ACT WorkKeys is a set of workplace skills tests made by ACT. Three of them together lead to the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate, usually called the NCRC: Applied Math, Graphic Literacy and Workplace Documents. Employers, workforce boards, adult education programs and some high schools use the tests to show that a person has the math, reading and chart-reading skills that jobs ask for. This guide covers what each test looks like, how scoring and levels work, what the certificate means and how to prepare.

This site offers independent practice information and is not affiliated with ACT. Testing sites set their own fees and policies, so check with your site before you test.

The three NCRC tests at a glance

Item	Applied Math	Graphic Literacy	Workplace Documents
Questions on the form	34	38	35
Scored questions	31	32	30
Time (English)	55 minutes	55 minutes	55 minutes
Time (Spanish)	70 minutes	70 minutes	70 minutes
Answer choices	5 (A to E)	4 (A to D)	5 (A to E)
Calculator	Yes, and the online test has one on screen	Not allowed	Not needed
Formula sheet	Yes	No	No
Scale score	65 to 90	65 to 90	65 to 90
Level score	Below 3, or 3 to 7	Below 3, or 3 to 7	Below 3, or 3 to 7

Each form includes a small number of questions that ACT is trying out. They do not count, and you cannot tell which they are, so treat every question as if it counts. Only correct answers are counted and there is no penalty for guessing, so answer every question before time runs out.

The tests are given online or on paper, with the same 55 minutes in both. The testing site provides scratch paper, so don’t bring your own. On paper you need a No. 2 pencil, and you may bring a watch only if it has no alarm.

Applied Math

Applied Math gives you short workplace word problems: totaling an order, making change, converting units, finding a discount, working out the area of a floor or the volume of a tank. Every question puts you in a job (“You work in a hardware store…”) and asks one question with five numeric choices.

You may use a calculator that meets the ACT Calculator Policy, and the online test has an on-screen calculator. A formula sheet of unit conversions and geometry formulas is part of the test: at the front of the paper booklet, where you may tear it out, or as a built-in tool online. The directions tell you to use 3.14 for pi, to read “average” as the mean, and not to assume diagrams are drawn to scale. See the Applied Math formula sheet for its full contents and Applied Math topics by level for what each level asks.

Graphic Literacy

Graphic Literacy asks you to read workplace graphics: tables, graphs, charts, dashboards, flow charts, timelines, forms, maps and blueprints. The first few questions stand alone. The rest come in sets of two or three questions about the same graphic or group of graphics. There are four choices and no calculator, so the math is kept to simple whole numbers, halves and easy percents. Questions get harder as the graphics get busier and the number of steps rises, from finding one value to comparing trends across two graphics. See Graphic Literacy tips and the Graphic Literacy practice questions.

Workplace Documents

Workplace Documents gives you the reading you would meet at work: memos, emails, notices, instructions, policies, contracts and regulations. Each document is followed by two or more questions. Early documents are short notices of about 80 to 150 words; the hardest are dense passages of up to about 500 words with undefined jargon, conditions and details spread across the text. Some sets use two related documents, such as an email thread or a policy and a customer email. Practice with the Workplace Documents questions.

Old test names

If you have older prep books, the names will look different. Reading for Information became Workplace Documents, Locating Information became Graphic Literacy, and Applied Mathematics became Applied Math. ACT ran its linking studies for the new tests in spring 2017, and the change is generally dated to about 2017 to 2018. See Reading for Information vs Workplace Documents for what changed and what older material still helps with.

Other WorkKeys tests, such as Applied Technology, Business Writing and Workplace Observation, exist but are not part of the NCRC.

How scoring works

Your number of correct answers is turned into a scale score from 65 to 90, which is then turned into a level score. Levels run from 3 to 7, and a score below Level 3 is reported as “below 3.” Because forms differ a little in difficulty, ACT uses the scale to keep levels fair from one form to another, so there is no fixed number of right answers that always equals a level.

Levels are cumulative. A Level 5 in Applied Math means you can handle the Level 3 and 4 skills as well as the Level 5 ones. For the full scale-to-level cut table and practice-form estimates, see WorkKeys scores and levels.

The NCRC levels

Your certificate level is set by your lowest level across the three tests:

Certificate	Minimum level on all three tests
Platinum	6
Gold	5
Silver	4
Bronze	3

So scores of 7, 6 and 4 earn a Silver. The certificate comes with a digital badge and a verification number that employers can check. See NCRC certificate levels for what each level means for jobs.

Where to test, cost and retakes

You take WorkKeys at a school, college, employer or workforce center; ACT’s Test Site Locator lists sites. There is no fixed national price. Each site sets its own fee, and some programs, such as state workforce or high school programs, cover it. Retake rules are also set locally, and many sites ask you to wait a period, often about 30 days, before you retest. Ask your site about fees, ID rules and retakes when you register.

How to prepare

• Know the layout. Questions run in level order, so the early ones are easier. Don’t spend too long early on and leave hard questions unread at the end.
• Practice Applied Math with the formula sheet beside you. Many misses come from not knowing which conversion is on the sheet, or from using the calculator’s pi key instead of 3.14.
• Read graphics before the question. Check the title, labels, units and any key first. Then find the exact row and column the question needs.
• Read documents for conditions. Higher-level Workplace Documents questions turn on words like “unless,” “only if” and “after.” Underline them on scratch paper.
• Take timed tests. 55 minutes is enough for most people if they keep moving. Practice at full length so the pace is familiar.
• Find your weakest test. Since the lowest level sets your certificate, raising your weakest test by one level can raise the whole certificate.

Keep practicing

Our timed practice tests follow the real format: 34 Applied Math, 38 Graphic Literacy and 35 Workplace Documents questions, 55 minutes each, in level order, with an estimated level after each test and an explanation for every answer. Start from the home page, or try the Applied Math practice questions first.