Results from Kaplan’s 13th annual survey of admissions officers from the top colleges and universities across the United States show that more applicants are submitting ACT scores*. Of the nearly 300 schools surveyed, 58 percent report more applicants submitting ACT scores compared to three to five years ago, with 70 percent of this subset reporting the increase as “significant.” A separate Kaplan survey of over 550 students finds that 62 percent of high schoolers who have already taken the SAT® plan to take or have already taken the ACT as well**.

To help prepare the rising number of ACT takers and expand educational access, last year ACT and Kaplan launched a partnership to provide high-quality, engaging live instruction at an accessible cost, and free for low-income students. ACT Kaplan Online Prep Live provides a world-class live teaching experience delivered to computers, tablets, and mobile phones—so students can study anywhere, anytime, on any device. Since ACT Kaplan Online Prep Live’s launch last fall, over 100,000 students have engaged in instructional sessions delivered by Kaplan’s world-class teachers, and approximately 700,000 students have been offered access to the program, free of charge, via the ACT fee-waiver enrollment process. To date, Kaplan’s expert teachers have delivered over 450 hours of highly interactive livestreaming instruction on topics from English, to Math, to Science, to time management, to goal setting.

While there have been more ACT takers than SAT takers for the past few years, there are signs that the SAT is making a comeback. In recent years, the SAT has been making gains among states which mandate students take one of the tests as a graduation requirement, including the recent decision by Illinois to switch over from the ACT.

“What test-taking trends and our survey results show is that we continue to be a highly competitive two-test landscape. With last year’s changes to the SAT making the exams more similar than ever and every college allowing applicants to submit scores from either test, students have the opportunity to do well on both to help them get into their top college choices,” said Lee Weiss, vice president of college admissions programs, Kaplan Test Prep. “As always, we encourage teens to take a practice test to see which exam they feel most comfortable with and which one they think will be most advantageous to their admissions chances. Many teens, we know, actually submit scores from both exams, as doing well on both can be an admissions advantage.”

*For the 2017 survey, admissions officers from 299 of the nation’s top national, regional and liberal arts colleges and universities – as compiled by U.S. News & World Report — were polled by telephone between July and August 2017.

**The e-survey, which was conducted between September 2016 and June 2017, includes responses from 558 high school students who took an SAT course with Kaplan.

The ACT® is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc. The SAT® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse this product.

To schedule an interview about Kaplan’s survey results, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.

About Kaplan Test Prep

Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com) is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 100 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys, physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.

Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC)

Kaplan Test PrepRussell Schaffer, 212-453-7538russell.schaffer@kaplan.comTwitter: @KapTestNews, @KaplanSATACT

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