Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep
 

CONTENT Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep offers an array of tools, including courses, question banks, and practice tests, to help people prepare for various academic, vocational, career, and situational exams. The extensive content is valuable for middle school, high school, and college students or anyone seeking to attain their education, career, and personal goals. There are over 200 practice tests and 25 courses, with the majority published after 2020; more than two-thirds of the resources feature multimedia content. The content is rounded out with 28 downloadable Peterson eBook exam guides from 2010–22.

At the high school level, test prep content covers Advanced Placement subjects and entrance, equivalency, and assessment tests and courses. Those applying to college or graduate programs will find practice exams and courses for the ACT, SAT, PSAT, GRE, college placement, CLEP, and DSST. Vocational test prep covers the ASVAB, ACT WorkKeys, ATF, CDL, CAN/HHA, Nursing, and Praxis exams and courses. International-based content practice sets and exams cover citizenship tests, IELTS, and TOEFL. Additionally, there are several foundational skill courses, videos, practice tests, and question banks with more basic skills as the focus. The already robust content is augmented by links to outside sources for further study.

USABILITY Although the homepage provides access to the database’s complete content, users may need time to adjust to the layout. The top of the page features a large header with buttons that take learners to “My Resources” and “Browse Menu.” The “My Resources” feature serves as a personalized bookmark to track progress and save links and materials. This tool is most useful for students who have already engaged with the content and may be less intuitive for new users.

The “Browse Menu” section (accessible from the top header and the top navigation bar) acts as a central gateway for accessing education information, aptitudes, job information, and tests. Some learners may find it easier to access the main content by scrolling down to the six content tiles located beneath the header. These tiles offer tools for helping learners prep for exams, find a school or scholarship, prep for vocational tests, brush up on foundational skills, explore career options, and prepare for U.S. citizenship. Once users adjust to the content tiles and sub-menus, they’ll be able to access the wealth of materials available.

Searching gets easier once inside a subject or category, as the top tab bars provide ready access to the content, quizzes, grades, progress, and more. This resource is also available in Spanish, opening it to a much wider audience.

PRICING The resource is available to schools, school districts, and public libraries, but not for purchase by individuals. School and district subscriptions are calculated using full-time enrollment. Public library pricing is based on population served and starts at $3,000. There is an option for bundle and consortium pricing.

VERDICT This Gale database provides a plethora of tools, tests, and preparation that will satisfy and assist users at any stage of their learning journey. An outstanding resource, especially recommended for public libraries and high school libraries.