Wide Range Achievement Test Wide Range Achievement Word Reading Subtest 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the WRAT Word Reading subtest, what is the PRIMARY skill being assessed when a student reads isolated words aloud?
- Reading fluency and speed
- Decoding and word recognition (Correct answer)
- Reading comprehension
- Vocabulary knowledge
Correct answer: Decoding and word recognition
The WRAT Word Reading subtest primarily measures decoding and word recognition by having students read words in isolation without contextual clues.
Question 2: A child scores at the 25th percentile on the WRAT Word Reading subtest. How should this result be interpreted?
- The child reads below average compared to same-age peers (Correct answer)
- The child reads at grade level
- The child has a severe reading disability
- The child's score is in the average range
Correct answer: The child reads below average compared to same-age peers
The 25th percentile falls below the average range (typically 25th–75th percentile), indicating the child reads below average for their age group.
Question 3: Which type of words appears FIRST in the WRAT Word Reading subtest word list?
- Multisyllabic academic words
- Simple, short, common words (Correct answer)
- Scientific terminology
- Irregular sight words only
Correct answer: Simple, short, common words
The word list begins with simple, short, high-frequency words and progresses to increasingly complex and less common words.
Question 4: When a WRAT examiner marks a word as incorrect, which response qualifies as an error?
- Self-correction within the allowed time
- Mispronunciation of the target word (Correct answer)
- Slow but accurate pronunciation
- Sounding out letters before saying the word
Correct answer: Mispronunciation of the target word
A mispronunciation that does not match the correct word is scored as an error, regardless of how confident the student appears.
Question 5: What does a significant discrepancy between WRAT Word Reading and Spelling subtest scores most likely suggest?
- The student has attention difficulties
- There may be differential weaknesses in decoding versus encoding skills (Correct answer)
- The test was administered incorrectly
- The student has a math learning disability
Correct answer: There may be differential weaknesses in decoding versus encoding skills
A large gap between Word Reading and Spelling scores can indicate that decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) skills have developed unevenly.
Question 6: The WRAT5 Word Reading subtest was standardized on a sample that was designed to reflect which characteristic?
- Only students in special education programs
- A nationally representative US population sample (Correct answer)
- Students from high-income school districts only
- Bilingual students exclusively
Correct answer: A nationally representative US population sample
The WRAT5 normative sample was designed to be representative of the US population across age, gender, race/ethnicity, and geographic region.
Question 7: An evaluator administering the WRAT Word Reading subtest should discontinue testing after how many consecutive errors?
- 3 consecutive errors
- 5 consecutive errors (Correct answer)
- 10 consecutive errors
- After any error occurs
Correct answer: 5 consecutive errors
The standard discontinue rule for the WRAT Word Reading subtest is 5 consecutive errors, indicating the ceiling has been reached.
Wide Range Achievement Test Wide Range Achievement Word Reading Subtest 2
In the WRAT Word Reading subtest, what is the PRIMARY skill being assessed when a student reads isolated words aloud?