New WorkKeys Test

October 28, 2002

New WorkKeys Test Instantly Measures Workplace Writing Abilities

IOWA CITY, Iowa—ACT has announced the release of a new WorkKeys job skills assessment in Business Writing. The exam enables companies to assess job applicants and current employees and determine if a person can write clear, well-developed messages in work-related situations.

"The ability to write well and communicate business information clearly is one of the top skills needed in the workplace," said Tom Saterfiel, senior vice president of ACT's Workforce and Professional Services. "The new WorkKeys Business Writing test gives businesses a tool to identify writing strengths and weaknesses in employees, and target specific training needed to bring those skills up to the level needed for a particular job."

Business Writing is the 10th assessment in the WorkKeys program. It examines a skill that the U.S. Department of Labor, in its 1991 Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) report, confirmed was necessary in order to succeed in the workplace: the ability to communicate thoughts, ideas and directions in writing.

The Business Writing test can be used both by employers to select people with strong writing skills, and by individuals who want to assess their writing abilities.

People who take the Business Writing exam will be able to receive their scores instantly because the computer-based test will be scored by the Internet-based, artificial-intelligence scoring engine IntelliMetric, created by the Yardley, Pennsylvania-based Vantage Learning. When the test is completed, test administrators receive scores within a few minutes. "This type of scoring makes immediate feedback possible for test-takers," Saterfiel said. "With instant scoring, people looking to improve their skills can start doing so immediately."

The Business Writing test asks the test-taker to create an original response to a work-related situation. The response is scored on such factors as sentence structure, mechanics, grammar, word usage, organization, focus and development of ideas.

Thousands of companies have used WorkKeys to assess employee skills and improve productivity. The other WorkKeys skills assessments are:

Applied Mathematics
Applied Technology
Listening
Locating information
Observation
Readiness (WorkKeys pre-assessment)
Reading for Information
Teamwork
Writing

The web-based Business Writing assessment is available for private site delivery and through the nationwide network of ACT Centers and Value-Added Resellers, located primarily at two- and four-year colleges.

More information about Intellimetric (opens new window)