Help!
 

 Welcome

 
 

 Choices of Activities

  Test Your Skills
 
Information
  Practice
  Explore Careers
  Workbooks
 

 

 

 Resources

  Ideas For Users
  Tips for Developing Materials
  Related Sites
     
 

 Contact Us

 
 

 Acknowledgments

 

 

Back To 'Test Your Skills'

If you have just finished one of the self-assessments, you may be curious to know what your results mean.

Why do I need 80%?
What does it mean if I achieve 80%?
What does it mean if I don't achieve 80%?
How does this test Measure Up?
How employable am I?

Why do I need 80%?
We usually think about 'passing' a test as answering 50% of the questions correctly. It also means that up to 50% of the answers could be incorrect. In most jobs, a 50% error rate is probably going to result in financial loss for the company and a short career for the worker. International standards set 80% as a measure of 'competency'. This means that there is a good chance that tasks at the same difficulty level will be completed correctly.

[Top of Page]


What does it mean if I achieve 80%?
This assessment is an informal test. Completing only 5 questions will give you an indication of what your skills are. But don't count on these results until you complete more. Experts say you need to achieve 80% on 20 questions before feeling confident that, given any task at the same level, chances are you will complete it correctly. Would you like to try another assessment? Click here

[Top of Page]

What does it mean if I don't achieve 80%?
Again, this is a matter of probability. It usually means, you can get some of the questions correct some of the time. To improve, you need to practice. When you get to the answer keys, print the detailed answers. This information will take you step by step through locating the information to complete the questions. Would you like to try some practice questions? Click here

[Top of Page]


How does this test Measure Up?
This Self Assessment is an informal test. That means that it has not been 'tested' extensively with hundreds of test-takers. Even though we have checked and checked again, there still may be mistakes or questions that are not clear. It takes hundreds of thousands of dollars to do the kind of testing that is required in a formal test to make it scientifically valid and reliable. TOWES (Test of Workplace Essential skills) is an effective, validated literacy assessment, using authentic workplace documents to accurately measure Reading Text, Document Use and Numeracy. For more information about TOWES, click here.

[Top of Page]


How employable am I?
Essential Skills are only one component in employment. The assessment you have just completed assesses reading, using documents and numeracy. These skills are important to all jobs. These skills also allow you to learn specific job related skills. Your experience, work habits, personal attributes and other skills are other components that contribute to your employability.

Here are three sites that might be of interest to job seekers:

[Top of Page]

The Measure Up website is made possible with financial assistance from: