Free Test Prep Program Available To Public University Students

The Prepare for Illinois' Future Program enables students from 12 Public Universities and five community colleges across the state to receive access to free test prep services. Photo provided by Tassi Communications.
The Prepare for Illinois' Future Program enables students from 12 Public Universities and five community colleges across the state to receive access to free test prep services. Photo provided by Tassi Communications.

Free Test Prep Program Available To Public University Students

By Tia Carol Jones

College students who attend public universities can take advantage of a new free test prep program. The Prepare for Illinois’ Future Program provides free test prep to college students in more than 40 courses, including licensing exams – real estate and insurance – and graduate level programs – GRE, LSAT, MCAT and GMAT. The program is available through a partnership with the State of Illinois, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and Kaplan.

The program is currently available at Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois University, Western Illinois University, Northern Illinois University and University of Illinois Springfield. There are plans to roll the program out at Governors State University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, University of Illinois Chicago and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, as well as Carl Sandburg College, Joliet Junior College, Malcolm X College, Morton College and Southwestern Illinois College.

Lynne Baker, Managing Director of Communications at Illinois Student Assistance Commission, said the program benefits students because they learn how to take the test and test prep does impact scores, which impacts admission.

“We believe it is very valuable for all students to have test prep like this,” she said. 

Baker added that it is also a workforce initiative. The goal is for students to succeed and move forward in careers where there are shortages, like doctors and nurses. Since its rollout at the five public universities, more than 600 students have created accounts and students have registered for around 400 courses.

Illinois State Representative LaShawn K. Ford was instrumental in securing funding for the program in the Illinois legislature. Ford said that test preparation can make a difference in how well a person does on a test. Ford said when he found out his daughter’s University offered a free test preparation program, he reached out to Kaplan to find out how to get the program in Illinois. 

“If we want to give our students in Illinois a shot at getting as much money in scholarships as possible, they need to test well. If we want our students to have opportunities to get their licenses so they can get into the workforce, they need to test well, so they have a better chance,” Ford said. He added that it benefits the students and the community because it will bring a more diverse and robust workforce. 

Ford said that the program also can help people from demographics who sometimes struggle with standardized test, because having test preparation can help them improve their scores and making it free takes away financial barriers that might serve as a roadblock. Ford, who is the Chair of House Appropriation -- Higher Education Committee, said he wanted to make sure this program was part of the Illinois budget. The Prepare for Illinois’ Future Program is receiving $10 million. 

“When you think about people that do well on tests, the majority of Americans are not just great test-takers, they actually prep for it … People spend money on prep, so they can have better outcomes,” he said. He added that it wasn’t difficult to get bipartisan support for the program. 

For more information about The Prepare for Illinois’ Future Program, visit go.kaplan.com/Illinois.

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