A bus timetable lists departures from Elm Street at 7:10, 7:40 and 8:10 and gives the ride to City Hall as 25 minutes. A rider must be at City Hall by 8:15. Which is the latest bus she can take?The answer rests on the text printed in the question. Written to the NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0004 (reading technical and functional texts), read 2026-10-09.
A flyer says, "Councilor Diaz voted to trim the parks budget by two percent. Clearly she wants children to have nowhere to play." Which fallacy is this?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fallacies (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0003 (reading persuasive texts).
A paragraph in a science article links its sentences with consequently, therefore and thus. Which organizational pattern do these transitions signal?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Transitions (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0002 (reading informational texts).
Show all 51 questions (48 more)
I. Vocabulary, comprehension and text forms, continued
A student weighing a book for a research paper notes that it was published by a university press. What does that suggest about the book?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Evaluating Print Sources (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0002 (reading informational texts).
A tenth grader stops after each section of a history chapter and states its main points in a sentence or two of her own. Which comprehension strategy is she using?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Improving Adolescent Literacy (NCEE 2008-4027), recommendation 2 (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0001 (vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension).
A warranty reads, "Covered for 12 months from the date of purchase against defects in materials and workmanship. Damage from misuse or from repair by anyone other than an authorized service center is not covered." Eight months after purchase a blender stops working after the owner's neighbor opens it to fix the motor. Is the repair covered?The answer rests on the text printed in the question. Written to the NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0004 (reading technical and functional texts), read 2026-10-09.
An advertisement reads, "Nine out of ten families on your street have switched to our fiber internet. Don't be the last." Which persuasive technique is at work?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fallacies (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0003 (reading persuasive texts).
An editorial on school lunches begins, "In twenty years as a school dietitian, I have planned more than three million meals." Which appeal is the writer making?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Rhetorical Strategies (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0003 (reading persuasive texts).
Assembly instructions read: "1. Attach the legs to the frame with the four long bolts. Do not tighten fully. 2. Slide the shelf into the slots. 3. Tighten all bolts." Why does step 1 say not to tighten fully?The answer rests on the text printed in the question. Written to the NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0004 (reading technical and functional texts), read 2026-10-09.
"The board's ruling was not capricious; it followed months of hearings and a written record." From the contrast in the sentence, what does capricious most nearly mean?American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, "capricious" (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0001 (vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension).
"For forty years the Marlow Street market opened only on Saturdays. When the town added a Wednesday evening session last spring, stallholders expected thin crowds. Instead, the evening market now draws more shoppers than Saturday does, most of them commuters who used to pass the square without stopping." What is the main idea?The answer rests on the text printed in the question. Written to the NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0002 (reading informational texts), read 2026-10-09.
The word benevolent is built from two Latin elements, bene and volens ("wishing"). What does bene mean?American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, "benevolent" (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0001 (vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension).
II. Analyzing and interpreting literature 12
A fourteen-line poem is divided into an octave that sets out a problem and a sestet that answers it. Which form is it?Academy of American Poets, Glossary of Poetic Terms, Sonnet (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0006 (poetry).
A novel is set in a real town in a real decade, yet a grandmother's ghost sits at the breakfast table each morning and the family passes her the bread without surprise. Which genre does this describe?The Nobel Prize, Gabriel García Márquez, Facts (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0007 (characteristics of literatures from around the world).
According to the Nobel Prize organization, around whom do the novels of Toni Morrison, such as Beloved and Song of Solomon, revolve?The Nobel Prize, Toni Morrison, Facts (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0008 (historical, social, cultural and political aspects of world literatures).
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, like several of his later works, draws on which part of twentieth-century history?The Nobel Prize, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Facts (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0008 (historical, social, cultural and political aspects of world literatures).
Alone on stage, a character speaks her private doubts aloud at length, and no other character hears her. What is this speech called?American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, "soliloquy" (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0005 (literary nonfiction, fiction and drama).
In a novel, what are the final chapters called in which the climax is past and the central conflicts are resolved?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Literary Terms (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0005 (literary nonfiction, fiction and drama).
"The low road home goes slowly over stone." Which sound device stands out most in this line?Academy of American Poets, Glossary of Poetic Terms, Assonance (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0006 (poetry).
"Mara checked the clock again. He had promised to call by noon. Across the hall, Jon closed his door." From which point of view is this passage told?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Literary Terms (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0005 (literary nonfiction, fiction and drama).
Naguib Mahfouz, Nobel laureate of 1988, wrote of life in a changing society. Which city is most often the backdrop of his stories?The Nobel Prize, Naguib Mahfouz, Facts (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0008 (historical, social, cultural and political aspects of world literatures).
The plays of Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate of 1986, are written in English. In which tradition does the Nobel Prize organization say they are rooted?The Nobel Prize, Wole Soyinka, Facts (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0007 (characteristics of literatures from around the world).
Which definition fits the epic, the genre of Gilgamesh, the Mahabharata and the Iliad?Academy of American Poets, Glossary of Poetic Terms, Epic (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0007 (characteristics of literatures from around the world).
Which Japanese verse form has thirty-one syllables, best known in five lines of 5, 7, 5, 7 and 7?Academy of American Poets, Glossary of Poetic Terms, Tanka (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0006 (poetry).
III. Conventions, composition, writing process and research 9
A coach's instructions are written four ways. Which version keeps its three items parallel?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Parallel Structure (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0010 (the writing process).
A student condenses a twenty-page chapter into four sentences of her own that give only its main points, and names the author. What has she written?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0011 (research).
A writer sets a timer for ten minutes and writes whatever comes to mind, without stopping to judge or correct it. Which prewriting technique is this?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Brainstorming (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0010 (the writing process).
At which stage of the writing process should a writer concentrate on misspellings and slips in grammar and punctuation?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Editing and Proofreading (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0010 (the writing process).
In MLA style, how is the list of sources at the end of a paper set up?Purdue Online Writing Lab, MLA Works Cited Page: Basic Format (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0011 (research).
Two complete thoughts about a storm are joined four ways. Which version is punctuated correctly?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fragments and Run-ons (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0009 (conventions of Standard American English and effective composition).
"Walking home from practice, the rain soaked Dev's uniform." Which revision corrects the dangling modifier?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Dangling Modifiers and How To Correct Them (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0009 (conventions of Standard American English and effective composition).
Which describes an acceptable paraphrase of a source?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Plagiarism (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0011 (research).
Which is an effective way to conclude an essay?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Conclusions (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0009 (conventions of Standard American English and effective composition).
IV. Modes of writing 12
A letter asks skeptical school board members to extend library hours. Which sentence keeps a tone that respects the reader?The answer rests on the wording of the framework itself. Written to the NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0014 (persuasive writing), read 2026-10-09.
A memoir opens in the middle of a rescue at sea and only later goes back to explain how the voyage began. Which narrative technique is this opening?American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, "in medias res" (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0012 (narrative writing).
A student arguing for a later school start time adds a paragraph that begins, "Some parents worry that a later start would disrupt work schedules." What is the main purpose of this paragraph?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Argument (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0014 (persuasive writing).
A student claims that the narrator of a story cannot be trusted. How should the essay support that claim?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Literature (Fiction) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0015 (critical or analytical writing).
A student's personal narrative recounts a camping trip hour by hour, but readers finish it unsure why the trip was worth telling. What does the essay most need?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Narrative Essays (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0012 (narrative writing).
A writer is drafting an essay that explains how to change a bicycle tire. Which organizational approach suits it best?The answer rests on the wording of the framework itself. Written to the NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0013 (expository writing), read 2026-10-09.
An essay on two novels discusses setting in both books, then the heroes of both, then the endings of both. Which organization is this?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Comparing and Contrasting (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0015 (critical or analytical writing).
Which assignment calls for expository writing?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Expository Essays (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0013 (expository writing).
Which sentence best follows the advice to describe a scene through the senses?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Descriptive Essays (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0012 (narrative writing).
Which sentence gives the strongest support for the claim that the town should post a crossing guard at Oak Street?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Argumentative Essays (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0014 (persuasive writing).
Which sentence would serve best as the thesis of a literary analysis of a short story called "The Lantern"?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Thesis Statements (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0015 (critical or analytical writing).
Which thesis statement fits an expository essay?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Creating a Thesis Statement, Thesis Statement Tips (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0013 (expository writing).
V. Oral and visual communication 6
A class is assigned a rhetorical analysis of a magazine advertisement. What is the goal of such an analysis?Purdue Online Writing Lab, Analyzing Visual Documents (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0017 (viewing, presenting and analyzing media).
A graduation speaker says, "We will study. We will practice. We will pass." Which rhetorical device shapes these sentences?Academy of American Poets, Glossary of Poetic Terms, Anaphora (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0016 (listening, speaking and group discussion).
A student finds a photograph online that carries no copyright notice and was never registered. Is the photograph protected by copyright?U.S. Copyright Office, Copyright in General (FAQ) (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0017 (viewing, presenting and analyzing media).
A teacher wants to show part of a copyrighted film in a presentation. Which is one of the four factors weighed in deciding whether a use is a fair use?U.S. Copyright Office, Fair Use Index, About Fair Use (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0017 (viewing, presenting and analyzing media).
Which behavior follows the rules of active listening?U.S. Department of State (archived 2009-2017), Active Listening (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0016 (listening, speaking and group discussion).
Why should a speech repeat its key terms and preview its main points more than an essay would?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Speeches (read 2026-10-09). Outline: NES English Language Arts (301) framework, competency 0016 (listening, speaking and group discussion).
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the 17 competencies of the NES English Language Arts test (301) as its test framework prints them on the National Evaluation Series site of Pearson (https://www.nestest.com/static/docs/NES_Framework_301.pdf and https://www.nestest.com/test/301, read 2026-10-09): Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, and Reading Various Text Forms, competencies 0001-0004, 23%; Analyzing and Interpreting Literature, 0005-0008, 23%; English Language Conventions, Composition, Writing Process, and Research, 0009-0011, 19%; Modes of Writing, 0012-0015, 23%; Oral and Visual Communication, 0016-0017, 12%. This bank holds three questions for each competency: 12, 12, 9, 12 and 6. Every rule, term and fact was read on 2026-10-09 in the public page named under its question (the Purdue Online Writing Lab, the Writing Center of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Academy of American Poets, the American Heritage Dictionary, the Nobel Prize site, the U.S. Copyright Office, the Institute of Education Sciences and the Department of State); six questions rest on a short text printed in the question or on the framework's own wording. Licence: Questions, passages, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This free NES English Language Arts practice test has 51 questions of our own, three for each of the 17 competencies of test 301. It is unofficial and not affiliated with Pearson, which owns the National Evaluation Series.
Read the full guide
NES English Language Arts (301) test practice: the outline
By the framework read October 9, 2026, test 301 weights reading and text forms 23%, literature 23%, conventions, composition, the writing process and research 19%, the modes of writing 23%, and oral and visual communication 12%.
How the 51 questions are spread
Twelve, twelve, nine, twelve and six, which keeps those weights. Exam mode asks 50 in 60 minutes, the real pace of 150 questions in 3 hours.
Where the answers come from
Each explanation names the page its rule or term was read in: Purdue's Online Writing Lab, the UNC Writing Center, the Academy of American Poets, the American Heritage Dictionary, the Nobel Prize site or the Copyright Office.
The test page lists no reference materials, so learn the verse forms and the names of the fallacies by heart.
At a test center a scaled score is provided as soon as you finish. The score report follows within two weeks.
Questions and answers
Is this free NES English Language Arts practice test the real exam?
No. Every question and passage here is our own, written from one competency of the 301 framework and the public page its explanation names. Nothing comes from the real test, its sample questions or the paid practice test.
How many questions are on the NES English Language Arts (ELA) test?
Test 301 has 150 multiple-choice questions. Testing time is 3 hours, and a 15-minute tutorial and nondisclosure agreement bring the appointment to 3 hours and 15 minutes.
What is the passing score for NES English Language Arts?
The test page gives a national benchmark of 220 and links the passing scores of Arizona, Washington and Wisconsin, because a state may set its own. Scores are reported on a scale of 100 to 300.
Is NES English Language Arts 319 the same test as 301?
No. Test 319 follows a May 2023 framework with two domains and has 100 multiple-choice questions; 301 has five domains and 150. Both are on the NES list, so ask your state's licensing agency which code it accepts.