Tests.com

What Tests.com is

Tests.com is an online test preparation store that sells practice exam kits and flash cards for licensing and certification exams. Its homepage calls itself "Practice-centered test prep to help you achieve your goals" and says "Tests.com has helped millions prepare for their exams", providing "expert written test preparation materials delivered on user-friendly platforms". The footer dates the site from 2009, and the features list states "Since 2009, tests.com has helped millions of people prepare for their tests."

The product is for learners: people who need to pass a specific professional exam, often for a job or a state license, and want to drill realistic questions online. It is not a course with lessons and teachers. You pick your exam, buy the kit, and study through practice tests, flash cards and explanations in an online account. The site says it "provides study aids for over 50 industries".

Which exams it covers

The exam directory on the homepage is grouped by field, and each group is broad:

• Counseling: the NCE, NCMHCE, addiction counselor, MFT and social worker (ASWB) exams.
• Health and medical: CNA, CMA, medical coder, optician, pharmacy tech (PTCE and ExCPT), phlebotomy, dental assistant (DANB CDA), dietitian (CDM) and dental hygiene (NBDHE).
• Nursing: TEAS 7, NCLEX-RN, CEN, CCRN and CHPN.
• Real estate: a general real estate practice test plus state versions for California, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas.
• Skilled trades: electrician (journeyman and master), contractor, plumber, HVAC, welding and carpentry, plus home inspector and the ASE auto mechanic tests, which have their own run of kits from A1 to A9 and G1.
• Other exams: MBLEx and NCETMB for massage therapy, cosmetology, the postal service exam, police tests, ACE Personal Trainer, life and health insurance agent licensing, paralegal, PRAXIS, ASVAB and HOBET.

There is also a smaller academic side, with algebra, geometry, basic math, biology, grammar and spelling tests and leveled math flash cards, and even "Free Fun IQ" flash cards. Free practice tests are offered across the catalog, so a learner can try the format before paying.

A "Testing Resources" section adds a review of state licensing and certification requirements, a testing glossary, and career testing information by state for counselors, electricians, insurance agents, massage therapists, medical assistants, nursing assistants, plumbers and registered nurses.

How the practice works

The homepage lists "25 Key Features & Benefits", and together they describe the study tool fairly completely:

• Access. "Instant Access Online", "Unlimited 24/7 access", and an ebook view of the questions and answers "with a print-like experience". Under "Computer/ Tablet/ Phone" the site promises the product is "Guaranteed to work with your device or money back".
• Test modes. A Test Sim option to "simulate exam conditions"; a Study Mode "with instant prompts for incorrect answers and explanations of correct answers"; whole-test or section-by-section practice; and flexible testing where you "Set the number of questions and time limit to your needs OR simulate your actual exam". Questions display one at a time and are scored instantly.
• Study aids. TestNOTES lets you type notes on any question for later review. Focus Flash Cards let you "customize study by time, section(s) and more", and the flash card system is audio enabled, so you can listen to the cards.
• Tracking. "Reporting/Stats" shows results and progress "in real time with easy to read tables and graphs".
• Support material. The feature list includes a test or exam review covering "the who, what, why, where and how of the actual exam" and specific testing tips. The homepage also carries ten test prep tips and ten test-taking tips.
• Updates. "When we add new questions, you get them Free!"

The question writers are presented by name and credential on the homepage under "Highly Credentialed Practice Exam Writers": licensed professional counselors, addiction counselors, a licensed clinical social worker, registered nurses, certified medical assistants, a medical doctor, a cosmetology instructor, state real estate instructors and a master plumber instructor. The site adds that "colleges and universities use it to prepare their graduating students".

Guarantee and pricing

The main promise is a "100% Pass Guarantee", which promises you will pass your exam, "guaranteed or your money back", with the line "All Tests.com products are Risk Free." The site also reports that "Our return rate is only about 3% compared to an e-commerce average of about 8%."

Kit prices are shown on each exam's product page rather than the homepage. Two testimonials mention what they paid: an MBLEx buyer called it the "Best $39.95 I've ever spent!", and a personal trainer recertifying after a lapse wrote, "I bought your preparation service for $29."

Tests.com has received the Academics' Choice Smart Media Award, which the homepage describes as "a prestigious seal of educational quality." Support comes from what the site calls its "practice exam authors, peer reviewers, editors, technical support", reachable through a support link and contact page.

What customers report

The testimonial wall is long and specific to exams. A parent wrote that a son who had failed the MBLEx four times passed after using the program; an ACE Personal Trainer candidate noted that the scores in the exam's four categories "were very close to the scores I got on the Tests.com practice exams." A CHPN nurse praised the study mode's explanations "for both the correct and incorrect answers" and added a sensible caveat, "As tests.com says, this should not be your only resource". An NCMHCE candidate who had been "out of school for over 30 years" passed on the first attempt using the site as the primary study aid, and an electrician who had taken three seminars without passing the South Carolina commercial electrical exam credited the software for finally getting through. One reviewer valued that the questions felt "the closest to what I've learned in school" compared with banks of thousands of questions.

Who it suits

Tests.com suits people who already study or work in a field and need to pass one specific licensing or certification exam: nurses facing the NCLEX or a specialty credential, counselors preparing for the NCE or NCMHCE, massage therapists, electricians and plumbers, real estate agents in the listed states, and medical support staff. Flexible test settings, study mode with explanations and progress stats make it good for steady practice, and the money-back guarantee lowers the risk.

It is less suited to someone who needs to learn a subject from scratch, since the product is practice questions and review material rather than taught lessons. As the CHPN reviewer noted, the site itself says it should not be your only resource.