Test-Guide.com offers free practice tests for more than 50 different standardized exams. Our practice exams are written and created by professionals in their respective spaces, so users know they are getting high quality practice questions.
Every practice question also includes an answer explanation. We have found that the answer explanations help users better understand the material, and in turn, receive better scores on their exams.
All of our practice exams are automatically scored. At the end of each exam, users will see their score, which questions they got correct or incorrect, and the answer explanations. They can then decide if they want to take the exam again or take a different exam.
As well as providing free practice exams, we also review prep courses for various exams. Our prep course reviews are unbiased and are intended for individuals who may want to invest in some paid materials.
We go into these prep courses ourselves and provide insights that the everyday student would not have. Our team outlines all of the features of the course, what they like, what they didn’t like, and provides actual screenshots of the course to give users a better idea of what they are purchasing.
We received a ton of great feedback on our Best LSAT Prep Courses article. We have had numerous prospective law school students thank us for our insights in helping them choose the best prep course for their needs. These courses are not cheap, so people find a ton of value in-depth reviews. We always love hearing from students who used our reviews, chose a prep course, and got a top score!
On top of free practice exams and prep course reviews, we also provide general information about different exams. We give users information about the format of exam, number of questions, timing, tips, and strategies to do well. We pride ourselves on being a one-stop shop for everything exam related.
Our founder, Dave Evangelisti, started the business in 2009. He decided to start the business as a little side hustle to earn some extra money. His original goal was to earn enough money to be able to pay for his lunch every day.
As the site grew, so did his goals. His next goal was to earn enough money to pay for his children’s hobbies. These included hockey team fees and dance fees.
While his original motivations were to just make some extra money on the side, his motivations and goals slowly changed and became more ambitious as the company grew. Dave’s final goal was to make enough money to be able to quit his corporate job and focus on Test-Guide full time. In 2013, this goal finally became a reality. Dave recalls quitting his corporate job on July 4th, 2013 and starting to work on Test-Guide full-time.
After beginning work full-time on Test-Guide, Dave began to notice an improvement in his quality of life. He could work on his own time, had more time to do things he enjoyed, and could work from wherever was most convenient to him.
Since beginning in 2009, Dave has grown Test-Guide to more than 800,000 monthly users and has 4 full-time employees. As well as 4 full-time employees, Test-Guide also has a team of dedicated writers and developers who helped make Test-Guide what it is today.
Test-Guide is unique when compared to its competitors. Most of our competitors are the big test prep companies who only offer some sort of free trial in exchange for access to a small portion of prep materials.
We try to place our users at the forefront and think in terms of what they would like. For example, we kept getting asked by our users about what prep course they should take for “x” exam. We decided to get into the review space to offer a trusted (and honest) review of various prep courses.
One of the biggest challenges we face as a business is trying to compete with the “big dogs” in the education space. The education industry is a massive industry and companies will spend millions of dollars on advertising, outreach, and customer acquisition.
As a somewhat smaller player (relative to our competitors), we have to be laser focused when it comes to our marketing strategy. We cannot afford to shell out millions of dollars on Facebook ads or Google ads like some of the big players. We have to get creative in ways to get people on the site.
We combat this problem by creating high quality content that our users find helpful. Not only does high quality content help us with search engine rankings, and getting people on the site organically, it also helps with grassroot efforts.
If we can get a nursing student on the site taking practice exams, and they find the exams useful, they will most likely talk about it to their friends. In turn, their friends will visit the site and it turns into a compound effect.
Another challenge we face is working in a remote environment. Our full-time employees all work remotely. Ensuring everyone is on the same page and deadlines are met can be difficult sometimes, especially if we have different projects going on at the same time.
We try to solve this problem by being really good communicators. Our team is constantly in contact and discussing things. We use various tools like Microsoft Teams, ClickUp, and other remote working tools to ensure seamless communication throughout the day. ClickUp is a project management tool and works great for tracking progress on various projects.
One big opportunity for our company is the addition of new practice exams. We are always looking for new exam prep materials we can add to the site. There are hundreds of standardized exams out there. We try to provide as many free resources as we can for different exams, but know that there are a ton more exams we can add in the future.
A big way we find new exams is just by listening to our users. We may receive an email asking about prep materials for “x” exam. If we receive multiple emails asking about the same exam, we will look into that exam and see if it makes sense to add free prep materials.
Another opportunity for us is updating our current materials. Exams change throughout the years. We are always updating our exams to reflect the most current version of the exam. For some of the bigger exams, we can add study guides and alternative free resources to help assist our users. Supplementary material is a big opportunity and something we have been looking into adding.
One big piece of advice Dave offered is to “just start.” If you have a business idea, just start doing something. Complete one task and move on to the next. As you start completing tasks, and things start compounding, you will slowly see your business start to become a reality.
Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. If you are not embarrassed by your first website/product/storefront, then you waited too long to start. Not everything is going to be perfect from the start. A big reason people never take the leap of faith and start their own business is because they are waiting for the “perfect time.” The time is now!
Another thing Dave would like entrepreneurs and business owners to know is that they will have to wear many hats. One day you may need to focus on marketing and ensuring your product or business is reaching your desired user base. Another day you may need to do some accounting work and check in on the financial well-being of the company.
At first, this will be difficult. But as you continue to learn and complete different tasks, it will become easier. As an entrepreneur or business owner, you should always be learning. Learning new skills, new industry trends, or new people skills will help propel your business and ensure a long and prosperous business lifecycle.
Since leaving his corporate job in 2014, Dave’s personal quality of life has improved – both mentally and physically. He can work from anywhere he wants and has more time to do things he enjoys.
Dave can pick and choose his team and overall has a lot less stress in his life. Starting his own business has been a great experience and knowing that Test-Guide has helped millions of people pass their exams is something he takes a lot of pride in and has been very rewarding!
Starting a business can be a lot of work, but in the end, it is very rewarding. Businesses that focus on helping people and solving a problem will have the most success. If you put people at the forefront (your employees and users), you will find the experience of starting a business to be very rewarding and will have a ton of fun in your journey.
MS, Lund University, Sweden
Nutrition plays an important role in human life. Eating habits are one of the factors that affect our health. There is often a misconception among people that nutritionists force a very restrictive diet, but that is not true. In fact, I don't ban any products, but I point out dietary mistakes and help change them by giving tips and new recipes that I've tried myself. I advise my patients not to resist change and to be purposeful. Only with willpower and determination can a good result be achieved in any area of life, including changing eating habits. When I don't work, I love to go climbing. On a Friday evening, you are most likely to find me on my couch, cuddling with my dog and watching some Netflix.
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