The Language Arts, Reading test contains 40 questions that must be answered within 65 minutes. Passages from various texts are provided, after which students are asked to think critically about the subjects, characters, and ideas presented and answer approximately 5 questions about each passage. The questions asked are used to judge a student's level of comprehension as well as their skills with application, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis.
Two non-fiction and three fiction passages are presented, along with one passage from a poem and another from a dramatic play. Common sources for text selections are famous novels, such as My Ántonia by Willa Cather, and the works of famous poets like Maya Angelou and Robert Frost. Students are not expected to have read these works prior to taking the test, though students who have a broad knowledge of literature are known to perform better on the Language Arts, Reading test due to their ability to place each passage in context more easily when thinking critically about them.