GACE Paraprofessional Practice Test

Word Structure and Context Clues
These questions are based on short reading passages and test your ability to understand how words function in context. You may be asked to:

• Use prefixes, suffixes, root words, and compound words to determine a word’s meaning
• Use word order and sentence structure to interpret the meaning of words and phrases
• Identify figurative language
• Recognize words and phrases with multiple meanings in context
• Identify synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms within a passage

Main Idea and Supporting Details
These questions test your ability to understand what a passage is mostly about and how the author develops ideas. You will be asked to:

• Determine an author’s stated or implied purpose
• Identify the main idea of a paragraph or short passage
• Determine an author’s point of view or perspective based on how the passage is written
• Identify key details that support, explain, or clarify the main idea
• Recognize information that is not relevant to the main idea

Basic Comprehension Skills
These questions measure your ability to understand and interpret different kinds of written information. You may be required to:

• Distinguish between factual statements and opinions
• Draw logical conclusions based on information in a passage
• Identify the structure or organizational pattern of a nonfiction text
• Interpret information presented in charts, tables, diagrams, maps, or other graphic formats
• Make inferences about information that is implied rather than stated directly
• Demonstrate knowledge of key elements of fiction and narrative texts

Standard Written English Usage
These questions assess your knowledge of correct written English conventions. You may be asked to:

• Recognize correct spelling and commonly misspelled words
• Apply rules of capitalization for proper nouns (such as names, titles, and places)
• Identify correct punctuation and spot errors in the use of punctuation marks
• Apply standard English verb usage, including tense changes and spelling variations

Grammatical Structure
These questions measure your understanding of how words and phrases function in sentences. You will be expected to:

• Identify correct use of nouns and pronouns
• Recognize correct use of verb forms
• Identify proper use of adjectives and adverbs
• Apply rules of subject–verb agreement
• Identify basic grammatical errors within sentences and short passages

The Writing Process and Purpose
These questions focus on how writing is organized and developed for different purposes. You may be asked to:

• Identify the purpose of a piece of writing
• Recognize organizational patterns such as sequence, cause and effect, and problem and solution
• Identify prewriting strategies such as outlining, brainstorming, and drafting
• Recognize basic research methods used when preparing written work
• Identify effective introductions and conclusions
• Recognize strong topic sentences and supporting details within paragraphs

Numerical Reasoning
These questions measure your ability to work with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and percents in both computation and problem-solving situations. You may be asked to:

• Solve problems and make reasonable estimates involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division using standard algorithms
• Compose and decompose whole numbers using basic operations
• Identify common errors when setting up or solving equations and word problems
• Identify and compare forms of numbers (integers, fractions, decimals) and locate them on a number line
• Apply knowledge of place value for whole numbers and decimals
• Solve problems using proportional reasoning and percents

Patterns and Algebraic, Geometric, and Spatial Reasoning
These questions assess your ability to recognize patterns and use geometric and spatial concepts. You will be expected to:

• Recognize and extend simple numerical and visual patterns
• Identify proportional relationships in mathematical problems
• Identify and describe geometric shapes based on their properties
• Match dimensions to attributes of two- and three-dimensional figures (e.g., area, perimeter, volume)
• Solve word problems involving area, perimeter, and volume of geometric figures
• Locate points and identify geometric figures on a coordinate plane

Measurement and Data Reasoning
These questions focus on how mathematical information is represented, interpreted, and applied in real-world contexts. You may be asked to:

• Interpret data shown in tables, pie charts, line graphs, bar graphs, and pictographs
• Analyze graphical data to make decisions or draw conclusions
• Convert between units of time, money, length, mass, volume, and weight in the standard U.S. measurement system
• Solve measurement-based word problems involving money, time, temperature, and customary units