The Princeton Review
Encyclopedia
The Princeton Review 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, and publishes books with Random House
. Approximately 70% of the company's revenue comes from test preparation
. The company was founded in 1981 by John Katzman
, after graduating from Princeton University
, and was originally based in New York City. It moved to and is now based in Framingham, Massachusetts
in 2008/2009 coinciding with John Katzman's stepping down as CEO in September 2008 after a six-month sabbatical.
John Katzman was replaced with Michael Perik as CEO.
On March 9, 2011, Michael Perik resigned as CEO of Princeton Review, and the company announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2010. These figures demonstrated losses from continuing operations that totaled $50.4 million, compared to $13.9 million in losses for 2009. Following these announcements, the price of the company’s stock lost 37.80% of its value, to close at $0.51 on March 10, 2011. This decline would continue, with shares of Princeton Review stock declining an additional 23.53% to close at just $0.39 per share on March 11, 2011. The company is not affiliated with Princeton University or the Educational Testing Service
.
The company offers courses world-wide through company-owned and third-party franchise
s. 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
.
The Princeton Review offers both private tutoring and classroom courses. Most courses and tutoring guarantee an improvement in scores.
The Princeton Review website provides free advice and tools for college admissions. 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."
The admissions division also offers services to high school guidance departments and colleges.
The American Medical Association
has criticized the Princeton Review list of Best Party Schools and requested that the list be discontinued. The rankings for LGBT
-related lists have also been criticized as inaccurate due to outdated methodologies.
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. In addition, names and birthdates of 74,000 Fairfax County, Virginia
students were exposed, as well as some documents regarding Princeton Review's internal procedures.
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
and advice regarding college admissions, and publishes books with Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
. Approximately 70% of the company's revenue comes from test preparation
Test preparation
Test preparation 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,...
. The company was founded in 1981 by John Katzman
John Katzman
John Katzman is the founder of The Princeton Review. A graduate of Princeton University, Katzman founded The Princeton Review in 1981, initially teaching SAT preparation to high-school students in New York City...
, after graduating from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and was originally based in New York City. It moved to and is now based in Framingham, Massachusetts
Framingham, Massachusetts
Framingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
in 2008/2009 coinciding with John Katzman's stepping down as CEO in September 2008 after a six-month sabbatical.
John Katzman was replaced with Michael Perik as CEO.
On March 9, 2011, Michael Perik resigned as CEO of Princeton Review, and the company announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2010. These figures demonstrated losses from continuing operations that totaled $50.4 million, compared to $13.9 million in losses for 2009. Following these announcements, the price of the company’s stock lost 37.80% of its value, to close at $0.51 on March 10, 2011. This decline would continue, with shares of Princeton Review stock declining an additional 23.53% to close at just $0.39 per share on March 11, 2011. The company is not affiliated with Princeton University or the Educational Testing Service
Educational Testing Service
Educational Testing Service , founded in 1947, is the world's largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization...
.
Test preparation
The Princeton Review offers test preparation courses for various tests:- OATOatThe common oat is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name . While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed...
- GEDGEDGeneral Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
- SATSATThe SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
- SAT Subject TestsSAT Subject TestsSAT Subject Tests is the name for 20 multiple-choice standardized tests given on individual subjects, usually taken to improve a student's credentials for admission to colleges in the United States. Students typically choose which tests to take depending upon college entrance requirements for the...
- PSATPSAT/NMSQTThe Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a standardized test administered by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation in the United States.This test is offered by the College Board....
- Advanced Placement ExamsAdvanced Placement ExamsAdvanced Placement examinations are taken each May by students at participating American, Canadian, and international educational institutions. The tests are the culmination of year-long Advanced Placement courses. All but one of the AP exams combine multiple-choice questions with a...
(AP Exams) - ACTACT (examination)The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
- Graduate Record ExaminationGraduate Record ExaminationThe Graduate Record Examinations is a standardized test that is an admissions requirement for many graduate schools in the United States, in other English-speaking countries and for English-taught graduate and business programs world-wide...
(GRE) - Law School Admissions Test (LSAT)
- Graduate Management Admission TestGraduate Management Admission TestThe Graduate Management Admission Test is a computer-adaptive standardized test in mathematics and the English language for measuring aptitude to succeed academically in graduate business studies. Business schools use the test as a criterion for admission into graduate business administration...
(GMAT)
- Medical College Admission TestMedical College Admission TestThe Medical College Admission Test is a computer-based standardized examination for prospective medical students in the United States and Canada. It is designed to assess problem solving, critical thinking, written analysis, and writing skills in addition to knowledge of scientific concepts and...
(MCAT) - United States Medical Licensing Examination
- TOEFLTOEFLThe Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL , evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand English in an academic setting....
- Secondary School Admission TestSecondary School Admission TestThe Secondary School Admission Test, or SSAT, is an admissions test administered by the Secondary School Admission Test Board to students in grades 5-11 to help determine placement into independent or private junior high and high schools....
- ISEEIndependent School Entrance ExaminationThe Independent School Entrance Examination, or ISEE, is an entrance exam used by many independent schools and magnet schools in the United States. Developed and administered by the Educational Records Bureau, the ISEE has three levels: the Lower level, for entrance in grades 5-6; Middle level,...
- NCLEX-RN
- SHSATSpecialized High Schools Admissions TestThe Specialized High Schools Admissions Test is an examination administered to eighth and ninth grade students residing in New York City and used to determine admission to all but one of the city's Specialized High Schools.The results come in February. The test is given in the autumn for admission...
The company offers courses world-wide through company-owned and third-party franchise
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
s. Countries with Princeton Review franchises include China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, Malaysia, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
The Princeton Review offers both private tutoring and classroom courses. Most courses and tutoring guarantee an improvement in scores.
College admissions
The Princeton Review Bookstore publishes various guides to colleges, including The Best 373 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. 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."
The admissions division also offers services to high school guidance departments and colleges.
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.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 by assigning objective rankings formed from subjective opinions. 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
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
has criticized the Princeton Review list of Best Party Schools and requested that the list be discontinued. The rankings for LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
-related lists have also been criticized as inaccurate due to outdated methodologies.
August 2008 data exposure
In August 2008, The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reported that a flaw in the company's website exposed data from about 34,000 Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
students to the web, including FCAT
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test
The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, or the FCAT , is the standardized test used in the primary and secondary public schools of Florida...
test scores. In addition, names and birthdates of 74,000 Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
students were exposed, as well as some documents regarding Princeton Review's internal procedures.