Pathway Planner. Know the realistic route from here to there.
Compare the realistic routes from where you are to where you want to be. Pathway Planner weighs study, apprenticeship, training and work-first options against your nation, time, cost and income needs.
- £19.99 once, full report included
- Or £29.99 printed and posted: printed in colour on premium A4 and posted flat by Royal Mail within 2 working days of finishing. UK delivery included. You also get the instant download.
- 8-12 minutes, untimed, saved as you go
- 24 scored questions
- For adults (18+) in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Pages from a sample report
Shown for a fictional person. Your report has the same sections, built from your answers.
Rated 4.7/5 by 112 testers.
Sound familiar?
- University, apprenticeship or straight into work? Every route compared against your time, budget and need to earn, not someone else's.
- You do not know what each route really costs. Time, fees and lost income laid out for each option, with what to check with the provider.
- The options are different where you live. Routes and names for England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, whichever you are planning for.
What you walk away with
- Which routes are feasible for your nation, timescale, budget and income needs
- The entry requirements, time and cost of each route, with what to verify with the provider
- Concrete next steps for the route that fits
Who it is for
- You know roughly where you want to go and need the realistic route
- You are weighing university against apprenticeship or work-first options
It does not measure: your interests or personality, whether a provider will accept you, funding eligibility (verify with the provider).
What the report contains
- Route preference profile
- How you lean between studying first, learning on the job, short training and starting work now.
- Feasibility of each route for your nation, time, cost and income needs
- Each route checked against the constraints you gave, with route names that match your nation.
- Entry requirements to verify
- What each route typically asks for, flagged for you to confirm with the provider.
- Time and cost implications
- How long each route takes and what it is likely to cost, including lost income where relevant.
- Next steps
- What to do first for the route that fits best.
- Sources, limitations and report version
- Where the route facts came from, what needs checking (funding eligibility), and the version used.
See a complete example in the sample Career Compass report.
A free career quiz versus this report
| Free quiz | Pathway Planner | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A personality type or a handful of job titles | Up to ten real UK careers, ranked on your own answers |
| The reasons | None you can check | Why each career appears, with the fit shown in parts you can question |
| Routes and pay | Not covered | Entry routes for your nation and pay context, each with its source and checked date |
| The downsides | Never mentioned | What could frustrate you in each leading option, stated plainly |
| What to do next | Nothing | A 30-day plan of small experiments before you spend time or money retraining |
| Who pays | Advertisers, or whoever is selling you a course | You, once. No adverts, no upsell, no affiliate influence on rankings |
How it works
- Pay once, with the guarantee. Before you start, so there is no paywall halfway through. Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- Answer at your own pace. Untimed questions about what you enjoy and what you need from work. Every answer saves, on any device.
- Get your report straight away. Software does the scoring and ranking; the write-up explains it. A web page in your account and a designed PDF.
More about Pathway Planner
Pathway Planner compares study, apprenticeship, training and work-first routes for your specific situation.
It is nation-aware, which matters in the UK: entry routes, funding and qualifications differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and generic advice quietly assumes England.
Useful for school leavers weighing university against an apprenticeship, and for career changers deciding whether a new qualification is actually required.
£19.99 once. Full report included, no subscription.
Already know the career? Check its entry routes in the career library first - some need no new degree.
Before you buy
What if the report is not useful to me?
If your report does not match the answers you gave, email support@tonyknows.co.uk. We read your answers against your report ourselves, and if it got you wrong you get a free retake. We compare the answers you actually gave against the report that came out. If they genuinely disagree, or the report came back too thin to be any use, you get a retake at no cost. If the report does match your answers and you simply read it differently, we will explain how it reached that result rather than retake it. Your legal rights are unaffected either way.
Why is it paid before I start?
So there is no surprise paywall after fifteen minutes of questions. You see the price, what the report contains and a full sample report before you pay; then the complete report is included.
Can I download the report?
Yes. Your report is a full web page you can reopen any time, and every report has a Download PDF button that produces a designed PDF of the same content.
Can I save and return?
Yes. Every answer is saved as you go, and you can continue on another device by signing in.
Will it tell me one perfect career?
No. Reports show components of fit, evidence coverage, trade-offs and practical readiness, so you can investigate options rather than trust a single verdict.
Does it work for all UK nations?
Routes and training names differ across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We ask which nation you are planning for and label route facts accordingly; some facts are indicative and need verifying with the provider.
Is this a psychometric test?
It is a structured assessment designed using established career-psychology frameworks. It is not a clinical test, an IQ test, a hiring screen or a diagnosis.
Is it suitable for under-18s?
Not yet. The paid assessments are for adults (18+). A supervised flow for under-18s is being reviewed and is not open, even when a parent buys. Under-18s can use the free career guides.
Is TonyKnows scientifically validated?
Not yet. The items are original and in pilot. We publish the theory, versions and limitations on the methodology page and will not call the assessment validated until evidence specific to it exists.
Do affiliate course links affect my results?
No. Some course links on TonyKnows are affiliate links, but commission never influences scores or rankings, and no course purchase is required for full results.
What happens if report generation fails?
Your answers are saved and you can retry at no extra cost. Scoring is done by software; if the written explanation cannot be generated, a factual version is shown and flagged for review.
The other assessments
- Career Compass - What job or career would actually suit me?
- Career Strengths - What am I naturally good at?
- Work Personality - How do I like to work, and what wears me out?
- Career Change - I want a change, but how big a change do I need?
- Work Fit - What kind of workplace will I be happy in?
Not sure which you need? Compare all six, or read how they are built and scored.