Reading comprehension test practice

What the real test usually looks like

There is no single standard reading comprehension test. Employers choose their own, sometimes as a stand-alone test and sometimes as one part of a wider basic skills test, so the number of passages, the questions and the time limit all vary. Your invitation is the best guide to yours. Four public examples show the range:

• A workplace document test. Creative Organizational Design describes its Reading Comprehension Aptitude Test as 6 passages with 4 to 6 questions each in 16 minutes, built on documents such as training materials, company policies, safety data sheets and customer correspondence (Creative Organizational Design).
• A short online test. TestGorilla lists its reading comprehension test at 13 minutes and says it covers finding the main thought of a passage and making inferences from it, along with vocabulary in context and the author's purpose (TestGorilla).
• Reading inside a basic skills test. Criteria's Basic Skills Test has 40 questions in 20 minutes across verbal and math skills, and its verbal part includes reading comprehension (Criteria).
• A civil service example. New York State's guide to its PATT written test describes brief reading passages followed by questions, with four answer choices and prompts such as "Which one of the following statements is best supported by the passage above?" It tells candidates to base answers only on the passage, not on what they happen to know about the topic (New York State PATT guide).

Question types commonly reported:

• Main idea: the point of the whole document, not one sentence in it.
• Detail: a fact stated in the text, often a time, an amount or a condition.
• Inference: what the text supports without saying it in so many words.
• Word in context: what a word means as it is used in the passage.
• Sometimes the author's purpose, or what a word such as "it" or "this" refers to.

What our mocks cover. Each full mock has 24 questions in 24 minutes: six workplace documents (memos, policies, procedures and similar), with four questions on each covering the main idea, details, inferences and vocabulary in context. Every question has four options, and you can go back and flag questions before you submit. Our mocks do not include grammar, spelling or math, which some basic skills tests combine with reading.

Question types with worked examples

One worked example for each question type, with the trap most people fall into.

Notice: "From June 1, visitors to the lab must sign in at reception and wear a visitor badge at all times. Badges are returned at reception on leaving. Contractors with a yearly pass are exempt from signing in but must still wear their pass."

1. Main idea. What is the notice mainly about? The new sign-in and badge rule for lab visitors. Trap: choosing the contractor exception because it is the most specific line. A main idea covers the whole text, not its most memorable sentence.

2. Detail. Does a contractor with a yearly pass need to sign in? No, but they must wear the pass. Trap: answering half the question. Details often come with a condition attached, so read to the end of the sentence.

3. Inference. Which is best supported: (a) the lab had a security problem before June, or (b) reception will know which visitors are on site? Answer (b): visitors sign in and return badges there. Trap: (a) sounds like a likely reason for the rule, but the notice never gives a reason. An inference must rest on the text, not on a guess about why it was written.

4. Word in context. "Exempt" most nearly means (a) forbidden, (b) excused, (c) required. Answer (b): contractors are excused from signing in. Trap: picking the meaning you know best. Put each option back into the sentence and check that it still makes sense.

5. Applying the document. A visitor leaves at 4 p.m. What should they do with the badge? Return it at reception. Trap: adding steps the notice does not mention, such as telling a manager. Stay inside the text.

How to prepare

1. Read your invitation first. Check whether reading is a test of its own or one part of a wider skills test, and note the time limit and the number of questions. Formats vary too much to assume.
2. Read the question before the document. Knowing you need a date or a condition tells you what to look for, so you do not have to hold the whole text in your head.
3. Answer only from the text. The New York State PATT guide puts it plainly: base answers on what is in the passage, not on what you may know about the topic (New York State PATT guide). This matters most in workplace documents, where your own job habits can pull you away from what the memo says.
4. Watch the small words. "Only", "unless", "at least", "within", "except" and "may" decide many questions. "May be refused" is not "will be refused".
5. Find the line, then answer. For a detail question, find the sentence that holds the fact before you look at the options. For an inference, find the sentence that supports your choice.
6. Test every option in a word question. Put each choice back into the sentence and read it. The right one keeps the meaning of the document.
7. Practice at the real pace. A test like the one listed at 6 passages in 16 minutes leaves under three minutes per document, questions included (Creative Organizational Design). Take full timed mocks so reading under a clock feels normal on the day.

How scoring usually works

Scoring depends on the employer and the test. There is no national scale and no universal pass mark. Many tests count correct answers, and some then compare that count with a reference group. One public example:

• Criteria's Basic Skills Test: each candidate gets a raw score, the number of the 40 questions answered correctly, and a percentile ranking that compares the result with the group the test was normed on (Criteria).

How a result is used is up to the employer. A reading score may be one of several results, alongside an interview and other tests, and the level that counts as good enough can differ from one role to another.

Our practice score is the number of our own questions you answered correctly, with a breakdown by question type, so you can see whether main ideas, details, inferences or word questions cost you most. It is a practice score: it is not a score on any employer's or publisher's test and does not predict whether you will pass.

Common reading comprehension mistakes

• Choosing a true detail as the main idea. A statement can be correct and still not be the point of the document. Ask whether it covers the whole text.
• Filling gaps with your own experience. If your workplace handles returns differently, that does not matter. The document in front of you is the only rule book.
• Over-reading an inference. "Best supported" means the text backs it up, not that it could be true. An option that goes one step beyond the text is usually the trap.
• Missing a condition. "Unless a manager approves the difference in writing before the trip" changes the answer. Read every sentence to its last word.
• Doing the math loosely. Workplace documents are full of percentages, limits and dates. Work out the number before you look at the options.
• Rereading the whole document for every question. Go back to the line you need, not to the top.

If your test also asks you to judge statements against a passage rather than answer questions about it, our verbal reasoning practice covers that format. Many employment skills tests also include grammar and spelling, which our grammar test practices.