About the Certificate

The ACT National Career Readiness Certificate is an industry-recognized, portable, research-based credential that certifies essential skills needed for workplace success.

This credential is used across all sectors of the economy and documents the following cognitive skills:

• Problem-solving.
• Critical thinking.
• Reading and using work-related text.
• Applying information from workplace documents to solve problems.
• Applying mathematical reasoning to work-related problems.
• Setting up and performing work-related mathematical calculations.
• Locating, synthesizing, and applying information that is presented graphically.
• Comparing, summarizing, and analyzing information presented in multiple related graphics

Assessments

Individuals can earn the ACT NCRC by taking three WorkKeys® assessments.

• Applied Math – For more information about the Applied Math assessment – click here
• Graphic Literacy – For more information about the Graphic Literacy assessment –  click here
• Workplace Documents – For more information about the Workplace Documents assessment – click here

For practice before exams, visit https://workkeyspracticetest.com/.

Each of the assessments listed above has a maximum time limit of 55 minutes. Additional time may be required prior to and after the assessments for registration, an examinee tutorial, and/or printing a score report.

WorkKeys assessments measure real-world skills that employers believe are critical to job success. Test questions are based on situations in the everyday work world.

To find out more about specific careers and their skills requirements, check out the ACT job profiles database.

Certificate Levels

Individuals can earn four levels of certifications by taking the three WorkKeys® assessments.

• Bronze Level – Signifies an individual has scored at least a Level 3 on each of the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 16% of the jobs in the WorkKeys Job Pro database.
• Silver Level – Signifies an individual has scored at least a Level 4 on each of the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 67% of the jobs on the WorkKeys Job Pro database.
• Gold Level – Signifies an individual has scored at least a Level 5 on each of the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 93% of the jobs on the WorkKeys Job Pro database.
• Platinum Level – Signifies an individual has scored at least a Level 6 on each of the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 99% of the jobs on the WorkKeys Job Pro database.

Sample Questions

Individuals can view sample test questions by visiting https://workkeyspracticetest.com/.

ACT Job Profiles

WorkKeys assessments measure real-world skills that employers believe are critical to job success.

To find out more about specific careers and their skills requirements, check out the ACT job profiles database

To learn more about “Green jobs”, visit https://www.bls.gov/green/overview.htm.

To learn more about “Bright Outlook jobs”, visit https://www.onetonline.org/help/bright.

Test Day Procedures

The following procedures will be followed for all individuals testing:

• Examinees may not handle or access a cell phone or electronic devices (including smart watches and fitness devices) at any time in the testing room or during breaks (if allowed).  All devices must be turned off and placed out of sight.
• Examinees may not have food or drinks in the testing room.
• Examinees must present an original (not photocopied) acceptable photo ID that is: current (not expired); issued by a school, employer, or city/state/federal government agency; shows the examinee’s first and last names. In some cases, examinees may be allowed to test without a photo ID; however, visit with test administrator PRIOR to the testing date for specific requirements and options.

Resources and Links

For more information about the ACT National Career Readiness Certificates and KeyTrain visit the following:

1. ACT National Career Readiness Certificate
2.  ACT Certified Work Ready Communities

Informational Videos

Certification test focuses on readying students for work – by PBS News Hour

ACT WorkKeys Assessments for the 21st Century Workforce – By ACT

Education – ACT WorkKeys – By WKBT TV

WorkKeys Student Login

Students – click here – to log in for testing.

When completing the Profile, students must answer the “What is your primary reason for taking this WorkKeys Assessment?” question with “As part of qualifying for a career readiness certificate”.

After completing all three assessments, students may download the WorkKeys Completion Assignment in MS Word format.

WorkKeys Administrator Information

Administrator – click here