The Princeton Review
history| area_served = | industry = Education | products = | services = | revenue = US$ 35.9 million (2006) | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = | parent = | divisions = College, Business School, Law School, Grad School, Med School | owner = | company_slogan = Better Scores, Better Schools | homepage = »http://www.princetonreview.com/ | dissolved = | footnotes = }} The Princeton Review (TPR) is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college admissions. Approximately 70% of the company's revenue comes from test preparation.»Third Quarter Earnings The company was founded in 1981 by John Katzman, after graduating from Princeton University, and is based in Framingham, Massachusetts»http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/12/princeton_revie_3.html. It is not affiliated with Princeton University or the Educational Testing Service.
Test preparation
The Princeton Review offers test preparation courses for various tests:»Test preparation at the Princeton Review website»More tests at the Princeton Review website
- OAT
- GED
- SAT
- SAT Subject Tests
- PSAT
- Advanced Placement Exams (AP Exams)
- ACT
- Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
- Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)
- Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT)
- Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
- United States Medical Licensing Examination
- TOEFL
- Secondary School Admission Test
- ISEE
- NCLEX-RN
- SHSAT
The company offers courses world-wide through company-owned and third-party franchises. Countries with Princeton Review franchises include China, India, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.»International Offices of The Princeton Review at the Princeton Review website
The Princeton Review offers both private tutoring and classroom courses. Most courses and tutoring guarantee an improvement in scores.»Our guarantee at the Princeton Review website
College admissions
The Princeton Review Bookstore»Princeton Review college bookstore publishes various guides to colleges, including The Best 371 Colleges, the Complete Book of Colleges, the Parents' Guide to College Life, College Essays That Make a Difference, Guide to College Majors, and Guide to Colleges For Students With Learning Disabilities. It also publishes test preparation books for various exams.
The Princeton Review website provides free advice and tools for college admissions.»Colleges and careers at the Princeton Review website It also provides the rankings from The Best 371 Colleges, including "Top 20" lists in categories such as "Professors Get High Marks," "Happiest Students," "Party Schools," and "Dorms Like Dungeons."»Best 371 Colleges rankings at the Princeton Review website
The admissions division also offers services to high school guidance departments»Guidance support & test preparation at the Princeton Review website and colleges.»Admissions center at the Princeton Review website
Score Increase Claims
Test preparation providers, including the Princeton Review, have been criticized in the past on the grounds that their courses claim larger score increases than they deliver.John Hechinger. »"SAT Coaching Found to Boost Scores -- Barely", The Wall Street Journal, 20 May 2009. Company officials reply that individual students can see significant improvements in test scores.
College Rankings
College rankings, including those published by the Princeton Review, have been criticized by educators and commentators for failing to be accurate or comprehensive.Valerie Strauss. »"U.S. News’s College Rankings Face Competition and Criticism", The Washington Post, 17 August 2008. The Princeton Review officials counter that their rankings are unique in that they rely on student opinion and not just on statistical data.
The American Medical Association has criticized the Princeton Review list of Best Party Schools and requested that the list be discontinued.»End of Top Party School's Ranking?. The Early Show. CBS News. August 27, 2002. Retrieved on October 30, 2009. The rankings for LGBT-related lists have also been criticized as inaccurate due to outdated methodologies.Shane Windmeyer. »"Princeton Review’s Approach IS Outdated", The Advocate, 13 August 2009.
Teacher Pay
Some teachers complain that teacher pay raises have been cut back. The company responds that most employees are generally satisfied with their jobs and enjoy their work, and that the Princeton Review created separate levels of tutors to document the varying experience levels and provide an opportunity for tutors to continue to receive pay raises over time based on performance.
In August 2008, The New York Times reported that a flaw in the company's website exposed data from about 34,000 Sarasota, Florida students to the web, including FCAT test scores.Stone, Brad. »"Student Files Are Exposed on Web Site", The New York Times, 19 August 2008. In addition, names and birthdates of 74,000 Fairfax County, Virginia students were exposed, as well as some documents regarding Princeton Review's internal proceduresMichael Chandler. »"Students' Personal Data Posted Online", The Washington Post, 21 August 2008.. After being notified of the problem, the company acted immediately to shut off access to the data and conducted a review of procedures.