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.
Using English for Academic Purposes (UEfAP)
UEfAP is a great 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.
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.
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 several 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.
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 have an understanding of 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 become an excellent proofreader.
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.
Earn Smart Online Class
Earn Smart online class is a blog that caters to providing 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 the use of possessive pronouns, split infinitives, and more.
You can take the quiz and get the answers online or download the PDFs.
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 per week based on the highest score.
The quiz has ten sentences appearing one at a time. Each of the sentences has a mistake and you need to identify and click it on the space.
You will get an immediate response if you are correct. If you fail to get it right, a message is highlighted to prompt you to try again.
You are then required to correct the mistake to proceed to the next sentence.
EditingTests.com
Editing Tests is a service that offers testing in proofreading, editing, and writing. 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 are required to 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 results of the test.
The assessment is delivered a maximum of 24 hours after completing the required tests.
With the assessment, you get a clear picture of your skill level as a proofreader.
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.
GrammarBook.com
The GrammarBook is a platform based on the book 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.
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’ll need to create an account on the platform.
Taking the test also requires you to be keen as you make the selection. You will not be able to go back to a question once you have moved on.
The score is revealed once you tackle all the questions.
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 will need to provide an email where the results will be sent.
Business Writing Blog
As the name suggests, this is a blog that 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 will need to read through a note of thanks, an email, and an announcement to identify the errors in them.
Hints are provided about the number of errors in each text to make work easier for you.
You will also get the corrected versions at the bottom of the article, with the mistakes highlighted.
Sporcle
Sporcle is a website that provides trivia and pub quizzes. You can make and play quizzes on different topics.
There is also an option to 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 enables you to keep track of the remaining questions and time.