Exam Writers Bring Charges

The test-preparation company Princeton Review has filed suit against Kaplan Educational Centers for what it sees as unverified claims of score improvement, according to a statement from Princeton Review released Wednesday.

The accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche has certified the validity of the Princeton Review's claims of raising scores on the MCAT, LSAT, GMAT and GRE, Brett Gordon, Boston director for the Princeton Review, said yesterday.

"The suit is intended to stop Kaplan or anyone else from making unsubstantiated guarantees that it can improve scores," Gordon said. "We want to prevent false advertising that can affect everyone involved and protect the consumer."

But Kaplan has issued a press release countering the Princeton Review's charges of misrepresentation. Kaplan's release said that it was currently in the process of verifying its score improvements with Price Waterhouse.

Kaplan also characterized the Review's activities as "trying to distract attention away from the benefit of the Kaplan program."

Many juniors and seniors at Harvard have taken or will take one of the four tests mentioned in preparation for graduate school. Several students who have taken test preparation courses said yesterday that the courses had helped them somewhat.

"My LSAT score did go up, but the Kaplan course probably helped out more by motivating me to study more," said John R. Ponosuk '94.

Most students agreed that the focus of the courses was not to cram material but to learn techniques of taking a test such as the LSAT.

"The course was all right," said Charlie M. Gay '94, who took the LSAT this fall. "The focus was relevant and it showed me how much I had forgotten about test taking."

One graduate student offered some advice to students considering a Kaplan or Princeton Review prep course.

"It's a question of image because both companies claim to improve scores, so the perception is that they're quite similar, but [your choice] probably depends on reputation," said Paul M. Burger, a graduate student in economics. "Check out both before deciding."