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MTEL / NES Essential Academic Skills — Reading (NT001)

First published: September 2, 2026Last verified: September 2, 2026Reviewed by the CertQuestUSA team
TL;DR

MTEL / NES Essential Academic Skills — Reading (NT001): a 20-question practice bank for the real Teacher Certification (Praxis) standard, 3 full papers of 20 questions each with no repeats, every question citing the real regulation it comes from.

Where these questions come from

Every question in this bank cites a real source -- primarily NES Essential Academic Skills Subtest I: Reading (100%) of this exam's citations.

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3
full papers, no repeats
20
questions per paper
20
questions in the bank
What this exam covers
5 real sample questions
Read the passage below. "After losing the championship game, the team's morale was shattered into a thousand pieces." What type of figurative language is used in this sentence?
A. Personification
B. Metaphor
C. Simile
D. Oxymoron
Source: NES Essential Academic Skills Subtest I: Reading (NT001), Competency 0001
Read the sentence below. "The team's victory was ephemeral, lasting only until their next devastating loss." Based on the context, what does 'ephemeral' mean?
A. Overwhelming or impressive
B. Short-lived or temporary
C. Well-deserved or hard-won
D. Easily forgotten or trivial
Source: NES Essential Academic Skills Subtest I: Reading (NT001), Competency 0001
Which sentence uses the word 'articulate' correctly to mean 'to express clearly'?
A. The dancer's articulate movements impressed the audience.
B. The speaker was able to articulate her complex ideas in a way everyone understood.
C. The building's articulate architecture featured many columns.
D. The student's articulate response showed confidence.
Source: NES Essential Academic Skills Subtest I: Reading (NT001), Competency 0001
Read the sentence below. "The senator's tacit approval of the bill was surprising given his previous opposition." Which word is closest in meaning to 'tacit'?
A. Spoken aloud
B. Temporary or conditional
C. Implied without being stated
D. Reluctant or hesitant
Source: NES Essential Academic Skills Subtest I: Reading (NT001), Competency 0001
Read the passage below. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy. Chlorophyll, the green pigment in leaves, absorbs light from the sun. This light energy drives the reactions that combine water and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen. The glucose serves as food for the plant, while the oxygen is released into the atmosphere. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Chlorophyll is the green pigment found in plant leaves.
B. Photosynthesis converts light energy into chemical energy that plants use for food.
C. Plants release oxygen into the atmosphere through photosynthesis.
D. Glucose and oxygen are both products of the photosynthetic process.
Source: NES Essential Academic Skills Subtest I: Reading (NT001), Competency 0002
Real-world data for this exam
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education: real median wageMay 2025$63,970/yr

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the CertQuestUSA MTEL / NES Essential Academic Skills — Reading (NT001) practice test?
20 questions total, split into 3 full papers of 20 each with no repeats across papers.
What topics does the MTEL / NES Essential Academic Skills — Reading (NT001) test cover?
18 domains, with the heaviest weight on Main Idea and Supporting Details (10%), Vocabulary and Word Meaning (10%), and Assumptions and Reasoning (5%).
Where do CertQuestUSA's MTEL / NES Essential Academic Skills — Reading (NT001) questions come from?
Primarily NES Essential Academic Skills Subtest I: Reading (100%) of this bank's citations -- computed directly from this exam's own question sources, not a generic description.
Is there a free diagnostic for MTEL / NES Essential Academic Skills — Reading (NT001)?
Yes -- 10 real questions across the exam's domains, no sign-up required, with a domain-by-domain breakdown at the end.
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