Test Prep and Beyond: Test Innovators as a Learning Tool

The COVID-19 pandemic has swifty taken the front seat in just about everyone’s lives. These days, it seems every conversation involves COVID-19 in some way or another, and understandably so— it has impacted nearly every aspect of life.

A few days ago, I was talking with a friend over video chat. I told her how grateful I was to be able to work from home, because so many are not, and how our company is helping to support student learning now more than ever. My friend’s response to this was, “But I thought Test Innovators was just a test prep company?” I was a bit surprised by her question because I had never thought of what I did as “just test prep.” My friend’s question made me realize that others may be thinking the same thing, so I thought I would share a few of her questions and my responses.

But I thought Test Innovators was just a test prep company?
As an education company, our primary mission is to support student learning. Although the focus of that support is indeed in helping students prepare for admissions tests, namely the SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, ACT, and SAT, our tools and resources benefit student learning far beyond these tests.

These tests have curriculum-aligned content, so preparing for the test supports what students learn in school. It’s a ‘two birds, one stone’ kind of thing.

In addition to the benefits of the content component of test prep, our platform teaches students valuable test-taking strategies and skills. These strategies and skills, such as effective time management and process of elimination, will be beneficial to students throughout their entire academic, and possibly, professional, careers. Think of it this way: when a student learns test-taking strategies and skills in 7th grade, they will utilize those skills in school for at least the next five years and more than likely, the next nine or more years. Also, many professions require certification exams and even continuing education assessments. The ability to perform well on tests has lasting impacts on a student’s future.

How does your platform support student learning beyond test prep?
As I mentioned, these tests have curriculum-aligned content. The SSAT and ISEE have math and language arts content for students in grades 2-12. The PSAT, ACT, and SAT have math, language arts, and science content for students in grades 9-12.

Because so many students are now learning remotely and the amount of school-supplied resources varies greatly, many parents are using our online resources to supplement their students’ learning. Quite simply, if you are looking for math and language arts learning materials, we’ve got you covered!

How can students use your platform if they aren’t preparing for a test?
Because test prep and what students learn in school go hand in hand, students who aren’t using our platform for test prep specifically can still use the platform the same way students would if they were using it for test prep. The foundation of the platform is the practice tests, and we also have hundreds of additional practice questions. In total, we have about 4,500 math questions and 2,300 language arts questions for the SSAT and ISEE, and about 2,600 math questions, and 4,000 language arts questions for the ACT and SAT.

The practice tests are broken up into sections, so if a student is working on math, for instance, they could take just the math section of the practice test. The practice test sections are timed (because the actual tests are timed), but we do have an untimed mode. After completing a practice test section, the system will score it and then provide specific recommendations for additional practice to complete, which populate in the Prep Plan. The Personalized Prep Plan helps guide students so they know what to work on. I like to think of the Prep Plan as the digital teacher that assigns you homework in areas that need improvement.

If you are looking for learning materials for your student, we are here to help. Check out our learning resources, and feel free to contact our team if you have questions about how we can help your student.