Kaplan Publishing and ScrollMotion Announce MCAT and USMLE Apps Now Available on App Store

NEW YORK, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaplan Publishing and ScrollMotion today announced a range of innovative Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE)  text book apps will be available from the App Store in February. The apps create an entirely new study experience and allow students to use iPhone or iPod touch to highlight text, take audio and printed notes, search content by topic or type, take quizzes, navigate efficiently and more.

"Based on our knowledge of how successful students approach the mastery of complex content, we collaborated with ScrollMotion to ensure that Kaplan's new MCAT and USMLE apps for iPhone and iPod touch would include the customization tools our students currently rely on with their printed books, such as multi-colored highlighting, as well as new tools to enhance learning, such as audio note taking capability," said Maureen McMahon, president and publisher of Kaplan Publishing. 

Features built into the new textbook apps include:

• Highlight Text: Students can mark text to organize their study with six different color tags.
• Record Audio Notes or Take Printed Notes: Using the device's built-in audio recorder, students can take audio notes in addition to typing notes within the app.
• Search Text: Filtered by subject, topic, or content type – including key concepts, margin notes, and practice questions – the  application's search function has made the index a thing of the past.
• Interactive Quizzes: Students can track quiz scores by right and wrong answers so they can make comparisons each time they take a quiz to see where they are improving and learn the correct answers.
• Video: The MCAT application contains fourteen  5-7 minute videos to complement the text.

These apps for premed students studying for the MCAT and doctors preparing for the USMLE cover the equivalent of approximately twenty pounds of textbook information required for these exams. The apps are particularly relevant for this audience both because of the enormous volume of material that must be mastered in order to succeed on these exams, and also because MCAT and USMLE students are constantly seeking new, more effective ways to study.

According to proprietary research, a high percentage of Kaplan's MCAT and USMLE students own an iPhone or an iPod touch device, or plan to purchase one in the next 12 months.  Further, in a broad Kaplan survey of college and graduate-level students, not only did a strong majority of respondents (64%) express interest in the concept of an Apple tablet device, but these respondents indicated that the most popular usage for the device would be for educational purposes.  91% expressed an interest in using the device for "reading educational course material" while 86% were interested in using it for "reading news and current events"; 83% were interested in using it for "watching movies and videos."

Calvin Baker, Chief Content Officer at ScrollMotion, added, "These are the first textbooks that truly unlock the potential of digital media in an educational setting.  Kaplan's approach to digital has gone beyond simply converting the print version to an iPhone or iPod touch screen. We've created an entirely new experience for students, a new way to engage with learning with profound possibilities for education."

The MCAT and USMLE apps will be available in February from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. 

Kaplan Publishing has five MCAT titles and eight USMLE titles. They can be purchased separately for $29.99 each or as an MCAT package for $129.99 and USMLE package for $219.99. 

Titles are:

Kaplan MCAT Biology Review Notes, MCAT General Chemistry Review Notes, MCAT Organic Chemistry Review Notes, MCAT Physics Review Notes, MCAT Review Notes Bundle, MCAT Verbal Reasoning and Writing Review Notes, USMLE Step 1 Anatomy Lecture Notes, USMLE Step 1 Behavioral Sciences Lecture Notes, USMLE Step 1 Biochemistry and Medical Genetics Lecture Notes, USMLE Step 1 Immunology and Microbiology Lecture Notes, USMLE Step 1 Lecture Notes Bundle, USMLE Step 1 Pathology Lecture Notes, USMLE Step 1 Pharmacology Lecture Notes, USMLE Step 1 Physiology Lecture Notes, USMLE Step 1 Qbook.

About Kaplan Publishing

Kaplan Publishing is one of the nation's leading publishers of academic and professional development resources. Kaplan Publishing offers proven test preparation and admissions strategies for students everywhere, as well as practical advice, thought-provoking insights, and inspiring stories for the general reader. Kaplan Publishing is a unit of Kaplan, Inc., a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).  www.kaplanpublishing.com

About ScrollMotion

ScrollMotion is a media and technology company specializing in the development of innovative applications for mobile devices. Using proprietary technology for the iPhone and iPod touch device, ScrollMotion is reshaping digital art, information and entertainment in an intuitive and enjoyable way. The company's flagship product, the Iceberg Reader, offers consumers a user-friendly and true-to-text eBook experience. ScrollMotion is also helping many of the greatest names in traditional media successfully transition to digital and mobile programming. www.scrollmotion.com. 

SOURCE Kaplan Publishing