1.2 Test Framework & Blueprint
Key Takeaways
- PSI publishes the content-category split (Literary Texts 40%, Informational Texts 60%) but does NOT publish per-process-category percentages — do not invent A/B/C/D weights.
- The four process categories are A. Comprehension, B. Inference and Interpretation, C. Analysis, and D. Synthesis and Generalization.
- Seventeen descriptors sit under the four process categories: A has 3, B has 5, C has 5, and D has 4.
- Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels run 1 (Recall) through 4 (Extended Thinking); most items cluster at DOK 2 (Skill/Concept) and DOK 3 (Strategic Thinking).
- The entire subtest aligns to CCRS Anchor 10: read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
The Two Content Categories
The HiSET Reading blueprint organizes all 50 items into two content categories. PSI publishes the percentage weight for each:
| Content Category | Weight | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Literary Texts | 40% | Fiction, memoir, poetry, biographical sketches, literary passages |
| Informational Texts | 60% | Essays, editorials, workplace/community documents, science/history nonfiction |
The 60/40 tilt toward informational text reflects the CCRS emphasis on reading the kinds of texts adults encounter in college, career, and civic life — workplace memos, contracts, news analysis, technical instructions, and argumentative essays. Literary reading remains a substantial 40%, so you cannot neglect fiction and poetry, but the majority of your points will come from informational passages.
The Four Process Categories (A–D)
Within the two content categories, every item is also classified by process category — the kind of cognitive work the item asks you to do. The TAAG defines four process categories:
- A. Comprehension — understanding what the text says explicitly.
- B. Inference and Interpretation — going beyond what is stated to infer meanings, draw conclusions, and interpret figurative or nonliteral language.
- C. Analysis — examining how a text is built: main idea, author's purpose, structure, style, tone, and literary/rhetorical devices.
- D. Synthesis and Generalization — combining evidence from multiple parts of a text or across multiple texts to draw conclusions, make predictions, and compare.
PSI publishes the 40/60 content-category split but does not publish per-process-category percentages. Do not try to memorize a fixed A/B/C/D weighting — it does not exist in the official materials. Instead, treat all four process categories as fair game and prepare for each.
The 17 Descriptors Grouped by Process Category
Under the four process categories sit 17 specific descriptors — the operational skills each item measures. The table below lists them grouped by their parent process category.
| Process Category | Descriptors |
|---|---|
| A. Comprehension | A1 Explicit details; A2 Word/phrase meaning in context; A3 Impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone |
| B. Inference and Interpretation | B1 Make/support inferences; B2 Draw conclusions/deduce meanings not explicitly stated; B3 Infer character traits, feelings, motives; B4 Interpret charts, graphs, tables and apply to text; B5 Interpret nonliteral language (figurative language, symbolism, connotation) |
| C. Analysis | C1 Main idea/topic/theme + summarize key details; C2 Author's/speaker's purpose and viewpoint; C3 Analyze how individuals/events/ideas develop and interact (comparisons, contrasts, analogies, timelines); C4 Author's style/structure (chronological, cause-effect), mood, tone; C5 Evaluate arguments and literary devices (foreshadowing, flashback, irony) |
| D. Synthesis and Generalization | D1 Draw conclusions from several pieces of evidence; D2 Make predictions from several pieces of evidence; D3 Compare/contrast elements (structure, style, POV) of two or more texts; D4 Analyze how two or more texts present similar info/topics/themes |
Process Categories B and C carry the most descriptors (five each), reflecting how inference- and analysis-heavy the HiSET Reading subtest is. A carries three, and D carries four. The later chapters of this guide devote one section to each descriptor so you can study each skill in isolation before integrating them on full-length practice.
Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels
Every HiSET Reading item is also tagged with a Depth of Knowledge (DOK) level from 1 to 4, indicating how cognitively demanding it is:
| DOK | Label | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recall | Identify an explicitly stated detail in a passage |
| 2 | Skill/Concept | Determine the meaning of a word using context clues |
| 3 | Strategic Thinking | Infer a character's motive from several pieces of textual evidence |
| 4 | Extended Thinking | Compare how two passages on the same topic present differing viewpoints |
Most items on a HiSET Reading form cluster at DOK 2 and DOK 3 — you must do more than recall a fact, but you are not asked to produce an extended essay. Recognizing the DOK level of an item in front of you helps you choose a strategy: DOK 1 items reward careful re-reading of the passage; DOK 3 items reward collecting multiple pieces of evidence before answering; DOK 4 items (rare on a single-subtest form) reward integrating across passages.
CCRS Anchor 10 Alignment
The entire subtest is aligned to the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS), specifically Anchor 10: "Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently." Anchor 10 is the umbrella standard that the 17 descriptors operationalize — each descriptor is a concrete skill that contributes to fluent, independent comprehension of complex text. When a question asks you to infer a character's motive or compare how two authors treat the same theme, it is measuring Anchor 10 in action.
What PSI Publishes vs What It Does Not
Be precise about what the official materials publish. PSI's Test at a Glance (TAAG), May 2025 publishes: the 50-item count, 65/80-minute timing, the 40/60 literary/informational split, the four process categories, the 17 descriptors, the DOK levels, and CCRS alignment. PSI does not publish: per-process-category percentages, the exact number of scored items per form, the raw-score cutoff for a scaled 8, or the specific passages that will appear. Prepare from the published blueprint, not from invented numbers.
How the Framework Drives Your Study Plan
Because the framework is fixed and publicly known, your study plan can be blueprint-driven rather than guess-driven. Concretely: spend roughly 60% of your passage practice on informational texts and 40% on literary texts to mirror the content split; ensure you can answer items from all four process categories rather than only the ones you find easiest; and drill the 17 descriptors individually until each one feels automatic before you mix them on timed full-length practice. The remaining chapters of this guide are organized exactly along the descriptor list, so each skill gets dedicated attention rather than being folded into vague "reading comprehension" practice.
Which statement about HiSET Reading process-category percentages is correct?
On the HiSET Reading subtest, which DOK level is illustrated by identifying an explicitly stated detail in a passage?
How many descriptors fall under Process Category B (Inference and Interpretation) on the HiSET Reading subtest?