ACT WorkKeys Graphic Literacy is the NCRC test about reading workplace graphics: tables, charts, graphs, forms, gauges, schedules, flow charts, timelines, maps, floor plans and digital dashboards. It replaced the older Locating Information test. Nearly everything you need is in the graphic in front of you, so the challenge is reading carefully and quickly when the graphics get dense.

This page explains how the test is laid out, what makes one question harder than another, and the reading habits that help most. It is independent practice information and is not affiliated with ACT.

Graphic Literacy at a glance

Item	Details
Questions	38, with a few unscored tryout questions mixed in
Time	55 minutes
Choices	4 per question (A to D)
Calculator	Not allowed
Levels	3 to 7, in order from easiest to hardest
Layout	A few single questions, then sets of 2 or 3 questions per graphic

How the test is laid out

ACT’s directions describe the layout. The first few questions are single questions, each with its own graphic. The rest come in sets of two or three questions, and each set is preceded by one or more graphics. Like the other NCRC tests, the questions run from easier to harder, so the graphics at the end are the densest.

With 55 minutes for 38 questions you have a little under a minute and a half per question. The sets help: once you understand a graphic, the next one or two questions about it go faster.

No calculator, and very little math

A calculator is not allowed on Graphic Literacy, but you will not miss it. ACT’s technical manual limits the math in these questions to basic numeracy: whole numbers, common fractions with denominators of 2, 3, 4 or 10, and common percents. Think of single-digit arithmetic, doubling or halving numbers under 100, or a mix such as “1 part cleaner to 4 parts water.” There are no equations, no decimals or uneven division, no areas and no averages. If a question seems to need heavy arithmetic, you have probably misread what it asks.

The kinds of graphics you will see

• Tables and schedules. Shift schedules, delivery times, inventory counts, price lists and rate tables. Read the column headings and any note underneath.
• Forms. Order forms, work orders and invoices, often with rules for shipping, discounts or deadlines printed beside them.
• Gauges and meters. A pressure, temperature or fuel gauge, with a safe range marked or stated.
• Bar, line and pie graphs. Sales by month, output by hour, budget shares. Check the scale on each axis and whether the units are thousands or percents.
• Flow charts and timelines. Steps in a process or a project, where the question may ask for the next or missing step.
• Maps, floor plans and diagrams. Routes, building layouts and equipment diagrams with a legend or key.
• Dashboards and composite graphics. Several small charts together, or a chart paired with a table, where you use one to read the other.

How levels rise: complexity and steps

ACT builds each Graphic Literacy question from two things: how complex the graphic is and how many thinking steps the question takes. Together they set its level.

Graphic complexity comes in four categories in ACT’s technical manual:

• Simple: one or two axes, one level of data, one or two variables, up to about 20 data points, a common type of graphic, and only one graphic.
• Low moderate: more than one level of data but no nesting, three to five variables, and possibly two simple graphics together.
• High moderate: nested data (for example, colors within product lines), many variables, a less common type of graphic, or several graphics.
• Difficult: dense data, likely nesting, possibly more than two axes, and less common or composite graphics.

Thinking steps come in three kinds:

• One step (extract): find a piece of information, or the next or missing step in a process.
• Two steps (between): compare pieces of information, use one graphic to find something in another, spot a trend, make an inference or decision, or pick the graphic that shows the data.
• Three steps (beyond): interpret or compare trends, draw an inference after looking across graphics, justify an inference, or choose the most effective graphic for a purpose.

The level is where the two meet (ACT’s grid leaves the blank cells unused):

Thinking steps	Simple	Low moderate	High moderate	Difficult
One step	Level 3	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Two steps		Level 4	Level 5	Level 6
Three steps		Level 5	Level 6	Level 7

So Level 3 means finding one value on a plain gauge or table, and Level 7 means comparing trends or justifying a conclusion from a dense or combined graphic. ACT also notes that lower-level graphics avoid scientific subject matter and jargon, and that graphics use as few words as possible.

According to the blueprint in ACT’s technical manual, a form has 32 scored questions: about 4 at Level 3, 6 to 7 at Level 4, 8 to 9 at Level 5, 7 to 9 at Level 6 and 5 at Level 7. By skill, about 10 to 13 ask you to locate information, 6 to 11 ask about trends, 6 to 11 ask for inferences and 3 to 4 ask you to choose the right graphic.

Reading strategies that work

• Read the frame before the data. Look at the title, the column and row headings, the axis labels, the units and any legend or note. Many wrong answers come from reading the right number in the wrong unit.
• Find the rule. Forms and tables often carry a rule in a note: a safe range, a cutoff, a reorder point, an expiration date. Read its exact wording. “Below 5” is not the same as “5 or less,” and “good through June 30” includes June 30.
• Read the question, then go back to the graphic. Use the question’s words to pick the row and column before you scan a dense table.
• For trends, look at every point. “Rose each hour” means every hour, not just the first and last. Check the whole run before choosing.
• With two graphics, link them by a shared item. Look up a name, date or part number in one graphic, then carry it to the other. Write the linked value on scratch paper.
• Eliminate choices the graphic contradicts. With four choices, ruling out two makes a guess much better, and there is no penalty for guessing.

Old Locating Information materials

If you have prep materials for Locating Information, they still help with reading tables, forms and charts. Keep two differences in mind. ACT’s sample questions for Locating Information use five answer choices and cover Levels 3 to 6, while Graphic Literacy uses four choices and goes up to Level 7. For more on the name changes, see Reading for Information vs. Workplace Documents.

Where to go next

Try the Graphic Literacy practice questions, which use six workplace graphics, from a simple gauge log to two linked tables. To see how your result turns into a level and a certificate, read about scores and levels and the NCRC certificate levels, or start with the WorkKeys test guide.

Keep practicing

Our three timed Graphic Literacy practice tests each have 38 questions in 55 minutes on real-looking workplace graphics, in level order like the real test, with an explanation for every answer and an estimated level when you finish. Start from the home page.