jpg
A group of students preparing for a test

Test preparation (abbreviated test prep) or exam preparation is an educational course, tutoring service, educational material, or a learning tool designed to increase students' performance on standardized tests. Examples of these tests include 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 or LNAT), medical school (the MCAT), BMAT, UKCAT and GAMSAT and graduate school (the GRE) and qualifying examinations for admission to gifted education programs. [1]

Contents

Preparation options

There are many resources and services on which students may draw as they prepare for standardized tests, including:

Resource providers

Most companies and educators that offer test preparation services also offer traditional (hard copy) such as books and printed materials and technology or online-based learning tools, such as content accessible on hand-held devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops. So do most test makers, publishers of self-help, instructional and educational materials, and makers of hardware and software.

Test makers

Third parties

Criticism

Some test-preparation programs have been proven to help students improve test scores, [6] but others may have little effect.

Test preparation for the SAT and the GMAT is a highly lucrative field. [7]

A lot of people have criticism towards exams and testing in the primary and high school environment, the number one type of testing in Australia that receives criticism is NAPLAN. Parents and teachers have put forward numerous cases stating the stress it is having on children and how pointless it is. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graduate Management Admission Test</span> Computer adaptive test (CAT)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Law School Admission Test</span> US and Canadian standardized test

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A cram school is a specialized school that trains its students to achieve particular goals, most commonly to pass the entrance examinations of high schools or universities. The English name is derived from the slang term cramming, meaning to study a large amount of material in a short period of time. The word "crammer" may be used to refer to the school or to an individual teacher who assists a student in cramming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College Board</span> US educational nonprofit testing organization

The College Board is an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an association of colleges, it runs a membership association of institutions, including over 6,000 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Princeton Review</span> College admission services company

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaplan, Inc.</span> International educational services company

Kaplan, Inc. is an international educational services company that provides educational and training services to colleges, universities, businesses and individuals around the world. Founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan, the company offers a variety of test preparation, certifications, and student support services. The company is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company.

Clifton K. Hillegass was the creator and publisher of CliffsNotes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Oriental</span>

New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc., more commonly New Oriental, is a provider of private educational services in China. The headquarters of New Oriental is located in Haidian District, Beijing. It is currently the largest comprehensive private educational company in China based on the number of program offerings, total student enrollments, and geographic presence. The business of New Oriental includes pre-school education, general courses for students of various age levels, online education, overseas study consulting, and textbook publishing. New Oriental was the first Chinese educational institution to enter the New York Stock Exchange in the United States, holding its IPO in 2006. As of 2016, New Oriental has built 67 short-time language educational schools, 20 book stores, 771 learning centers, and more than 5,000 third-party bookstores in 56 cities in China. New Oriental has had over 26.6 million student enrollments, including over 1.3 million enrollments in first quarter 2017. The company's market capitalization was approximately US$14 billion.

Frederic Mather Lord was a psychometrician for Educational Testing Service. The SAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT and TOEFL are all based on Lord's research.

Revolution Prep is an American based company that offers test preparation courses, including group classes, private tutoring, and online courses for the SAT and ACT standardized achievement tests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manhattan Prep</span>

Manhattan Prep is an American test preparation company. The company was founded in 2000 in New York City by Zeke Vanderhoek, founder of the TEP charter school and a former New York public junior-high school teacher. It focuses on preparation for the GMAT, GRE, and LSAT. In December 2009, Manhattan Prep was acquired by Kaplan, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grockit</span> American online social learning game company

Grockit was an online social learning game company. Grockit prepared students for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, LSAT and GRE standardized exams. Students took practice tests while collaborating online with other users. Grockit was founded in 2006 by Farbood Nivi, and in 2013 was acquired by Kaplan, Inc. As of September 2016, the company ceased stand-alone operations.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical College Admission Test</span> Standardized examination for prospective medical students in the United States and Canada

The Medical College Admission Test is a computer-based standardized examination for prospective medical students in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the Caribbean Islands. It is designed to assess problem solving, critical thinking, written analysis and knowledge of scientific concepts and principles. Before 2007, the exam was a paper-and-pencil test; since 2007, all administrations of the exam have been computer-based.

Magoosh is an American online test preparation and study abroad counselling company based in Berkeley, California that educates students through audio/video lessons, practice test questions, and online email support.

References

  1. Jenny Anderson (February 17, 2013). "Schools Ask: Gifted or Just Well-Prepared?". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  2. Smart, Ursulua (2006). Exam Tips. SAGE Publications Ltd. pp. 162–166. doi:10.4135/9781446212127.n22.
  3. Busch, Bradley (2015-12-03). "Practice makes perfect: why mock exams are great for students' brains". the Guardian. Retrieved 2016-05-17.
  4. Smartt, Ursulua (2006). Exam tips. SAGE Publications Ltd. pp. 162–166. doi:10.4135/9781446212127.n22.
  5. "This Is The Test Your 4-Year-Old Would Need To Pass To Get Into An Elite New York City Kindergarten" (web). Business Insider . Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  6. American Book Company Validation Study
  7. ltd, Research and Markets. "2020 Worldwide Exam Preparation & Tutoring Industry-Industry & Market Report". www.researchandmarkets.com. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  8. "Time to take a breath" (PDF).