The Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Forms G and H, is a reading survey test for high school and college students and adults. A two-part test, the Nelson-Denny measures vocabulary development, comprehension, and reading rate. Part I (Vocabulary) is a fifteen-minute timed test; Part II (Comprehension and Rate) is a twenty-minute test. The first minute of the Comprehension test is used to determine reading rate. Including the time needed to distribute materials, complete the name and information grids, and provide directions, the Nelson-Denny may be administered in forty-five minutes, or a single class period.
A unique feature of the 1993 edition is the extended-time administration of the test to meet the needs of special populations, such as students with English as a second language or as a foreign language, or returning adults.
The 1993 edition of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Forms G and H, is the current edition of this widely used high school and college test. All test items and reading passages are exclusive to this edition and appear in a test format similar to that used in earlier editions. The basic test format was retained because of its wide acceptance by test users.
Other changes from previous editions include a reduction in the number of vocabulary items from 100 to 80 and inclusion of seven rather than eight reading comprehension passages, with a total of 38 rather than 36 items. These changes advance a trend in recent Nelson-Denny forms away from speediness and toward measurement of reading power.
Forms G and H are parallel forms that have been equated and can be used interchangeably as pretests and posttests. The equating study linking them is described in the Technical Report. An equating study of Form G and Form E links Forms G and H to the earlier Forms E and F. Thus, data for students previously tested with Form E or F can be related to data provided by Form G or H. Form G/Form E equating data and tables are provided in the Manual for Scoring and Interpretation.