Read the notice: Starting Monday, the loading dock will close at 5:30 p.m. instead of 7:00 p.m. Deliveries that arrive after closing must be rescheduled. Drivers who need a late slot should call the front office by Friday. Which conclusion is best supported by the notice?
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About this test
This free TABE practice test has 15 questions written by the StudyPDF team for the Test of Adult Basic Education. Five cover reading, four cover language and six cover math, using the kind of notices, schedules and everyday numbers adult learners see. Answer all 15, then check your score and read the explanation for every question.
All 15 questions at a glance
Prefer to read before you play? Every question in the sampler is listed below. Answers and explanations stay collapsed until you open them.
1.Read the notice: Starting Monday, the loading dock will close at 5:30 p.m. instead of 7:00 p.m. Deliveries that arrive after closing must be rescheduled. Drivers who need a late slot should call the front office by Friday. Which conclusion is best supported by the notice?
- A. The warehouse is going out of business.
- B. The loading dock will be closed on weekends.
- C. A driver who expects to arrive after 5:30 p.m. should arrange it before Monday.
- D. Deliveries will no longer be accepted in the evening under any condition.
Answer: C. A driver who expects to arrive after 5:30 p.m. should arrange it before Monday.
The dock closes earlier starting Monday, and drivers who need a later time are told to call by Friday, so someone who will arrive after 5:30 p.m. has to arrange it first. The notice says nothing about weekends or the business closing, and a late slot can still be requested, so evening deliveries are not banned.
2.Read the paragraph: Many people throw out leftover rice after a day, but it can be kept safely if it is handled well. Cool it quickly, put it in a covered container and keep it in the refrigerator. Eat it within a few days and heat it until it is steaming hot. What is the main idea of the paragraph?
- A. Leftover rice can be stored safely if it is handled correctly.
- B. Rice should never be reheated.
- C. Refrigerators work best with covered containers.
- D. Most people waste too much food.
Answer: A. Leftover rice can be stored safely if it is handled correctly.
Every sentence after the first is a step for handling rice safely: cool it, cover it, refrigerate it, eat it soon and heat it well. The main idea is what all the details add up to. Reheating is recommended, not forbidden, and the paragraph is about rice, not refrigerators or food waste in general.
3.Read the sentence: The new manager was reluctant to change the schedule, since the old one had worked for years. As used in the sentence, reluctant means
- A. eager and excited
- B. angry and rude
- C. unable to read it
- D. unwilling or hesitant
Answer: D. unwilling or hesitant
The reason given is that the old schedule had worked for years, which is a reason to hesitate. Put each choice back into the sentence. Someone who is eager would not need to explain why the old way was good enough, and nothing in the sentence points to anger.
4.Read the paragraph: The Eastside garden began as an empty lot covered in trash. Volunteers cleared it and built 30 raised beds. Neighbors who had never met now trade recipes over the fence. Some gardeners say the tomatoes taste better than store tomatoes. Which sentences best support the main idea that the garden helps the neighborhood in ways beyond the food? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
- A. Volunteers cleared a lot that was covered in trash.
- B. Neighbors who had never met now trade recipes.
- C. The garden has 30 raised beds.
- D. Some gardeners say the tomatoes taste better.
- E. Gardeners plant tomatoes in the spring.
Answer: A. Volunteers cleared a lot that was covered in trash., B. Neighbors who had never met now trade recipes.
Cleaning up a dirty lot and bringing neighbors together are benefits to the neighborhood that have nothing to do with eating. The number of beds is a detail about size, and the tomatoes sentences are about food, which is the benefit the question sets aside.
5.Read the directions: Before you use the ladder, check that both locks are fully extended, set the feet on level ground and never stand on the top step. What is the author's main purpose?
- A. To describe how ladders are made
- B. To explain how to use a ladder safely
- C. To persuade readers to buy a ladder
- D. To tell a story about a fall
Answer: B. To explain how to use a ladder safely
The sentence is a list of things to do and not do before and while using a ladder, which is the mark of directions meant to keep the reader safe. It says nothing about how a ladder is built, it does not ask anyone to buy one and it tells no story.
6.Which sentence is written correctly?
- A. Me and Tasha finished the report on Friday.
- B. Tasha and me finished the report on Friday.
- C. Tasha and I finished the report on Friday.
- D. Tasha and I finishes the report on Friday.
Answer: C. Tasha and I finished the report on Friday.
To test a pair, drop one person: I finished the report works and me finished does not. So the subject is Tasha and I. The last choice has the right pronoun but the verb finishes does not agree with a plural subject.
7.Choose the words that complete the sentence correctly.
Neither of the two drivers _____ late, and both of them _____ the delivery on time.
Options for blank 1: were, was, be, are
Options for blank 2: makes, made, making, to make
Answer: was, made
Neither means not one, so it takes a singular verb: was. Both is plural and the sentence is in the past, so the second verb is made. The words of the two drivers sit between the subject and the verb, and they are the reason many people choose were.
8.Which sentence uses capital letters and punctuation correctly?
- A. On Tuesday, we meet with Dr. Patel at Lincoln Elementary.
- B. On tuesday, we meet with Dr. Patel at Lincoln Elementary.
- C. On Tuesday, we meet with dr. Patel at Lincoln Elementary.
- D. On Tuesday we meet with Dr Patel at lincoln elementary.
Answer: A. On Tuesday, we meet with Dr. Patel at Lincoln Elementary.
Days of the week, titles used with a name and the names of specific places are capitalized. Each of the other choices leaves one of them lowercase. The comma after an opening phrase like On Tuesday is also standard.
9.Which of these are complete sentences? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
- A. Because the shift ended early.
- B. The crew finished the job by noon.
- C. Waiting at the gate for the truck.
- D. Call me when you arrive.
- E. After the meeting, which ran long.
Answer: B. The crew finished the job by noon., D. Call me when you arrive.
A complete sentence has a subject and a verb and makes a full statement. The crew finished the job does, and Call me when you arrive is a command whose subject, you, is understood. The other three leave you waiting for the rest: because, waiting and after the meeting each need a main clause to finish them.
10.A shipment has 24 boxes. Each box holds 36 items. How many items are in the shipment?
- A. 816
- B. 864
- C. 884
- D. 960
Answer: B. 864
Multiply 24 by 36. 24 x 30 is 720 and 24 x 6 is 144, and 720 + 144 = 864. A quick check: 24 x 36 should land a bit below 25 x 36, which is 900, and 864 does.
11.Complete the statements about fractions.
3/4 + 1/8 = _____, and 2/3 of 18 is _____.
Options for blank 1: 7/8, 4/12, 1 1/8, 3/8
Options for blank 2: 9, 6, 12, 15
Answer: 7/8, 12
Rewrite 3/4 as 6/8, then 6/8 + 1/8 = 7/8. Adding the tops and bottoms separately gives 4/12, which is a common slip. For the second, divide 18 by 3 to get 6 and multiply by 2 to get 12.
12.A worker earns $15.50 per hour and works 6.5 hours. How much does the worker earn?
- A. $93.00
- B. $97.00
- C. $101.50
- D. $100.75
Answer: D. $100.75
Multiply 15.50 by 6.5. Six hours earn $93.00 and half an hour earns $7.75, and $93.00 + $7.75 = $100.75. Forgetting the half hour gives $93.00.
13.A car travels 180 miles in 3 hours at a steady speed. At that speed, how far will it travel in 5 hours?
- A. 240 miles
- B. 270 miles
- C. 300 miles
- D. 360 miles
Answer: C. 300 miles
First find the speed: 180 miles divided by 3 hours is 60 miles per hour. Then 60 x 5 = 300 miles. Adding only one more hour's distance gives 240, and doubling the 180 gives 360.
14.A rectangular room is 12 feet long and 9 feet wide. Which statements are true? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
- A. The perimeter is 42 feet.
- B. The area is 108 square feet.
- C. The area is 42 square feet.
- D. The perimeter is 21 feet.
- E. The area is 12 square yards.
Answer: A. The perimeter is 42 feet., B. The area is 108 square feet., E. The area is 12 square yards.
Perimeter is the distance around: 12 + 9 + 12 + 9 = 42 feet. Area is length times width: 12 x 9 = 108 square feet. A square yard is 9 square feet, so 108 divided by 9 is 12 square yards. The 42 and the 21 come from mixing up area and perimeter.
15.Solve and evaluate.
If 3n + 5 = 20, then n = _____. When n = 5, the value of 2n - 1 is _____.
Options for blank 1: 5, 15, 25/3, 8
Options for blank 2: 10, 11, 9, 7
Answer: 5, 9
Subtract 5 from both sides to get 3n = 15, then divide by 3 to get n = 5. Put 5 into the expression: 2(5) - 1 = 10 - 1 = 9. Stopping at 15 is forgetting to divide by 3.
What the TABE is and which version you may take
The Test of Adult Basic Education, or TABE, is published by Data Recognition Corporation (DRC). Adult education programs, workforce training programs and some colleges use it to see where a learner is starting in reading, math and language, and later to show progress. Ask your program how it uses your scores. It works more like a placement or progress check than a pass or fail exam.
There are three subtests: Reading, Mathematics and Language. Each comes in four levels, E, M, D and A, from basic skills up to advanced work, and many programs start with a short locator test that points you to the level that fits. You usually do not pick your own level, and a level that feels easy or hard is not a sign you did badly.
The form matters. DRC currently lists TABE 11&12 and the newer TABE 13&14 on its site, with blueprints and testing times for 13&14. Your program decides which form it gives, and the number of questions and the time allowed depend on the form and the level. This page does not state them, because it would be guessing. Look up the testing times for your form on DRC's TABE site or ask your program, and ask whether you may use a calculator on the math test, because the rules can differ.
How to use this sampler
The 15 questions cover the three subtests in miniature. Questions 1 to 5 are reading: an inference from a workplace notice, a main idea, a word in context, supporting details and the purpose of a set of directions. Questions 6 to 9 are language: pronoun use, subject and verb agreement, capital letters and punctuation, and complete sentences. Questions 10 to 15 are math: multiplication, fractions, money with decimals, rates, area and perimeter, and a short equation.
On the real test every question is multiple choice with one answer. The select all that apply and fill in the blank questions here are practice formats that make you check every option instead of stopping at the first one that looks right. Take your time, read each passage before the question and work the math on paper before you look at the choices.
Then read every explanation, including for the questions you got right. If you missed the subject and verb question and the sentence question, that is one language habit to fix, not two. If the money question was slow, redo a few like it by hand until the steps feel automatic. These 15 questions are a quick check on where to start, and your level and form on test day may differ.
An honest note: the StudyPDF team wrote every question here to the subject areas DRC publishes. None of them are real TABE items, none come from DRC's sample items or a prep company's bank, and StudyPDF is not affiliated with DRC or any adult education program. DRC publishes its own free sample items for TABE on its site.
How to build more practice tests from your own materials
Fifteen questions can show you whether reading, language or math needs the most work. They cannot get you ready on their own, especially when your program teaches from its own workbook.
StudyPDF works from your material instead. Upload your workbook, your class notes or the handouts from your instructor. Then press New material, pick a practice test, choose those files as the sources and set how long it should be. You get a test written from those exact pages, and every explanation cites where the answer comes from.
Bo is the tutor for the rest. Ask him why an answer is right and he explains it from your own pages, with a hint first if you want one.
You do not have to upload anything to start. Name a topic instead, for example adding fractions or finding the main idea, and you get practice questions on it. Starting is free.
Written by the StudyPDF team. Last updated August 19, 2026.
Good to know
What is on the TABE test?
Three subtests: Reading, Mathematics and Language. Each has four levels, E, M, D and A, and your program or a short locator test decides which level you take. The publisher, DRC, lists TABE 11&12 and the newer TABE 13&14, and the number of questions and the time allowed depend on the form and the level, so check them for your form on DRC's TABE site or with your program.
Do you pass or fail the TABE?
It is not set up like a pass or fail exam. Programs use TABE results to see where you are starting and to measure progress, and each program decides what its scores mean for you. Ask your instructor or testing coordinator how your results will be used, and do not rely on a score you read online.
Which TABE form will I take, 11&12 or 13&14?
Your program decides. DRC currently lists both TABE 11&12 and TABE 13&14 on its site, and it publishes blueprints and testing times for 13&14. Ask your program which form it uses before you choose practice material, because sample items and timing differ between forms. This page is a general skills check, not a copy of either form.
Are these real TABE questions, and is this test free?
They are not real TABE questions. The StudyPDF team wrote all 15 to the subject areas the publisher describes, and StudyPDF is not affiliated with DRC or any adult education program. The test is free. DRC also offers its own free sample practice items for TABE on its site.
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