About Act WorkKeys

​In response to North Carolina’s accountability model and in alignment with the Common Core Standards, North Carolina high schools administer the WorkKeys assessment each school year.  The Act WorkKeys examination is a mandatory exam for all seniors who are CTE concentrators.   A CTE concentrator is a student, who has successfully completed the Level I Prerequisite course(s) as well as a Level II Concentrator course in an approved Career Pathway Program of Study.  

National Career Readiness Certification​

​Individuals who successfully complete the three WorkKeys assessments--Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents—earn the WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate® (WorkKeysNCRC®), a valuable credential for students and job seekers seeking to verify foundational workplace skills. 

The ACT National Career Readiness Certification is awarded at four levels of proficiency, based on the scores achieved on the component assessments.

• Platinum: Scores of Level 6 or higher on all three exams 
• Gold: Scores of Level 5 or higher on all three exams  
• Silver: Scores of Level 4 or higher on all three exams  
• Bronze: Scores of Level 3 or higher on all three exams