WorkKeys Workplace Documents Practice Questions
Updated October 31, 2026
ACT WorkKeys Workplace Documents is the reading test of the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC). You read the kinds of documents people use on the job, such as notices, memos, emails, policies, procedures and contracts, and answer questions about them. The real test has 35 questions in 55 minutes, each with five choices, and every document is followed by two or more questions.
The 14 questions below are original, written for this page, on four workplace documents that go from a short Level 3 notice to a dense Level 7 policy. Each document is printed first, then its questions. This page is independent practice information and is not affiliated with ACT.
Workplace Documents at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Questions | 35 on the test (a few are unscored tryout questions) |
| Time | 55 minutes |
| Choices | 5 per question (A to E) |
| Documents | Notices, memos, emails, policies, procedures, contracts and regulations |
| Question types | Main idea and details, applying what you read, and word meanings |
| Old name | Reading for Information |
How the documents get harder
At Level 3 the document is short and simple, and the question uses the same words as the text. By Level 4 the questions are reworded, and steps change depending on conditions. At Level 5 you meet jargon, acronyms and if-then rules. At Levels 6 and 7 the writing is dense, some meanings are only implied, a term may never be defined, and you may have to connect two or more related documents, such as the messages in an email thread.
Tips for Workplace Documents questions
- Read the question before the long documents. Knowing what you need tells you which part of a policy to read closely.
- Watch the conditions. Words such as “if,” “unless,” “except” and “regardless” decide the answer in harder questions.
- Trust the latest message. In an email thread, a later reply can change what an earlier one said.
- Use context for unfamiliar terms. If a term is never defined, the sentences around it usually tell you what it must mean.
For how the old Reading for Information test relates to this one, see Reading for Information vs. Workplace Documents.
The documents
Document 1: Notice posted in the break room
Notice to all staff: Break room refrigerator
The break room refrigerator is cleaned every Friday at 3:00 p.m.
- Label all food with your name and the date.
- Food left in the refrigerator at 3:00 p.m. on Friday will be thrown away.
- Take home any containers you want to keep before then.
- If the refrigerator is not cooling, call Facilities at extension 4410.
Thank you for helping keep the break room clean.
Document 2: Memo from Human Resources
To: All hourly staff, Distribution Center 2
From: Dana Brooks, Human Resources
Subject: New steps for requesting paid time off (PTO), starting May 1
Starting May 1, all PTO requests must be made in the Staff Portal. Paper request forms will no longer be accepted. Submit each request at least 14 days before the first day you want off. Your supervisor will approve or deny it in the portal within 3 business days. If you have not received an answer by then, contact Human Resources directly.
A request for 5 or more workdays in a row needs approval from both your supervisor and your department manager, so submit it at least 30 days ahead.
During the peak season blackout, November 15 through December 31, PTO is approved only for emergencies. You may report an emergency absence by phone to your supervisor, but you must enter it in the Staff Portal within 2 business days after you return to work.
If a request is denied, your supervisor will note the reason in the portal. You may submit a new request for different dates at any time.
Document 3: Email thread about a supplier’s deliveries
From: Marcus Hill, Purchasing. To: Receiving team. Subject: Coldline Foods delivery changes
Starting the week of June 8, Coldline Foods will deliver frozen goods on Tuesdays and Fridays instead of Mondays and Thursdays. Their drivers will now call 30 minutes before they arrive. As before, reject any frozen pallet that probes above 0 degrees F, and write the reading on the BOL before the driver signs it.
Reply from: Tasha Nguyen, Receiving lead. To: Marcus Hill
Marcus, on Fridays we have only two people on the dock after 1:00 p.m. Can Coldline commit to arriving before noon on Fridays? If not, I would want the Friday delivery moved to Saturday morning, when we have a full crew. Also, do we keep rejecting at 0 degrees, or does the new contract change the limits?
Reply from: Marcus Hill, Purchasing. To: Tasha Nguyen; Receiving team
Coldline has confirmed Friday arrivals between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m., so we will not need Saturday. The new contract keeps the same limit for frozen goods. For chilled goods such as dairy and produce, though, the limit drops from 45 degrees F to 41 degrees F. Please pass this on to the night crew, who receive Coldline’s chilled drop-offs.
Document 4: Excerpt from the employee handbook, Section 7.3, Company Vehicle Use
7.3.1 Employees authorized to operate a company vehicle must hold a valid driver’s license for the class of vehicle operated and must complete the Fleet Safety course prior to their first trip and every 24 months thereafter.
7.3.2 Company vehicles are to be used solely for business purposes. Incidental personal stops of short duration, such as a meal break, are permitted provided they occur along the assigned route and do not add more than 10 miles to the trip.
7.3.3 Any collision, regardless of fault or the extent of damage, must be reported to the Fleet Office within 24 hours. Failure to report within this period may result in suspension of driving privileges, irrespective of whether the employee was responsible for the collision.
7.3.4 Fines for parking or moving violations incurred while operating a company vehicle are the responsibility of the driver, except where the violation results from a vehicle defect that was recorded on the most recent pre-trip inspection form and was not corrected by the Fleet Office.
7.3.5 Employees whose license is suspended or revoked must notify their supervisor before their next scheduled shift and will be reassigned to non-driving duties where available.
WorkKeys Workplace Documents practice questions
Questions 1 to 3 use Document 1, questions 4 to 7 use Document 2, questions 8 to 11 use Document 3, and questions 12 to 14 use Document 4.
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You work in an office that shares a break room. According to the notice in Document 1, when is the break room refrigerator cleaned?Answer: CThe notice says the refrigerator is cleaned every Friday at 3:00 p.m.
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According to Document 1, what should you do if the break room refrigerator is not cooling?Answer: AThe notice tells staff to call Facilities at extension 4410 if the refrigerator is not cooling.
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On Tuesday you put a lunch container in the break room refrigerator, labeled with your name and the date. You want to keep the container. Based on Document 1, what must you do?Answer: EAnything left in the refrigerator at 3:00 p.m. on Friday is thrown away, labeled or not, so you must take the container home before then. The label is required, but it does not protect the food from the Friday cleaning.
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You are an hourly worker at Distribution Center 2. What is the main purpose of the memo in Document 2?Answer: BThe memo's subject and first paragraph announce the change: starting May 1, PTO requests are made in the Staff Portal, and paper forms are no longer accepted. The other details explain how the new steps work.
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You want to take 7 workdays off in a row in March. Based on Document 2, what must you do?Answer: DA request for 5 or more workdays in a row needs two approvals, from the supervisor and the department manager, and must be submitted at least 30 days ahead. Since it is after May 1, it goes in the Staff Portal.
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You submitted a PTO request in the Staff Portal 4 business days ago and have not received an answer. Based on Document 2, what should you do next?Answer: ASupervisors answer within 3 business days, and the memo says to contact Human Resources directly if you have not heard back by then. Four business days is past that limit.
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On Thursday, November 19, you have a family emergency, call your supervisor, and miss two days of work. You return on Monday, November 23. Based on Document 2, what must you still do?Answer: CDuring the blackout, an emergency absence can be reported by phone, but it must be entered in the Staff Portal within 2 business days after you return. Returning Monday, November 23, gives you through Tuesday, November 24.
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You work on the receiving dock. Based on Document 3, why did Tasha ask whether Coldline could arrive before noon on Fridays?Answer: ETasha writes that on Fridays only two people are on the dock after 1:00 p.m., and she wants the delivery to arrive while more workers are there.
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You work the night shift on the receiving dock. Based on Document 3, what should you do with a pallet of Coldline yogurt that probes at 43 degrees F?Answer: BYogurt is a chilled dairy product, and Marcus's last email says the chilled limit is now 41 degrees F, not 45. At 43 degrees the pallet is over the limit, so it is rejected, and readings are recorded on the BOL.
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Document 3 uses the term "BOL" without defining it. Based on how it is used, what is a BOL most likely to be?Answer: DThe reading is written on the BOL before the driver signs it, so it must be paperwork that travels with the shipment. In shipping, BOL stands for bill of lading, the document that lists what is being delivered.
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Based on all three messages in Document 3, which conclusion is supported?Answer: AMarcus's reply says Coldline confirmed Friday arrivals between 8:00 and 11:00 a.m., before the afternoon staffing drop, so Saturday is not needed. The frozen limit stayed at 0 degrees F, and the night crew handles chilled drop-offs.
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You drive a company van. A taillight is out, and you recorded it on this morning's pre-trip inspection form, but the Fleet Office has not fixed it. Later that day you are fined for the broken taillight. Based on Document 4, who is responsible for the fine?Answer: CSection 7.3.4 makes the driver pay fines except when the violation comes from a defect recorded on the most recent pre-trip inspection form that the Fleet Office did not correct. That exception fits this case.
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While parking a company truck, another driver backs into you. There is no visible damage, and the other driver admits fault. Based on Document 4, what must you do?Answer: DSection 7.3.3 says any collision must be reported to the Fleet Office within 24 hours regardless of fault or the extent of damage, and failing to report can lead to suspension of driving privileges.
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What is the most likely reason Section 7.3.2 limits personal stops to those that add no more than 10 miles to a trip?Answer: BThe section says vehicles are for business use but allows brief stops such as a meal break along the route. The 10-mile cap keeps those stops small, so the vehicle stays in business use. The section never mentions fuel costs, and it expressly allows meal breaks.
Keep practicing
Our three timed Workplace Documents practice tests each have 35 questions in 55 minutes, 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.
Next, try the Applied Math practice questions or the Graphic Literacy practice questions, or see how the NCRC certificate levels are set.
Get the WorkKeys level the job asks for
- All 321 questions across Applied Math, Graphic Literacy and Workplace Documents
- An explanation for every answer, with the math steps worked out
- Nine timed practice tests, three for each test, with an estimated level after each