HiSET Reading Study Guide: Introduction

Welcome to the HiSET language arts: reading test study guide! In this guide, you will review content and strategies that will help you do your best on test day. Let’s jump in by examining the basics.

You have just over one minute per question. However, with all the reading you’ll do on this part of the test, you might be working up until the last second. That said, how does the content break down?

No matter the type of text, questions will assess one of four key skills. We have listed the skills below from easiest to hardest, and we have included sample phrases to help you identify which HiSET questions assess which skill.

• Comprehension
  • Can you identify the meaning behind words, phrases, and specific details?
  • Can you identify how word choice affects meaning?
• Inference/Interpretation
  • Can you support inferences using evidence?
  • Can you infer what individuals or characters are thinking or feeling?
  • Can you interpret information in charts and graphs?
  • Can you identify figurative language and symbolism?
• Analysis
  • Can you identify and summarize the main idea?
  • Can you analyze the author’s style, literary devices, and key ideas?
• Synthesis/Generalization
  • Can you draw conclusions based on a text?
  • Can you make predictions based on what you’ve read?
  • Can you compare and contrast authors’/characters’ points of view?

Once you can answer “yes” to these questions, you’ll be ready to tackle the HiSET language arts: reading test. The following pages cover related ideas that will help you do your best on test day. This guide breaks down relevant skills by their accompanying informational or literary texts. You’ll also have the chance to assess your knowledge with plenty of practice questions.

Let’s dive in and start with informational text skills.