I'm not going to lie. I was a little bit nervous about taking some of the practice tests in the Learning Express Library featured on the South Dakota State Library's database list. It's been a long time since I took a college test (I'm not telling how long, either). And I always get a little bit flustered about test taking. Fortunately, since I was just "trying out" the database for the South Dakota Library Challenge, I felt a little less anxious. Still I was a bit curious to see how I would do. Naturally, I chose the reading comprehension section. My practice test was in literary reading. I was relieved to see when I scored my partially-taken test that I answered all my questions right. Whew! On to the next step.

My next investigation was into the career center, where I discovered a plethora of helpful topics if I was interested in changing careers (I'm not!). I also checked out the course on writing cover letters. While attending college, I was fortunate enough to work for a resume business. My boss was an excellent resume and cover letter writer, and to this day, I still keep her advice in mind when going about my writing. The tips provided on the Learning Express Library looked to be spot-on.

Finally, I took a look at various resources available. I focused on writing skills -- which I must need. When I took a practice test on essay writing, my score wasn't so hot. Admittedly, I wrote only a few sentences, but my score sort of stung my pride. How does a computer judge a creative essay, anyway? Just sayin' ...