A Quick History: From Test Prep to Beyond
In 1981, John Katzman prepared a handful of students for the SAT, using a combination of talented teachers, innovative techniques, and focused instruction tied to computer analysis of students' strengths and weaknesses.

Katzman codified his strategies into what became The Princeton Review. Today, the Test Preparation Division of the company offers classroom and online classes and private tutoring for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, GRE, USMLE, and other entrance exams. Our courses have earned a reputation for taking the tedium out of, and putting the results into, test preparation.

Test-taking has become a way of student life, and The Princeton Review has expanded our services to help colleges identify their best prospective students, to help students and their parents navigate the complex process of finding, paying for, and getting into the right college or graduate school, and to help K-12 teachers, parents, and students succeed in the new generation of standardized testing and assessment.

We also publish more than 190 guides and references books on everything from summer internships to our best-selling Best 345 Colleges. Our website, www.PrincetonReview.com, is visited by more than two million visitors each month.

A History of Results

1981 John Katzman prepares 15 students for the SAT. He incorporates extensive computer analysis of test performance and a systematic approach to achieving higher test scores. He calls his course The Princeton Review.

1984 The Princeton Review signs its first book contract. Soon after, Cracking the SAT becomes a New York Times bestseller.

1987 The Princeton Review Foundation is launched to reach out to programs that address the needs of underrepresented students.

1988 The Princeton Review begins a national rollout of courses for the LSAT, GMAT, MCAT, and GRE.

1993 The company launches its website, Review.com, as one of the first dot.coms on the Internet. Inside the SAT, a multimedia CD ROM. becomes the best selling test preparation software.

1995 Random House establishes a Princeton Review imprint. The following year, we launch Princeton Review publishing which today licenses content for our 190-plus books.

1999 The Princeton Review launches Homeroom.com and the K-12 Services division. Homeroom.com helps schools leverage the Internet to manage test preparation for state exams.

2001 The Princeton Review (REVU) becomes a publicly traded company on NASDAQ.

2001 The Princeton Review acquires Embark.com Inc. a leading provider of online school applications. Today, Embark technology is successfully integrated into Princetonreview.com, making it possible for students to streamline their college search and applications and for colleges to recruit prospective students efficiently.

What We Believe and Why

When we founded The Princeton Review, the only standardized tests that students took seriously were the exams for admissions to colleges and graduate schools. Because performance on these tests made a real difference in students' lives, they were willing to devote time and energy to making sure their scores reflected their abilities. We grew rapidly through word-of-mouth because it was widely known that The Princeton Review's courses achieved results.

The world of testing has changed a lot in the past 20 years. "High-stakes" tests (i.e. tests whose outcomes can affect your career or life) are no longer just for admissions and no longer just for students. The accountability movement, which has gained momentum over the past 10 years and was cemented into place by new federal laws, places testing at the center of K-12 education, for better and for worse. Students who perform poorly on these tests can face mandatory summer school, a repeated grade, or denial of a high school diploma. For teachers and school administrators, the pressures of those tests exert strong pressure on teaching and learning and class or school performance on those tests increasingly determines the pathways of their careers.

At the same time, admission to college and graduate school has become increasingly competitive. There are more students, and a larger percentage of them want to go to college. Universities compete harder to attract more applicants and then reject an ever-increasing number of them.

Although the worlds of school, testing, and admissions have changed, The Princeton Review continues to operate under a set of core principles:

You get what you measure. Good tests promote good education and bad tests will do damage. There's far more to testing than statistical validity.

Everyone is entitled to a college-ready education. College isn't for everyone, but there's no reason to believe that 90% of wealthy kids but only 30% of disadvantaged kids are innately college material. Those figures need to get much closer.

The college admissions process should promote great high schools. The college admissions process should encourage students and schools to do great things.

As the world changes, there are many issues that affect these principles. As of the spring of 2003, here's where we stand on:

Accountability
Good Tests
Formative vs. Summative Testing
College Admissions Issues

Our company manages its business through three divisions: Test Preparation Services, Admissions Services, and K-12 Services.


Test Preparation Services
The Princeton Review's courses and tutors are the most personal and effective ways that you can prepare for the standardized admissions tests such as the SAT, MCAT, LSAT, GRE, and GMAT. The Test Preparation Division provides test preparation in hundreds of classroom locations in 41 states, as well as admissions counseling, one-on-one tutoring, and online instruction. There are 16 international franchises in 12 countries. By combining cutting edge technology with the company's test expertise, The Princeton Review has led the way in developing new products and innovative ways of using online tools to help students raise their scores on standardized tests. Students can now take their test preparation courses in the classroom, online, or mix and match as their needs dictate.


Admissions Services
With more than 2 million unique visitors each month, The Admissions Services division operates one of the most popular educational sites on the Internet, www.princetonreview.com. The Admissions division provides high school, college, and graduate students with the most comprehensive resources to help them make the right educational and career decisions. At the same time, it offers higher education institutions a complete and integrated Web-based solution, second to none, for managing and automating all phases of the admissions process. In addition, we offer guidance counselors from individual high schools tools to guide their students to the best career or college plan and measure the success all the way to the district or state levels.


K-12 Services
The K-12 Services division partners with schools to measurably improve academic performance. Recognizing that schools need a broad range of products and services, we offer customized solutions that include carefully tailored print materials, online services, professional development seminars, and live classroom instruction. Our proven three-step approach allows educators to assess student performance, analyze the results, and act to improve every student's mastery of the skills required by each state's standards. The overarching goal is to support educators in the responsible use of low-stakes student achievement data to individualize both student instruction and teacher professional development. We currently work with more than 2,000 schools and districts across the country including The Massachusetts Department of Education, the School District of Philadelphia, Chicago City Schools, Memphis City Schools, and The New York City Department of Education.