{"id":19273,"date":"2015-11-02T19:43:27","date_gmt":"2015-11-02T19:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=19273"},"modified":"2026-03-14T14:52:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T19:52:25","slug":"nelson-denny-reading-test","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/nelson-denny-reading-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Nelson-Denny Reading Test"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, named for professors who developed the test, is used to measure reading comprehension and ability in adolescents and young adults. While it cannot be used to diagnose disorders, it can help identify students in need of additional reading instruction. Many schools and universities use it to place students in a language arts class appropriate to the student\u2019s reading level.<\/p>\n<p>Click \u201cStart Test\u201d above to take a free Nelson-Denny Reading practice test, and check out our premium-quality Nelson-Denny Reading test prep resources by clicking the links below!<\/p>\n<div class=\"buttonlinks\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/studyguides\/ndrt\/\" class=\"class_names\" style=\"color:black;\" onclick=\"_paq.push(['trackEvent', 'Guide Button', 'Guide Click', 'NDRT Guide Click']);\">Nelson-Denny Reading Test Study Guide<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flashcardsecrets.com\/ndrt\/\" class=\"class_names\" style=\"color:black;\" onclick=\"_paq.push(['trackEvent', 'Flashcard Button', 'Flashcard Button Click', 'NDRT Flashcard Click']);\">Nelson-Denny Reading Test Flashcards<\/a><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"NelsonDenny_Reading_Test_Outline\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Nelson-Denny Reading Test Outline<\/h2>\n<p>The Nelson-Denny Reading test is actually made up of two tests: a vocabulary test and a reading comprehension test.<\/p>\n<p>The vocabulary test includes 80 multiple-choice questions and is timed at 15 minutes. The reading comprehension test, which is timed at 20 minutes, includes five short reading passages each followed by a set of questions asking you to identify correct, factual content from the passage.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"sg-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sg-box-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"sg-box-title\">Check out Mometrix's Nelson-Denny Reading Study Guide<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get practice questions, video tutorials, and detailed study lessons<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"sg-box-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/studyguides\/ndrt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get Your Study Guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/studyguides\/ndrt\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"184\" height=\"238\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ndrt.jpg\" alt=\" Study Guide\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"Registration\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span> Registration<\/h2>\n<p>The test is administered independently by the schools that require it. In order to schedule an appointment, you should talk to your academic advisor or school counselor.<\/p>\n<p>Try to schedule your appointment as soon as you can but make sure you get an appointment that leaves you with at least a week or two to prepare for the test.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"Scoring\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Scoring<\/h2>\n<p>The raw score (the actual number of questions you answered correctly) is converted into a number corresponding to the grade level representing your reading skills. For example, a score of 9.8 would indicate a reading skill level of the eighth month of the ninth grade, whereas a score of 13.2 would indicate the reading level of a college freshman in their second month.<\/p>\n<p>This score will help in determining how challenging a given text or course will be for a student, and it can also be used to help create a plan for bringing that skill level up to where it needs to be.<\/p>\n<p>Because it is used as a diagnostic test, there is no minimum score needed to pass. However, your results will be used to determine whether you\u2019re capable of completing the coursework you are trying to complete.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"sg-box\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sg-box-text\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"sg-box-title\">Check out Mometrix's Nelson-Denny Reading Flashcards<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get complex  subjects broken down into easily understandable concepts<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"sg-box-button blue-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flashcardsecrets.com\/ndrt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get Your Flashcards<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flashcardsecrets.com\/ndrt\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"238\" height=\"184\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/ndrtflash.jpg\" alt=\" Flashcards\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"pt-page\"><span id=\"FAQs\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><div class=\"faq-list\">\n<h3>How many questions are on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test?<\/h3>\n<p>There are 118 questions in total on the test.<\/p>\n<h3>How long is the Nelson-Denny Reading Test?<\/h3>\n<p>The time limit for the test is 35 minutes.<\/p>\n<h3>What is the passing score for the Nelson-Denny Reading Test?<\/h3>\n<p>There is no set passing score for this test.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<br \/>\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" class=\"author-bio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"image\" class=\"author-image\" height=\"127\" width=\"127\" alt=\"Headshot of Mometrix associate Peter Rench.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Peter-Rench-scaled.webp\"><div class=\"author-text\"><p class=\"author-name\">By <span itemprop=\"name\">Peter Rench<\/span><\/p><div class=\"author-desc\"><p>Peter Rench joined Mometrix in 2009 and serves as Vice President of Product Development, responsible for overseeing all new product development and quality improvements. Mr. Rench, a National Merit Scholar, graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in mathematics from Texas A&amp;M University.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"editor\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" class=\"author-bio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"image\" class=\"author-image\" height=\"127\" width=\"127\" alt=\"Aaron Lanni profile pic\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/image_2024-12-11_124906662.png\"><div class=\"author-text\"><p class=\"author-name\">Edited by <span itemprop=\"name\">Aaron Lanni<\/span><\/p><div class=\"author-desc\"><p>Aaron is the content manager and lead editor for Mometrix Academy. He regularly produces, updates, proofreads, and edits content to ensure it meets Mometrix\u2019s quality and accessibility standards.<\/p>\n<\/div><p class=\"alignright author-desc author-link\"><a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/editorial-guidelines\/\">Learn more about our editorial guidelines<\/a> \u2192<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/\">Mometrix Academy &#8211; Home<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"disclaimer\">Mometrix Test Preparation is not affiliated with or endorsed by any official testing organization. All organizational and test names are trademarks of their respective owners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, named for professors who developed the test, is used to measure reading comprehension and ability in adolescents and young adults. While it cannot be used to diagnose disorders, it can help identify students in need of additional reading instruction. Many schools and universities use it to place students in a language &#8230; <a title=\"Nelson-Denny Reading Test\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/nelson-denny-reading-test\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Nelson-Denny Reading Test\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":203039,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-19273","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-college-admissions-and-placement","7":"page_type-exam-overview","8":"page_domain-nelson-denny-reading"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19273"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268666,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19273\/revisions\/268666"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}