The ACT WorkKeys Test | Overview, Sample Questions & Test Prep [2024]
JobTestPrep's ACT® WorkKeys Assessment Test covers all the important WorkKeys test sections needed for you to receive the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) and reach the platinum score range.
Start practicing for the 5 most important WorkKeys subtests:
Practice Tests for 5 WorkKeys subtests:
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ACT's WorkKeys Test is a set of several assessments, each measuring a specific job skill. The questions are based on real-life working scenarios that employees experience daily.
Unlike most assessment tests, each ACT WorkKeys section features between 4-6 levels of difficulty. The levels are built on top of one another, each integrating the abilities assessed in the preceding level; thus, in level 5, you will need the skills from levels 3 and 4.
The test can be administered by computer or done by pencil-and-paper, depending on which section of the test you take and the testing center you registered at.
Passing the WorkKeys test will grant you the National Career Readiness Certificate, an official document certifying your workplace skills and demanded by employers across the United States. Achieving high on your WorkKeys assessment and getting a Platinum score (further explained below) will be an esteemed addition to your future CV.
The ACT WorkKeys comprises 8 sections; each assesses an essential work-related skill –
💡 If you're looking for free practice, you can check our Free Workkeys Practice Test.
The applied math section of the Work Key exam measures mathematical abilities that are required in the workplace, such as mathematical reasoning, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
This assessment can be administrated in both computer and pencil-and-paper form, and you will be allowed to use the ACT WorkKeys formula sheet.
The applied math assessment is mandatory for receiving the National Career Readiness Certificate.
This section has 5 difficulty levels and comprises of 34 questions to answer in 55 minutes.
You will be presented with a word problem in which you will need to demonstrate skills such as –
• Adding and subtracting
• Conversion between decimals and percentages
• Solving problems that include tares and ratios
Let’s see a WorkKeys Applied Math sample question –
Boston Fall is a new self-service salad restaurant. Dan went to the restaurant and asked for half a cucumber, one large potato, two carrots, three onions, three tomatoes, and one corncob.
The cost of one cucumber is a dollar; one large potato is 1⁄2 a dollar; one carrot is 3⁄4 of a dollar; one onion is 1⁄8 of a dollar; one tomato is 2 1⁄3 dollars; and one corncob is 3⁄8 of a dollar.
Dan came back with two friends: Michael asked for the same ingredients in his salad but with half the amount of each vegetable, and Brian asked for the same ingredients but with triple the amount of each vegetable. Dan offered to pay for everything.
Summarize the information given:
| Quantity | Vegetable | Price for One ($) | Paid in Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ½ | Cucumber | 1 | ½ |
| 2 | Carrot | ¾ | ¾ x 2 = 1½ |
| 1 | Potato | ½ | ½ |
| 3 | Onion | ⅛ | ⅛ x 3 = ⅜ |
| 3 | Tomato | 2⅓ | 2⅓ x 3 ⅓ x 3 = 7 |
| 1 | Corncob | ⅜ | ⅜ |
Calculate the price of Dan's salad:
Michael ordered half the amount of vegetables as Dan:
Brian ordered three times the amount of vegetables as Dan:
Instead of Dan paying only for his salad ,
Dan paid for Dan's + Michael's + Brian's salad .
Therefore, the difference in cost is Michael's salad plus Brian's salad :
The difference between the price Dan paid and the price he would have paid for his salad alone is 35 7⁄8.
If you chose (A), you probably forgot to calculate the tomatoes. If you chose answer (B), you probably did not add up the vegetables correctly. If you chose answer (C), review your calculations.
The correct answer is D
For more math assessing exams, check out our Free Cognitive Ability Practice Test .
The graphic literacy section of the WorkKeys test measures your ability to identify, comprehend, and incorporate data displayed in diagrams, charts, and graphs.
This assessment can be administered on both computer and pencil-and-paper.
The graphic literacy assessment is mandatory for receiving the National Career Readiness Certificate.
This section has 5 difficulty levels and comprises 38 questions to answer in 55 minutes.
You will be presented with graphical information followed by a multiple-choice question, in which you will need to demonstrate skills such as –
• Identifying information
• Recognizing trends, relationships, and patterns
• Justify decisions using the information found in the graphic
Here is a WorkKeys Graphic Literacy sample question –
You work as a business manager for an advertising company. You are trying to understand which social networking tools are relevant for different age groups in various continents. Which continent uses, in 4th in popularity, a social network that is 2nd in popularity among women? (The answer is per 2011 data.)
To solve this question, you should find the relevant social network and then find the matching continent.
To find the social network that is 2nd in popularity among women, you need to follow the bars in blue on the "Average Demographic Breakdown of Active Users in 2011" chart. The first place is Facebook with 43%, and the 2nd is Twitter.
The next step is to find the continent in which Twitter is 4th in popularity. Relative to geographic locations, Twitter is most popular in Asia (165.19), then Europe (49.09), then North America (47.75), and, finally, in fourth place in Latin America (27.06).
Thus, the correct answer is (E), Latin America.
The workplace document section of the Work Key exam measures your ability to read, interpret and use workplace written materials, such as letters, memos, contracts, and policies.
This assessment can be administered on both computer and pencil-and-paper.
The workplace documents assessment is mandatory for receiving the National Career Readiness Certificate.
This section has 5 difficulty levels and comprises 35 questions to answer in 55 minutes.
You will be presented with textual information followed by a multiple-choice question in which you will need to demonstrate skills such as –
• Identifying specific details within the text
• Extraneous information
• Identifying the rationale behind a document
Let’s look at a WorkKeys Workplace Documents sample question –
Green Hills Country Club: Procedures for Daily Filter Backwashing
Due to the amount of use the pool gets, the size of pipework and filter, and the use of a liquid flocculant, the swimming pool at the Green Hills Country Club needs to be backwashed every day.
If not backwashed at night, the procedure will be postponed until the end of the next day unless the pool has not been backwashed for three consecutive days.
Standard backwashing procedure:
Note: If steps are not done in the correct order, the pool mechanism will automatically reset itself and the procedure must be started again. At any phase, the process can be stopped by calling the BioTech service center.
• First, close the two isolation valves, red handles quarter turn clockwise.
• Turn off main pool circulation pump by turning the key marked “Circulation” near the control box.
• Press the green button in the control box to start pump; water in Perspex dome will go cloudy.
• When water turns clear, which normally takes three to four minutes, turn pump off again by pushing the red button in the control box.
• Turn on pump again and let run for 20 seconds.
• Turn off pump.
• Finish by turning circulation back on and turning the isolation valves a quarter-turn counterclockwise.
You are responsible for backwashing the pool at Green Hills Country Club. What must you do after letting the pump run for 20 seconds?
