WorkKeys Graphic Literacy

It is a multiple-choice assessment delivered in the WorkKeys Internet Version or on paper. It contains 38 items, and the test length is 55 minutes in both formats. You read workplace graphics such as charts, graphs, diagrams, and floor plans, then answer questions about the information they present.

ACT describes five levels of difficulty, from Level 3 (least complex) to Level 7 (most complex). The levels build on each other, so each incorporates the skills assessed at the preceding levels. Level 5, for example, includes skills used at Levels 3, 4, and 5.

Workplace graphics in a variety of formats, including charts, graphs, diagrams, and floor plans. Lower levels use common, familiar content with a limited amount of data and one or two variables. Higher levels involve denser data, more variables, nesting, and composites of multiple graphics with less familiar content.

At Level 3, employees use one simple or low-moderate graphic at a time to locate information and to identify the next or missing step in a process. At Level 4, they locate information using information found in another graphic, compare information, identify trends, make inferences or decisions, and identify the graphic that accurately represents data.

Higher levels add more demanding tasks with more complex graphics. At Level 5 and above, candidates compare and interpret trends, make and justify inferences or decisions based on one graphic after finding information in another, and identify or justify the most effective graphic for a task. Level 7 uses difficult graphics with dense, nested data.

Work through the levels in order, since each builds on the ones before it. Start with single simple graphics and the tasks at Level 3 and Level 4, then move to high-moderate and difficult graphics and the comparison, interpretation, and justification tasks at Levels 5 through 7. Practice with unfamiliar content as well as familiar formats.

Many candidates lose time on dense or unfamiliar graphics, or answer from memory of the graphic instead of rechecking the data. Others miss questions that require combining information from two graphics, or that ask them to justify a decision rather than simply read a value. Reading the axis labels and units carefully prevents many errors.

The assessment gives 55 minutes for 38 items, which works out to roughly a minute and a half per item on average. Some lower-level items take less time, while multi-graphic and justification questions take longer, so pace yourself and avoid getting stuck on a single graphic.

The permitted source page for this profile does not state a retake policy or a score validity period. Check with ACT or your testing or employer program directly for current retake rules and how long results remain valid before you schedule a retake.

The source page does not specify a passing score. WorkKeys assessments report levels of difficulty, and employers or programs typically set the level they require for a given job or course. Ask the organization requesting your results what level it expects.