WorkKeys Workplace Documents

It has 35 items and a test length of 55 minutes, according to ACT. That works out to roughly a minute and a half per item, but passages vary in length, so the complex Level 6 and 7 documents will take longer than the short Level 3 notices. Practise with a timer so you learn your own pace.

Both. ACT lists the method of delivery as online and paper, so the format depends on the test centre or employer administering it. The content and level structure are the same either way; only the delivery differs. Confirm with your test centre which option is available before you schedule.

Level 3 covers short, simple company policies and announcements with all information stated directly. Level 4 adds multi-step procedures and changing conditions. Level 5 introduces longer passages, jargon, acronyms, and if–then conditionals. Levels 6 and 7 add difficult vocabulary, extraneous details, undefined technical terms, and writing that lacks clarity, requiring inference and application to new situations.

Yes - ACT states the levels build on each other, and at Level 5 you need the skills from Levels 3, 4, and 5. Study in order. If you cannot reliably identify main ideas and specific details in a short notice, you will struggle with inference and jargon questions in the longer passages.

ACT lists messages, emails, letters, directions, signs, bulletins, policies, websites, contracts, and regulations. Expect instruction sheets, workplace notices, and policy or legal-style text. The higher levels use longer passages drawn from informational, instructional, policy, contract, and legal documents.

Answering from general knowledge instead of the passage. At Levels 5 to 7 the documents contain extraneous details and conditionals, so an answer that sounds reasonable but is not supported by the text is wrong. Another frequent error is stopping at the first plausible option when a later condition in the passage changes the correct action.

ACT states that most WorkKeys assessments are offered in English and Spanish, but it does not list language availability separately for each assessment on these pages. Ask your test centre whether a Spanish version of Workplace Documents is offered at your location before you register.

Successful completion of WorkKeys core assessments can lead to an ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), a credential verifying skills essential across industries and occupations. Whether you earn the NCRC depends on your scores across the core assessments, not on Workplace Documents alone. Check with your test centre for the requirements.

ACT does not state a retake policy for Workplace Documents on these pages, so retake rules, waiting periods, and any fees are set by the individual test centre or employer. Contact the location where you tested to ask about scheduling a second attempt before you assume you can retest immediately.

Work through ACT's sample items at every level and note which level trips you up. Then drill that level: for Levels 3 and 4, practise scanning for details and step order; for Levels 5 to 7, practise paraphrasing jargon from context and tracing if–then conditions. Do at least one full timed run at 35 items in 55 minutes.