URL www.gale.com/c/petersons-test-and-career-prep

Grade Level Gr 9 Up

Cost School/district subscriptions are calculated using full-time enrollment. Public library pricing is based on population served and starts at $3,000. Bundle and consortium pricing are available.

Overview Redesigned in late 2023, Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep provides increased content and an updated interface with sections and tools grouped into six major goals including prepping for exams, finding schools and scholarships, exploring career options, and brushing up on foundational skills. Those goal icons subdivide further, to a granular level of individual test prep, flashcards and practice tests, college descriptions and enrollment stats, searchable scholarship info, career interest assessments, a resume builder, and more.

Content With almost 60 years of experience providing info on two- and four-year colleges and universities, graduate programs, scholarships, career opportunities, and test prep, Peterson’s neatly combines a brain-expanding amount of information within their database by linking to partner sites such as JobZology/PathwayU for career assessment and advice. For users with test prep in mind, there are sample questions with detailed explanations, including open-ended questions, sample responses, and information on how writing is evaluated and why some responses would likely receive higher scores than others. Test banks include all the major college-track options (think ACT, AP, CLEP, SAT, GRE, LSAT, and Department of Defense testing for college credit for knowledge learned in the military) as well as test prep and practice questions for air traffic control, journeyman plumbing, FBI application, and pharmacy tech. Scholarship searches pull from almost $5 billion in potential grants and other ­funding. Further ­extending the ease of use are links to the websites of over 4,200 educational ­institutions to request ­information and view social media accounts.

In the careers section, the job search engine links to employment sites such as USAJobs.gov and Indeed.com for details on active openings with a helpful range of filters including location, remote work options, and typical salary range.

A robust foundational skills area provides short videos and other review materials on math skills beginning at a sixth grade level, science concepts, reading, writing, and computer skills. Navigation is available in Spanish and English, and some test prep includes Spanish (GED en español). Although most internal resources are currently offered only in English, the developers prioritize adding Spanish language content over the next year, with a focus on test content.

Student Ease of Use/Visual Appeal Students initially land at a screen featuring calming blues and grounding brown tones, with muted purple accents. Once logged in, users can choose a goal (improve a test score; find a school) and further drill down to a specific test (AP Chemistry; MCAT) to view study aids such as an introductory summary of the test and what it measures, study and test-taking tips, and instructional videos and flashcards specific to the exam. At least one practice test is available, often two, with an embedded timer. Users can work beyond allotted time limits and still submit answers for scoring and feedback.

Alongside the foundational skills and test prep options, available goals include: find a school or scholarship, explore career ­options, and prepare for U.S. citizenship. Intuitive menus guide users to specific steps toward the goal so that someone exploring careers could move to career advice and find sections for self-assessment, cover ­letters, salary negotiations, and ­making a job change.

The My Resources folder, available when an account is created, lets users specify goals and will track their progress towards completion. While browsing, a single click saves individual assets into My Schools, My Scholarships, and My Jobs. At an individual search level, users can filter in great detail. For example, ­colleges can filter by size, location, whether they offer distance learning, ­tuition, GPA, and SAT/ACT scores. Scholarship filters include award type (grant, scholarship, fellowship), amount, area of study, and application deadline.

The site navigation is clean and intuitive on a tablet, though some users may prefer the larger screen and full-sized keyboard where laptop or desktop access is possible. Many screens offer print, download, or save as PDF options for those who prefer physical materials or for working offline.

Verdict Clean, thoughtful navigation makes it easy to immediately tap into big goals and test prep, or emerge from a session with a targeted list of colleges and ­scholarship ­application info or a smart-looking resume, interview tips, and job leads. Post-high school potential includes graduate school, law, veterinary, and medical school applicants, veterans, and those taking the U.S. citizenship exam. Useful for all high schools, colleges, and public libraries, especially for self-paced and motivated students, and to supplement the insights of college and career counselors.

Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX.