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Exam Overview
The VCLA is computer-based. You can test at Pearson test centers in Virginia and around the country, by appointment year-round, Monday through Saturday except some holidays, or by online proctoring during one-week testing windows each month. You may register for one subtest or both.
Key Facts About the VCLA
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA) |
| Developer | Evaluation Systems group of Pearson, for the Virginia Department of Education |
| Subtests | Reading Comprehension and Analysis (091); Writing Knowledge and Proficiency (092) |
| Answer choices | Four (A to D) on every multiple-choice question |
| Passing score | Scaled 235 on each subtest; 470 for both subtests combined |
| Guessing penalty | None |
| Delivery | Computer-based at a test center, or online proctoring |
| Extra time | A 15-minute tutorial and nondisclosure agreement at each appointment |
| Licensure status | No longer required for initial Virginia teacher licensure; still offered |
The Two Subtests
Subtest Format
| Subtest | Questions | What Is Tested |
|---|---|---|
| Reading (091) | About 40 multiple-choice | Word meaning, main idea and details, relationships among ideas, critical reasoning, summaries, outlines and graphics |
| Writing (092) | About 40 multiple-choice, 3 short-answer items, 1 written summary, 1 written composition | Purpose and audience, unity and development, organization, sentence construction, usage, mechanics, and your own writing |
Reading questions are grouped in sets that follow passages of several paragraphs on topics such as culture, history, science, consumer issues and social issues. The official practice test uses eight passages with five questions each, and each set moves through the five Reading objectives in order. Writing multiple-choice questions are asked about short drafts with numbered sentences, plus a mechanics passage that asks whether an underlined part contains a spelling, punctuation or capitalization error, or no error. The Writing subtest then asks you to correct three short texts, write a summary of about 150 to 200 words and write a composition of about 300 to 600 words.
Testing Time
Testing time depends on how you test and whether you take one subtest or both.
Testing Time by Delivery Method
| Delivery | Testing Time |
|---|---|
| Test center, one or both subtests | 4 hours of testing, plus a 15-minute tutorial and nondisclosure agreement |
| Online, Reading only | 2 hours, plus the 15-minute tutorial |
| Online, Writing only | 3 hours, plus the 15-minute tutorial |
| Online, both subtests | Writing 2 hours 30 minutes, a 15-minute break, then Reading 1 hour 30 minutes, plus the tutorial |
At a test center you may take restroom breaks, but the clock keeps running, so breaks count against your testing time. Online, no breaks are allowed within a subtest. If you take both subtests online, Writing comes first, and once the break begins you cannot return to the Writing subtest.
How the Subtests Are Scored
Each subtest is reported as a scaled score, and the passing score is 235 on each subtest, or 470 for both subtests combined. Because the rules for using the combined score can depend on the program that asked for the test, confirm with that program how it applies the 235 and 470 standards.
The Reading score is based on the number of multiple-choice questions you answer correctly. The Writing score combines your multiple-choice results with your scores on the short-answer items, the written summary and the written composition. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so answer every question. A few questions on any form may be unscored items being tried out for future use, and you will not know which ones they are.
Trained readers score the written work. Each short-answer item asks you to rewrite a text containing two errors as one correct sentence that keeps the original meaning and adds no new errors. The written summary is scored on a four-point scale on four characteristics: fidelity, conciseness, organization, and mechanics, grammar and word choice. The written composition is scored on a four-point scale on seven characteristics: appropriateness, organization, focus and unity, development, usage, sentence structure and mechanical conventions. For both, a response that cannot be scored receives a U code and a blank response receives a B code. The position you take in the composition is not scored, only how well you express, organize and support it.
Fees
Published Fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| One subtest | $40 |
| Both subtests | $80 |
| Registration processing fee | $50, listed on the program site in addition to test fees |
Fees can change, so check the current amounts on the VCLA program site when you register.
What Kinds of Questions to Expect
- Reading questions that ask what a word or phrase means in context, what the main idea or purpose of a paragraph is, how ideas are related, what a writer assumes or believes, whether reasoning is sound, and which summary, outline or graphic best represents information
- Writing questions on drafts with numbered sentences that ask which sentence is off topic, which transition fits, where a sentence belongs, which revision is clearest or which change corrects an error
- Mechanics questions that ask whether an underlined part contains a spelling, punctuation or capitalization error, or no error
- Three short-answer items, each a short text with two errors to rewrite as one correct sentence
- One written summary of a passage, about 150 to 200 words
- One written composition for a stated audience and purpose, often persuasive, about 300 to 600 words
Score Reports
- Test center: scores are released within 15 business days of your test.
- Online proctoring: scores are released within 10 business days of your test.
- Your report shows whether you met the passing standard for each subtest you took. If you need to retest, use your report and your practice-test results to choose which chapters to review, and check the program's retake policies before you register again.
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