This overview includes information to help you prepare for the ACT WorkKeys assessments. You will find details about the three assessments used to earn the National Career Readiness Certificate, additional WorkKeys assessments, registration, testing time, scores, retesting, and study resources.
NCRC Assessments
Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents
Testing Time
55 minutes for each core assessment
NCRC Levels
Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum
Registration and Cost
Determined by the local testing provider
What Are the ACT WorkKeys Assessments?
ACT WorkKeys is a system of workplace assessments designed to measure skills used across occupations and industries.
Schools, employers, workforce-development agencies, community colleges, training programs, and government organizations may use WorkKeys to:
- Measure foundational workplace skills
- Identify areas in which additional training may be useful
- Compare an individual’s skills with those needed for a particular occupation
- Support hiring, placement, promotion, and workforce-development decisions
- Allow students and job seekers to demonstrate career readiness
WorkKeys is not one single examination. An organization may require one assessment, several assessments, or the three core assessments used for the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate.
Most people preparing for a WorkKeys test are assigned Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, Workplace Documents, or all three. Confirm the exact assessments and required scores before studying.
What Is the WorkKeys NCRC?
The ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate, commonly called the NCRC, is a portable workplace credential based on three assessments:
Applied Math
Measures mathematical reasoning and problem-solving in workplace situations.
Graphic Literacy
Measures the ability to find and apply information presented in workplace graphics.
Workplace Documents
Measures the ability to understand and use written workplace information.
To earn an NCRC, a test taker must earn at least a Level 3 score on each of the three assessments. The certificate level is determined by the minimum level earned across all three.
NCRC Certificate Levels
Bronze
Minimum Level 3 on all three assessments
Demonstrates the foundational workplace skills measured at Levels 3 and below.
Silver
Minimum Level 4 on all three assessments
Demonstrates the skills measured through Level 4 on each core assessment.
Gold
Minimum Level 5 on all three assessments
Demonstrates the skills measured through Level 5 on each core assessment.
Platinum
Minimum Level 6 on all three assessments
Demonstrates the skills measured through Level 6 on each core assessment.
A particular employer, school, program, or licensing agency may require a score higher than the minimum needed for a Bronze certificate.
Applied Math Assessment
Applied Math contains 34 questions and has a 55-minute time limit. It is available through online and paper administration.
The assessment measures critical thinking, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving in realistic workplace contexts involving quantity, money, time, and measurement.
Applied Math Skills to Review
- Basic operations with positive and negative numbers
- Fractions, decimals, and percentages
- Ratios, proportions, and rates
- Averages and weighted averages
- Money, time, and measurement conversions
- Discounts, markups, taxes, and best-value comparisons
- Perimeter, circumference, area, and volume
- Multistep word problems
- Interpreting mathematical information in workplace graphics
- Identifying errors and selecting appropriate equations
Applied Math Difficulty Levels
Applied Math uses Level Scores from 3 through 7. Level 3 contains the least complex tasks, and Level 7 contains the most complex. Each higher level includes skills measured at the levels below it.
Calculator and Formula Sheet
A permitted calculator may be used throughout Applied Math. An Applied Math formula sheet and conversion information are also provided.
Four-function, scientific, and graphing calculators are generally permitted unless a model or feature is prohibited by the current ACT calculator policy. Calculators may not be used on Graphic Literacy, Workplace Documents, or the other WorkKeys assessments unless specifically authorized.
Calculator use does not replace mathematical reasoning. Many questions require you to decide which information, operation, formula, or conversion should be used before performing a calculation.
Graphic Literacy Assessment
Graphic Literacy contains 38 questions and has a 55-minute time limit. It measures how well test takers locate, compare, interpret, and apply information presented in workplace graphics.
Graphics may include:
- Tables and charts
- Bar, line, and pie graphs
- Diagrams and flowcharts
- Floor plans and maps
- Forms, schedules, and timelines
- Instrument readings and gauges
- Multiple or combined graphics
Graphic Literacy Skills to Review
- Locate specific information
- Compare two or more values
- Identify trends, patterns, and relationships
- Follow processes and identify missing steps
- Use one graphic to locate information in another
- Make and justify inferences
- Interpret dense or unfamiliar graphics
- Determine which graphic accurately represents data
- Select the most effective graphic for a workplace purpose
Graphic Literacy uses Level Scores from 3 through 7. Higher-level questions may include dense data, unfamiliar formats, nested information, multiple variables, or information that must be combined across several graphics.
Workplace Documents Assessment
Workplace Documents contains 35 questions and has a 55-minute time limit. It measures the ability to read written workplace material and use that information to make decisions or complete job-related tasks.
Reading material may include:
- Emails, messages, and letters
- Directions and operating procedures
- Signs, notices, and bulletins
- Employee policies
- Webpages and online instructions
- Contracts, regulations, and legal documents
- Technical material containing jargon or acronyms
Workplace Documents Skills to Review
- Identify main ideas and specific details
- Follow a sequence of steps
- Apply instructions to workplace situations
- Determine word meaning from context
- Interpret acronyms, jargon, and technical terminology
- Recognize how changing conditions affect a procedure
- Make reasonable inferences
- Identify the rationale behind a policy or document
- Apply stated or inferred principles to a new situation
Workplace Documents uses Level Scores from 3 through 7. Higher-level material may contain complicated concepts, difficult vocabulary, implied information, conditional rules, and distracting details.
Additional WorkKeys Assessments
ACT offers additional assessments beyond the three required for the NCRC. An employer, school, or workforce program may select these assessments when they are relevant to a job or training objective.
ACT currently lists Essential Skills in addition to the eight assessments traditionally described as the WorkKeys suite. Essential Skills is not required for the NCRC.
Applied Technology
34 questions | 55 minutes online or 45 minutes on paper
Measures practical reasoning involving electricity, mechanics, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics. Problems emphasize understanding tools, equipment, physical systems, symptoms, and possible solutions rather than calculations or memorized formulas.
Business Writing
1 writing prompt | 30 minutes
Measures the ability to write a clear, organized, and professional response to a workplace situation. Scoring considers development, organization, word choice, tone, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
Workplace Observation
35 questions across 12 scenarios | 55 minutes
Measures the ability to observe, follow, interpret, analyze, and evaluate workplace demonstrations and processes. Scenarios can be viewed only once, and submitted answers cannot be revisited.
Essential Skills
Approximately 15 minutes | Online
Measures integrity, work ethic, collaboration, resilience, leadership, and creativity. It combines rating-scale and situational-judgment items and reports strengths rather than a single pass-or-fail result.
Fit
102 questions | Approximately 20 minutes
Measures occupational interests and work values. Results can be used to explore how well an individual’s preferences align with different occupations and work environments.
Talent
165 questions | Approximately 35 minutes
Measures work-related attitudes and behavioral tendencies such as cooperation, discipline, optimism, order, sociability, stability, striving, and carefulness. It does not use conventional right-or-wrong answers.
Eligibility and Assigned Assessments
ACT does not establish one universal education, age, or work-experience prerequisite for every WorkKeys test taker.
Eligibility and testing requirements are normally determined by the organization requesting or administering the assessments. Depending on the program, you may be:
- A high school or college student
- A job seeker participating in a workforce program
- An employee or job applicant
- An apprenticeship or technical-program applicant
- An adult-education participant
- An individual independently seeking an NCRC
Ask the testing provider which assessments you need, whether a particular score is required, and whether the organization pays the testing fee.
Registration, Fees, and Testing Locations
WorkKeys assessments are offered through licensed testing sites, including schools, community colleges, employers, workforce centers, adult-education programs, and other local organizations.
There is no single nationwide candidate fee. Testing sites establish their own schedules, registration procedures, and charges. Testing may be free through some schools, employers, or government-funded workforce programs.
Registration Steps
- Determine which WorkKeys assessments you need.
- Ask the requiring organization whether it has a designated testing site.
- Locate a licensed provider when independent registration is permitted.
- Contact the provider for dates, delivery options, fees, and identification requirements.
- Register using your complete and accurate personal information.
- Review the appointment confirmation and local test-day rules.
The three NCRC assessments do not have to be completed during the same appointment. Use consistent identifying information for every administration so that your assessment records can be matched correctly.
Online and Paper Testing
Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents can be administered online or on paper. The available method depends on the testing organization.
Online Testing
- Questions and graphics appear onscreen
- Includes a testing-system tutorial
- May provide an instant score report
- Must be authorized and supervised by the testing provider unless a specific assessment permits otherwise
Paper Testing
- Uses secure test booklets and answer documents
- Requires answers to be marked carefully
- May require additional score-processing time
- Is available only for assessments offered in paper format
What Should I Expect on Test Day?
Test-Day Checklist
- Confirm the testing location, date, time, and assigned assessments.
- Arrive at the time specified by the testing provider.
- Bring the identification or student documentation required by the provider.
- Make sure the name on your identification matches the registration record.
- Bring a permitted calculator when taking Applied Math if the testing site instructs you to do so.
- Store phones, smartwatches, notes, books, and unauthorized electronic devices.
- Complete the tutorial and practice items carefully.
- Follow all instructions from the test coordinator or room supervisor.
- Answer every scored assessment question because guessing does not create an additional penalty.
How Are WorkKeys Assessments Scored?
Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents report both Level Scores and Scale Scores.
Level Score
Describes the level of workplace tasks the test taker has demonstrated. Level Scores are commonly used with job profiles, hiring standards, and NCRC requirements.
Scale Score
Provides a more detailed measurement that educators and training programs can use to monitor skill growth over time.
A Level Score below 3 does not qualify for an NCRC. Scores of 3 through 7 may still be useful independently even when the test taker does not complete all three certificate assessments.
Receiving Results
Online assessment results may be available shortly after testing. Paper-test results require processing before they are released.
The local testing provider determines whether the test taker receives:
- An immediate printed score report
- An online score report
- A report sent by email or mail
- An NCRC printed by the testing organization
- Instructions for accessing the WorkKeys account and digital credential
Can I Retake a WorkKeys Assessment?
WorkKeys assessments may be retaken to improve an individual score or certificate level.
- ACT strongly recommends additional instruction or training before retesting.
- The online testing system assigns an alternate form when another form is available.
- Available alternate forms may be taken without a required waiting period.
- After all available forms in the same skill area have been used, the test taker must wait 30 days before testing again.
- Local providers may have additional registration, payment, scheduling, or program rules.
Retaking only one core assessment can raise an NCRC level when that assessment is the lowest of the three scores.
How Can I Prepare?
Start by confirming which assessments you will take and what score you need. A candidate preparing for the NCRC should divide study time among Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents rather than concentrating on only one test.
WorkKeys Study Checklist
- Take a diagnostic practice test for each assigned assessment.
- Review fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios, rates, and proportions.
- Practice workplace calculations involving money, time, and measurement.
- Learn how to use the Applied Math formula sheet and permitted calculator.
- Practice reading tables, graphs, diagrams, schedules, and combined graphics.
- Review main ideas, details, instructions, policies, and conditional statements.
- Practice determining word meaning and technical terminology from context.
- Work through increasingly difficult questions from Levels 3 through 7.
- Complete timed practice under the 55-minute limit.
- Review the explanation for every missed answer and every correct answer obtained through guessing.
Applied Math Strategy
- Identify the quantity the question asks you to find.
- Separate necessary information from distracting details.
- Write down the units used in the problem.
- Perform unit conversions before completing the final calculation.
- Use the formula sheet rather than relying entirely on memory.
- Check that the answer is reasonable for the workplace situation.
Graphic Literacy Strategy
- Read the title, labels, legends, units, and notes before using a graphic.
- Confirm which row, column, line, symbol, or scale applies.
- Check whether the question requires one graphic or several.
- Distinguish an observed trend from an unsupported assumption.
- Use exact values when the graphic provides them.
- Recheck axes and measurement units before selecting an answer.
Workplace Documents Strategy
- Identify the document’s purpose and intended audience.
- Pay attention to words such as must, may, except, unless, and only.
- Follow procedures in the order required by the document.
- Apply conditional rules carefully when circumstances change.
- Base answers on the document rather than outside knowledge.
- Reject choices that add requirements not stated or implied in the text.
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ACT®, WorkKeys®, National Career Readiness Certificate™, and NCRC® are marks associated with ACT Education Corp. ACT is not involved with or affiliated with Mometrix Media LLC or StudyGuideZone.com, nor does ACT endorse or sponsor products or services offered by Mometrix Media LLC or StudyGuideZone.com.
