ParaPro Exam Prep Free practice test →

Free ParaPro Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style ParaPro Assessment (ParaPro) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free ParaPro practice test to study every exam domain.

The ParaPro exam has 90 questions and runs 2 hours 30 minutes.

These 10 free ParaPro questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the ParaPro Assessment blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.

Domain 1: Reading 33.3% of exam

Question 1

Read the passage, then answer the question. "Honeybees do more than make honey. As they move from flower to flower gathering nectar, pollen sticks to their bodies and is carried to the next blossom. This transfer fertilizes the plants, allowing them to produce the fruits and seeds we depend on. In fact, roughly a third of the food we eat exists because of pollinators like the bee." Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage?

  1. Honeybees travel between a great many flowers over the course of a single working day.
  2. Honeybees matter most because of the pollination they provide.
  3. Pollen sticks to a honeybee's body and is carried from one blossom to the next as it feeds.
  4. About a third of human food comes from plants.
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Honeybees matter most because of the pollination they provide.

Question 2

Read the passage, then answer the question. "By the time the last guests left, Maria had been on her feet for eleven hours. She smiled, locked the café door, and leaned against it for a long moment before reaching for the broom." It can reasonably be inferred from the passage that Maria is:

  1. annoyed at the guests who stayed late.
  2. the owner of a successful restaurant chain.
  3. planning to close the café for good.
  4. tired but committed to finishing her work.
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - tired but committed to finishing her work.

Question 3

Read the sentence, then answer the question. "Although the committee's plan was sound, its members were too timid to act, and the proposal languished for months without a single vote." As used in the sentence, the word "languished" most nearly means:

  1. remained without progress
  2. was angrily rejected
  3. gained sudden support
  4. was rewritten in secret
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - remained without progress

Question 4

Read the passage, then answer the question. "The new bridge opened in March after two years of construction. It spans 1,200 feet across the river and carries four lanes of traffic. Without question, it is the finest piece of engineering the county has ever produced." Which sentence from the passage expresses an opinion rather than a fact?

  1. The new bridge opened to traffic this past March after two years of construction work.
  2. It spans 1,200 feet across the river.
  3. It is the finest piece of engineering the county has produced.
  4. The bridge carries four lanes of traffic in each direction across the water.
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - It is the finest piece of engineering the county has produced.

Question 5

Read the passage, then answer the question. "First, water collects in oceans and lakes. Next, the sun's heat causes that water to evaporate into the air. Then the vapor cools and condenses into clouds. Finally, the water returns to the surface as rain or snow." The author organizes this passage primarily by:

  1. comparing two different processes.
  2. describing steps in the order they occur.
  3. presenting a problem and its solution.
  4. listing causes of a single effect.
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - describing steps in the order they occur.

Question 6

A student is reading aloud and stops at the unfamiliar word "unbreakable." Under the teacher's direction, the paraprofessional wants to help the student decode the word independently. Which approach would be MOST effective?

  1. Pronounce the entire word aloud for the student and then ask the student to repeat it back.
  2. Tell the student to skip over the word for now and simply keep reading the passage.
  3. Help the student break the word into the parts un-, break, and -able.
  4. Direct the student to stop and look the word up in a classroom dictionary before continuing.
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Help the student break the word into the parts un-, break, and -able.

Question 7

A small group is about to read a passage about how ancient farmers built irrigation canals. Under the teacher's direction, the paraprofessional wants to ask one question BEFORE reading that best prepares students to understand the passage. Which question is most appropriate?

  1. How many separate sentences can you count in the very first paragraph of the passage?
  2. Why might farmers have needed to move water to their fields?
  3. Which single word in this passage looks like it is the longest one on the page?
  4. What score did you end up getting on the reading quiz you took earlier this week?
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Why might farmers have needed to move water to their fields?

Domain 2: Mathematics 33.3% of exam

Question 8

Evaluate the expression using the correct order of operations: 6 + 12 ÷ 3 × 2 − 4

  1. 2
  2. 6
  3. 8
  4. 10
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - 10

Question 9

Subtract the fractions. Give the answer in simplest form. 3/4 − 2/3

  1. 1/12
  2. 1/7
  3. 5/12
  4. 5/7
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - 1/12

Question 10

A jacket regularly priced at $80 is discounted by 35%. What is the amount of the discount?

  1. $24
  2. $45
  3. $28
  4. $52
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - $28

The rest of the ParaPro blueprint

The ParaPro exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:

Ready for the real thing?

Practice hundreds more ParaPro questions with instant scoring, weak-area drills, and full exam simulations.

Start the free practice test See pricing