How the Occupational Reading Assessment works
Each question shows a passage or a table and asks about the information in it. OPM’s sample is a paragraph about job grade definitions, with a question asking which of four single words could replace a phrase in it without changing the meaning.
Questions can ask what a word or phrase means in context, what the passage says, or how a rule in it applies to a situation. OPM’s competency definition names rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs and tables.
All the information you need is in the question, and no knowledge of federal rules is required. Each question has a five-minute clock, and you cannot review or change an answer once it is submitted or the timer ends.
In OPM’s Competency Lookup Tool, Reading is in nearly every standard battery from GS-3 to GS-8, in about a quarter or fewer from GS-9 to GS-13, and rare above that.
How to approach each passage
A steady routine stops you reading the passage three times:
- Read the question first, so you know whether you are hunting for a meaning, a detail or a rule.
- Read the passage once, carefully, noting limits such as “more than”, “at least” and “unless”.
- For a word-in-context question, put each option into the sentence and reread it.
- For a table, read the headings and units before you look for the row.
- Answer from the passage only. A sensible answer the passage does not support is still wrong.
Worked example
Passage: “Requests for annual leave of more than three consecutive workdays must be submitted at least ten workdays in advance. Requests for shorter periods may be submitted up to two workdays in advance. A supervisor may waive either notice period in an emergency.”
Question: An employee wants Wednesday to Friday off, with no emergency. What is the latest the request can be submitted? Options: A. two workdays before, B. three workdays before, C. five workdays before, D. ten workdays before.
Wednesday to Friday is three workdays, and the ten-day rule only applies to more than three. So the shorter-period rule applies and the answer is A. Option D is the trap for anyone who reads “three” and stops.
Tips for the real Occupational Reading Assessment
- Use context clues and word parts for unfamiliar words, as OPM’s own preparation tips suggest.
- Watch for “not”, “except” and “only” in the question.
- Rule out options you know are wrong before choosing between the rest.
- Most questions need far less than five minutes. Check your answer against the passage before you record it.
- Do the free OPM practice assessment linked from OPM’s help centre to see the screen layout.
Practise Occupational Reading on CogniPrep
Our Reading practice has 15 questions on short government-style passages and tables, each with four options and a five-minute clock. It adapts as you go and ends with a score out of 100, weighted towards harder items, and feedback by question type. OPM publishes no question count, so 15 is our length.