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About the test:

The English Comprehension test evaluates a candidate’s ability to comprehend business-level English, understand textual information, deduce information from presented facts and express ideas clearly in English. This test is used by recruiters for pre-employment screening of candidates for roles that require a good command over the English language.

Covered skills:

  • Drawing conclusions
  • Attention To Detail
  • Vocabulary
  • Vocabulary
  • Writing skills
  • Inferencing
  • Grammar
  • Reading comprehension
  • Sentence structure

9 reasons why
9 reasons why

Adaface English Comprehension Assessment Test is the most accurate way to shortlist Entry Level Graduates



Reason #1

Tests for on-the-job skills

The English Comprehension Test helps recruiters and hiring managers identify qualified candidates from a pool of resumes, and helps in taking objective hiring decisions. It reduces the administrative overhead of interviewing too many candidates and saves time by filtering out unqualified candidates at the first step of the hiring process.

The test screens for the following skills that hiring managers look for in candidates:

  • Drawing conclusions from given information
  • Inferencing skills to derive meaning from context
  • Attention to detail for identifying subtle nuances
  • Grammar proficiency for accurate language usage
  • Vocabulary comprehension for understanding word meanings
  • Reading comprehension to grasp passage content
  • Sentence structure understanding
  • Writing skills for effective communication
Reason #2

No trick questions

no trick questions

Traditional assessment tools use trick questions and puzzles for the screening, which creates a lot of frustration among candidates about having to go through irrelevant screening assessments.

View sample questions

The main reason we started Adaface is that traditional pre-employment assessment platforms are not a fair way for companies to evaluate candidates. At Adaface, our mission is to help companies find great candidates by assessing on-the-job skills required for a role.

Why we started Adaface
Reason #3

Non-googleable questions

We have a very high focus on the quality of questions that test for on-the-job skills. Every question is non-googleable and we have a very high bar for the level of subject matter experts we onboard to create these questions. We have crawlers to check if any of the questions are leaked online. If/ when a question gets leaked, we get an alert. We change the question for you & let you know.

How we design questions

These are just a small sample from our library of 10,000+ questions. The actual questions on this English Reading Comprehension Test will be non-googleable.

🧐 Question

Medium

Identifying Grammatical Errors and Vocabulary Usage
Subject-Verb Agreement
Pronoun Usage
Idioms
Solve
Read the following passage and identify the sentence(s) that contains grammatical or vocabulary usage errors.

"The team of researchers have been working tirelessly on the project. They are confident that their findings will have a significant impact on the field. The lead researcher, Dr. Smith, said, 'We have literally left no stone unturned in our investigation.' However, some experts believe that the research methodology may not be as rigorous as it should be. Despite the criticism, the team remains optimistic and believes that the results speak for themselves."

A: The lead researcher, Dr. Smith, said, 'We have literally left no stone unturned in our investigation.'
B: They are confident that their findings will have a significant impact on the field.
C: The team of researchers have been working tirelessly on the project.
D: However, some experts believe that the research methodology may not be as rigorous as it should be.
E: Despite the criticism, the team remains optimistic and believes that the results speak for themselves.

Easy

Identifying the Correct Verb Tense
Verb Tenses
Solve
Which sentence uses the correct verb tense?
A: Yesterday, I go to the store.
B: She is reading a book now.
C: They will played soccer tomorrow.
D: He have finished his work.
E: We ate dinner an hour ago.
F: I am study for the test last night.

Medium

Idiomatic Expression and Context Clues
Idioms
Contextual Meaning
Solve
In the following sentence, identify the option that provides the most appropriate definition of the highlighted idiom and correctly explains its role in conveying the sentence's meaning:

Sarah finally decided to  *bite the bullet* and confront her roommate about the constant late-night parties.
A: To eat quickly: Indicates Sarah's impatience to address the situation.
B: To cause discomfort: Suggests Sarah expects a difficult conversation.
C: To accept a challenging situation: Implies Sarah's resolve to deal with the issue.
D: To show aggression: Emphasizes Sarah's anger towards her roommate.
E: To endure pain: Highlights Sarah's ongoing frustration with the noise.
F: To make a bold move:  Underscores Sarah's newfound confidence.

Medium

French Test
Question and Response
Solve
Listen to the following audio:

You will hear a question or a statement. After you hear a question or a statement, choose the best response:

Medium

Tokyo flight
Short Talk
Solve
Listen to the following audio:

You will hear a short talk. After the talk, you will hear a question about the talk. Read the choices and choose the best answer to the question you have heard.

Medium

Binary Logic
Binary Logic
Solve
At DreamTeam conference, all participants answer any questions with two sentences, one of which is always true and the other is a lie.

I asked Andrew, Sid and Drew, "What is your favourite startup?" and got the following replies:

Andrew: Our favourite startup is SpeckX. We do not like playing baseball.
Sid: Our favourite startup is Cuber. We love playing baseball.
Drew: Our favourite startup is Drab. We love playing baseball.

1: The favourite startup of the participants of DreamTeam is SpeckX.
2: DreamTeam participants like playing baseball.
3: DreamTeam participants do not like playing baseball.
4: The favourite startup of the participants of DreamTeam is Cuber.
5: The favourite startup of the participants of DreamTeam is Drab.
Which of the following options is/are correct?

Medium

Homeopathy
Solve
Two main axioms constitute the core principles of homeopathy. The "like cures like" principle holds that, if a substance causes a symptom (e.g. onion makes my nose run), then that substance can cure a disease that is characterised by a runny nose (e.g. hayfever or a common cold). The second principle assumes that the serial dilution process used for homeopathic remedies renders them not less but more potent (hence homeopaths call this process "potentiation").

Both of these axioms fly in the face of science. If they were true, much of what we learned in physics and chemistry would be wrong. If anyone shows the concepts of homeopathy to be correct, he or she becomes a serious contender for one or two Nobel prizes. Homeopaths often say that we simply have not yet discovered how homeopathy works. The truth is that we know there is no conceivable scientific explanation that could possibly explain it.

Which of the following options is not a possible conclusion based on the above passage?

Easy

Passage about Solar Energy
Short Text Analysis
Solve
Read the following passage and answer the question below:

Solar energy is a promising renewable energy source that harnesses the power of the sun to generate electricity. Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight directly into electricity, while solar thermal systems use the sun's heat to warm water or air. As solar technology continues to improve and become more affordable, it is increasingly being adopted worldwide to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat climate change. However, the intermittent nature of solar energy remains a challenge, requiring effective storage solutions and grid integration strategies.

According to the passage, what is one challenge associated with solar energy?
A: High cost of solar technology
B: Intermittent nature of solar energy
C: Limited worldwide adoption
D: Dependence on fossil fuels

Easy

Identifying Complete Sentences
Complete Sentences
Solve
Which of the following is a complete sentence?
A: Because the weather was nice.
B: The book on the table.
C: My friend and I went to the movies.
D: After finishing my homework.
E: The cat sleeping on the couch.
F: Whenever I go to the park.

Easy

Simple Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
Solve
Which sentence has correct subject-verb agreement?
A: The dogs in the park barks loudly.
B: The cat and the mouse is playing together.
C: The flowers in the vase looks beautiful.
D: The teacher and the students are working on a project.
E: The car with the broken headlights are parked over there.
F: The books on the shelf is covered in dust.

Medium

Subject-Verb Agreement and Pronoun Usage
Subject-Verb Agreement
Pronouns
Solve
Which sentence contains an error in subject-verb agreement or pronoun usage?
A: The children played in the park while their parents watched them.
B: The committee has decided to postpone its decision until next week.
C: Neither the students nor the teacher are aware of the changes in the schedule.
D: The dog chased its tail and barked at its own reflection in the mirror.
E: The book on the shelf belongs to my sister, who is an avid reader.
🧐 Question🔧 Skill

Medium

Identifying Grammatical Errors and Vocabulary Usage
Subject-Verb Agreement
Pronoun Usage
Idioms

2 mins

Grammar & Vocabulary
Solve

Easy

Identifying the Correct Verb Tense
Verb Tenses

2 mins

Grammar & Vocabulary
Solve

Medium

Idiomatic Expression and Context Clues
Idioms
Contextual Meaning

2 mins

Grammar & Vocabulary
Solve

Medium

French Test
Question and Response

2 mins

Listening Comprehension
Solve

Medium

Tokyo flight
Short Talk

2 mins

Listening Comprehension
Solve

Medium

Binary Logic
Binary Logic

2 mins

Reading Comprehension
Solve

Medium

Homeopathy

2 mins

Reading Comprehension
Solve

Easy

Passage about Solar Energy
Short Text Analysis

2 mins

Reading Comprehension
Solve

Easy

Identifying Complete Sentences
Complete Sentences

2 mins

Sentence Structure
Solve

Easy

Simple Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement

2 mins

Sentence Structure
Solve

Medium

Subject-Verb Agreement and Pronoun Usage
Subject-Verb Agreement
Pronouns

2 mins

Sentence Structure
Solve
🧐 Question🔧 Skill💪 Difficulty⌛ Time
Identifying Grammatical Errors and Vocabulary Usage
Subject-Verb Agreement
Pronoun Usage
Idioms
Grammar & Vocabulary
Medium2 mins
Solve
Identifying the Correct Verb Tense
Verb Tenses
Grammar & Vocabulary
Easy2 mins
Solve
Idiomatic Expression and Context Clues
Idioms
Contextual Meaning
Grammar & Vocabulary
Medium2 mins
Solve
French Test
Question and Response
Listening Comprehension
Medium2 mins
Solve
Tokyo flight
Short Talk
Listening Comprehension
Medium2 mins
Solve
Binary Logic
Binary Logic
Reading Comprehension
Medium2 mins
Solve
Homeopathy
Reading Comprehension
Medium2 mins
Solve
Passage about Solar Energy
Short Text Analysis
Reading Comprehension
Easy2 mins
Solve
Identifying Complete Sentences
Complete Sentences
Sentence Structure
Easy2 mins
Solve
Simple Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-Verb Agreement
Sentence Structure
Easy2 mins
Solve
Subject-Verb Agreement and Pronoun Usage
Subject-Verb Agreement
Pronouns
Sentence Structure
Medium2 mins
Solve
Reason #4

1200+ customers in 75 countries

customers in 75 countries
Brandon

With Adaface, we were able to optimise our initial screening process by upwards of 75%, freeing up precious time for both hiring managers and our talent acquisition team alike!


Brandon Lee, Head of People, Love, Bonito

Reason #5

Designed for elimination, not selection

The most important thing while implementing the pre-employment English Reading Comprehension Test in your hiring process is that it is an elimination tool, not a selection tool. In other words: you want to use the test to eliminate the candidates who do poorly on the test, not to select the candidates who come out at the top. While they are super valuable, pre-employment tests do not paint the entire picture of a candidate’s abilities, knowledge, and motivations. Multiple easy questions are more predictive of a candidate's ability than fewer hard questions. Harder questions are often "trick" based questions, which do not provide any meaningful signal about the candidate's skillset.

Science behind Adaface tests
Reason #6

1 click candidate invites

Email invites: You can send candidates an email invite to the English Reading Comprehension Test from your dashboard by entering their email address.

Public link: You can create a public link for each test that you can share with candidates.

API or integrations: You can invite candidates directly from your ATS by using our pre-built integrations with popular ATS systems or building a custom integration with your in-house ATS.

invite candidates
Reason #7

Detailed scorecards & benchmarks

View sample scorecard
Reason #8

High completion rate

Adaface tests are conversational, low-stress, and take just 25-40 mins to complete.

This is why Adaface has the highest test-completion rate (86%), which is more than 2x better than traditional assessments.

test completion rate
Reason #9

Advanced Proctoring


Learn more

About the English Comprehension Online Test

Why you should use Pre-employment English Comprehension Test?

The English Reading Comprehension Test makes use of scenario-based questions to test for on-the-job skills as opposed to theoretical knowledge, ensuring that candidates who do well on this screening test have the relavant skills. The questions are designed to covered following on-the-job aspects:

  • Drawing conclusions from written passages
  • Inferencing from given information
  • Attention to detail in grammar and sentence structure
  • Vocabulary skills for effective communication
  • Reading comprehension to understand and analyze written content
  • Sentence structure for clarity and coherence
  • Writing skills for effective written communication
  • Identifying main ideas and supporting details
  • Understanding implicit and explicit information
  • Identifying the author's purpose and tone

Once the test is sent to a candidate, the candidate receives a link in email to take the test. For each candidate, you will receive a detailed report with skills breakdown and benchmarks to shortlist the top candidates from your pool.

What topics are covered in the English Comprehension Test?

  • Drawing Conclusions

    Drawing conclusions refers to the ability to make logical inferences based on information provided. This skill is important to measure in this test as it assesses the candidate's ability to analyze and synthesize information and make reasoned judgments.

  • Inferencing

    Inferencing involves using evidence and reasoning to make educated guesses and predictions. Assessing this skill helps recruiters evaluate the candidate's ability to think critically and draw logical conclusions from given information.

  • Attention To Detail

    Attention to detail measures the candidate's ability to spot and accurately identify small but significant details in written text. This skill is important in the test as it reflects the candidate's aptitude for accuracy and thoroughness in processing information.

  • Grammar

    The grammar skill evaluates the candidate's understanding and application of correct sentence structure, verb tenses, pronouns, and other grammatical rules. Assessing this skill is important as it reflects the candidate's competence in written communication and language proficiency.

  • Vocabulary

    Vocabulary assessment measures the candidate's knowledge and understanding of word meanings, synonyms, antonyms, and context usage. This skill is crucial as it indicates the candidate's language proficiency, as well as their ability to comprehend and express ideas precisely.

  • Reading Comprehension

    Reading comprehension assesses the candidate's ability to understand and interpret written content. It helps recruiters evaluate the candidate's reading comprehension skills, information retention, and their capacity to understand and analyze complex texts.

  • Sentence Structure

    Assessing sentence structure evaluates the candidate's ability to construct grammatically correct and coherent sentences. This skill is important as it demonstrates the candidate's command over language and their proficiency in conveying ideas effectively.

  • Writing Skills

    Writing skills measure the candidate's aptitude to communicate in written form, including organizing ideas, presenting arguments, using appropriate language, and addressing the audience effectively. Evaluating this skill helps recruiters assess the candidate's written communication abilities and their potential for clear and concise expression.

  • Full list of covered topics

    The actual topics of the questions in the final test will depend on your job description and requirements. However, here's a list of topics you can expect the questions for English Reading Comprehension Test to be based on.

    Context clues
    Author's tone
    Character traits
    Cause and effect
    Making inferences
    Identifying supporting details
    Drawing conclusions
    Point of view
    Figurative language
    Comparing and contrasting
    Sequencing events
    Summarizing information
    Understanding vocabulary in context
    Sentence types
    Subject-verb agreement
    Punctuation rules
    Capitalization rules
    Parts of speech
    Commonly misspelled words
    Antonyms
    Synonyms
    Denotation vs connotation
    Word families
    Prefixes and suffixes
    Fiction vs non-fiction
    Literal vs figurative language
    Active and passive voice
    Parallel structure
    Transitions and connectors
    Writing an effective thesis statement
    Developing strong topic sentences
    Creating logical paragraph structure
    Using appropriate verb tense
    Avoiding common grammar mistakes
    Proofreading and editing skills
    Improving sentence clarity
    Organizing ideas in an essay
    Evaluating the credibility of sources
    Understanding the writing process
    Taking notes effectively
    Identifying bias in writing
    Understanding rhetorical devices
    Analyzing persuasive techniques
    Identifying logical fallacies
    Understanding literary devices
    Interpreting graphs and charts
    Analyzing data from tables
    Drawing conclusions from statistical information
    Understanding cause and effect relationships in graphs
    Identifying trends in data
    Inferencing from visual cues
    Determining author's purpose
    Identifying tone and mood in writing
    Analyzing figurative language in poetry
    Identifying elements of fiction
    Understanding different text structures
    Recognizing bias in media
    Identifying logical inconsistencies

What roles can I use the English Comprehension Test for?

  • Entry Level Graduate
  • Fresh Graduates
  • Content writer
  • Editor
  • Proofreader
  • Journalist
  • Teacher
  • Translator
  • Copywriter
  • Communications specialist
  • Technical writer
  • Editorial assistant

How is the English Comprehension Test customized for senior candidates?

For intermediate/ experienced candidates, we customize the assessment questions to include advanced topics and increase the difficulty level of the questions. This might include adding questions on topics like

  • Making logical inferences and predictions
  • Analyzing and evaluating arguments
  • Recognizing figurative language and literary devices
  • Applying context clues to determine word meaning
  • Identifying grammatical errors and correcting them
  • Understanding word forms and usage
  • Recognizing and using appropriate punctuation
  • Understanding sentence types and structures
  • Editing sentences for clarity and conciseness
  • Applying proofreading techniques for error detection
Singapore government logo

The hiring managers felt that through the technical questions that they asked during the panel interviews, they were able to tell which candidates had better scores, and differentiated with those who did not score as well. They are highly satisfied with the quality of candidates shortlisted with the Adaface screening.


85%
reduction in screening time

English Comprehension Hiring Test FAQs

What questions does the English comprehension test include?

The candidates are presented with passages, and the test asks them to answer multiple-choice questions to evaluate:

  • ability to comprehend business-level English
  • ability to understand the passage
  • ability to pick the most suitable option for each question based on the facts presented in the passage
  • command over vocabulary, spelling, word association, idioms and metaphors

Can I combine multiple skills into one custom assessment?

Yes, absolutely. Custom assessments are set up based on your job description, and will include questions on all must-have skills you specify. Here's a quick guide on how you can request a custom test.

Do you have any anti-cheating or proctoring features in place?

We have the following anti-cheating features in place:

  • Non-googleable questions
  • IP proctoring
  • Screen proctoring
  • Web proctoring
  • Webcam proctoring
  • Plagiarism detection
  • Secure browser
  • Copy paste protection

Read more about the proctoring features.

How do I interpret test scores?

The primary thing to keep in mind is that an assessment is an elimination tool, not a selection tool. A skills assessment is optimized to help you eliminate candidates who are not technically qualified for the role, it is not optimized to help you find the best candidate for the role. So the ideal way to use an assessment is to decide a threshold score (typically 55%, we help you benchmark) and invite all candidates who score above the threshold for the next rounds of interview.

What experience level can I use this test for?

Each Adaface assessment is customized to your job description/ ideal candidate persona (our subject matter experts will pick the right questions for your assessment from our library of 10000+ questions). This assessment can be customized for any experience level.

Does every candidate get the same questions?

Yes, it makes it much easier for you to compare candidates. Options for MCQ questions and the order of questions are randomized. We have anti-cheating/ proctoring features in place. In our enterprise plan, we also have the option to create multiple versions of the same assessment with questions of similar difficulty levels.

I'm a candidate. Can I try a practice test?

No. Unfortunately, we do not support practice tests at the moment. However, you can use our sample questions for practice.

What is the cost of using this test?

You can check out our pricing plans.

Can I get a free trial?

Yes, you can sign up for free and preview this test.

I just moved to a paid plan. How can I request a custom assessment?

Here is a quick guide on how to request a custom assessment on Adaface.

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