By Jeff Allen, Ph.D., ACT principal research scientist
Recently, states have expressed interest in using the ACT test and ACT WorkKeys assessments together for high school accountability. Under one proposed model, all students would take both exams, with schools getting a range of credit for preparing students based on the level of students’ college readiness (measured by the ACT) and career readiness (measured by WorkKeys). Current research provides a clearer picture of how these two assessments work together to offer a more complete view of student readiness.
Academic vs. workplace focus
The ACT is designed to measure college readiness focusing on skills taught in high school courses and needed for college courses. The three WorkKeys assessments¹ that form the National Career Readiness Certificate measure foundational skills that are important for a wide range of occupations. The NCRC assessments include Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents. The assessments measure the skills needed to apply mathematical reasoning and problem-solving to work-related problems, interpret information presented in graphical format to solve a problem, and use written documents to perform a job.
The ACT measures skills in academic contexts aligned to high school and college coursework, whereas WorkKeys measures skills in authentic workplace contexts. While the skills measured by the ACT test are important for success across a wide range of college courses2, decades of job profiling research have found that the skills measured by the NCRC assessments are important for success across a wide range of occupations.
Recent research, based on a sample of nearly 359,000 students who took both assessments, found that correlations between ACT and WorkKeys section scores range from 0.55 to 0.69. This suggests that the assessments share significant common ground in measuring academic and foundational skills, but each also captures unique information about student readiness.
The research also reveals some important differences for students with different plans for college and work. Students who plan careers in skilled trades perform relatively better on WorkKeys than on the ACT, as do males and students who do not plan to continue their education through a bachelor’s degree.
NCRC levels as indicators of career readiness
WorkKeys scores range from 3-7 and are converted to NCRC levels that are awarded based on an examinee’s performance across the Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents assessments. A Silver NCRC requires a student to score at Level 4 or higher on all three assessments. ACT’s JobPro Database3 — built from more than 22,000 job analyses conducted with input from over 88,000 job incumbents and their supervisors — links WorkKeys skill levels to real job tasks across industries. Based on this analysis, a Silver NCRC aligns with the foundational skill levels required for approximately 71% of jobs identified in O*NET4. A Gold NCRC aligns with about 93% of jobs, and Platinum aligns with about 99%.
A Silver NCRC indicates foundational skill readiness for careers in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare support, utilities, construction management, financial services, and public safety. These careers generally offer competitive wages and advancement opportunities, and many do not require a college degree, according to O*Net data.
NCRC levels compared to ACT scores
NCRC levels can be compared to ACT score levels to better understand how different levels of career readiness align with different levels of college readiness. ACT Composite scores of 19 to 21 are generally regarded as cut scores associated with college readiness. For example, an ACT Composite score of 21 is the average of the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks for English, math, reading, and science.
A recent study identified the ACT Composite score ranges that predict attainment of different NCRC Levels:
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Students earning an ACT Composite score of 1-12 are predicted to not qualify for the NCRC
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Students earning an ACT Composite score of 13-15 are predicted to earn a Bronze NCRC
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Students earning an ACT Composite score of 16-20 are predicted to earn a Silver NCRC
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Students earning an ACT Composite score of 21-26 are predicted to earn a Gold NCRC
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Students earning an ACT Composite score of 27-36 are predicted to earn a Platinum NCRC
These predictions indicate that Silver is related to ACT score levels traditionally viewed as just below college ready to college ready, while Gold relates to levels viewed as college ready and higher, and Platinum relates to levels significantly above college ready.
ACT's 2025 Graduating Class data indicates that 61% of ACT-tested graduates were predicted to earn at least a Silver NCRC, while 33% were predicted to earn at least a Gold NCRC, and 14% were predicted to earn a Platinum NCRC. By contrast, only 30% met at least three ACT College Readiness Benchmarks.
Other recent research indicates that the overall percentage of students deemed ready for college and career increases from 33% to 67% when the Silver NCRC is used as the threshold for career readiness and an ACT Composite score of 20 is used as the threshold for college readiness. Notably, states that use the ACT for high school accountability set their own ACT score performance levels based on local factors and stakeholder judgments. Similarly, thresholds for career readiness may vary by state. Therefore, while the percentage of students deemed ready would be expected to increase in all states, the impact of moving to a dual assessment system should vary by state.
Alignment to state content standards
The WorkKeys NCRC assessments are designed to assess foundational workplace skills and not state content standards. However, the skills assessed by WorkKeys have a high level of crossover with most state standards. The alignment of the NCRC assessments and state standards progresses across score levels and grade levels, with lower levels reflecting more foundational skills and higher levels reflecting more advanced high school standards.
Because the assessments measure foundational competencies that build over time, they provide schools with a way to recognize and reward student growth in foundational skills — even for students whose strengths may not be fully reflected by college readiness benchmarks. By recognizing career readiness without redefining college readiness expectations, using both the ACT and WorkKeys allows schools to report meaningful progress for students at different points along the readiness continuum while maintaining established academic standards.
Recognition and job relevance of the NCRC
The NCRC has been issued to more than 6.2 million individuals since 2006 and is recognized by employers in all 50 states. Nearly 600 communities across the country have adopted the ACT Work Ready Communities framework, placing the NCRC at the center of regional workforce development strategy.
Validation research supports the job relevance of the NCRC assessments, indicating that scores are significantly correlated with job performance, including increased productivity, lower turnover, and lower absenteeism. WorkKeys validity research also shows that scores are correlated with higher grades in college and technical training programs, that employment rates are higher for NCRC earners, and that income grew at faster rates for individuals with higher NCRC levels.
While the NCRC is primarily considered a labor market credential, it has also earned recognition in higher education. The American Council on Education (ACE) recommends that colleges and universities award up to nine semester hours of college credit for Silver, Gold, and Platinum NCRC earners.
Together, ACT scores and the NCRC give students two nationally recognized credentials for college and work pathways. These credentials are valuable sources of information for decisions around college admissions and placement, college credit, scholarships, training opportunities, and employment.
Jeff Allen, Ph.D. specializes in longitudinal research on educational outcomes, student growth models, and validation of college and career readiness measures.
1 WorkKeys NCRC Assessments Technical Manual (Ref. p 11)
2ACT Technical Brief on Benchmark College Courses
