CASAS Reading, Math and Listening

The CASAS Reading Assessment measures your ability to understand written English in everyday and workplace contexts. This section evaluates how well you comprehend informational texts, recognize persuasive techniques, understand vocabulary in context, analyze literary elements, identify themes and plot structures, and apply general reading comprehension skills. The reading passages reflect real-world materials such as workplace documents, instructional manuals, advertisements, news articles, and narrative texts. Success requires both literal comprehension and the ability to draw inferences, evaluate arguments, and synthesize information across texts.

Informational texts present factual content designed to inform, explain, or instruct. These texts appear in newspapers, magazines, textbooks, manuals, reports, brochures, and online articles. Understanding informational texts requires identifying main ideas, recognizing supporting details, following organizational patterns, and distinguishing facts from opinions.

The main idea is the central point the author wants to communicate. It may appear directly in a topic sentence or be implied through the accumulation of details. Supporting details provide evidence, examples, statistics, or explanations that reinforce the main idea.

To identify the main idea, ask yourself what single point the entire passage is making. Look for repeated concepts or terms that signal importance. Topic sentences often appear at the beginning of paragraphs, but they may also conclude a paragraph as a summary statement.

Supporting details answer questions about the main idea: who, what, when, where, why, and how. These details may include facts, statistics, quotations, anecdotes, or descriptive information. Strong readers distinguish between major supporting details that directly prove the main idea and minor details that add interest but are not essential.

Informational texts follow predictable organizational patterns that help readers anticipate content and locate information efficiently.

Chronological order presents events or steps in time sequence. Signal words include first, next, then, after, before, finally, and dates or times. This structure appears in historical accounts, process explanations, and narratives.

Cause and effect organization explains why events happen and what results from them. Signal words include because, therefore, consequently, as a result, since, and due to. This structure appears in scientific explanations, news analysis, and problem-solution texts.

Compare and contrast organization examines similarities and differences between subjects. Signal words include similarly, likewise, however, on the other hand, in contrast, and while. This structure appears in product reviews, analytical essays, and decision-making guides.

Problem and solution organization identifies an issue and proposes remedies. Signal words include the problem is, one solution, to address this, and as a remedy. This structure appears in editorials, proposals, and instructional texts.

Spatial organization arranges information by location or physical arrangement. Signal words include above, below, next to, behind, and in the center. This structure appears in descriptive passages, directions, and technical descriptions.

Order of importance arranges ideas from most to least significant or vice versa. Signal words include most importantly, primarily, additionally, and finally. This structure appears in persuasive writing and prioritized lists.

Workplace documents include memos, emails, reports, policies, procedures, schedules, and forms. These texts require precise reading because they often contain instructions that must be followed exactly or information that affects job performance.

When reading workplace documents, identify the purpose immediately. Determine whether the document requires action, provides information, or establishes policy. Note any deadlines, requirements, or consequences mentioned.

Pay attention to formatting elements such as headings, bullet points, numbered lists, and bold text. These elements highlight important information and organize content for quick reference.

Technical texts explain specialized processes, equipment, or concepts. They often include domain-specific vocabulary, diagrams, charts, and step-by-step procedures.

Follow numbered steps exactly as written. Technical procedures often depend on precise sequence, and skipping or reordering steps can produce incorrect results.

Interpret visual elements carefully. Diagrams, flowcharts, and tables often convey information more efficiently than prose. Read captions and labels, and connect visual information to the surrounding text.

Scientific texts present research findings, explain natural phenomena, or describe experimental procedures. They typically follow a structure that includes background information, methodology, results, and conclusions.

Distinguish between observations (what was measured or recorded) and interpretations (what the observations mean). Scientific texts often present data first and then explain significance.

News articles follow the inverted pyramid structure, placing the most important information at the beginning and progressively less important details toward the end. The first paragraph typically answers the basic questions of who, what, when, where, and sometimes why and how.

Headlines summarize the main point but may use incomplete sentences or omit articles. Read headlines critically; they sometimes emphasize dramatic elements over accuracy.

Distinguish between news reporting and opinion pieces. News articles present factual accounts with attributed sources. Opinion pieces, editorials, and columns express viewpoints and may use persuasive techniques.

Evaluate source credibility by noting who is quoted, what evidence is provided, and whether multiple perspectives are represented. Reliable news articles attribute information to named sources and distinguish between confirmed facts and allegations.