i-Ready Diagnostic reading · adaptive · grades K-8

i-Ready Reading Practice Test

An adaptive reading test in the style of the i-Ready Diagnostic: vocabulary, then stories and poems, then articles, in the same order and numbers. Every answer decides the next question, and every missed question is explained at the end.

Unofficial practice. i-Ready® is a registered trademark of Curriculum Associates, LLC, which is not affiliated with iMasterly and has not reviewed or endorsed this test.

Reading questions in i-Ready's areas and order: for grades 3-8 vocabulary, then stories and poems, then articles (54 questions); for kindergarten to grade 2 also letters, sounds and sight words, with every question read aloud. Each answer decides how hard the next question is, so it is fine to find some questions hard. Take your time: there is no timer.

Which grade are you in?

What the i-Ready reading test is made of

For grades 3-8, every child takes these three areas in this order (Curriculum Associates' published test flow). Kindergarten to grade 2 also hear letters, sounds and sight words, with every question read aloud.

Vocabulary · 18 questions

What words mean: from clues in the sentence, from prefixes, suffixes and roots, words that mean the same or the opposite, and figurative language.

Comprehension: Literature · 18 questions

Stories, poems and plays: what happens and why, characters, theme, and how the text is built.

Comprehension: Informational Text · 18 questions

Articles about science, history and the world: the main idea, key details, how ideas connect, and the author’s purpose.

Questions parents ask

What is on the i-Ready reading test?
For grades 3-8, Curriculum Associates lists three areas, in this order: Vocabulary (18 questions), Comprehension: Literature (18) and Comprehension: Informational Text (18). A student who scores low then also gets Phonics and High-Frequency Words questions. Kindergarten and grade 1 take six areas of 12 questions: Phonics, Phonological Awareness, High-Frequency Words, Vocabulary, Literature and Informational Text; grade 2 starts with Phonics. From the 2026-27 school year the test is called i-Ready Inform.
Is the i-Ready reading test timed?
No. Children can take as long as they need, and time does not affect the score. Curriculum Associates says an average student in grades 2-5 takes 40 to 60 minutes per subject, and in grades 6-8 60 to 75 minutes.
What kinds of questions does it ask?
Mostly multiple choice, plus drag-and-drop questions and questions where the child clicks a sentence in the passage. Our practice test uses the same three kinds.
Does this practice test give an i-Ready score?
No. i-Ready’s scale scores and placements come from Curriculum Associates’ own scale, which we do not have and do not imitate. Our report says which grade level your child is reading at in each area, and shows every missed question with its answer explained.
Why does the test start with easier questions?
Curriculum Associates starts a child’s first test one grade below their grade, then each answer moves the next question up or down. Ours does the same.

i-Ready is published by Curriculum Associates. We are not affiliated with them, and these practice passages and questions are our own.