NEW YORK, May 16, 2012: Pearson VUE, the computer-based testing arm of Pearson plc, today announced the acquisition of Certiport from private equity firm Spire Capital Partners L.P. for $140 million in cash. Certiport is a leading provider of performance-based certification exams and practice test solutions for academic institutions, workforce and corporate technology markets. Certiport, which has 12,000 Authorized Tester Centers worldwide and delivers over 2 million exams across 150 countries annually, will continue to operate independently. Minneapolis-based Pearson VUE delivers exams to a secure network of test centers in 170 countries.
Morgan Lewis served as legal advisor to Pearson VUE on the transaction. The Morgan Lewis deal team was led by Business & Finance partner Robert Dickey and Business & Finance associates Etienne Shanon and Karl Goodman and included partners Ron Dreben (Intellectual Property), James Sims (Intellectual Property), Harry Robins (Antitrust), Richard Zarin (Tax), Gary Rothstein (Employee Benefits) and Kelly Moore (Litigation).