This article provides an introduction to PAT Reading Secondary Transition Edition, which is underpinned by the PAT Reading construct and allows educators to accurately and efficiently measure students’ abilities in Reading, to diagnose gaps, strengths and weaknesses in student learning, and monitor student progress over time.
The following is covered here:
The following articles provide more detailed information about using PAT Reading Secondary Transition Edition effectively:
- When to test with PAT Reading Secondary Transition Edition
- Choosing the right PAT Reading Secondary Transition Edition test
- Administering PAT Reading Secondary Transition Edition tests
- Calculators and PAT Reading Secondary Transition Edition
- Using results from PAT Reading Secondary Transition Edition
About PAT Reading Secondary Transition Edition
PAT Reading Secondary Transition Edition aims to measure the essential skill of reading comprehension. The assessments require students to utilise a variety of processes in a range of contexts as reflected by different written texts on an online platform. PAT Reading captures the range of skills competent readers adopt in the construction of meaning, from retrieving discrete pieces of information, to maintaining and developing understanding, to using previous knowledge in the critical evaluation of information.
PAT Reading Secondary Transition Edition (2025) comprises two pen-and-paper test forms intended to support the assessment of students as they transition into secondary school. These tests may be administered to incoming students by secondary schools in circumstances where online testing is impractical. Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) answer sheets allow for results to be uploaded into schools’ existing assessment accounts, providing reporting alongside tests completed online.
PAT Reading Secondary Transition Edition features items that also appear in PAT Reading 5th Edition and PAT Reading Adaptive online tests.
PAT Reading Adaptive (2021) uses students’ responses to actively determine the content as they progress through the test. Each student sees their own mix of test items as they progress through one of dozens of available testing pathways.
Related article: Getting started with PAT Reading Adaptive
The PAT Reading construct is the organising principle of the assessments; it is used to guide test development and structure the PAT reports. This structure is also part of the Progressive Achievement approach because the knowledge, skills and understanding represented in the assessments is designed to support educators in identifying student needs.
Four overarching elements guide PAT Reading assessment development:
- Strands
- Strand processes
- Text types
- Text formats
The PAT Reading Assessment Framework document linked at the bottom of this page provides further detail about these components.
Strands
Strands are the core competencies that form the foundation of textual understanding. There are four strands used in PAT Reading:
- Retrieve
- Interpret explicit
- Interpret implied
- Reflect
Strand processes
Strand processes offer a way of further focusing learning intentions. By being able to identify the processes by which students retrieve, interpret, or reflect on texts, you can achieve a finer grained understanding of students’ gaps and strengths within each of the core skill areas, and are therefore better able to target students’ learning needs.
Text types
A range of text types must be used when assessing students' reading comprehension abilities. PAT Reading assesses five text types:
- Narrative
- Information
- Persuasive
- Procedural
- Word or sentence
Text formats
Different text formats are used to reflect and assess different Reading processes. There are three text formats used in PAT Reading:
- Continuous (e.g. prose texts, made up of sentences and commonly organised into paragraphs)
- Non-continuous (e.g. lists, diagrams, graphs, advertisements and schedules)
- Mixed