Peterson's
Encyclopedia
Peterson’s, founded in 1966, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
company offering a wide range of live, print, and online products and services including test preparation
Test preparation
Test preparation or exam preparation primarily refers to educational courses, tutoring services, and educational materials/learning tools designed to increase students' performance on standardized tests, particularly entrance examinations used for admissions to institutions of higher education,...
, school searches, financial aid searches, career exploration tools, and professional writing services. Peterson’s is headquartered in Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey
Area residents often refer to all of Lawrence Township as Lawrenceville. Lawrenceville is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Lawrence Township...
, with its mailing address in Lawrenceville, New Jersey
Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville is the name of several places in the United States:*Lawrenceville, former name of Alleene, Arkansas*Lawrenceville, Georgia*Lawrenceville, Illinois*Lawrenceville, Indiana*Lawrenceville, New Jersey**The Lawrenceville School*Lawrenceville, Ohio...
.
Peterson's was privately held until its 1995 purchase by The Thomson Corporation. It became part of Thomson Learning (spun off in 2007 as Cengage Learning
Cengage Learning
Cengage Learning is a publisher of print and digital information services for the academic, professional and library markets, and delivers customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, libraries, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the...
)
On July 27, 2006, Peterson's was acquired by the Nelnet
Nelnet
Nelnet is a Lincoln, Nebraska-based lending conglomerate that deals in the administration and repayment of student loans.-History:Nelnet was founded as the UNIPAC Loan Service Corporation in 1978 and renamed Nelnet in 1996. Its current Chairman & Chief Executive Officer is Michael S. Dunlap...
family of companies.
Test Prep Offerings
Peterson’s test preparation products include live and online courses, live and online practice tests, as well as printed study guides. They cover a wide range of topics including: SATSAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
, ACT
ACT (examination)
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in November 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board's Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test...
, PSAT, AP
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
Exams, College Level Examination Program
College Level Examination Program
The College Level Examination Program is a group of standardized tests that assess college-level knowledge in several subject areas. Many colleges grant credit to students who meet their minimum qualifying score. Qualifying scores vary by school but are typically 50...
(CLEP), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery is a multiple choice test, administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command, used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States armed forces...
(ASVAB), civil service, nursing, EMT, postal service, case worker, law enforcement, and more. They also offer several free practice tests on their website.
Peterson's online courses for the SAT, ACT, and PSAT feature a Pre-Test that determines each user's strengths and weaknesses. Based on Pre-Test results, the lessons in the course are personalized to focus on the material that requires the most improvement. To help students with the additional essay included on both the SAT and ACT, Peterson's acquired CyberEdit in October 2002. The acquisition included College Application Help from EssayEdge.com and Resume Writing. These offerings have been integrated with Peterson's test preparation courses.
Civil Service and Military
Civil Service test prep study books include, publications for Case Worker Exam, Civil Service Exams, Firefighter Exam, Emergency Dispatcher/911 Operator Exam, EMT Basic Certification, Law Enforcement Exams, and the U S. Postal Service Test 470. These Peterson's book publications contain several practice tests and course outlines.Peterson's has negotiated contracts with the U.S. Military to offer individualized portals for enlisted Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
, Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
, and Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
personnel. Online test prep is available for the ASVAB, as well as publications for the American Foreign Service Officer Exam.