Get what you pay for

To say that Kaplan, the leader in standardized test preparation, has been doing well would be an understatement. In 2009, Kaplan generated $4.6 billion in revenue. Clearly, the market for test prep is booming.

These exams are typically one of the most important factors in graduate school admissions, and Kaplan offers test preparation for every major graduate exam in America: LSAT, MCAT, GRE, GMAT, etc. The company even opened a test prep center in the new Rec Center building here at PSU. However, students considering this method of preparation, whether from Kaplan or elsewhere, should ask themselves two questions: Are these courses effective? And are they worth the money?

Test preparation courses are unnecessary and overpriced. These courses routinely fail to significantly influence scores on standardized tests, despite guarantees to the contrary. Given the plethora of resources available both digitally and in print, spending money on a course that covers material students could study themselves is a poor investment. And given the costliness of these courses, the answer to both questions, is a resounding “no”.

A study published in 2004 in Teaching and Learning in Medicine regarding Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) prep courses found that “the incremental validity of commercial courses on medical examination performance, if any, is extremely small,” and that “evidence in support of the courses is weak or nonexistent.”

A 2006 study published in Personnel Psychology found similar results on a broader spectrum. Students who self-studied instead of taking courses had nearly identical scores to those who took these courses.

The prices of these courses are prohibitive to most students. An on-site Kaplan MCAT course, for example, costs $1,999 and offers 54 hours of in-class instruction. If a student wants to work individually with a Kaplan tutor instead, the cost surges to $2,799. LSAT, GRE, and GMAT courses are priced similarly at $1,399, $1,199, and $1,549 respectively.

Emily Siess, a senior majoring in criminology, has been enrolled in a Kaplan LSAT course since August. She states that the courses are worthwhile, but she dislikes the price. Siess, who received her course free of charge as the vice-president of the Pre-Law Society at PSU, said, “The price is really restrictive. It comes down to this: Poor people can’t take the course.”

Supporters of test prep courses claim that the added structure the courses provide help students who require more guidance or are unsure of what material will be tested in the exams. Siess agrees. “I’m a person who needs structure,” she explained. “If it weren’t for the course, I wouldn’t study as much.”

In addition to providing structure, these courses usually include “diagnostic” full-length tests that can tell students how they are progressing. These also sometimes include breakdowns that tell students which areas they are doing poorly in, allowing them to focus their efforts towards eliminating weak points. And, of course, having a teacher available to explain more difficult concepts is considered very useful.

While the organization of the course is good for students who require the extra structure to study effectively, most of what these courses offer is available elsewhere. The material covered in the actual exams is easily accessible through practice exams and guidebooks available for purchase at much more reasonable rates. The practice exams can also act as diagnostic tests themselves, allowing conscientious students to track their progress on their own. Reviews of these tests after they’ve been scored can also allow students to uncover and eliminate weak points on their own. And for those students who need help understanding difficult concepts, a tutor is an obvious solution.

The alternative to these courses is simple: self-study. There are materials available in all formats, ranging from computer software to guidebooks to recordings covering the material on the exams. With discipline (and perhaps a tutor with reasonable rates), it is entirely possible to do well on these exams without spending thousands of dollars on prep courses.

Siess considers herself lucky she received her course for free. She says she wouldn’t have taken it if she hadn’t. Why? The answer is simple: She, like so many other students, can’t afford it.