Everything You Need to Know About Reading Comprehension Tests

Across most companies, reading comprehension is one of the most commonly tested traits of a potential employee. This is likely due to the high necessity for the skill in many industries. Having high reading comprehension can lead directly to a safer work environment, higher productivity, improved customer relations, and so much more.

This is because reading comprehension refers to more than just the ability to read, it refers to the ability to accurately assess written information and analyze it to solve problems and ascertain important data.

This skill used to be a focus for only positions with a large amount of written and verbal communication but has more recently become a basic focus for many industries as they recognize that reading comprehension is directly correlative to a person’s ability to understand and utilize new information.

How Pre-Employment Reading Comprehension Tests Differ from Those for Students

You might remember taking reading comprehension exams in school, and if you are fresh out of high school you may be pretty confident in your ability to pass the test. However, it is important to realize that an assessment issued by a school is observing something different than an employer.

Schools focus on the growth of reading comprehension skills and ensuring that there is a level of ability needed to pass through to the next grade or step in life. Companies use these reading comprehension tests to look beyond the base level of ability and peer into the deeply logical side of reading comprehension.

Can an employee read between the lines to answer abstract questions?

Can they scan data quickly to get accurate answers to time-sensitive questions?

Even if you are an avid reader, it is important to practice before a pre-employment assessment to ensure that you are performing at the level these companies desire.

What do Reading Comprehension Tests Look Like?

Reading comprehension tests usually look pretty similar no matter where the test is issued. What changes is the complexity of the questions and how quickly you are expected to answer them.

Each section of questions will begin with some form of a reading prompt. This may be a few paragraphs of an article, essay, novel, or work-specific documentation. You will be given a set amount of time to both read the passage and answer a series of multiple-choice questions related to the text.

The time limit for this will vary from test to test, but some tests give as little as 90 seconds to both read the prompt and answer the question.

Which Tests Include a Reasoning Comprehension Section

There are many pre-employment exams that cover reading and verbal comprehension in some way. Some have full sections dedicated to the subject while others sprinkle in reading comprehension questions among a multitude of other subjects. Here are just a few of the pre-employment tests that include reading comprehension questions:

Why Employers Use Reading Comprehension Tests

These tests are incredibly useful for employers because they give a narrow look into the verbal, logical, and communicative skills of a candidate. These skills are all related to good cognitive understanding, which is a marker for a consistent and trustworthy employee.

Managers want to know that their employees are capable of accessing information and making informed decisions without the need for constant input from others. This is especially important for job roles that utilize written information constantly. Some examples are:

• Editors
• Customer service reps
• Data entry specialists
• HR associates
• Scientists
• Healthcare Professionals
• Pharmacists
• Pharmacy Techs

Reading Comprehension Tests FAQs

Are These Tests Easy for Avid Readers?

In some regard, these tests are a bit easier for those who practice reading on a regular basis. Still, the depth of the questions on these exams will go deeper than most people are used to, which is why proper preparation is so important.

Do All Jobs Require Reading Comprehensions Tests?

No, but the majority of jobs that issue pre-employment exams have some form of reading or verbal comprehension within their assessments. If you are facing a pre-employment exam like the CCAT or Civil Service Test, you will be facing a reading comprehension section of questions.

How Long Are Reading Comprehension Tests?

It depends on the specific test given. Some tests allow you 30 minutes for an entire section of questions. Others break the time down to 90 seconds per questions. Be sure to read the instructions for your test carefully before you begin.

Are There Any Tricks for Passing a Reading Comprehension Test?

Practice, practice, and practice some more. The only way to ensure that you have the knowledge and skills it takes to ace the exam is by practicing with professionally crafted preparation materials like you will find on JobAssessmentHelp.com.

How to Prepare for a Reading Comprehension Test with JobAssessmentHelp

If you want to ensure that you do well on the reading comprehension portion of any test there are a few steps to take. First, see if you can ascertain which test you are actually taking. Knowing the name of your test will help you to narrow your practice materials down to the specific ones that can help you.

Don’t know which test you are taking? That’s okay too! At JobAssessmentHelp, we have materials to help you master reading comprehensions or any other area of knowledge necessary to improve your chances of landing your dream job.