ETS® Proficiency Profile
Improve the quality of instruction and learning
Select a topic to see how the ETS® Proficiency Profile can provide the valid, reliable data you need.
The ETS Proficiency Profile is a test of college-level skills in reading, writing, critical thinking and mathematics designed to measure the academic skills developed through general education courses, rather than the subject knowledge specifically taught in those courses.
All of the subject knowledge required to answer each question is contained in the question itself or the supporting materials that accompany the question.
College-level reading questions measure students' ability to:
College-level writing questions measure students' ability to:
Critical thinking questions measure students' ability to:
Mathematics questions measure students' ability to:
Learn more about the skills measured, contexts covered and the difficulty of the questions.
The sample questions and answers are for reference only. They are not actual questions currently used on the test.
Get greater insight into your students’ writing and critical thinking skills with a direct and authentic measure of their ability to construct a response. The ETS Proficiency Profile essay asks students to think critically about a topic of general interest and to clearly express thoughts about it in writing. Each essay topic states a claim that can be discussed from various perspectives and applied to many different situations or conditions. The statement is followed by a set of specific instructions. Students are tasked with presenting a compelling case that supports a position on the issue.
The essay measures your students’ ability to:
Students are required to provide focused responses based on the tasks presented and demonstrate the ability to directly respond to a task.
The ETS Proficiency Profile optional essay is delivered online and can be administered with or without a proctor.
