College test prep services have risen steadily in respect to their demand each and every year, but as their popularity rises it seems their overall price does as well. Unfortunately, many students and their families simply can't afford to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars each year on these services and oftentimes worry about future performance on these critical admissions tests.
Thankfully, we've seen an emergence of subscription-based test prep services within the last few years and there are now programs available for students in high school through grad school as well as for working adults who are looking to switch careers. Here, we'll outline the top 5 college and career test prep subscriptions we've found to date and hope that one of the below services will assist you on your journey through higher education or assist you in pursuing your future career.
Best College And Career Test Prep Subscriptions
1. Peterson's - High School, College, & Career Test Prep
Price: Starts at $39 per month. Sign up here!
Tests Covered: Practically every test imaginable! High school through grad school prep + career and military testing.
Best For: Visual learners who like to incorporate video lessons and mobile app flashcards as a part of test prep.
Not Great For: People who need lots of guidance and require frequent one-on-one work.
About the Subscription: Peterson's is the most cost-effective test prep subscription service if you or your child are planning on studying for more than 1 exam. Rather than spend money on separate courses for each test you're planning to take, a subscription to Peterson's covers prep for 185+ tests at once which includes prep for required exams for middle schoolers through future grad students as well as for career and ASVAB testing.
Customers can purchase a 1-month, 3-month, or 6-month subscription to Peterson’s, and each type of subscription comes with convenient 24/7 access to test prep materials. These subscriptions cost $49, $45, and $39 per month, respectively.
2. The Olive Book - SAT & ACT Prep
Price: $50 per month. Sign up here!
Tests Covered: SAT & ACT.
Best For: High school students who want a self-paced course with occasional assistance.
Not Great For: Students who require extensive one-on-one work and programs tailored to their specific learning style.
About the Subscription: If you know of a high schooler who needs very little hands-on guidance for college testing, but still wants a little extra preparation for the SAT and ACT as well as occasional help for certain test questions, then The Olive Book may be the right test prep subscription for them.
Each test prep program costs $50 per month and includes hundreds of practice questions, dozens of test insights, study tips, and tutor-recommended schedules to help guide study sessions.
Courses are self-paced and there's even a weekly hour-long Zoom study session at 8PM ET on Wednesdays with new lessons for both the SAT and ACT. Students also have access to a Discussions feature where they can request help from the course creators regarding specific questions.
3. Testive - Comprehensive SAT & ACT Prep
Price: Starts at $399 per month. Sign up here!
Test Covered: SAT & ACT.
Best For: High school students who prefer a more personalized coaching program that's tailored to their specific needs and is incredibly comprehensive.
Not Great For: Students who are self-taught and prefer to complete test prep at their own pace.
About the Subscription: While Testive is certainly more expensive than the other test prep subscriptions we've reviewed, it happens to be one of the most comprehensive services available to students who are preparing for the SAT and ACT. Testive involves a three-part approach to college test prep which are as follows:
- Adaptive learning software that automatically adjusts difficulty levels and offers immediate feedback and study resources in response to each student's performance on SAT and ACT practice questions.
- A personalized coaching program that provides motivation and expert guidance along the way. Coaching sessions are held on a weekly basis for 30-minutes via video chats.
- A process that incorporates goal-setting, reflection, accountability, flexible scheduling, performance tracking, and clear, consistent communication between parents, students, and their assigned coach.
Testive offers three plans for students, with two running on a monthly basis and one requiring one-time payment upfront. Its most basic plan costs $399 per month and includes 4-5 months of prep time. Its Coaching Plus plan costs $699 per month and includes everything found in the basic plan plus additional coaching sessions. Finally, he Boot Camp option is available for a one-time payment of $799 and is geared towards students who have less than six weeks to prep for their upcoming exam.
4. Simply Admissions - Admissions Prep
Price: Starts at $25 per month. Sign up here!
Test Covered: Rather than focus on a specific college prep test, this subscription is focused on the admissions process and learning how to stand out in applications.
Best For: High schoolers who want to learn more about the admissions process and increase their chances of being accepted to a school that fits them best.
Not Great For: Students who need extra prep for college tests.
About the Subscription: Simply Admissions is an educational consulting firm that offers services to students which include college selection, interview preparation, application & essay assistance, navigating financial aid & scholarship opportunities, SAT & ACT planning, general consultations, and more.
Rather than focus solely on test prep, Simply Admissions takes a comprehensive approach to ensuring that students improve their chances of being admitted to the schools that are the best fit academically, financially, and socially. It offers 4 subscription options that range from $25 to $115 per month and are geared towards specific age ranges.
5. EMPOWER - GRE Prep
Price: Starts at $49 per month. Sign up here!
Test Covered: GRE only.
Best For: College students who are planning to attend grad school.
Not Great For: College students who need to take more specialized exams, like the PCAT and the MCAT.
About the Subscription: EMPOWER is focused solely on helping students to prepare for the GRE and allows students to stream on-demand lessons and complete each course module at their own pace. EMPOWER is built on review from questions in the Official Guide to the GRE® and provides all 5 official practice exams by POWERPREP® for its students.
EMPOWER's Basic Monthly Plan costs $49 per month but students and choose to add on 5 official GRE exams for $139 for 1st month and $49 per month for each following month if they'd like to have access to additional questions and practice exams.
What are your go-to college prep subscriptions? Let us know in the comments!
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