During a period of American education history where most standardized tests fell at least momentarily out of favor, one series of exams seems to be growing in popularity with no end in sight. Amy and Mike invited educator Rob Franek to explore the explosive rise of Advanced Placement testing.

What are five things you will learn in this episode?

1. What has inspired the recent increase in AP tests and testing?

2. What is College Board’s strategy with the Advanced Placement program?

3. Will AP tests replace the need for SAT and ACT in admission considerations?

4. Where do these developments leave students without access to AP programs?

5. Will digital APs be cause for applause?

MEET OUR GUEST

A national expert on colleges and higher education, Rob Franek is a publisher, editor, lecturer, media contributor, and author as well as a former college admissions administrator.

As Editor-in-Chief at The Princeton Review, he oversees the company’s 150+ Princeton Review books distributed by Penguin Random House. He also directs the company's annual surveys of students, parents, and school administrators. The survey findings are reported at dozens of education conferences and by hundreds of media each year.

Over his 33-year career, Rob has visited more than 1,200 high schools and more than 1,000 colleges and graduate schools. It is his interactions with students, parents, and counselors that he cites as his most inspiring professional experiences. He gives more than 100 talks a year to audiences of students, parents, educators, counselors, and advisors. He has chaired panels and presented keynotes at many National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) conferences and delivered commencement addresses at three universities.

Rob is author of four books: The Best 390 Colleges; The Best Value Colleges; College Admission 101; and Colleges That Create Futures. He also spearheaded the publications of The Ultimate Guide to HBCUs and The College Wellness Guide .

As director of The Princeton Review's surveys, Rob has polled millions of college and graduate school students for the company’s school rankings which are based on student ratings of their schools and tallied in dozens of categories. Rob also oversees the company’s annual College Hopes & Worries Survey of thousands of college applicants and their parents as well as its annual College Administrator Summer Survey .

Rob has hosted 140+ videos on The Princeton Review's YouTube channel . which collectively have received more than a million views. Among them: The New SAT: 15 Must-Know Answers About the Test , The ACT is Changing: 5 Things to Know , and Key Concepts for Spring 2024 AP Exams .

Sourced by the AP, Voice of America, New York Times, Chronicle of Higher Education , and other media, Rob has also appeared on hundreds of broadcasts including more than 30 appearances on NBC TODAY. Hoda Kotb, the show's co-anchor, has introduced him saying “ He talks. We listen!”  Rob has also appeared on ABC, CBS, CNN, FOX, NPR, PBS, and NHK (Japan) as well as the Emmy-award winning show Teen Kids News.

Rob earned his B.A. at Drew University (NJ) and serves on its Board of Trustees. Prior to joining The Princeton Review in 1999, he was a college admissions administrator at Wagner College (NY) for six years.

A resident of Manhattan, Rob is a New York history buff and an avid runner.

Rob can be reached at [email protected].

LINKS

Advanced Placement - College Board

AP Test Prep - The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review Reports Findings of Its 2024 College Administrator Summer Survey

RELATED EPISODES

BIG CHANGES TO AP TESTS IN 2025

CONTROVERSIES AROUND NEW AP PROGRAMS

THE FUTURE OF AP EXAMS

CHOOSING BETWEEN AP AND IB PROGRAMS

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.