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Prep Classes for College Are Latest in Perks

SAT tutoring and private college admissions counseling have long been perceived as giving an unfair advantage to the children of the wealthy, at least in the opinion of those who may be unable to afford such services.

Lately, though, discounted or even free advice on applying to college has emerged as a high-profile perk, one that was dangled last week by a cable company in a bid to attract subscribers and, on Monday, offered by a benefits program of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. to more than 13 million union members.

The Princeton Review, one of the nation’s largest test preparation companies, said Monday in a news release that it would work with the union to develop a suite of “college readiness educational services” for the families of its members. While details of the program are not yet final, the company said that participants in Union Plus, a benefits plan, would have access to “a series of undergraduate and graduate products,” at least some presumably at a discount.

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Credit...Paul Vernon/Associated Press

Scott Kirkpatrick, president of the test preparation and admissions services division of Princeton Review, said that in a recent survey of union members, more than 40 percent “stated specifically that they wanted college test preparation.”

If the relationship between the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and Princeton Review makes SAT preparation sound a little like discounted auto insurance, then an announcement last week by Cablevision would seem to put such services in a category previously occupied by the PBS tote bag or the Sports Illustrated fleece jacket.

Cablevision, which provides television, telephone and Internet services in the New York area, an epicenter of the highly selective college admissions chase, said it would offer a free SAT preparation course as an incentive for people to subscribe to its Optimum service. The on-demand PSAT and SAT training course (ordinarily available for $99) is being offered online by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, a rival of Princeton Review.

While Kaplan has worked with various companies to provide their employees with access to its services, the company said its Cablevision promotion was the first time it was offering test preparation as a benefit to another company’s customers.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 13 of the New York edition with the headline: Prep Classes For College Are Latest In Perks. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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