Free Proofreading Quiz – Test Your Skills

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| Candace Osmond

| Editing , Quizzes

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Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

So, you think you’re proficient enough to start a proofreading career. A free proofreading quiz or practice test will be beneficial for anyone who wants to measure their skills and look for areas of improvement. 

Whether you want to be a copy editor or proofreader, the field of proofreading is vast, and you should try these free proofreading quizzes to test your level. But first, here is ours:

Take The Proofreading Test!

The importance of practicing proofreading .

Grammarist Article Graphic V2 56

Practicing proofreading will allow you to develop your skills in the activity and improve the quality of your work . Whether you’re submitting your paper to your professor or presenting a business proposal, you want to make sure there are no lingering mistakes.

A professional proofreader of someone from a proofreading business will check a piece of writing for common errors like spelling mistakes, proper components of grammar, and that everything follows English grammar rules. 

Beginner proofreaders might start out as fact-checker or as beta proofers. This is a great way to dip your toe in the waters of being an experienced proofreader.

Being an excellent proofreader is also a fantastic way to start a side hustle. Many online clients look for a proficient proofreader or copy editor to check their works for writing mistakes. 

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What Should I Look for in a Proofreading Test? 

Here are some factors to consider when choosing a proofreading test.

Assessment Method

Many types of proofreading tests will challenge your skills. You’ll find multiple-choice quizzes that ask you about spelling, grammar, and punctuation methods. You’ll also find actual selections you can proofread with answer keys.

But no assessment method is better than the other. In fact, you can’t spot mistakes in an essay provided if you don’t know the basic grammar rules. That means you should start with beginner-level quizzes that address recall, then proceed with application quizzes.

I recommend starting with multiple-choice quizzes, such as GrammarPhile Blog and Freelance Writing’s quizzes. These tests will help you remember the standard of English.

Once you can perfect these easy tests, try practice tests like Michael Sellar’s proofreading exercises.

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Type of English and Style Guide

If you’re a proofreader for British clients, it won’t make sense to take an American English proofreading test. Make sure to pick a test that adheres to your style guide and English variant. 

Reputable Website

Ensure you’re testing your knowledge from reputable websites like ProofreadNow and ProofreadAnywhere. Look for a blogger or any English expert who has created a name in the industry.

These websites also offer proofreading courses and workshops you can enroll in before taking the quizzes. Check out their online programs so you can continue developing your skills in proofreading. 

What is a Proofreading Technique? 

A proofreading technique is a specific method a proofreader uses for different types of written documents. For example, business documents usually focus on the paper’s tone, voice, and format. Meanwhile, academic papers concentrate on citation styles.

Whatever your document is, one common technique among all papers is to read the paper aloud. Do it slowly so your brain can fill in the gaps and correct all errors. You also want to ensure each punctuation mark and word is correct. 

Sentence structure is also an essential part of proofreading. Check the subject and verb if they are producing a complete thought. Remove any sentence fragment or run-on sentence in the paragraphs. 

Where Can I Practice Proofreading? 

There are a ton of online grammar and proofreading courses that will give you knowledge about grammar and spelling. But before leaping in with an actual course, test the basics of your English language skills with a few online language quizzes. 

Writing tests, quizzes, and self-assessments are a great way to see your own skills with writing issues and if you’re good at spotting mistakes in writing. Take grammar tests, learn about writing styles, play with proofreading worksheets, and even proofreading games.

These platforms are where you can practice and get on your way to starting a proofreading side hustle.

GrammarPhile Blog

Now known as ProofreadNow, GrammarPhile Blog has a quiz on style guides . A style guide keeps your brand identity consistent, reliable, and ownable even if many writers produce these documents.

A consistent style guide is essential not only among businesses. Even universities and colleges observe specific styles and citation guides. 

Answer GrammarPhobe’s short multiple-choice quiz to know if you can match a text entry to its style guide. It will ask questions like which style guide encourages serial commas and avoiding gender terms when unnecessary. 

Portland Proof

Are you a competitive proofreader? Portland Proof lists its highest scores weekly. Take the ten-item quiz, which will appear one at a time on your screen. Just find the mistake and click on it.

Portland Proof states that the mistakes in their sentences are either misspelled words or incorrectly used punctuation. Some have missing words, while others exhibit capitalization errors. 

You can skip difficult questions but won’t get a second chance at the sentence.

Freelance Writing

This multiple-choice examination on proofreading by Proofread Anywhere tests your American English skills. The company offers in-depth general proofreading and transcript proofreading courses which you can enroll in anytime.

Caitlyn Pile is a proofreader-turned-blogger who developed the short test. Aside from quizzes and courses, the Proofread Anywhere founder also has ebooks and workshops about starting and keeping a freelancing career.

Michael Sellars and Jeff Fullerton

Michael Sellars offers The No-Nonsense Proofreading Course about the basics of proofreading and building a career. While the online program costs a few bucks, they also provide free proofreading exercises to practice your skills.

They developed twenty proofreading exercises to simulate actual proofreading work you might encounter in your career. You will be dealing with several errors on each selection, so keep your vision sharp.

Earn Smart Online Class

Earn Smart Online Class has a convenient quiz that will test your general knowledge of English. Are you competent enough to know the writing conventions and grammar rules of the language?

This proofreading test only includes 20 questions made on a Google Form. Just mark the sentence written correctly. 

Earn Smart Online Class also recommends Proofreading workshops and courses, such as Caitlyn Pile’s Transcript Proofreading: Theory and Practice and Proofread Anywhere Workshop.

Sporcle offers a practice test where you need to find the error in every sentence. It’s an extended test asking you to click on the correct answer in the word bank. This company also offers trivia entertainment on live shows and online. 

Grammar Monster

Grammar Monster provides several pieces of information that will help you be a better English speaker or writer. Learn how to observe proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling. You can also test your knowledge through the numerous tests available.

The tests on Grammar Monster are divided into parts of speech. You’ll find practice examinations on punctuation, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and more. 

Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP)

CIEP aims to help editorial freelancers and in-house staff enhance their proofreading and editing skills. It offers several courses that cater to different experiences, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned proofreader. 

Aside from the professional development curriculum, CIEP offers fourteen helpful quizzes that will challenge your abilities. The first quiz focuses on punctuation, and the next concentrates on language use.

You’ll also find spelling, hyphens, dashes, and phrases tests. Then, there are actual paragraphs where you will look for common writing mistakes. 

Business Writing Blog

Business Writing Blog reposts New York Times’ proofreading quiz entitled “Red Pencils Ready?” by Philip B. Corbett. Corbett wrote a passage that challenges users to spot errors.

According to the quiz developer, he included ten errors in the paragraph that Microsoft Editor and Google Docs spell checker won’t spot. Here’s a spoiler for you: Most errors include contextual misspellings and hyphenation issues.

Test Your Knowledge Now

Now that businesses are investing in online content writing, proofreaders are becoming more in demand. If you want to join the industry, check your accuracy first.

I hope this list of proofreading quizzes and practice tests helps you become a better proofreader. Challenge yourself and take the assessment today!

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2024 © Grammarist, a Found First Marketing company. All rights reserved.

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Grammar Phile Blog

Can you ace this basic proofreading quiz.

Posted by Phil Jamieson   Mar 22, 2018 7:30:00 AM

quiz-2058888_640.png

Take our quiz to test your basic proofreading knowledge and see if you can catch every single typo. See if you can get every question right and ace the entire quiz. And don’t look for any of the answers online, so you can really step up to the challenge!

Let us know how you did in the comments below. Good luck!

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Topics: proofreading quiz , typos, typographic errors

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Rafal Reyzer

10 Free Proofreading Tests (To Boost Your Editing Skills)

Author: Rafal Reyzer

Are you ready to kick-start your career as a proofreader?

How about testing your skills through a free proofreading test? Taking free proofreading quizzes will help you improve your editing capabilities rapidly. Can you take these tests without spending a dime? Yes! To make things easy for you, I’ve compiled tests that will help you grasp English grammar rules and common language errors. Are you ready to become a successful proofreader? Let’s do this!

The 10 Best Free Proofreading Tests Online:

1. earn smart online class.

earn smart online class quiz page

Earn Smart Online Class is an excellent platform for new proofreaders as it offers more than just proofreading tests. The website contains several tips for improving your proofreading skills. Although the proofreading test is short with a few multiple-choice questions, it tests your capability by asking questions where most proofreaders make mistakes. Thus, you can easily test your proofreading skills through this test. The good thing about this website is that besides offering an online test, it also provides a downloadable PDF. Thus, you can choose to take the test at your convenience. It also has an answer key to make sure you check your answers as well!

2. Freelance Writing

freelance writing quiz page

As the name suggests, Freelance Writing is a platform dedicated solely to writers. So, if you’re a proofreader, you can get much more from this website. I like this test and would suggest you take it as well because it’s different from many others. It specifically checks your professionalism on the job. The test isn’t composed of multiple-choice questions but of one paragraph with only a few grammatical errors. This test trains you to check documents written by professional writers as well. You’ll also find the solution at the end, which explicitly explains how it works to help improve your proofreading skills.

3. Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP)

CIEP quiz page

The proofreading test by the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) is perhaps the best choice for people who want to test their copy-editing skills through a credible source. Unlike many other tests, it contains several multiple-choice questions. The questions also focus on a broad spectrum wherein you’ll have to highlight grammar mistakes, punctuation errors, language use, etc. The website has 14 quizzes, and you can download the PDF version of the test. You’ll also have to download the answer key, which is right next to the quiz. The best thing I like about this free proofreading test is that it focuses not only on grammar and spelling mistakes. Instead, you’ll learn a lot more to help you become a professional freelance proofreader.

4. Using English for Academic Purposes (UEfAP)

UEfAP quiz page

Using English for Academic Purposes (UEfAP) is a credible source with many tips and resources to help you improve your skills in checking copies for errors. It has several quizzes to test your proofreading skills, which you can take after learning the pointers taught by the site. It enables you to assess whether your proofreading skills have improved. Another good thing about this website is that it has a wide assortment of quizzes, including punctuation, parts of speech, spelling, word order, etc. By taking these quizzes, you can have a better grip on various parts of the English language, which will help you a lot in your proofreading career.

5. Grammar Book

grammar book quiz page

Grammar Book is another excellent website for writers and proofreaders because it contains a lot of tips and information to help boost your skills. You can find almost everything about English on this website. So, if you want to learn about proofreading and writing, as well as expanding your vocabulary , it can be an amazing resource. Apart from that, the website has 52 free quizzes and 4 free tests. If you want to access more, you’ll have to subscribe. However, I believe attempting the quizzes and tests is enough to help you improve your English skills . The quizzes are also of different types to help you unlock a broad range of knowledge about proofreading.

6. Portland Proof

portland proof quiz page

Portland Proof is a company that offers proofreading and editing to clients all over the world. This site is quite popular for providing amazingly professional services. As this company is a provider of proofreading services , we can rely on it to give us a better insight into doing this job. That’s why it has also designed quizzes and tests to evaluate your abilities. It offers different quizzes, each of which contains ten questions. You’ll have to check the mistake, and the next question will appear after attempting the one already on the screen. Attempting this test can be an excellent way to improve your proofreading skills.

7. ProofreadNow.com

proofread now quiz page

ProofreadNow.com is an excellent platform for both beginners and professional proofreaders. However, this quiz can be tough because it challenges you to spot the tiniest mistakes. Their meticulous method is excellent for testing your proofreading skills. That’s why professional proofreaders can also try it to polish their skills even more. The quiz consists of 10 multiple-choice questions, and it won’t take much time to solve them. However, you’ll have to rack your brain to spot and point out the tiniest mistakes. The quiz starts as soon as you select the first answer, and it’ll go on from there. Another thing, there is no do-over once you answer, so you have to think hard before solving.

8. AuthorityPub

authority pub quiz page

If you want to take a shot at really challenging tests to polish your proofreading skills, I recommend you try the tests made by AuthorityPub. The site provides you with amazing tips and tricks to improve your proofreading skills before you attempt to ace the quiz. It then offers the option for you to take the quiz to check if you’ve understood the guidelines. There are a lot of paragraphs for you to proofread and highlight the mistakes. After taking the test, you can check the answer key at the end.

9. Love To Know

love to know quiz page

Love To Know is another free online proofreading test that I liked a lot. The test itself is moderate, and the best thing about it is that it’s printable. This feature makes it easier for people who find it difficult to underline and highlight mistakes on the screen. This test won’t tell you the number of mistakes in the document beforehand. You must fish them out. This method is amazing because when clients give you documents to proofread, you will not be told about the number of mistakes as well. So, attempting this test can be an excellent way of getting some practical experience .

10. Sporcle

sporcle quiz page

What draws my attention to Sporcle’s proofreading test is that it has 25 questions and is much longer than standard proofreading tests. Also, unlike many other free proofreading tests, you only have a fixed time of 8 minutes to solve all 25 questions. So, it also helps develop your reading comprehension skills. It seems more difficult to solve because of the time pressure. As for the multiple-choice questions, the difficulty level varies as you go along. You’ll have to find the mistakes in each question and click the correct answer as the time ticks away.

Proofreading takes more than just spotting grammatical and spelling errors. You must be eagle-eyed in identifying even the smallest punctuation mistake. Sometimes, you even have to do quick fact-checking to ensure the veracity of each sentence before publishing. Taking a stab at a free proofreading test can be an excellent way to improve your English language skills and easily spot misspelled words or missing punctuation marks. Taking these tests repeatedly and improving your results will make a positive impression on your employers and perhaps even help you start a proofreading business . The best thing is that you can complete these quizzes at no extra cost. Later on, you can try a course for professional editors that will let you obtain certification and take your skills to the next level .

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12 Free Proofreading Tests to Check Your Skills

April 2, 2024

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Jessica Norris

Jessica is a writer for SideHustles.com. Her side hustles include freelance academic writing and editing, which she's done for...

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If you’re thinking about becoming a proofreader, you might be wondering whether your skills are good enough. To find out, you can take a proofreading test.

Tests can highlight gaps in your knowledge and help you work out whether you need more training and practice. They’re also a good way to identify the skills you need to improve.

We’ve compiled a list of 12 sites with proofreading tests you can take—all for free.

01. Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP)

Screenshot of the CIEP homepage

Who they are : The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) is a British association that provides training and support for editorial professionals. They’re a well-recognized authority in the editing and publishing industries.

The test : The CIEP proofreading test comes in the form of a document that contains common mistakes and an accompanying answer sheet showing you how to correct them. The test covers many of the different types of problems that proofreaders have to deal with, including mistakes in punctuation, spelling, and language use.

Other resources : As well as their proofreading test, the CIEP site has a lot of different quizzes on proofreading-related topics, from punctuation to formatting. There’s also a blog for editorial professionals, a selection of high-quality paid courses, and lots of free resources—fact sheets, booklets, and more.

Anything else I should know? While the CIEP proofreading test is very comprehensive, it uses British English. Watch out for the differences between British and American English.

02. ProofreadNOW.com

Screenshot of the ProofreadNOW homepage

Who they are : ProofreadNOW.com is a company that offers paid proofreading services.

The test : The test on the ProofreadNOW.com website is multiple-choice and mainly checks your spelling and punctuation. A couple of the questions are a little tricky, but there are only 10 of them, so it’s fairly easy overall.

Other resources : The site also has a resources section where you can get free ebooks and white papers . There’s also a page where you can ask grammar questions (they’ll reply via email).

Anything else I should know? One of the proofreading test questions is contested by people in the comments, so this question probably has two correct answers.

03. Authority Pub

Screenshot of the Authority Pub homepage

Who they are : Authority Pub is a site that’s designed to help writers build a self-publishing business.

The test : The Authority Pub proofreading test is an entertaining letter riddled with errors that you have to correct. The answer sheet has a corrected version of the letter, which you can review when you’ve finished proofreading.

Other resources : Authority Pub has lots of informative articles on writing (and a self-publishing course for $397), but not much for proofreaders, although the website has a few tips on how to improve your proofreading skills.

Anything else I should know? The answers given on the corrected version of the letter in the proofreading test aren’t necessarily the only correct answers. Some of the errors can be corrected in more than one way.

04. Using English for Academic Purposes (UEfAP)

Screenshot of the UEfAP homepage

The test : This website has 10 proofreading tests that focus on different writing skills, including grammar, punctuation, and word use. There’s also a mixed test covering all 10 subjects. In these tests, you select the incorrect words and then type in the correct words, so it’s harder than a multiple-choice quiz. Luckily, there’s a “hint” button to help you if you get stuck.

Other resources : In addition to the tests mentioned above, the UEfAP site has another general test . Unfortunately, this one doesn’t include answers. The UEfAP also has a wealth of other resources to develop your proofreading skills, including exercises and explanations of many different aspects of language use.

Anything else I should know? This is another site that uses British English. It also focuses on academic English, and some of the tests are very advanced. Academic writing makes for great practice, as it’s one of the hardest types of writing to proofread. However, academic proofreading is quite different from many other types of proofreading (e.g., fiction proofreading), so the UEfAP’s tests aren’t all-purpose.

05. Earn Smart Online Class

Screenshot of the Earn Smart Online Class webpage

Who they are : Earn Smart Online Class is a website that offers advice about how to earn money working from home with jobs like proofreading, transcription, writing, and more.

The test : Earn Smart Online Class has a 20-question proofreading test that covers common errors in spelling and grammar, as well as homophones (words that sound the same but mean different things). It’s common for people to mix up homophones in their writing and also for spell checkers to miss these types of errors, so they’re important for proofreaders.

Other resources : The Earn Smart Online Class site features a few tips on how to get good at proofreading (including links to a free proofreading webinar from the company Proofread Anywhere ). There are also job listings, but these aren’t very up-to-date.

Anything else I should know? The test has a few tricky questions, but overall, it isn’t very hard. You should be able to get a high score fairly easily. If you don’t, you should consider whether you need to spend more time training your language skills before you take on proofreading projects.

06. Edit Republic

Screenshot showing the Edit Republic homepage

Who they are : Edit Republic is a company that offers professional courses in proofreading and editing, as well as how to start an editorial business.

The test : The Edit Republic proofreading quiz is a very quick multiple-choice test with 10 questions. It’s one of the easiest tests on our list, and you should be able to complete it in a few minutes.

Other resources : As well as the editing and proofreading courses that Edit Republic sells, they offer free training materials and other resources you can check out.

Anything else I should know? You’ll have to enter your email to get your proofreading test results.

07. Freelance Writing

Screenshot showing the FreelanceWriting homepage

Who they are : Freelance Writing is a platform for freelance writers to find work. It also directs businesses who want to hire writers to the website of a content-writing service.

The test : This proofreading test is a little different from the others on this list. Arguably, it’s more realistic. You have to find just three errors in several paragraphs, which is similar to what you’d expect if you were proofreading a text that had already gone through a round of copyediting (or was well-written enough not to need it), which will be the case for most of the pieces you’ll actually review as a proofreader.

Other resources : The Freelance Writing site has lots of resources for writers (including how-to articles, free ebooks, and information about writing competitions), but just a handful of articles specifically for proofreaders.

Anything else I should know? In theory, you’re supposed to complete the Freelance Writing proofreading test in 10 minutes. However, the site doesn’t time you, so you have to time yourself.

08. LoveToKnow

Screenshot showing the LoveToKnow homepage

Who they are : LoveToKnow is an online media company that features news, content on parenting and family life, resources for pet owners, home and garden advice, and more.

The test : The LoveToKnow site has a downloadable proofreading test, which features an email containing lots of errors. You have to correct them on a printout (or you can mark up the PDF file they provide). The answer sheet has all of the errors highlighted and provides explanations of how a proofreader should correct each one.

Other resources : There aren’t many resources for proofreaders on this site, but there’s a grammar test on the same page as the proofreading test. The site also has an article on how to proofread your own writing .

Anything else I should know? Throughout most of the proofreading test answer sheet, the errors are highlighted and left uncorrected (with annotations explaining what changes should be made). However, a couple of the corrections are made directly onto the highlighted answer sheet. Watch out for this—it can be a bit confusing.

09. Sporcle

Screenshot showing the Sporcle homepage

Who they are : Sporcle is a trivia website with hundreds of different quizzes.

The test : The 25-question Sporcle proofreading test takes a different format from the others on this list. It will show you a sentence featuring an error, and underneath it, there are many possible corrections. You have to pick the right one.

Other resources : There are plenty of other Sporcle quizzes that are relevant for proofreaders, covering grammar, spelling, word definitions, and more.

Anything else I should know? Sporcle times how long it takes to complete their proofreading quiz. You have a maximum of 8 minutes to complete it.

10. Business Writing Blog

Screenshot showing the Business Writing Blog homepage

Who they are : Business Writing Blog publishes articles for writers working in a “professional, academic, and social setting,” according to their About Us page .

The test : This proofreading test features three emails that contain a number of errors (which you can correct on a printout or in a Word document). There’s an answer sheet for each test. The errors are highlighted and corrected.

Other resources : The Business Writing Blog site has an entire section dedicated to proofreading-related posts, plus more articles on useful topics like grammar and punctuation. They also offer a paid course on proofreading (for $159).

Anything else I should know?  As you’d expect, this test focuses on business English, but it’s still good for general proofreading practice. Note that some of the errors on their test have more than one possible fix.

11. Om Proofreading

Screenshot showing the Om Proofreading homepage

Who they are : Om Proofreading is a website run by Lindsay Babcock, a proofreader who offers services for new age and spiritual content.

The test : Om’s proofreading test is fairly short and easy, featuring 20 multiple-choice questions on homophones.

Other resources : As well as a proofreading test, the Om Proofreading site offers general advice for proofreaders and a quiz on adverbs .

Anything else I should know? The Om Proofreading test doesn’t cover grammar, punctuation, syntax, or other areas that are important for proofreaders to know about.

12. The New York Times

Screenshot showing the The New York Times proofreading test webpage

Who they are : In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, the New York Times is one of the most widely circulated and well-respected newspapers in the US.

The test : The New York Times test assesses your proofreading and fact-checking skills. You have to find 14 errors that have been inserted into extracts from five of the newspaper’s articles. You can then check the PDF under the test to see all of the correct answers.

Other resources : There are also many other quizzes on the website that test your copyediting skills. All of them are part of a series called Copy Edit This! Unfortunately, these tests aren’t collected on a single page on the NYT’s website, but you can find them easily by googling. You can view the first few for free, but eventually you’ll need a subscription.

Anything else I should know? The New York Times proofreading and fact-checking test focuses more on fact-checking than proofreading. Also, it’s from 2014, so some of the information is obsolete.

13. Other free grammar and writing tests

These tests don’t specifically cover proofreading, but they do cover topics that are useful for proofreaders to know about:

  • Portland Proof : This is a proofreading service that also hosts free tests on their website. Their quizzes feel more like games. You have to pick the erroneous word and then correct it, but your speed is tested along with how many right answers you get. The errors mostly involve spelling and homophones.
  • GrammarBook.com : You can find quizzes on all kinds of language skills here, including grammar, punctuation, and how to use numbers in writing.
  • Grammar Monster : This site also has lots of tests on grammar, punctuation, and other topics that proofreaders need to know about.
  • Grammar Lion : This site, where you can sign up for paid grammar courses, offers a 20-question test that asks about various grammar points rather than getting you to correct errors in a text.
  • CMOS Shop Talk : This is a blog about the Chicago Manual of Style. It has a page full of multiple-choice tests on using Chicago style, including one on how to proofread .

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Robert Jellison

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Robert is a writer and editor for SideHustles.com. He has 7+ years of experience in freelance writing and previously worked as the in-house editor for Compose.ly, a platform for remote and part-time writers.

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Proofreading Quizzes & Tests With Answers

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Caitlin Pyle, the founder of Proofread Anywhere , went from broke to a $3000 income daily so quickly after she quit her 9-5 sucking job to build a 9-figure online business.

And she is sharing her secrets on how she was able to attain her success in a FREE 76-minute workshop to show others how they can do the same by following her formula.

This formula is not some complicated thing that will take a lot of brainwork. It just works straight up for people who haven’t even heard of it before.

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The demand for proofreaders is always high because;

Most employers are beginning to embrace a virtual workplace, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, where people were forced to work from home . As a result, freelancing careers like proofreading, which can be done from anywhere, have become popular.

Some companies cannot afford to pay in-house copyeditors, proofreaders, graphic designers, and other similar employees. When such jobs are available, employers will always outsource such experts’ services on a contract or freelance basis .

Proofreading is a task needed in almost every field. A publisher, songwriter, court reporter, blogger, copywriter, news anchor are all people who will need the services of a proofreader often. Therefore, as a proofreader, you cannot lack work at any given time. Moreover, there are too many no experience proofreading jobs online hiring now .

Proofreading-Quiz

The number of professional and highly experienced proofreaders is very low. If you believe you are a highly skilled proofreader with exceptional expertise, then your services will always be in demand.

Proofreading is one of the best lucrative work from home careers where you can make a full-time income and even become a six-figure online millionaire. Check out the story and case study of a six-figure proofreader here . If this is a job that can make you a millionaire, why would it not be in high demand?

Proofreading apps and machines will never replace humans. Yes, people always use proofreading software like Grammarly . However, when it comes to serious content like search engine optimization content or ebooks, a human proofreader will always do a better job because they can make the piece match searcher intent more.

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WHY TAKE LEGAL PROOFREADING QUIZ?

Some employers will require you to take a proofreading quiz to test your expertise before offering you a job. For instance, before you get a proofreading job at Cambridge, you must pass their Cambridge Proofreading Quiz .

Some employers will even require that you take an approved online course. They will demand that you submit a certificate of completion before review your application. For example, Transcript Proofreading: Theory and Practice e-course offered at Proofread Anywhere by Caitlin Pyle is one such recommended course you can take.

The advantage of taking Caitlin Pyle’s e-course is that she will first give you a FREE 76-minute Webinar , which will help you determine if you should pay for the course’s paid version.

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PROOFREADING QUIZ WITH ANSWERS

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16 Best Online Proofreading Quizzes To Test Your Skills In 2024 (Exercises With Answers)

Best Online Proofreading Quizzes To Test Your Skills

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Grammatical errors can significantly impact the credibility of any written work. 

To catch any of these errors, developing solid proofreading skills is crucial. 

What better way to do so than through a proofreading quiz with answers? 

Online proofreading quizzes can be a fun and effective way to test your knowledge and identify areas for improvement. 

Whether you’re a writer or looking to venture into proofreading as a beginner or expert proofreader, they are a significant step.

Regular proofreading exercises online will allow you to develop the attention to detail necessary to become a successful proofreader. 

Based on my research, I’ll discuss online proofreading practices, quizzes and test examples, and proofreading tips to elevate your skills. 

16 Online Proofreading Tests with Answers

1) dollarberg quick online proofreading quiz.

One of the best ways to improve your proofreading skills is by taking a proofreading quiz.

Such quizzes enlighten you on what to look out for.

You can do these quizzes online and know your score.

Here is a proofreading quiz (and answers) to help you improve your skills.

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2) Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading 

Formerly known as the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), this organization is a great way to build your foundation as a proofreader. 

It offers proofreaders and editors a community, support, and training to promote excellence in English proofreading. 

Their  proofreading test  is a PDF document with an excerpt to go through. The self-assessing test examines the common errors people make in English. 

You need to identify 20 errors in the one-page document ranging from spelling, punctuation, and word use. 

There is an accompanying PDF with answers that you can use to gauge your skills. 

Aside from the above, the  Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading  also has other language quizzes. 

3) Using English for Academic Purposes (UEfAP)

UEfAP is an excellent resource for individuals seeking to understand English. 

Even though the emphasis is on academic purposes, there are plenty of tests that can help elevate your proofreading skills. 

Andrew Gillett created the site in early 2000, and it remains relevant. 

Proofreading quizzes on UEfAP  test on spelling, punctuation, word order, and the use of the different parts of speech. 

The tests vary in form. In some sections, you will find multiple choices; in others, you’ll need to edit the text. 

You get immediate feedback, and the score is cumulative as you progress with the test.

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4) Purdue OWL Exercises

Purdue OWL  is an online writing lab that offers a variety of resources for its global audience. 

They offer online referencing materials, writing advice, help, and services. 

A section on their site that is relevant to proofreaders is the  OWL exercises . 

This contains exercises geared towards improving your understanding of the English language.

You’ll get grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, and many more exercises to practice.  

You may need to print or work on the exercises on a Word or Google document. There are no multiple choices or editable sections. 

The answers are linked at the bottom of every quiz for reference. 

5) New York Times 

The New York Times is a New York newspaper with a global audience with print and digital subscribers. 

They have a  short quiz  to test their prowess in reading published writing. 

There are 5 excerpts taken from articles in different industries with punctuation, grammar, spelling, or factual errors.

They have specified the number of mistakes to find in each question.

When done, the answers are provided in a PDF linked at the end of the article.  

6) ProofreadNow.com 

This is a company that offers proofreading services to writers, publishers, advertisers, marketers, and editors. 

Having been in the industry since 1999, they understand the proofreading and editing landscape. 

Their  basic proofreading quiz  is a great way to gauge your skills. It is perfect for individuals with a keen eye to identify mistakes.

The test has 10 questions with multiple choices. Upon completion, select done to get the results.

When you ace all the 10 questions, you’re steps ahead to becoming an excellent proofreader. 

7) Om Proofreading 

Om Proofreading is a resource for proofreaders founded by Lindsay Babcock.

The  Om proofreading test  is an engaging multiple-choice quiz. You get to test yourself with 20 questions based on American English. 

The test focuses on homophones. These are words with the same sound but different spelling.

They can be a great challenge for most, and a test is a great way to identify any weaknesses.  

8) Earn Smart Online Class 

Earn Smart online class is a blog that provides resources to proofreaders at all levels. 

It offers excellent resources and tips on how to become a proofreader.  

The quiz on their blog is a favorite that covers the basic grammar errors in content. 

The  Earn smart online class test  focuses on using possessive pronouns, split infinitives, and more.  

You can take the quiz and get the answers online or download the PDFs. 

9) Portland Proof

Portland Proof is a proofreading service that caters to authors with different needs. 

They describe themselves as an affordable service that proofreads novels, books, academic papers, resumes, and other online content. 

The quiz on Portland Proof is called  Proof It . It is in a game format where contestants are ranked weekly based on the highest score. 

The quiz has ten sentences appearing one at a time. Each sentence has a mistake; you need to identify and click it on the space. 

Just so you know, you will get an immediate response if you are correct. If you don't get it right, a message is highlighted to prompt you to try again. 

You'll need to correct the mistake to move forward to the next sentence.   

10) EditingTests.com

Editing Tests is a service that offers proofreading, editing, and writing testing. It is a subsidiary of  EditFast  that offers proofreading and editing services. 

Unlike most of the quizzes on the list,  Editing Tests  is a  paid service  that is more comprehensive. 

You must register and create an account to access the various tests on the platform. 

The costs are $50 per candidate. This grants an editing package with 3 parts to it. 

Parts 1 and 2 are the tests, and part 3 is a professional assessment based on the test results. 

The assessment is delivered 24 hours after completing the required tests.  

The assessment gives you a clear picture of your skill level as a proofreader. 

11) AuthorityPub 

Authority Pub is a blog with resources for professionals in the publishing industry. 

The  proofreading test  on the site is in the form of a letter.

It is an intriguing yet challenging test that requires you to find errors missed when editing.

The test takes a keen interest in punctuation, spelling, and the use of homophones. 

A corrected sample of the letter is also provided with the mistakes in the original highlighted. 

12) GrammarBook.com

The  GrammarBook  platform is based on The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation. 

It has hundreds of pages detailing grammar, punctuation, and other rules relating to English. 

You can get access to free or paid proofreading quizzes. 

With  free access , you can get 4 tests and 52 different quizzes. They are all multiple choice, but the quizzes are shorter than the 4 tests.

The  paid versions  have a monthly subscription with several levels depending on your needs. 

13 Grammar Lion

This is a tutoring platform by Ellen Feld, an instructor who is also an editor and coach. 

The  Grammar Lion test  helps you to gauge your skills and experience the platform’s teaching style. 

Before you start the test, you must create an account on the platform. 

Taking the test also requires you to be keen as you select. You cannot go back to a question once you have moved on. 

The score is revealed once you tackle all the questions. 

14) Edit Republic 

Edit Republic  is a platform that offers tools, coaching, courses, and a community for proofreaders and editors. 

They offer a wealth of information through free and paid courses and masterclasses. 

Their  general quiz  is a great option to test your proofreading skills. 

It is a straightforward test with 10 multiple-choice questions. 

Once you’re done, you must provide an email where the results will be sent.  

15) Business Writing Blog 

As the name suggests, this blog provides insights on all you need to know about business writing. 

They also offer paid courses to elevate skills in writing and proofreading. 

The  Business Writing Blog quiz  to test your skills comes in 3 parts. 

You'll need to read through a note of thanks, an email, and an announcement to identify their errors. 

Hints about the number of errors in each text are provided to make work easier for you. 

You will also get the corrected versions at the bottom of the article, with the mistakes highlighted.  

16) Sporcle

Sporcle is a website that provides trivia and pub quizzes. You can make and play quizzes on different topics. 

You can also earn badges when you participate in competing challenges.  

The  Sporcle proofreading quiz  has 25 questions that are timed. Ideally, you should complete the quiz in under eight minutes. 

You are needed to find and select errors in each of the sentences. Your right or wrong score is displayed as you progress. 

The website also lets you track the remaining questions and time.  

Why proofreading matters

proofreading quizzes online

The goal of proofreading is to ensure that whatever you write comes across the way you intended and is accurate and readable.

You want to ensure that whoever gets to read your content enjoys, understands, and gets meaning and value from it.  

You achieve this by ensuring that your written content is free of spelling, typographical, and punctuation, among other grammatical mistakes. 

The way you write determines how the intended audience views and judges you. If you write clearly, the reader will understand you well.

You can think that since you have researched your concept well, the intended audience will love your document. 

Your concept might be the best, but the intended reader will be turned off if there are typos. They will find it hard to go through it and might finally discredit it.

And even when you think you have perfect grammatical skills, you will likely make mistakes. This is why proofreading matters a lot. 

Get hired as a proofreader

Besides proofreading your documents, you can also get hired as a proofreader.

Proofreading has become very relevant for businesses today. 

Business owners need more time or capacity to review their marketing copies, business proposals, publications, and newsletters. 

They are looking for people with these skills to do this kind of work for them. So, if you become a proofreading expert, you can land good deals.

Even better, you can do proofreading virtually for companies. And you can do it anywhere. 

You’ll need a computer or phone, an internet connection, and digital writing assistance tools such as  Grammarly . 

Other skills that you need as a proofreader include:

  • Spelling, grammar, and language knowledge
  • A keen eye for noticing even the most minor errors
  • Ability to adapt to different styles of writing
  • Mental focus
  • Professionalism 
  • Passion for reading and writing 
  • Familiarity with digital editing and proofreading tools

Proofread Anywhere  

Is an online proofreading exercise necessary .

As mentioned above, you need several skills to get hired as a proofreader and become successful in the industry.

One of the ways to improve most of the required skills is through online proofreading tests and quizzes. 

A proofreading quiz can be an excellent tool to test your proofreading skills. 

A quiz will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses and give you a clear idea of where to focus your efforts to improve your skills. 

Proofreading quizzes can also help you learn new concepts and rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling and provide you with valuable feedback to improve your skills.

In most cases, proofreading job opportunities have tests in their hiring process to test job applicants' skills.

Proofreading exercises online can help build your confidence when applying for proofreading jobs. 

The more you practice, the more comfortable they become with the process and your ability to handle the job.

The Benefits of Online Proofreading Quizzes and Tests

Online proofreading quizzes and tests offer several benefits.

Here are some of the advantages of taking these tests:

1) Improve Your Proofreading Skills

By taking online proofreading tests, you can identify common errors in different types of writing.

You’ll quickly notice grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure errors. 

This will help you to improve as a proofreading expert and make you more valuable to your writing clients.

2) Build Your Confidence

You gain more confidence in your abilities as you identify and correct your mistakes and learn new proofreading styles. 

This helps you tackle client work more confidently and apply for more proofreading roles you usually wouldn’t when starting.

3) Save Time and Money

Online proofreading skills tests are often free or available at a low cost. 

This is a more affordable and convenient way to improve your skills than hiring a professional proofreader or taking a course.

4) Accessible Anytime and Anywhere

Online practice proofreading tests can be accessed from anywhere and at any time. 

You can practice your proofreading skills whenever you have some free time, regardless of your location.

They also allow you to focus on a given area when you need to, without limits or restrictions. 

5) Learn at Your Own Pace

Apart from proofreading online tests available anywhere and anytime; you take them at your own pace.

You can take as much time as you need to complete the proofreading exercises online and review the answers. 

This is helpful for those new to proofreading or those who want to take their time to understand the material thoroughly.

What to look out for when proofreading.

To perfect your skill as a proofreader and provide error-free content, you must know what exactly to look out for when going through a document.

1) Look at the general appearance of the content

Before making corrections at the sentence level, look at the general appearance and the structure of the whole write-up. Make the necessary changes to the structure and organization of the paper. 

This helps to determine if the length of the paragraphs is appropriate for the kind of content. Long paragraphs would be allowed in a research paper, a publication, or an academic paper. 

However, content that requires engagement or conversations with the audience should not have long paragraphs. They would quickly get bored with reading long blocks of information.

2) Take note of punctuation 

You should also be keen on punctuation marks. Often writers need to find hyphens, colons, dashes, and semicolons. Sometimes, commas are used wrong or need to be included.

When this happens, the intended message might not be brought out.

Your goal as a proofreader is to ensure proper punctuation is used throughout the document.

There are tons of information online that can help you with how different punctuation marks are used.

3) Spelling mistakes and typos

Spelling mistakes in written documents are common. An author can misspell some wrongs when writing long or even short papers.

When proofreading, pay attention to spelling. If you need clarification on a word, check it online or in a dictionary and make the appropriate corrections.

4) Look for unnecessary, missing, and wrong words

As you proofread, you might notice that some words need to be revised, added, or have been used wrongly.

Remove, correct, and add omitted words to make the write-up clear, concise, and readable.

5) Sentence structures

A document with proper and consistent sentence structure separates good and mediocre writing.

When proofreading, ensure that sentences maintain the grammatical pattern. If this structure keeps changing, the readers will need clarification. 

Also, look at the tense used and the consistency of the headlines.

6) Examine the references

Scholarly and professional papers require a list of references. As you proofread, ensure that citations have been done correctly. Please do this to avoid your paper being discredited. 

If you are a beginner, your proofreading skills might need to be more effective. As such, invest in learning these skills. You will become a perfect and reliable proofreader with time.

Proofreading tips

Proofreading can seem daunting, mainly because you are expected to produce error-free work as a proofreader. 

In case errors are identified after the submission of the work, you are the one to be blamed.

However, this doesn’t have to be complicated. You are good to go as long as you can identify the mistakes and correct them.

Below are some tips to help you produce high-quality, error-free content.

1. Read slowly and loudly

This might sound awkward and unnecessary, but reading the content word for word is very important, loud, and slow. 

While doing this, you will quickly notice poor grammar and spelling mistakes. You will also tell if the punctuation marks have been used appropriately and correctly. 

When reading out loud, you will understand the content the way your audience will; you know how a reader will feel when going through the document. 

If, for instance, the sentences are too long and you are gasping for breath, you will know that they need to be shortened. 

You will also know if the intended message comes out clearly.

2. Read one word at a time

Practice reading one word at a time. Usually, when you read terms normally, you are likely to skip some words.

You may fail to notice some mistakes because you are taking in a lot of words at a go.

Reading each word at a time might slow the proofreading process, but it will enable you to identify and rectify all errors.

3. Alter the appearance of the document

Sometimes changing the write-up's color, font, and size can help you view the document from a different angle.

It enables you to gain a different perspective of the document, and you are, therefore, able to know where to make changes.

After proofreading, return the document to the recommended font, size, and color.

4. Take note of every punctuation marks

When punctuation marks are misused, a sentence or text can lose meaning. As you read through, highlight each punctuation mark that you come across.

Determine whether they have been used appropriately and whether or not they make sense. If a punctuation mark does not serve the purpose, you can omit it or alter the sentence structure.

5. Identify the frequent errors

Different authors write in different ways and are prone to particular mistakes.

As you go through a document, you will notice frequent errors such as overuse of phrases, repetition of words, and misspelling of a particular word.

To make the work easier, use the search feature in your word processor to identify those words and make the required changes. You could omit them or use their synonyms.

When proofreading, you must give much attention and mental focus to whatever you do. 

Avoid distractions as much as possible. Get a quiet environment, and maybe turn off the notifications from your phone.

It is also wise to take breaks, especially if you need more time to concentrate on this work.

7. Use a grammar check

There are digital writing assistance tools, such as Grammarly, that can make your proofreading task easier.

Once you are done proofreading, run the document through such a platform. You might notice some inconsistencies or errors that need correction.

Proofreading resources that better your skills

Along with the tips outlined above, there are other resources that you can use to perfect your proofreading skills. You can find these resources online.

There are proofreading exercises with answers that will enlighten you on punctuation, adverbs, propositions, nouns, sentence styles, spelling, and so much more.

Luckily, you can find these platforms online for free. So, take advantage and practice until you make your proofreading skills perfect.

Here are links to online platforms that offer proofreading tests and quizzes:

  • Proofread quiz
  • Purdue OWL Exercises
  • SfEP: Self-Test in Proofreading  
  • Skills Practice: Find the Mistakes  
  • UEfAP Exercises  

You can also network with professionals to learn what they do. Having people who understand what you do makes the learning process easy.

Content is very important, but you run everything down the drain due to spelling mistakes, poor sentence structures, and wrong wording, among other grammatical errors. 

Thorough proofreading is vital for producing and delivering professional and quality documents. It can help you to successfully communicate your intended message to your readers.

Effective proofreading enables you to create outstanding essays, winning marketing copies, and CVs that will hire you. It also maintains the reputation of your business.

Whenever you write or are given a proofreading job, don’t rush to submit it. Take your time to review the document and make the necessary corrections. 

If you apply the tips outlined above, you will improve your proofreading skills. You will be in a position to produce clear, readable, and interesting content.

Tell me the mistakes you have found in this article!

While publishing this article, it has not been proofread or edited.

Since you are a proofreader or aspiring to be one, I’ll appreciate it if you could identify any mistakes in the article.

Once you’re done reading, you can share your findings in the comments section.

This way, you’ll sharpen your proofreading skills while learning how to make money on Amazon as a beginner proofreader.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Don't forget to share this post!

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Are You Ready To Test Your Proofreading Skills?

Even the most grammar-savvy amongst us benefit from a thorough proofreading of our work.

You may rely on an editor to check your work, or like many writers, it might be tempting to do a quick scan of your writing without thoroughly proofreading it.

But proofreading is as essential to your writing as writing is. It allows you to fix any errors that may obscure your intended meaning or distract your reader. It also helps you catch grammar and spelling mistakes , misused words, and punctuation errors.

If you have an editor, he or she can polish your work much more easily (and less expensively) if you’ve given it the careful once-over before the editing process.

If you don’t have an editor, proofreading can save you from embarrassing and critical comments from your readers.

Proofreading makes you a better, more mindful writer and, over time, it will cement the skills you need to be an accomplished writer.

Proofreading Test

Review this letter for mistakes:, corrected letter.

Here’s a checklist of actions you should take to properly proofread your writing:

  • Remove any distractions so you can concentrate on proofing your work.
  • Look for one type of writing problem at a time (first spelling errors, then word usage, etc.).
  • Read your writing out loud and silently.
  • Print a copy of your work to proofread it on paper.
  • Read it backward to spot any spelling mistakes .
  • Look out for homonyms (words that share the same spelling and pronunciation).
  • Double check contractions and apostrophes for common mistakes (like it’s and its or there and their).
  • Review carefully for punctuation mistakes. Look up anything you aren’t sure about.
  • Ask a friend to read your writing after you proofread it to check behind you.

So, why not spend a few minutes assessing your own proofreading skills with an easy and entertaining test?

woman on Mac computer at desk Proofreading test

To make this proofreading test more challenging, I’ve thrown in a variety of hurdles for you to spot and clear as you make your way to the finish line.

May you find the following proofreader and copy editor test as helpful and enjoyable as it was excruciating to write. Don’t let my agony be in vain.

Dear Ms. Adams;

We’ve recieved your manuscript and have read enough of it to offer this constructive critique, which we hope you’ll take unto consideration before sending us another sample of your work, we do value you’re time.

1. The beginning of your story is week. Try to evoke an emotional response within the first few paragraphs.

2. You use to many semicolons. Its distracting.

3. You use third person omiscient POV, which in our humble opinion, weakens the impact of your main characters painful situation.

4. You tell more then show what your characters are feeling. As Anton Checkov wrote: “Dont tell me the moon is shining, show me hte glint of light on broken glass.”

5. You switch points of view, jumping from one persons head to another without warning, it’s confusing and you risk loosing your reader’s trust end attention

6. The dialogue feels forced and unathentic: the southern accent is overdone and painful too read.

7. Your use of ellipsis is… awkward. And you use them quite alot. Consider removing most of them. Noone pauses that much..

8. You’re love of dashes is evident. Please eliminate most of them, and and make your sentences shorter clearer, and less wordy.

9. Please please please stop using dialog tags like “he grinned” or “she sighed”. You can’t sigh or grin words. It can’t be done. Stick with “said” but try to make it more obvious who is saying whom without using dialog tags for every quote. If you must indicate sighs, grins, and other nonverbal gestures set them apart from teh quotes with periods rather than commas .

10. Your main character launches into a stream of conscience monologue and his dialoge partner somehow doesn’t lapse into a coma before he finishes this is wishful thinking and makes it hard to sympathize with the mane character who’s soliloquy is way too long to keep you’re readers attention. We tired but had to skip to the end wear he finally sums it up nicely.

11. We dont really get to now your secondary character well enough to care about what happens to her. She listens to the main character and throws in a few responses hear and their but is otherwise bland and two dimensional. Her boyfriend the main character, does most of the talking, and she stairs out the window a lot and I mean a LOT. Yet we never find out weather she’s waiting for someone or something or if shes just really board. She’s certainly stiff as a board (see what i did they’re?).

12. My fellow editers here at Proper Publishing House agree with all the statements in this letter which I spent ours perfecting ought of sincere gratitude for your efforts and true dat concern for yore development as a writer.

13. We recommend you contact the services of a inexperienced proofreader or copyediter before submitting to us any future writing samples. Good proofreading makes such a deference!

In short let us offer you hour best hopes for the improvement of your writing don’t be discouraged keep at it and remember Proper Publishing House will always bee honest with you because

Sincerely and optimystically

Sarah jane Smythe

Cheif Editer

Now, it’s time to compare your corrections with the letter below. Keep in mind that not all your copyediting corrections have to look exactly like mine. There’s room for some creative improvisation. I’ve highlighted the errors and everything added or crossed out.

Dear Ms. Adams :

We’ve received your manuscript and have read enough of it to offer this constructive critique, which we hope you’ll take into consideration before sending us another sample of your work . We do value your time.

1. The beginning of your story is weak . Try to evoke an emotional response within the first few paragraphs.

2. You use too many semicolons. It’s distracting.

3. You use third person omniscient POV, which , in our humble opinion, weakens the impact of your main character’s painful situation.

4. You tell more than show what your characters are feeling. As Anton Chekhov wrote , “ Don’t tell me the moon is shining ; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

5. You switch points of view, jumping from one person’s head to another without warning. It’s confusing, and you risk losing your reader’s trust and attention.

6. The dialogue feels forced and inauthentic ; the Southern accent is overdone and painful to read.

7. Your use of ellipses is… awkward. And you use them quite a lot . Consider removing most of them. No one pauses that much.

8. Your love of dashes is evident. Please eliminate most of them, and and make your sentences shorter, clearer, and less wordy.

9. Please , please , please stop using dialogue tags like “he grinned” or “she sighed .” You can’t sigh or grin words. It can’t be done. Stick with “said , “ but try to make it more obvious who is saying what without using dialogue tags for every quote. If you must indicate sighs, grins, and other nonverbal gestures, set them apart from the quotes with periods rather than commas.

10. Your main character launches into a stream of consciousness monologue, and his dialogue partner somehow doesn’t lapse into a coma before he finishes . This is wishful thinking and makes it hard to sympathize with the main character , whose soliloquy is way too long to keep your reader’s attention. We tried but had to skip to the end where he finally sums it up nicely.

11. We don’t really get to know your secondary character well enough to care about what happens to her. She listens to the main character and throws in a few responses here and there but is otherwise bland and two-dimensional . Her boyfriend , the main character, does most of the talking, and she stares out the window a lot — and I mean a LOT. Yet we never find out whether she’s waiting for someone or something or if she’s just really bored. She’s certainly stiff as a board (see what i did they’re?).

12. My fellow editors here at Proper Publishing House agree with all the statements in this letter , which I spent hours perfecting out of sincere gratitude for your efforts and true dat concern for your development as a writer.

13. We recommend you contract the services of an experienced proofreader or copyeditor before submitting to us any future writing samples. Good proofreading makes such a difference !

In conclusion , let us offer you our best hopes for the improvement of your writing . Don’t be discouraged , keep at it , and remember Proper Publishing House will always be honest with you . because

Sincerely and optimistically ,

Sarah Jane Smythe

Chief Editor

More Related Articles:

12 Effective Tips On How To Write Faster

The Hemingway Editor And App Review

Hiring The Right Book Editor

Recovery Time

Maybe it’s time for a soothing cup of something. No hard feelings, I hope.

If you found value in this proofreading practice test, please share it with others. The purpose of this article, after all, is to help you and your fellow writers more accurately proofread your own work before submitting or publishing it.

It doesn’t hurt that while it was often painful not to proofread the sample letter while writing it, it was also pretty fun. I hope you enjoyed the exercise enough to pass it on.

And may your good humor and selfless commitment to the edification of your fellow writers infuse everything else you do today.

As a writer, you want to make sure you put your best foot forward with your work. Take this proofreading test to measure your copyediting skills.

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Writing contests, make money writing, hottest topics, test your proofreading skills: complete this exercise.

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Many proofreading exercises make the mistake of confronting the trainee proof reader with errors in abundance. Every other line contains a spelling error, grammatical gaffe, or stylistic slip-up. In reality, however, you’re unlikely to find more than two or three errors in any document, particularly if said document has been produced by professional page make-up artists or seasoned typesetters. These overloaded proofreading exercises give the nascent proof reader a false expectation when they launch their careers; when they don’t find themselves pinpointing ten to twenty errors per page, they think they must have missed something and self-doubt begins to set in.

So, the following piece of copy contains just three errors. As with any proofreading exercise, you may find the occasional grammatically suspect clause or a phrase that makes you a little queasy. However, it’s important to remember that your job as a proof reader is to find literal errors and eradicate any lack of clarity, not to indulge in hair-splitting over the occasional split infinitive or dangling modifier.

Allow yourself no more than 10 minutes to complete this exercise.

The Proofreading Exercise

Keep your pet safe from the dangers of heatstroke.

It is now, thankfully, a widely recognised fact that dogs left alone in cars can become the tragic victim of the kind of weather that normally has most of us rejoicing. According to recent evidence, when the external temperature is 72 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature within a car can rise to as much as 117 degrees Fahrenheit in just one hour. For this reason, all responsible dog owners plan ahead, to make sure wherever there going provides adequate provisions for their beloved pet.

However, the emphasis on the dangers presented by leaving dogs in cars has lulled many pet owners into a false sense of security when it comes to protecting their pet from the hazards of hot weather. There is now, unfortunately, a general consensus that our pets are safe in hot weather, just so long as they are not confined to a vehicle.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Whether or not your dog is in a car, they are vulnerable to heatstroke if they are unable to effectively cool down. Some dogs are more prone than others. For example,

• dogs with long hair, • thick-set and heavily muscled dogs • very young dogs • very old dogs.

Dogs who are suffering from a particular medical complaint or are receiving prescription medication may also be more at risk. However, it is a fact that all dogs can be potential victims of heatstroke. Luckily, there are a number of very simple things you can do to reduce the risk to you’re pet. Avoid taking your dog out in hot weather at all, if you can. Restrict their exercise time to the early morning or later in the evening, when it tends to be cooler.

If you do have to take your dog out in the heat, and you find you have to leave them in a single spot for any reason, make sure there is plenty of shade, and leave a large bowl of drinking water. Make sure the bowl has a heavy base, so that it is less likely to be accidentally spilled or knocked over entirely.

When out walking with your dog in hot weather, carry a large bottle of water with you. Periodically, you can give this water to your dog. Little and often is the key here, keeping dehydration well and truly at bay. Make sure your dog is well-groomed to remove surplus hair. You wouldn’t go out in the heat wearing an overcoat, would you?

If, for whatever reason, your dog has become exposed to excessive heat and you are concerned they may be suffering from heatstroke, here are the symptoms you need to be on the lookout for: abnormally heavy panting, excessive salivation, vividly red gums and tongue and, in very severe cases, diarrhoea and vomiting. If you encounter any of these symptoms you need to seek veterinary assistance immediately, whilst cooling your pet as much as possible with cool water (never use very cold water, as this may induce shock). But, as always, prevention is better then cure. Keep your pet out of the heat wherever possible.

The Proofreading Exercise: Solution

Did you spot out three howlers?

That’s right, the first mistake was in the opening paragraph. The sentence that reads, ‘For this reason, all responsible dog owners plan ahead, to make sure wherever there going provides adequate provisions for their beloved pet’, should read, ‘For this reason, all responsible dog owners plan ahead, to make sure wherever they’re going provides adequate provisions for their beloved pet’.

The second mistake is tucked away in the seventh paragraph. ‘Luckily, there are a number of very simple things you can do to reduce the risk to you’re pet’ should read ‘Luckily, there are a number of very simple things you can do to reduce the risk to your pet’.

And I’ve deliberately concealed the third error in the final paragraph. Were you beginning to think you’d missed it? ‘But, as always, prevention is better then cure. Keep your pet out of the heat wherever possible’ should, of course, read, ‘But, as always, prevention is better than  cure. Keep your pet out of the heat wherever possible’. If you successfully completed this proofreading exercise, congratulations! You may have what it takes to become a proof reader.

About the Author: Mike Sellars has been embroiled in the world of proofreading for more than two decades now. For the first five years of his working life he worked as a copywriter and proof reader for a number of advertising and marketing agencies. After that he typeset and proofread for the UK’s largest online retailer. In relatively short order, he was promoted, culminating in his appointment as Operations Manager, in which role he was responsible for hiring, developing and managing typesetters, page make-up artists and, of course, proof readers. He has distilled all this experience down into The No-Nonsense Proofreading Course . Available for just £7.99. Click here to find out more.

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Quill Proofreader

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Proofreader teaches your students editing skills by having them proofread passages. Students edit passages and receive personalized exercises based on their results. With over 100 expository passages, Proofreader gives students the practice they need to spot common grammatical errors.

In Quill Proofreader, students are tasked with finding and correcting grammatical errors embedded within a passage. In this exercise on Ernest Shackleton, students have to find and correct 11 errors.

Students are provided instant feedback on their work once they’ve completed the proofreading. The errors the student missed are highlighted in red, while the errors the student caught are highlighted in green.

Teachers can use their scorebook report to quickly see which concepts the student mastered and which ones the student needs to practice.

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Proofreading Test: The best ones to test your proofreading skills?

By Author Chhavi Agarwal

Proofreading quiz – How can they help in fine-tuning your proofreading skills?

If you are thinking of working from home , remote proofreading is a great option.

In this post, we will share a few proofreading quiz and tests for you to analyse your skills. Yeah?

For those of you who don’t know, proofreading is a high-paying skill that can help you earn a steady income. With more and more companies outsourcing their content writing , the demand for proofreaders is also rising steadily.

Some of the primary skills that you need to become a proofreader include a keen ability to go through every word on the document and the eye to check grammar and spelling mistakes.

Let’s get into proofreading tests, skills and jobs in detail.

The post includes affiliate links.

Is a Proofreading Test Necessary?

Not really.

… but,

Whether you are confident about your proofreading skills or are unsure about where you stand, it is always a good idea to take a proofreading quiz to check your accuracy.

In this post, we shall share some proofreading test and quizzes that you can take for free and check your skill level.

Don’t be disheartened if you don’t score 100 percent. A lower score doesn’t mean you are not good enough to be a proofreader.

All it means is that you need to brush up on your skills.

You will also learn about the different niches of proofreading and the best companies looking for remote proofreaders.

If you plan to pursue a career in this proofreading, your best bet is to obtain certification in the art of transcript proofreading.

Caitlin Pyle’s e-course called  Transcript Proofreading: Theory and Practice  is an excellent resource that will not only give you the skills and certification necessary to work as a transcript proofreader but it also teach you how to market yourself and land clients.

I understand if you don’t want to jump on it right away.. after all, you’re not sure if proofreading is for you.

So, I have good news for you. You can benefit from Caitlin’s free, comprehensive  Proofread Anywhere workshop .

This 76-minute webinar is jam-packed with valuable information on finding out if proofreading is right for you, attracting your ideal proofreading clients and making money online .

She walks you through a proofreading quiz during her webinar to help show you the common errors you’ll need to be able to recognize as a proofreader.

.. now that’s a bonus.

Free Proofreading Quizzes and exercises (with answers)

proofreading tests and quiz

Proofreading quizzes, test and exercises are an excellent way for you to sharpen your skills and test your knowledge.

You can choose from the following online quizzes and exercises to improve your proofreading skills –

  • You can download a blank copy of this free proofreading quiz and practice your skills. Once you are done with the quiz, you can check your answers here . This is a copy of the answers to the quiz. Before you take this quiz, you must work towards improving your proofreading skills.
  • Purdue OWL Exercise s – The Purdue University OWL offers exercises on grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, spelling, and more.
  • Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading – You can test and hone your proofreading skills by taking quizzes on punctuation, language use, spellings, phrases, and punctuation here.
  • Skills Practice – Danny Rubin – This New York Times article lets you find 14 mistakes in five New York Times articles. The answers are available at the end in a PDF.
  • UEfAP – These proofreading exercises cover topics like verbs, ergative verbs, word order, articles, spellings, punctuation, and more.

How to improve proofreading skills to ace proofreading tests & quizzes?

  • Read more You can’t be a good proofreader unless you read. Be it books, magazines, newspapers, or blogs; you should read up on all forms of the written word you come across. But don’t read these texts as a reader; read them like a proofreader. Scour them for any grammatical errors, typos, and formatting inconsistencies. The more you read, the sharper your proofreading skills will become.
  • Know your style guides While you may be proficient in the English language, you will need to brush up on formatting rules regularly. The writing styles, formatting, and grammar rules change often. As a professional proofreader, you will need to understand your client’s requirements. To be a good proofreader, you should know your style guides like the back of your hand. It would be best if you acquainted yourself with these styles – Chicago Style APA style AP style
  • If you are proofreading more academic and scholarly work, you should also learn MLA and Turabian Style. Knowing the different styles helps you follow consistent rules when you are proofreading a manuscript.
  • Think on your feet To hone your proofreading skills, you must practice thinking on your feet. Keep an eye out for grammatical errors while you do your day-to-day activities like watching TV, riding the subway, browsing the web, or reading recipes.
  • Study the common mistakes Do you know which are the most common grammar and spelling mistakes? Knowing these will help you spot them quickly and correct them while proofreading.
  • Test your skills with more proofreading tests and quizzes Once you have practiced and honed your skills, test them out. There are many tests and quizzes out there, ranging from proofreading quizzes to textual exercises. These will test your ability to recognize errors and inconsistencies.

This 76-minute webinar is jam-packed with valuable information on finding out if proofreading is right for you, attracting your ideal proofreading clients and making money online . Check it out. If you are looking to upskill yourself as a proofreader, I recommend you check this or this out NOW.

A little bit more about proofreading before you take proofreading test and quiz

proofreading test with answers

What is proofreading?

Before we jump onto the proofreading test, let’s discuss what proofreading is for a bit.

People often confuse editing with proofreading. These two are quite different yet equally important parts of the writing process.

Editing involves restructuring, deleting part of the text, and generally making sure that the copy flows well.

Proofreading comes after the editing process is over. It involves going through the document with a fine-tooth comb, looking for the following –

1. Typographical errors 2. Inconsistencies in layout or style 3. Odd page and word breaks 4. Spelling mistakes and missing punctuation 5. Any other issues that might ruin the reading experience

Proofreading is the last part of the editorial process. Proofreading is what gives the final polish to any written document.

Why is it important to choose a proofreading niche?

These are some of the places to work if you want to work as a freelance proofreader.

However, before you start applying and taking their proofreading quiz, choose the niche you want to work in. If you choose a niche, you can target specific clients and position yourself as an expert in that industry. Proofreaders that focus on a particular niche are also able to earn more money. Here are some of the niches that you can choose from –  Website pages  Blog posts  Legal documents  Transcripts  Court reports  Essays When deciding what to focus on, make sure you choose something that you are genuinely interested in.

What does it take to become a professional proofreader?

proofreading jobs

Proofreaders often hold a bachelor’s degree in English or journalism. However, this isn’t always necessary.

If you have a good understanding of the written language, you can be a proofreader.

Some proofreading jobs also require an advanced degree or experience in a particular field. For example, a background in law is useful for proofreading legal documents.

Some employers also ask the candidates to take a proofreading test or a proofreading quiz to prove that they are competent.

Where can I find proofreading jobs online?

become a proofreader

With so much content available, there is no shortage of remote proofreading opportunities.

Here’s a list of companies that frequently hire remote proofreaders –

ProofReadingServices.com

They offer full-time as well as part-time positions. The pay ranges from USD 19 to 46 per hour, depending on the turnaround time. You will need to pass a 20-minute test to work here.

Gramlee is always looking for exceptional editors to join their team. As a Gramlee Editor, you will have to check and edit the documents for spelling and grammatical errors, overall clarity, structure, brevity, and readability.

Kibin Kibin is on the lookout for talented freelance editors. Editors in international time zones outside the US and Canada or with overnight availability are especially encouraged to apply.

Wordy Wordy is a crowdsourced platform where editors have access to open jobs and can claim them on a first-come-first-served basis. To sign up as an online editor for Wordy, you need to familiarize yourself with the Wordy style guide and then take an online test.

Scribendi Scribendi is a market leader in the editing and proofreading industry. As a telecommuting Editor at Scribendi, you can choose your projects. Editors and proofreaders are also given free training and are offered incentives in addition to regular pay.

Domainite.com Domainite regularly hires freelance editors to join their team. You will need to edit a sample piece when you fill out the freelance editing job hire form. If you do well, you will be invited to contract with Domainite.com.

ProofreadingPal ProofreadingPal uses a two-proofreader model so that every document is proofread and edited by two professional proofreaders. They proofread for spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and verb tense. They also edit for sentence structure, clarity, and style.  To be hired by ProofreadingPal, you must be enrolled as a graduate or postgraduate student in an accredited United States college or university and have a minimum GPA of 3.5. Or you must have a graduate degree with a minimum of five years of professional proofreading and editing experience.

Wordvice Wordvice helps researchers, scholars, students, and professionals craft clear and compelling stories through good writing. To become a WordVice proofreader, you must have a master’s degree, knowledge of MS Word, and style guides.

Sibia Proofreading If you are a science expert and have strong writing, editing, and proofreading skills, Sibia Proofreading may be a good fit for you. Sibia Proofreading prefers people with strong academic background.

Hello Essay Hello Essay has an army of editors and proofreaders who edit and polish all academic essays to perfection. With Hello Essay, you can work when you want and as much as you want.

Final thoughts on proofreading test and quiz

Proofreading plays a vital role in improving the readability and quality of a text document. This is the reason why proofreaders are in great demand these days. If you plan to pursue a proofreading career, online proofreading quizzes and exercises can help you a lot. They will help you fine-tune your skills and improve your knowledge. You can choose to apply to any of the companies mentioned in the list to pursue a career as a remote proofreader. Most of these companies also assign proofreading quizzes or exercises to test your reading comprehension and attention to detail during the hiring process. So, it would be best to take as many proofreading quizzes and exercises to brush up on your skills.

Proofreading test and quiz

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  1. Free proofreading quizzes, proofreading assessment for job interview

    proofreading quizzes online

  2. 16 Online Proofreading Exercises To Test Your Editing Skills

    proofreading quizzes online

  3. Free proofreading quizzes, proofreading assessment for job interview

    proofreading quizzes online

  4. 46 Free Proofreading Quizzes to Test Your Editing Skills

    proofreading quizzes online

  5. 46 Free Proofreading Quizzes to Test Your Editing Skills [Video] [Video

    proofreading quizzes online

  6. Best Free Online Proofreading Courses with Certificate

    proofreading quizzes online

VIDEO

  1. Proofread Anywhere Review

  2. Make $46/HR Online Proofreading

  3. Proofreading Tips: Areas of Focus

  4. Proofreading: Exercise & Practice, Three

  5. Proofreading jobs online No experience

  6. Best 5 Websites for Proofreading Online

COMMENTS

  1. Free Proofreading Quiz

    Freelance Writing. This multiple-choice examination on proofreading by Proofread Anywhere tests your American English skills. The company offers in-depth general proofreading and transcript proofreading courses which you can enroll in anytime. Caitlyn Pile is a proofreader-turned-blogger who developed the short test.

  2. Can You Ace This Basic Proofreading Quiz?

    Take our quiz to test your basic proofreading knowledge and see if you can catch every single typo. See if you can get every question right and ace the entire quiz. And don't look for any of the answers online, so you can really step up to the challenge! Let us know how you did in the comments below.

  3. Top-Tier Proofreading Tests and Quizzes

    The site is a fantastic resource for proofreaders and copy editors as it teaches the rules for English grammar, punctuation, and usage. It includes 4 free tests and 52 free quizzes. Hundreds of additional quizzes are available with a paid subscription. Go to the Tests and Quizzes!

  4. 10 Best Proofreading Tests to Test Your Skills & Abilities

    This is a great website to use if you want to challenge yourself and your proofreading skills. 4. Om Proofreading. The Om Proofreading test is a multiple-choice proofreading quiz that focuses on spelling mistakes. Most of the words are homophones, which are words that sound the same but are spelled differently.

  5. Proof It!

    Every quiz consists of ten sentences, which will appear one at a time on the screen. Each sentence contains exactly one mistake. Your first job is to find the mistake and click on it.

  6. 10 Free Proofreading Tests (To Boost Your Editing Skills)

    10. Sporcle. What draws my attention to Sporcle's proofreading test is that it has 25 questions and is much longer than standard proofreading tests. Also, unlike many other free proofreading tests, you only have a fixed time of 8 minutes to solve all 25 questions.

  7. 12 Free Proofreading Tests to Check Your Skills

    08. LoveToKnow. Who they are: LoveToKnow is an online media company that features news, content on parenting and family life, resources for pet owners, home and garden advice, and more. The test: The LoveToKnow site has a downloadable proofreading test, which features an email containing lots of errors.

  8. Proofreading Quizzes & Tests With Answers

    Proofreading Quizzes & Tests With Answers. How to become a proofreader…. Caitlin Pyle, the founder of Proofread Anywhere, went from broke to a $3000 income daily so quickly after she quit her 9-5 sucking job to build a 9-figure online business. And she is sharing her secrets on how she was able to attain her success in a FREE 76-minute ...

  9. Proofreading Tips and Exercises

    Proofreading exercises provide a way for you to test your knowledge and sharpen your editing skills. Here are some good exercises and quizzes available online: Purdue OWL Exercises - The Purdue OWL offers exercises and answers on a number of topics including punctuation, grammar, sentence style, spelling and more.

  10. 16 Online Proofreading Exercises To Test Your Editing Skills

    6) ProofreadNow.com. This is a company that offers proofreading services to writers, publishers, advertisers, marketers, and editors. Having been in the industry since 1999, they understand the proofreading and editing landscape. Their basic proofreading quiz is a great way to gauge your skills.

  11. Take The Proofreading Test

    Read your writing out loud and silently. Print a copy of your work to proofread it on paper. Read it backward to spot any spelling mistakes. Look out for homonyms (words that share the same spelling and pronunciation). Double check contractions and apostrophes for common mistakes (like it's and its or there and their).

  12. Test yourself

    Challenge yourself to take our language quizzes. They're just for fun but you'll test your knowledge of grammar and current usage, and we'll explain what we think are the right answers. There's a new one every two months, so check back here when you want to tackle the next one. Quiz 1: Punctuation. Quiz 2: Language use.

  13. Free Online Proofreader

    The online proofreader. It's really straightforward. Just paste the text into the tool. All your errors will now be underlined in red. You can hover over these mistakes to see how they can be addressed. If you agree, just click on the button "Fix all errors," and your mistakes will be fixed instantly!

  14. Test Your Proofreading Skills: Complete This Exercise

    Test Your Proofreading Skills: Complete This Exercise. Many proofreading exercises make the mistake of confronting the trainee proof reader with errors in abundance. Every other line contains a spelling error, grammatical gaffe, or stylistic slip-up. In reality, however, you're unlikely to find more than two or three errors in any document ...

  15. Free Grammar Checker

    Yes, this grammar checker covers the following mistakes: 1. Grammar: Correction of grammatical errors such as subject-verb agreement, tense usage, and sentence structure 2. Spelling: identification and correction of spelling errors, including typos and commonly confused words. 3. Punctuation: Detection and rectification of punctuation errors, including incorrect use of commas, periods, colons ...

  16. Grammar : Proofreading Quiz

    Proofreading means searching for and correcting errors by carefully reading and rereading what has been written. Proofread the sentences in this quiz by identifying any missing words or other errors. Group: Language Arts Language Arts Quizzes. Topic:

  17. You're the Editor! Proofreading Quiz

    Premier League Everton's Top Scorers. Premier League Aston Villa's Top Scorers. Premier League Arsenal's Top Scorers. Premier League West Ham United's Top Scorers. Can you pick the correct answer for each proofreading problem*? Test your knowledge on this language quiz and compare your score to others. Quiz by zaphenath.

  18. Quill Proofreader

    Quill Proofreader. Proofreader teaches your students editing skills by having them proofread passages. Students edit passages and receive personalized exercises based on their results. With over 100 expository passages, Proofreader gives students the practice they need to spot common grammatical errors. Students are provided instant feedback on ...

  19. Free Online Proofreader

    Free proofreading tool. With QuillBot, you have the best free proofreading tool in your pocket, on your browser, or in Word whenever you need it.. Writing is a lot of work, and doing it well means revising and revising again. For writers with high standards in every genre and field, online proofreading is an invaluable resource—a must-have.

  20. 10 Best Online Proofreading Courses in 2023

    Cost of the Knowadays Bundle Online Course. Individually, the Becoming A Proofreader course costs $399 and the Becoming An Editor course costs $499. However, if you purchase the Knowadays Bundle with both courses, you can save 15% and get both courses for $760. You can sign up for their courses here.

  21. Free Book Quizzes by Bookroo

    A Man Called Ove. A Midsummer Night's Dream. A Monster Calls. A Northern Light. A Passage To India. A Picture Book of Alexander Hamilton. A Raisin in the Sun. A Room of One's Own. A Room with a View.

  22. The Best Proofreading Quiz with Answers to Test Your Skills

    Proofreading Quiz PDF (with Answers) This proofreading quiz is a valuable tool that can be used over and over again as you gradually increase your skills. Practice your proofreading exercises online, or download a blank copy of the proofreading quiz PDF and a copy of the answers to utilize in a classroom setting, for training purposes, or for ...

  23. Proofreading Test: The best ones to test your proofreading skills?

    Final thoughts on proofreading test and quiz. Proofreading plays a vital role in improving the readability and quality of a text document. This is the reason why proofreaders are in great demand these days. If you plan to pursue a proofreading career, online proofreading quizzes and exercises can help you a lot.