Students who are researching their college choices can’t always find the information they need easily—and this is particularly true for underserved populations. With college applications more competitive than ever, students are also looking for test prep resources and other advice to help them successfully navigate this process. In addition, students say they need help with career preparation, including writing resumes and exploring potential careers.

Libraries can help their patrons meet all of these needs with Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep, a subscription-based database that includes comprehensive college and career preparation resources.

This one-stop online platform includes:

• Test prep for high school, college, U.S. citizenship, and vocational exams, including courses, practice tests, and eBooks.
• College planning tools to find schools, scholarships, and more.
• Career exploration resources to discover careers aligned with interests, as well as a resumé builder and job search tool.
• Tutorials to build foundational skills in math and science, reading and writing, and computer technology.
• Goal-setting tools to establish a learning path, save relevant resources, and track progress.

All navigation and platform features are available in both English and Spanish for libraries and their patrons. Users can toggle between the two languages, which enables libraries to serve a more diverse audience.

“ Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep makes education and career goals more attainable,” says Senior Product Manager Casey Anderson at Gale. “It connects high school students, college students, and working adults with the tools they need to plan for their future and achieve their goals—all in a single, accessible platform.”

College planning

Nearly four in 10 high school juniors and seniors say they have trouble finding information about their college options, according to an ACT survey—and there are significant disparities among different racial groups.

While about a third of white students (34 percent) said they struggled to find the college information they needed, a higher percentage of Asian and Black students (44 percent) reported difficulties in finding this information.

Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep helps families find the information on colleges that they need to make informed decisions. It assists students and parents in finding suitable educational institutions based on their preferences, such as location, cost, size, and academic programs. Users can explore nearly 4,200 up-to-date profiles on accredited colleges and universities, including information on majors, degrees, student populations, and contact details. The platform also helps users identify scholarships and includes a program description, monetary value, application requirements, deadlines, and contact information.

Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep also offers resources to help teens plan for their future even if they don’t intend to go to college. Its “Teens’ Guide to College & Career Planning”includesunits covering topics such as “Planning Your Education While in High School,” “Other Options After High School,” “Considering the Military Option,” “Preparing for College and Adult Life,” and “Succeeding in the Workplace.”

“With valuable input from teens, parents, and experts, our Teens’ Guide to College & Career Planning helps high school students make their plans for after graduation a reality,” Anderson says. “The topics covered can help teens answer big questions, such as: Should I go to college? What’s my career path? What do I want to do with my life?”

Test prep

Test preparation is another key area where Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep excels. And this is especially useful as getting into the top colleges is now more competitive than ever.

Business Insider reports that applications at the top schools in the U.S. are at a record high, while acceptance rates are dropping. Not surprisingly, students are becoming increasingly stressed by how hard it is to get into the top colleges, the publication notes—and social media isn’t helping the situation.

According to Business Insider, the total volume of college applications filing through the Common Application rose from 5.4 million in 2019 to 7 million in 2022—a 30-percent jump. Because class sizes have been static, that means acceptance rates are plummeting.

To be competitive, many students are looking for test prep assistance. Within Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep, learners will find online courses, practice tests, and eBooks to prepare for a variety of college and career-focused exams, including AP and high school equivalency exams, the new ACT and new all-online SAT, and graduate school exams, like the GRE, GMAT, LSAT, and MCAT.

Test prep isn’t just for college and graduate school. Working professionals and those striving for careers in business, technology, and other areas are looking for help in preparing for professional certifications and other exams. Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and CareerPrep helps with this as well, with vocational exams in more than 15 career categories, as well as U.S. citizenship and English-as-a-foreign-language tests.

“We’ve been offering Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep for several years now, and we’ve had many patrons report significant score improvements on graduate and professional program entrance tests such as the LSAT and MCAT,” says Suzy Murray, e-resources librarian at California’s Sacramento Public Library. “This resource has truly been a game-changer for our library. It provides a digital alternative to our paper-based test prep resources, which are in high demand, particularly for military aptitude tests.”

Career preparation

Students also need help with career preparation, research suggests. For instance, a survey from Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse found that 69 percent of college students are looking for help in writing a resume—and two-thirds (67 percent) say they need more help in exploring potential careers.

A new career assessment tool within Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep , called “Career Peach,” guides users through a career assessment quiz, matching them with potential careers based on the results. Users also have access to a resumé builder, career advice, and job search tools to help them prepare for interviews and applications.

The online resumé builder is a popular tool that simplifies the resumé creation process. Users can upload existing resumés, use sample content, or start from scratch. The builder offers various templates and customization options for different industries and experience levels.

Career seekers can explore a vast library of articles, blog posts, and tip sheets containing insights on various career topics, including interviewing, networking, transitioning from the military, changing careers, negotiating a salary, and overseas employment. What’s more, users can search for jobs based on their location and preferences, with the option to save job listings for later.

With Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep, students and working adults alike “have access to a full suite of test prep, college, and career planning resources to guide them on their journey,” Anderson concludes.

Part of Gale’s Adult Learning Suite

Gale Presents: Udemy is part of Gale’s Adult Learning Suite, which provides a full complement of learning options for adults to earn a high school diploma, develop new skills, and/or prepare for college or their careers. All of these resources are self-paced and fully accessible online, so patrons can accomplish their goals on their own time.

The other resources in Gale’s Adult Learning Suite include…

• New—Gale Presents: GetSetUp: Empower older adults to live healthier, more connected lives through a peer-led, online learning community. With a rotating catalog of thousands of live and on-demand classes, short videos, and articles, it supports digital inclusion, lifelong learning, and reduces social isolation—all through a turnkey solution that requires no additional staff time from your library.
• Gale Presents: Udemy: With thousands of on-demand video courses, this upskilling resource helps patrons learn new skills across 75 subject areas, including business, IT, creative arts, personal finance, technology, wellness, and more. Users can find high-quality courses from expert instructors for today’s in-demand skills, as well as courses in 15 different languages taught by native-speaking instructors to help libraries reach diverse populations.
•  Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School, which enables adults to learn online at their own pace as they work toward an accredited high school diploma. The program includes 40 high-interest electives relevant to fast-growing occupations, including science, technology, and healthcare. Students receive personalized support from academic and success coaches and can access BRYTE, an on-demand AI tutor.

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