Time to Deliver on Free Test and Licensure Prep

Four days a week Gabriela Rivera gets in her car and drives an hour from Crystal Lake to DeKalb for her classes at Northern Illinois University and then drives back.

She is a wife, a mother in addition to being a full-time student at Northern Illinois University.

“It can sometimes be overwhelming,” Rivera said. "I wish I did not have to drive to class four days a week, but this is the schedule I have because of the classes I need to graduate.”

Her goal is to finish her undergraduate work and then go to law school. Because of her hectic schedule and busy home life, Rivera knew she needed test prep help for the LSAT. Thankfully, she was able to get test prep help for free through the Diversity Scholars Program at the NIU College of Law.

“There was no way I could have paid for the test prep classes on my own,” Rivera said. “Without question these classes made a huge difference. I felt confident taking the LSAT because I was prepared. It definitely made a difference in preparing me for the actual test. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to take these classes.”

The General Assembly has approved a $10 million program to provide free test and licensure preparation classes for ALL public university students and five community colleges. The grant money can be used for a wide range of test prep and licensure exam preparation including but not limited to GRE prep for business school, nursing licensure exams, CPA licensure prep, STEM and so much more.

The program was supposed to go online in January of this year, but unfortunately the program has yet to be rolled out. Continued delays will cost Illinois students millions of dollars and will stop many from even taking the preparation classes.

“Studies show test and licensure preparation classes can dramatically increase test scores and gives black and brown students a better chance to succeed in the workforce,” said State Representative La Shawn K. Ford, chairman of the Illinois House Appropriations Higher Education Committee. “We have an opportunity to give Illinois students like Gabriela a major competitive advantage to students in surrounding states. It is my hope the program can being soon as this is the time of year when students are looking to take tests.”

New data shows how successful universal test prep can be. Many prestigious universities such as New York University (NYU) and several Historically Black Colleges and Universities have embraced free test preparation including Howard University, Xavier University, Hampton University, Stillman, Delaware State, and Fisk University. The programs have saved their students hundreds of thousands of dollars and resulted in impressive improvements in scores and pass rates."

Ford said free test preparation classes can also help reduce the massive nursing and physician shortage in Illinois. By 2025, Illinois will have a shortage of 15,000 nurses, according to ANA-Illinois, part of the American Nurses Association. It can also help with other skilled professions that have shortages.

“We can help eliminate the nursing shortage through test prep assistance,” Ford said. “The money has been appropriated. We just need to get the program up and running. This program can be life-changing for Illinois students especially for minority students.”