The ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC) comes in four levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Which one you earn depends on your level scores on the three NCRC tests, Applied Math, Graphic Literacy and Workplace Documents. This page explains the rule for each level, what ACT says each level means for jobs, how the certificate is verified and how employers use the levels.

This page is independent practice information and is not affiliated with ACT. Requirements for a specific job or program are set by the employer or program, so check with them.

The four levels

Certificate	Minimum level on each of the three tests	What it shows, per ACT
Platinum	Level 6	Skills for about 99% of the jobs in the O*NET database
Gold	Level 5	Skills for about 93% of the jobs in the O*NET database
Silver	Level 4	Skills for about 71% of the jobs in the O*NET database
Bronze	Level 3	ACT gives no current job-share figure

The job shares are ACT’s figures for jobs identified in the US Department of Labor’s O*NET database. Older state and college flyers sometimes show different numbers for Silver and a figure for Bronze; those come from earlier versions of the data, so ACT’s current figures above are the ones to use.

The lowest score sets your level

The certificate is not an average. Your level is the lowest of your three level scores. Some examples:

Applied Math	Graphic Literacy	Workplace Documents	Certificate
6	6	7	Platinum
7	5	6	Gold
5	4	7	Silver
7	7	3	Bronze
6	5	Below 3	No certificate yet

The fourth row shows why this matters. Two Level 7 scores and one Level 3 earn a Bronze, the same as three Level 3s. If you are one level short of the certificate you want, focus your study on that one test rather than on the tests you already do well on.

You need a level score of at least 3 on all three tests to earn any NCRC. A score of below 3 on any test means no certificate until you retest and reach Level 3 on it. For what level scores mean and the scale-score cuts, see WorkKeys scores and levels.

What each level means in practice

Because levels are cumulative, each certificate means you showed every skill up to that level on all three tests.

• Bronze (Level 3 on all three). You can do single-step math with clearly stated numbers, find one piece of information in a simple graphic, and follow short, plainly written notices and procedures.
• Silver (Level 4). You can handle one- or two-step problems with extra information, averages and simple ratios, compare information in moderately busy graphics, and follow multi-step instructions where the conditions change.
• Gold (Level 5). You can work multi-step problems with unit conversions, area and percent discounts, spot trends and draw inferences from more complex graphics, and apply policies with jargon, acronyms and if-then conditions to new situations.
• Platinum (Level 6). You can set up problems that need considerable translation from words to math, reverse percentages and volume, interpret trends across dense or combined graphics, and work out implied meaning and undefined jargon in complex documents.

How employers use NCRC levels

Employers don’t usually ask for a certificate at random. Through ACT’s job profiling, a job’s tasks are studied and the WorkKeys level needed on each test is set for that job. ACT has built more than 22,000 job profiles since 1993. As a made-up example, an employer might ask for Level 5 in Applied Math and Level 4 in Workplace Documents for a machine operator role. Some employers and programs simply ask for a certificate level, such as Silver or Gold, as a hiring or admission standard.

The NCRC is also used by workforce boards, adult education programs and communities in ACT’s Work Ready Communities program, and several states give WorkKeys to high school students. ACT reports that more than 6.1 million NCRCs have been earned.

The digital badge and verification

The NCRC comes with a digital badge through Credly that you can add to a resume, an online profile or a job application. Each certificate also has a 9-digit verification number so an employer can confirm it is genuine. Your score report lists your scale and level scores for each test, so an employer who needs a specific level on one test can see it, not just the certificate level.

Other benefits

• College credit. The American Council on Education (ACE) recommends up to 9 semester hours of credit for a Silver, Gold or Platinum NCRC. Whether a school accepts that recommendation is up to the school.
• Spanish. The tests are available in Spanish, with 70 minutes per test instead of 55, and lead to the NCRC en Español.

Moving up a level

If you already have a certificate and want a higher one, you can retest. Retake rules and fees are set by each testing site, and many sites ask you to wait a period, often about 30 days, before retesting. Check with your site. Before you retest, find out which of your three scores is the lowest, since raising it is the only way to raise the certificate.

For the test formats, see the WorkKeys test guide. If Applied Math is holding you back, the Applied Math formula sheet and Applied Math topics by level are good places to start.

Keep practicing

Our timed practice tests cover all three NCRC tests in the real format and give you an estimated level from 3 to 7 after each one, so you can see which test is setting your certificate level. Start from the home page, or try the Graphic Literacy practice questions.