Start A Test Prep Business - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Start A Test Prep Business

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

Parents often make their kids take test prep classes. This is because they don't know how to best prepare their kids for tests. This means that you might find yourself needing a business to help teach your kids in the most optimal way.

Whether you're a current student or a recent graduate, test prep can be an excellent way to earn income. Forty percent of USA students are predicted to need some form of tutoring or test preparation this year. Test prep businesses are on a mission to help students and companies succeed in the standardized test prep industry.

Starting a test prep business requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell test prep, or selling test prep online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

revenue (monthly)
$20K
starting costs
$31.1K
gross margin
20%
avg product price
$75
time to build
300 days
growth
SEO
business model
E-Commerce
time investment
Full time
work from home?
Yes

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Office Space Expenses

$0

$7,000

Employee & Freelancer Expenses

$151

$352

Website Costs

$223

$7,215

Business Formation Fees

$5,600

$20,400

Equipment & Supply Expenses

$63

$200

App Creation Costs

$1,000

$20,000

Software Expenses

$162

$3,094

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$0

$3,000

Training & Education Expenses

$0

$850

Total Startup Costs

$7,199

$62,111

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

Testbook.com

testbook.com

1,703

keybr.com

keybr.com

9,667

IMS

imsindia.com

12,262

Best SSC Exam and RRB NTPC Exams Preparation Website in India

sscadda.com

20,018

Exam English

examenglish.com

20,497

PTE Academic

pearsonpte.com

27,722

Becker

becker.com

28,445

PTE Tutorials

ptetutorials.com

36,577

GMAT prep

targettestprep.com

42,909

PrepLounge.com

preplounge.com

45,819

Practice Aptitude Tests

practiceaptitudetests.com

49,306

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Rewarding work

Starting a test prep business can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

Traffic to your website

A test prep business gives people a reason to visit your website and to keep coming back to you!

Meaningful business connections

You never know who you will meet as a test prep business. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity!

High customer retention rates

Once a customer invests in your product, they've invested their time and energy to utilize your product/service which is highly valuable to them. Typically, your product or service becomes indispensable to your customer.

Cons Description

Low margins

The gross margins for your test prep business are typically around 20%, which can make it more challenging to incur new expenses and maintain profitability.

Stressful work

This line of work can be stressful for both you and your clients. This type of transaction is a significant financial decision for your client, so expectations are very high for you. Although this career path can be very rewarding, it also comes with its challenges and stressful moments.

Churn

In this business, customers can cancel their membership or subscription for your services - which can make revenue forecasting challenging and unpredictable. It's important to focus on your churn rates and trends so that you can prevent this as much as possible.

Time commitment

With starting a test prep business, all responsibilities and decisions are in your hands. Although this is not necessarily a negative thing, work life can take over at times. This can place a strain on friends and family and add to the pressure of launching a new business.

Difficult to build trust with your customer

With starting a test prep business, there can be minimal face-to-face interaction, which means it can be a lot more difficult to establish trust with your customers. You'll need to go the extra mile with your customer to grab their attention and business.

Strict regulations

With any test prep business, there are strict rules and regulations as it relates to processing your product. You must follow these regulations specifically, or significant legal issues could occur.

Marketing Ideas

  • 1

    Word of mouth

    Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.

    Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.

    According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.

    Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.

    Learn more about word of mouth ➜

  • 2

    Social Media Advertising

    Social media advertising is the use of social media platforms to connect with your audience with the objective to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.

    According to Oberlo, approximately 48% of the global population use social media, and the number is ever-growing.

    Therefore, social media allows brands access to cost-effective advertising by enabling them to interact with a large audience.

    Learn more about social media advertising ➜

  • 3

    Pay Per Click Advertising

    Pay-per-click (PPC) is a performance-based marketing method that allows you to show specific ads for services or products oriented to a very defined target, with the goal that the user visits your website or landing page.