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Kaplan, Aspyr bringing SAT prep software to DS, PC, and Mac photo

According to a Newsweek scoop, Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions will announce today that they are partnering with Aspyr Media to develop an SAT test-prep game for the Nintendo DS, Windows PC, and Mac. The game will presumably mix Kaplan's popular standardized test preparation methods with "gameplay" similar to other DS learning tools like Brain Age (or Imagine Babyz).

Aspyr co-founder Ted Staloch makes it very clear that the software is not meant as a "study break." Instead the currently-untitled "game" is a legitimate way to prepare for the important exam. For those not familiar with the SAT, it is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States; your score can dictate whether you will be attending Harvard's classes or taking out its students' trash.

Also, if you're reading this and thinking this is going to be a great way to prep for the SATs ... shouldn't you be in class right now?

[Via Newsweek’s Level Up]


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19 comments | showing # 1 to 19

loki d20's Avatar
loki d20 at 04/14/2008 09:07
I'm a 31 year-old, and I think this is awesome.
Excremento's Avatar
Excremento at 04/14/2008 09:14
Nick, I just brought up Dtoid here at work and I don't know if it was coincidence but merely by seeing the words SAT/ACT made me yawn like I was in High School all over again...Very good idea for a study aid, it'll be interesting to see if a DS (or equivalent system) will become standard class equipment like the good ol' TI calculators we used in trig and calculus.
PaperBowser0's Avatar
PaperBowser0 at 04/14/2008 09:26
man, I'm in high school now and it's making me yawn. I guess I'll pick it up to study.....NOT!
Samit Sarkar's Avatar
Samit Sarkar at 04/14/2008 09:26
The most hilariously ironic thing about the SAT was that your score didn’t mean a damn thing once you actually got to college. Now, it is but a distant memory of past glory...college is hard, man.
Mason Rhade's Avatar
Mason Rhade at 04/14/2008 09:35
MSN Conversation with a friend of mine working for Kaplan. (asked him about this, this morning)

7:34:21 AM: why its not really a scoop
7:34:47 AM: Kaplans parrent company is Washington post
7:34:56 AM: washington post owns many companies
7:35:01 AM: Newsweek is one of them

Thought i would share this with the class since i found it interesting
Nick Chester's Avatar
Nick Chester at 04/14/2008 09:40
@ Mason Rhade:

True. N'Gai Croal (who wrote the piece at Level Up) actually discloses that information, too!
Char Aznable's Avatar
Char Aznable at 04/14/2008 09:50
I guess if it spreads some knowledge to people who otherwise would've been ignorant, that's awesome. But man, that just sounds like the most boring thing in the world.

"Game" should be used with quotation marks at all times when discussing this product.
DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 04/14/2008 09:52
If this was around when I was in HS, I totally would have bought it. At least with this, there's practical applications unlike the 1st grade math you practice in brain age.
loki d20's Avatar
loki d20 at 04/14/2008 10:00
"Game" should be used with quotation marks at all times when discussing this product.

Nah, it's still a game, just like My Spanish Coach and My French Coach. I own both and enjoy them greatly. It's just that educational gaming genre that might seem boring to most people. But, I can say the same thing about a lot of genres that wouldn't require those quotation marks on your end.
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 04/14/2008 10:15
Will this cost hundreds of dollars, like the Kaplan prep courses?
Char Aznable's Avatar
Char Aznable at 04/14/2008 10:15
Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society, I call this story...

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Now that was an educational Game (capital 'G' added for emphasis).
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 04/14/2008 10:36
If they made an Xbox 360 version I could see students getting all geared up to study while unlocking achievements.
brad drac's Avatar
brad drac at 04/14/2008 11:07
The term is "serious game", and it's a field that a lot of development is probably going to be happening in over the next few years. This seems like a damn good idea to me in any case.
Wack's Avatar
Wack at 04/14/2008 11:13
I might actually get the DS version. I play Brain Age all the time, so I might as well replace it to study SATs.
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 04/14/2008 12:12
PUTTIN IT ON MAH R4

O wait, Im done with college
PaperBowser0's Avatar
PaperBowser0 at 04/14/2008 13:36
@king3vbo - man, your lucky. ;)
necrozen's Avatar
necrozen at 04/14/2008 13:57
Yeah, my college days are over and gone but I would pick this game up if those days still lay ahead of me I suppose.

Good idea.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 04/14/2008 23:57
Sigh. There is no need for this.
The Unforgivable's Avatar
The Unforgivable at 04/21/2008 00:53
They should have the LSAT, GRE, MCAT, DAT, PCAT version of this as well.
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