Score examples
| First passage | Passages read | Suggested start |
|---|---|---|
| Early | Early 3/3 → Starter 3/3 → Steady 2/3 → Stretch 1/3 | Steady |
| Steady | Steady 1/3 → Starter 2/3 | Starter |
| Starter | Starter 3/3 → Steady 3/3 → Stretch 2/3 | Stretch |
| Early | Early 1/3 | Early (review first) |
How to test your reading level
A reading level test checks how well you understand texts as they get harder. This one uses short original passages in four bands, each followed by three multiple-choice questions.
- Choose who is taking the test. It only sets the first passage: adults start two bands higher than pupils.
- Read the passage at your usual pace. You can look back at it while you answer.
- Answer the three questions and press Check answers. Each answer is marked straight away.
- With 2 or 3 correct, the next passage is one band harder. With 0 or 1 correct, it is one band easier. The test stops before it would repeat a band.
- Read your suggested band and what it means, then practise at that level. When you retake the test, it switches to the second passage of each band.
Answer from the passage rather than from what you already know about the topic: the questions ask what the text says.
What the result means
- Early
- You can follow short, plain passages about everyday topics. Keep reading short texts on subjects you know and retake the test in a few weeks.
- Starter
- You can follow short informative passages that explain one idea with a few less common words. Practise with longer articles on familiar topics.
- Steady
- You can follow passages that use subject words and explain a process or a debate step by step, as in a popular science feature. Try texts on topics that are new to you.
- Stretch
- You can follow dense passages with technical terms and abstract ideas. Long essays and specialist articles suit your practice.
A band counts as passed at 2 of 3 correct. That threshold is our rule for this practice test, not a published norm. With three options per question, guessing alone reaches 2 of 3 in 7 of 27 cases (about 26%), so retake the test with the other passages before you rely on one result.
The band is a practice starting point for these passages only. It is not a school grade, a reading age, a Lexile measure or a diagnosis.
Grade level vs Lexile vs CEFR
Grade level usually comes from a readability formula. The Flesch-Kincaid grade level comes from a 1975 US Navy report by Kincaid and colleagues, derived from reading tests of 531 enlisted personnel. It turns sentence length and syllables per word into a US school grade. It rates a text, not a reader, and it was built for English. You can run it on your own text with our readability checker.
Lexile is a framework from MetaMetrics that measures readers and texts on the same scale. A student measure can range from below 0L for early readers to above 2000L for advanced readers, and readers below 0L get the code BR, for Beginning Reader. Students get a Lexile measure from a classroom or state assessment that reports one.
CEFR is the Council of Europe's framework for language learning. It has six levels from A1 to C2: the A levels describe a basic user and the C levels a proficient user. It describes what a learner can do in a language, so it fits reading in a second or foreign language.
This test gives none of these scores. It suggests a band of our own passages to practise with. For a Lexile measure, ask the school or the test provider; for a CEFR level, take a test aligned to the framework.
Questions
Is this a Lexile test?
No. Lexile measures come from assessments that report on the Lexile Framework by MetaMetrics, and this test is not one of them. The band you get here is approximate and applies to our passages only.
What reading level is my child?
This test can't tell you a school grade or a reading age. Its passages were not written for a school year, and even the easiest ones use some uncommon words, so a young child who misses Early is not behind. For a level tied to school grades, ask the teacher which assessment the school uses. You can still take the test together as reading practice.
How long is the test?
You read one to 4 passages of 60 to 81 words, each followed by three questions. Nothing is timed, so read at your usual pace.
How is the result worked out?
A band counts as passed at 2 of 3 correct. After a pass the next passage is one band harder, after a miss one band easier. The suggestion is the highest band you passed, and bands below your first passage count as passed. If you pass none, the suggestion is Early with a review first.
Why did a retake give me a different band?
A retake uses the second passage of each band, on a different topic. With three questions per passage, one answer can decide a pass. If two runs disagree, practise at the lower band and try again later.
Are my answers saved?
No. Your answers stay on this page and are cleared when you retake the test or leave the page.