Kaplan Professional Acquires Leading Provider of Architectural Licensing Home Study Preparation

Acquisition Marks Kaplan's Entry into the Architectural Test Prep Market

New York, NY, August 5, 2003 - Kaplan Professional, a division of Kaplan, Inc., today announced that it has acquired Architectural License Seminars, a premier provider of home study preparation for the nine-part state-administered Architect Registration Exam (ARE) which serves as the licensing standard for practicing architects. Architectural License Seminars will become part of Kaplan's Dearborn Publishing, which provides content and information to business and financial leaders through its home inspection, trade publishing and real estate education divisions.

The move expands Kaplan Professional's reach into the architecture licensing test prep market. According to the American Institute of Architects, there are approximately 91,000 licensed architects in the U.S.

Architectural License Seminars offers a full array of home study preparation for all nine ARE exams, including home study books, computer practice tests, electronic flashcards, handbooks, video workshops and graphic practice tests. Founded in 1968, Architectural License Seminars is the oldest brand name in this market, and its materials have been used by more than half the nation's registered architects.

Lester Wertheimer and Robert Marks, co-founders of Architectural License Seminars, will remain with the company in a consulting capacity.

"This move continues our expansion into new vertical markets and establishes Kaplan as the primary player in architectural licensing test preparation," said Eric Cantor, President of Kaplan Professional. "Lester, Robert and their team have done a terrific job of building Architectural License Seminars' leadership in this category, providing the most comprehensive product portfolio of any incumbent in the market. We are proud to bring them into Kaplan Professional and look forward to expanding Architectural License Seminars' reach into the architecture, engineering and construction community."

Dearborn Publishing is a leading provider of learning content for educators, consumers, and business professionals. In addition to its Dearborn Trade unit, which issues hundreds of finance, business management and consumer real estate books, Dearborn Publishing offers print, software and online learning resources for professional markets such as real estate, home inspection, appraisal, architecture and others. Resources include test prep materials, curriculums and continuing education to help educators and professionals meet state and federal licensing and continuing education requirements.

About Kaplan Professional
Kaplan Professional, a division of Kaplan, Inc., is a leading provider of education and training solutions to companies and individuals in the financial services, insurance, banking, real estate, legal, information technology, architecture and call center industries. Kaplan Professional meets its clients training, certification and continuing education needs through traditional and e-learning management tools, combining classroom and web-based products and services designed to maximize the performance of people and organizations. Kaplan has been providing educational and career services to students, schools, professionals, and businesses worldwide for 65 years. Kaplan is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO - News). For more information about Kaplan, please visit http://www.kaplan.com.

Press Contacts:

Carina Wong
212-492-5992
carina_wong@kaplan.com

Karen Blass
212-974-6233
karen_blass@kaplan.com