Test prep companies go on line

Kaplan Educational Centers and their largest rival, The Princeton Review, have begun offering services on the Internet's World Wide Web. According to Ed Potter, Internet project manager for Kaplan, "Kaplan on the Internet" went on line two weeks ago. "Kaplan on the Internet" is Kaplan's second foray into the online world. In August 1994, the company introduced Kaplan Online on America Online, a computerized information service. More than 250 documents, containing over 1,000 hyperlinks on subjects ranging from help with Scholastic Aptitude Test preparation to Law School admissions, can be accessed in the Kaplan service. "The service is an all-in-one reference place," Potter said. "We are providing another reference to students. And it is totally free." The Princeton Review is offering similar services, including profiles of college and graduate schools that include ratings compiled from Princeton Review surveys of 80,000 students attending the schools. "This is what the Net is all about," Princeton Review President John Katzman said in a statement. "We're giving students our in-depth info about a college, sharing evaluations of it from students we've surveyed at the school, and then our links drive the student to the college's door to pick up even more information." Students can ask Kaplan experts questions by addressing their concerns to http://www.kaplan.com. The address for the Princeton Review service is http://www.review.com. "The questions are already starting to come in," Potter said. "We are providing another resource for students." "Kaplan on the Internet" also features live real-time seminars and an extensive library featuring university admissions information, reference databases and Internet developer tools. In addition to the standard information services, Kaplan's site has a Virtual Store that sells Kaplan retail products and services. By March 1, the store will be selling third party products and processing credit card transactions. According to Potter, Kaplan initiated the service primarily as a way to enter the information superhighway. "We did this to get exposure on the Internet," Potter said. "Web services are growing by leaps and bounds every day." While Kaplan has informed prospective users of the service on the Internet, it has also used other means of communication.