Sell test prep resources and exam revision packs
Practice sets for state tests, SAT and ACT, GCSE and A level, HSC, VCE or NAPLAN-style skills sell well when the questions are your own and the answer explanations are better than the ones teachers can find for free.
Short answer: Yes, you can sell test prep resources on TeachLessons if every question is written by you. Official past papers, mark schemes and exam board logos belong to their owners, so model your format on the published specification instead. You keep 70% of net revenue, there are no fees, and you can sell the same packs elsewhere.
What do teachers look for when they buy test prep resources?
Test prep is bought under time pressure. A Year 11 teacher six weeks before mocks, or a Grade 5 teacher planning spring review before the state test, wants material that matches the skills on the exam and can go in front of students the same day. They are not short of questions. They are short of questions that are sorted by skill, pitched at the right difficulty and come with explanations a student can learn from.
The packs that sell tend to share a few traits:
- Skill-level tagging. Each question labeled with the standard, specification point or skill it practices, so a teacher can pull only the ones their class got wrong.
- Worked answers, not just letters. A key that says "C" helps the teacher mark. A key that explains why B and D are tempting but wrong helps the student, and that is what people pay for.
- Realistic format and timing. Question styles, command words and mark allocations that feel like the real paper, with suggested timings.
- Graded difficulty. A warm-up set, a core set and a stretch set inside one pack lets a teacher use it with a mixed class.
- Trackers. A simple skills tracker or self-assessment grid turns a question set into a revision plan.
Can I use official past papers or exam board material in test prep?
No. This is the rights pitfall that catches the most test prep authors. Released state test items, SAT and ACT questions, GCSE and A level past papers, HSC and VCE exams and NAPLAN tests are owned by the bodies that publish them. Teachers may be allowed to use them free in class, but that does not give anyone the right to repackage and sell them. The same goes for mark schemes, examiner reports and sample assessment materials.
What you can do is study the published specification or test blueprint and write your own questions that practice the same skills in a similar style. A curriculum statement or a list of assessed skills describes what is tested; your questions, passages, diagrams and explanations are your own work.
TeachLessons does not check resources for third-party rights. If a pack contains copied exam questions, the responsibility sits with the seller, and we may take a resource offline if we receive a complaint. Write it yourself and you avoid the problem completely.
Three further habits keep you safe:
- Do not put exam board, testing company or government logos on covers or previews. Name the exam in plain words to describe what the pack is for, for example "practice for GCSE Biology Paper 1 topics".
- Write your own reading passages for English and reading test prep, or use texts that are clearly in the public domain where you live and where you sell. Do not lift passages from released tests.
- Avoid wording such as "official", "endorsed" or "approved" unless an exam body has actually told you so in writing.
Why should test prep listings avoid promising higher scores?
Every teacher knows that a practice booklet cannot guarantee a grade, and promises like "raise scores by 20 points" read as a sales pitch rather than a teaching tool. They also invite complaints from buyers whose students did not improve. Describe what the pack contains and how it can be used: number of questions, skills covered, the format of the answers, and suggested ways to run it (timed practice, retrieval starters, homework, intervention groups). That is what helps a buyer decide, and it is honest.
Our own listings follow the same rule. When we write your product page we describe the resource, its skills and its format. We do not promise results to buyers, and we can't promise you a number of sales either.
How should I format test prep files and previews?
Most test prep is printed or projected, so a PDF is the safest main file. Put the answer key and worked explanations at the back of the same PDF, or include them as a separate file inside one ZIP. If students will type answers, an editable version or a link to a copy of a digital form can sit in the same ZIP. Clear names help: GCSE-Biology-Cells-Practice-Set-1.pdf tells the buyer exactly what they downloaded.
For previews, show the parts a skeptical teacher wants to check:
- One page of real questions, at full size, so the difficulty is visible.
- One page of the worked answer key, partly covered if you like.
- The skills map or contents page that shows coverage.
- A thumbnail with the exam stage and topic in large text, for example "Grade 8 Math State Test Review: Ratios".
Previews and thumbnails must be PNG or JPEG files, and square thumbnails work best. Our guide on making previews and thumbnails has layouts that work for question-based resources.
How should I price test prep and revision packs?
You set your own prices in US dollars. Our optional suggestion is at least $4.99 for a single resource, but the decision is always yours. Test prep has a clear value signal: the number of good questions with explanations. A 20-question topic set is a different product from a full-length mock with a mark scheme you wrote, and the price can say so.
| Example product | Possible price | Your payout per sale |
|---|---|---|
| Single-skill practice set with key | $3.50 | $2.38 |
| Topic revision pack with worked answers | $4.99 | $3.39 |
| Full original mock paper with mark scheme | $10.00 | $6.79 |
| Whole-course revision bundle | $24.99 | $16.97 |
Payout per sale is the price times 0.97 (payment processing) times 0.70, which is 67.9% of the price. Try your own numbers in the payout calculator. Bundles are only made with your approval, so a revision bundle is something you choose to offer.
Timing matters too. Demand for revision peaks before exam seasons, so send seasonal packs well ahead. Price changes you send by email take effect within 5 business days.
Which exam systems can I write test prep for?
Our buyers are teachers, schools and homeschool parents, mainly in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore and international schools. That spread means test prep for one system will not suit everyone, so say clearly which one a pack targets. A pack aimed at US state test skills should use US spelling and US Letter; one aimed at GCSE should use British spelling and A4, or offer both paper sizes.
US state tests, SAT, ACT
Skill-tagged practice by standard, test-taking strategy lessons, timed sections you wrote. Keep testing company names to plain descriptions.
GCSE and A level
Practice by specification point, exam-style questions with your own mark schemes, command word guides. Name the board in text only.
HSC, VCE, NAPLAN-style
Original extended-response prompts, marking guides you wrote, literacy and numeracy skill practice described as NAPLAN-style rather than official.
If you teach Cambridge courses, see our page on selling Cambridge IGCSE and A level resources.
How do I start selling my test prep resources?
- Apply. Fill in the short application form. It takes about five minutes and needs no files.
- Get the documents. We email you the Seller Agreement, payout form, Resource Rights Checklist, the Resource Submission List (an Excel sheet) and a short guide.
- List your packs. Add one row per resource in the sheet: file name, preview and thumbnail names, title, subject, grades, type, price and a short description. Tag the exam system in the description.
- Send one email. Send the signed documents, files, previews and thumbnails to support@stifo.de, or one Google Drive, Dropbox or WeTransfer link that opens without a login. Up to 100 MB per resource.
- Go live. We confirm receipt within 2 business days, write your product pages, author page and landing pages, and your packs go live as soon as they are set up. There is no extra approval round, so send final, proofread versions.
Have a whole bank of revision sets? Our guide to submitting many resources at once shows how to fill the sheet quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell test prep resources that use released state test questions?
No. Released items belong to the state or testing company that published them. Write your own questions that practice the same skills and describe the pack as practice for that test.
Can I put the exam board logo on my GCSE revision pack?
No. Logos are trademarks of their owners. You can name the exam and specification in plain text to describe what the pack covers, but keep logos off covers, thumbnails and previews.
Is it fine to call my pack NAPLAN-style or SAT-style practice?
Describing the skills and format a pack practices is normal, as long as the questions are yours and you do not suggest the pack is official or endorsed by the exam body.
What payout do I get for a $10 mock exam?
You get $6.79 per sale. The $0.30 payment cost is taken first, leaving $9.70 net, and you keep 70% of that.
Can I also sell my test prep packs on my own website?
Yes. There is no exclusivity, so you can sell the same resources anywhere, unless you have signed an exclusive deal elsewhere for a particular resource.
Can I update a revision pack when the specification changes?
Yes. Email the new version to support@stifo.de and we replace the file. Buyers keep their license to what they bought.
Ready to sell your teaching resources?
Apply with the short form. We email you the seller documents, you send your final files with previews and thumbnails, and we set up your product pages, your author page and landing pages. You keep 70% of net revenue, with no fees and no exclusivity.
Keep reading
General information about the TeachLessons Seller Program, not legal, tax or financial advice. The signed Seller Agreement sets out the binding terms. Questions: support@stifo.de.