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Reading comprehension test for hiring

See how candidates understand short workplace texts, draw conclusions, and interpret text alongside tables.

13 minuten
20 vragen
Intermediate
Multiple choice
Questions in Engels
Phone and desktop

Use this test free See the question formats

Het korte antwoord

The reading comprehension test measures how candidates identify the main idea, draw conclusions, and read workplace documents that combine text and tables. It suits intermediate roles that rely on written information, including analysts, editors, coordinators, managers, administrators, support staff, and remote teams.

Wat het meet

Grasping the central point of short texts, drawing sound conclusions from them, and reading workplace documents that combine text and tables.

Main idea and purpose

Covers identifying what a short passage or message is mainly saying and why it was written.

Inference

Covers drawing a sound conclusion from the information in a passage, including details that are not stated as a direct summary.

Reading workplace documents

Covers interpreting written information alongside a small table and applying it to a stated case.

Question formats

Multiple choice

The candidate: Reads a short situation, table or statement and picks the right answer, or every right answer.

You see: Whether the candidate knows the material well enough to apply it, not just recognize it.

20 questions in 13 minutes, served one at a time.

Roles this test fits

Roles that depend on written information: analysts, editors, coordinators, managers, administrators, support staff, and members of remote teams who work mostly through written messages.

What this test adds to your hiring review

Evidence beyond a resume
A resume describes experience, while this test gives you evidence of how a candidate handles short passages, workplace messages, and documents with tables.
A focused view of comprehension
See whether a candidate can identify a text’s central point, draw conclusions from what it says, and apply details to a stated situation.
A consistent starting point
Candidates answer multiple-choice questions about brief passages, messages and documents with a small table. Use the results as a shared starting point for review, not as a hiring decision.
A short, focused reading sample
A timed set of 20 questions takes 13 minutes. It can give your team a specific reading sample to discuss alongside a work sample and interview.

What you get for each candidate

Example report (fictional data)Reading Comprehension

75%Percentile 55. Benchmark: HireValid candidates, n = 1.201

Main idea and purpose56%

Inference83%

Reading workplace documents86%

Integrity ScoreHoge betrouwbaarheid

Stayed on the test tab throughout
No pasted answers
Answered at a steady pace

Scores, profiles and integrity signals are evidence for you to review alongside an interview, never an automatic decision.

Use this test free

Test design and review signals

The reading comprehension test takes 13 minutes, and candidates cannot go back to an earlier question. Each attempt draws a different set of questions from a large pool; question order and answer options are shuffled. The browser receives questions individually, while answer keys remain on HireValid’s servers. Timing runs on the server, so reloading restores the same question with only the remaining time. Question text cannot be copied or selected, and a blocked copy attempt is recorded in the timeline. HireValid can summarize signals such as time away from the test tab, pastes into answers, and answers faster than a question can be read in an Integrity Score with an evidence timeline. An employer reviews those signals; they do not make a decision on their own. With candidate consent, an employer can add webcam photos at random moments.

Hoe we fraude met AI tegengaan · Integrity signals

Use the score as evidence, not a decision

Review the result alongside a work sample and a structured interview. For a work sample, use a short workplace message or a document with text and a table, then ask the candidate to explain its main point and what they would conclude in a stated case. Keep the task relevant to the role and review the candidate’s reasoning as well as the result. Ask every candidate the same core interview questions and use the score to decide what needs follow-up, not to decide who to hire. If you are also considering how a candidate draws conclusions from information, compare the question focus with Verbal Reasoning or Critical Thinking.

Vragen voor gestructureerde sollicitatiegesprekken

Tell me about a time you had to act on a written message or instruction. What did you understand, and what did you do next?
Listen for a clear account of the message’s main point, the action the candidate took, and how they checked the details that mattered.
Describe a time you used a document that included both written information and a table. How did you reach your conclusion?
Listen for the candidate to connect the table to the surrounding text and explain how those details informed the conclusion.
Tell me about a time a written update left something unstated. How did you work out what it meant for your task?
Listen for a conclusion grounded in the information available, with a clear distinction between what the text said and what the candidate inferred.
How would you summarize a short work update for a colleague who needs to know what to do next?
Listen for a concise summary that keeps the update’s purpose and the practical implication together.

Understand scoring and benchmarks

Roles that rely on written information

This intermediate-level test is intended for roles where people take in work information through text. That includes analysts, editors, coordinators, managers, administrators, support staff, and remote team members who work mostly through written messages. Consider it for an Office Administrator, Marketing Coordinator, or Customer Support Agent role when reading and applying short texts is relevant to the work. A reading comprehension assessment can offer a focused signal about those tasks, but it does not replace role-specific review.

What candidates work through

Questions use a multiple-choice format. A candidate reads a brief passage, message or document with a small table and selects the right answer, or every right answer. The questions cover main idea and purpose, inference, and reading workplace documents. Passages are short, so the test focuses on careful, efficient reading rather than speed alone. Passages describe invented organizations and everyday workplace situations. It does not require outside knowledge. The language avoids idioms, sports, holidays, money symbols, and local customs; names come from many backgrounds, and roles are not tied to gender or origin.

Use this reading comprehension skills test when you want evidence about understanding short texts and documents with tables. For a broader comparison of reasoning skills, consider General Cognitive Ability. If the role also calls for interpreting numerical information, review Numerical Reasoning. Choose tests based on the work you need to assess, and review each result alongside other hiring evidence.

Fairness and accommodations

Passages describe invented organizations and everyday workplace situations, so no answer depends on outside knowledge, and they avoid idioms, sports, holidays, money symbols and local customs. Names come from many backgrounds and roles are not tied to gender or origin. Sentences are plain and the vocabulary is common, so the test reflects understanding rather than familiarity with rare words, and dates are written with the month as a word.

You can give any candidate extra time as an accommodation. Results are evidence for a person to review, never an automatic decision.

Provisional: reliability is reported once 200 candidates have completed it.

Lees hoe we met eerlijkheid omgaan

Test details

A timed test of how well a candidate takes in short written texts at work. Each question gives a brief passage, message or document with a small table, and asks what it is mainly saying, what can be concluded from it, or what it means for a stated case. Passages are short, so the test rewards careful, efficient reading over speed alone.

Questions are in English.
No aids are needed.
Each question is answered once, in order, with no going back.
4 practice questions, 4 minutes, before the timed test.

Veelgestelde vragen

How long is the Reading Comprehension test?+

The timed test has 20 questions and takes 13 minutes. Candidates read short passages, messages, situations, statements, and documents that can include a small table. The questions ask about a main point, a conclusion, or what the information means for a stated case.

What does the Reading Comprehension test measure?+

It measures how well a candidate grasps the central point of short texts, draws sound conclusions, and reads workplace documents that combine text and tables. The multiple-choice format asks candidates to apply information, not just recognize it.

Which roles fit the Reading Comprehension test?+

It is intended for intermediate roles that depend on written information. Examples include analysts, editors, coordinators, managers, administrators, support staff, and members of remote teams who work mostly through written messages. Use it when those reading tasks matter for the role.

What question format does the Reading Comprehension test use?+

Candidates read a brief passage, message or document with a small table and choose the right answer, or every right answer. A question may ask what a passage is mainly saying, what can be concluded, or how its information applies to a stated case.

Can candidates go back in the Reading Comprehension test?+

No. Candidates cannot return to an earlier question. The timed test runs for 13 minutes, so explain the timing and navigation before sending an invitation. There is also a separate practice set of 4 questions that takes 4 minutes.

How is the Reading Comprehension test kept fair?+

Passages use plain sentences and common vocabulary, and the situations are invented workplace examples that do not rely on outside knowledge. The content avoids idioms, sports, holidays, money symbols, and local customs. Dates are written with the month as a word.

How should I use a Reading Comprehension test score?+

Treat the score as evidence for your review, not as a decision by itself. Pair it with a job-relevant work sample and a structured interview. Ask candidates how they identify a message’s main point, draw a conclusion, or use a text and table together, then consider their explanation alongside the result.