The National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC)
The National Career Readiness Certificate determines your skill level in three core areas as applied to the work place. The Missouri Career Center offers 3 tests to determine your skill level. How well you answer the questions on those 3 tests determines what level of certificate you receive. The 4 levels are Platinum (the highest), Gold, Silver and Bronze (the lowest). This test is also available in Spanish.
The tests cover 3 “WorkKey” areas:
Applied Math
Workplace Documents
Graphic Literacy
How to start the process:
Go to the Missouri Job Center at 800 E Cherry Street and use their computers to register. They have people to help you. The process will take about 30 minutes. Take a photo ID that includes your birth date, OR
Start the registration process by going to www.jobs.mo.gov. In the upper right, you’ll see “Create Account.” Click there and provide all the required information. (If you need help, call the Missouri Job Center or call Love Columbia.). Finish the process by going to the Missouri Career Center, 800 E Cherry Street to complete the registration. Take a photo ID with birth date with you. This should take about 10 minutes.
You are now a “member,” and there is no charge for study lessons, practice tests and the actual test.
How to prepare for the test:
“Career Ready 101” is an online resource from the Missouri Job Center to help you prepare. There are 7 lessons and practice tests for each of the 3 areas. Sign in to the account you created above, and you can work on those lessons from any computer, 24/7.
You can take the practice tests up to 3 times a day. Each test is different.
After the test:
If you earned a certificate, it will be ready for you in about two weeks.
You can re-take the test later for a better score. Before re-taking, you must complete all 7 lessons and practice tests in “Career Ready 101”.
You can re-take all 3 tests or just 1 or 2 to improve your score. (Remember that your certificate is based on the lowest of your 3 scores. If you bombed just 1 of the tests, take only that 1 again.)
Should you have further questions, please visit the Missouri Job Center and/or the ACT websites. Visit them at www.jobs.mo.gov (Missouri Job Center) or http://www.act.org/content/act/en/products-and-services/workkeys-for-educators/ncrc.html (ACT).