proofreading exercises uk

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Top-Tier Proofreading Tests and Quizzes (over 450!)

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I’ve scoured the internet to bring you some of the best online proofreading tests and quizzes!

I recommend using a dictionary and other resources while taking these tests since professional proofreaders use resources while working. In fact, we couldn’t do our job without them!

Below, you’ll find helpful information about the assessments. I’ve tried to order them from easiest to hardest.

At the beginning, I’ve included a test I made to get the ball rolling!

Two tests are in UK English, and the rest are in US English.

Please keep in mind that there are spelling, punctuation, grammar, and vocabulary differences between British and American English. 

The duration of the test is listed as short or long.

Short means it will probably take you a few minutes to complete. Long just means it will probably take you more than a few minutes to finish; “long” really isn’t very long. Is that vague enough for you, lol?

I’ve included the number of quizzes on each website whenever more than one quiz is available. Some of these websites will probably add more tests over time.

I hope you have fun testing your skills and boosting your proofreading power!  😊

Om Proofreading

Test Format:  Multiple choice

Type of English:  US

Duration:  Long

Test-Taking Note:  This test focuses on mistakes that spellcheckers miss. Most sentences deal with homophones: words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings (and often different spellings). I hope you enjoy it!

Note: If you need to rid your writing (or someone else’s) of mistakes with homophones, the free version of Grammarly can catch a lot of homophonic errors! 

And if you aced the test above, you may want to check out my article about confusing homophones . It contains a fun quiz at the end to check your understanding!

Edit Republic

Quiz Format: Multiple choice

Type of English: US

Duration: Short

What the Company Offers: Site owner Phon Baillie has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She offers several courses for those interested in working as proofreaders or editors.

Portland Proof

Quiz Format: Find the error in each sentence and write the correct word or punctuation mark in the text box

Duration: Short; I’m not sure how many quizzes are on this site, but it seems to have quite a few. I think they’re a ton of fun!

Quiz-Taking Tip:  Click the “Begin Game!” button to start the quiz. Your score is based on how many mistakes you make and how long it takes you to correct each sentence. You can compete with other quiz takers for the highest score.

What the Company Offers: This company provides proofreading services.

GrammarBook.com

Test/Quiz Format: Multiple choice; 4 tests and 52 quizzes are available

Duration: Long (the 2 pretests and 2 mastery tests); Short (the other 52 quizzes)

What the Company Offers: This website is based on Jane Straus’s The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation . I own and love this book!

The site is a fantastic resource for proofreaders and copy editors as it teaches the rules for English grammar, punctuation, and usage. It includes 4 free tests and 52 free quizzes. Hundreds of additional quizzes are available with a paid subscription.

Grammar Monster

Test Format: Varies

Duration: Short (334 total tests!!!)

What the Company Offers: This site provides a wealth of knowledge about grammar, punctuation, and commonly misused words. And, of course, truckloads of tests are available. You can hone your English language skills to your heart’s content!

Quiz Format: Find the error in each sentence

Type of English: Not a relevant factor in this case (but UK punctuation is used)

Duration: Long

Quiz-Taking Tip: You have to click on the correct answer (located in the word bank below each sentence).

What the Company Offers: Sporcle provides trivia entertainment online and at live shows. If you’re into trivia, you’ll love this site!

BusinessWritingBlog

Test Format: Find the punctuation error in each sentence

What the Company Offers: This company is dedicated to helping people become experts in business writing.

Proofread NOW .com

Quiz-Taking Tip: As soon as you click inside the bubble to mark your answer, the quiz moves on, and you can’t go back.

What the Company Offers: Proofreading and copyediting for documents written in English and Spanish; English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English translation services

Employment for Proofreaders: Yes. However, they weren’t hiring the last time I checked. They require a minimum of five years of experience as a professional proofreader. You must also perform exceptionally well on several complicated editing tests.

You can go here to see if they’re currently hiring.

Grammar Lion

Test Format: Multiple choice

Duration: Short 

Test-Taking Note: You need to create an account to access this free test. I took it and enjoyed it! You can take the test now and then retake it after finishing the Grammar Lion Refresher class to see how much you’ve learned.

Test-Taking Tip: You can’t go back on any questions, so make sure you’re happy with your answer before moving on. After finishing the test, choose “Next Lesson” to see your score. 

What the Company Offers: Site owner Ellen Feld has a master’s degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University. She offers a grammar course and a writing course, both suitable for beginners. Ellen also provides coaching services for writers.

The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP)

Test Format: Finding errors in a passage of text

Type of English: UK

Test-Taking Note: One question requires a bit of copyediting

What the Company Offers: The CIEP is a nonprofit organization that puts forth editorial standards. They serve as a community that provides support and training to people working in the editorial profession. They have useful resources and offer unique benefits to paying members.

CMOS Shop Talk (from The Chicago Manual of Style )

Workout Format: Multiple choice; 47 workouts are available

Workout Tip: Remember to breathe deeply and engage your core. Oops! I mean, enjoy this fabulous resource! These workouts mainly contain questions related to proofreading; however, they also include questions about editing and knowledge of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS).

I own a hard copy of CMOS and have an online subscription. CMOS is my go-to guide for proofreading and copyediting.

CMOS Shop Talk is an incredibly valuable resource for general proofreaders!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i prepare for a proofreading test.

To get ready for a proofreading test , you need to know the details of the exam (e.g., if it has a particular focus, any style guide requirements, or a time limit).

You can take practice proofreading tests to boost your confidence and uncover areas that need improvement, such as specific aspects of grammar and punctuation. Then, you can use online resources and reference books to improve your skills.

What is a proofreading test?

A proofreading test evaluates an individual’s proofreading proficiency. These tests are administered for various purposes: to assess job candidates, verify progress made in a proofreading class, or determine if someone should earn a particular credential.

What are five items to check when proofreading?

Five items to check while proofreading are grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and formatting. Proofreaders fix errors and inconsistencies in these areas. They also look for proper usage and repeated or omitted words. Verifying that writing adheres to a style guide may be needed too.

Is there a website that can proofread my paper?

The best website I’ve found that can proofread a paper is Grammarly’s free grammar checker . However, please know it’s unlikely that this checker will catch all the mistakes in your writing. If you have an important, complex, or long text, I’d recommend hiring a proofreader.

I hope you’ve enjoyed putting your proofreading skills to the test!

Please see my post about the skills proofreaders possess if you’d like more information about this topic. 

Om Proofreading also has an article about the signs you would make a good proofreader !

Best wishes to you! 

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou

Lindsay Babcock

Lindsay is the creator of Om Proofreading. She has a BA in psychology and earned a certificate in proofreading by passing the final exam in Proofread Anywhere’s general proofreading course. She shares what she’s learning in the field and through research to inform and inspire her readers.

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Proofreading Exercises

Learn how to proofread by working through our library of proofreading exercises.

• Post author By Duncan Croker
• Post date August 24, 2020
• 4 Comments on Proofreading Exercises

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Bookmark this page – we upload new proofreading exercises regularly.

• Easy Exercises
• Medium Exercises
• Hard Exercises

In a digital world, it’s more important than ever to make sure your communications are error-free – you don’t want to be responsible for a press release that goes viral because of an awkward misspelling.

That’s why we’ve put together this collection of proofreading exercises to test your skills. Work your way up through the difficulty levels until you feel confident that you’ve mastered the required proofreading skills.

Download each exercise PDF to get started, then print it out or copy-paste it into Microsoft Word; once you’ve finished editing, cross-check the mistakes you found with the relevant answer sheet.

Answer sheets follow AP Stylebook conventions (where appropriate) and use British spelling. New proofreading exercises will be regularly added to this page. Note that the original sources contain the correct text – all mistakes have been added in for the purposes of the exercises.

Easy Proofreading Exercise 1

Exercise details.

Format: News Article

Source: ‘NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance hits back after claims Sydney ferries won’t fit under bridges.’

Easy Proofreading Exercise 2

Source:  ‘Now is the time to buy in the Melbourne property market.’

Easy Proofreading Exercise 3

Format: Blog Post

Source: How to Find the Noosa Fairy Pools

Easy Proofreading Exercise 4

Source: Marketing for Small Businesses

Medium Proofreading Exercise 1

Format: Annual Report

Source: Rio Tinto Annual Report 2019 – Strategic Report

Medium Proofreading Exercise 2

Source: The 11 Best Foods to Support Your Immune System

Medium Proofreading Exercise 3

Format: Online Article

Source: A Better Way to Map Brand Strategy

Medium Proofreading Exercise 4

Format: Online Publication

Source: Telstra s 87B Undertaking

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Hard Proofreading Exercise 1

Format: Academic Journal

Source: Passafaro, P. (2020). Attitudes and Tourists’ Sustainable Behavior: An Overview of the Literature and Discussion of Some Theoretical and Methodological Issues.  Journal of Travel Research, 59 (4), 579–601.  DOI: 10.1177/0047287519851171

Hard Proofreading Exercise 2

Source: Demirkol, S., & Cifci, I. (2020). Delving into the Role of Celebrity Chefs and Gourmets in Culinary Destination Marketing.  European Journal of Tourism Research, 26 , 2603. https://ejtr.vumk.eu/index.php/about/article/view/1934

Other Resources for Improving Your Proofreading

• Tags Proofreading

By Duncan Croker

Duncan is a copywriter with a background in editing and storytelling. He loves collaborating with brands big and small, and thrives on the challenges of hard marketing.

4 comments on “Proofreading Exercises”

This is great. It’s really helpful to see practical exercises. Thanks for putting this together!

Fantastic exercises, thank you for providing these!

These exercises have been really great. Thank you. I’m using them with my A level student in preparation for University where proofreading will be essential! The content is just right for his interest level too and short enough to keep his interest.

Hi Geraldine, it’s great to hear you and your student are finding the exercises helpful. We’ll hopefully add some more in the near future.

Comments are closed.

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• Knowledge Base

Quick Guide to Proofreading | What, Why and How to Proofread

Published on 19 September 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 15 May 2023.

Proofreading means carefully checking for errors in a text before it is published or shared. It is the very last stage of the writing process , when you fix minor spelling and punctuation mistakes, typos, formatting issues and inconsistencies.

Proofreading is essential for any text that will be shared with an audience, whether it’s an academic paper, a job application, an online article, or a print flyer. Depending on your skills and budget, you can choose to proofread the text yourself or to hire a professional.

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Table of contents

Proofreading example, proofreading vs editing, proofreading tips and tricks, choosing a proofreading service, recommended proofreading service, frequently asked questions about proofreading.

The only proofreading tool specialized in correcting academic writing

The academic proofreading tool has been trained on 1000s of academic texts and by native English editors. Making it the most accurate and reliable proofreading tool for students.

Correct my document today

Editing and proofreading are different steps in the process of revising a text. Editing can involve major changes to content, structure and language, but proofreading focuses only on minor errors and inconsistencies.

Often a text will go through several stages of editing before it is proofread. The table below shows some common steps in the editing process.

The four stages of editing and proofreading

Do i need to go through every stage.

It depends on the type and length of text. You don’t need to strictly follow the division of tasks shown above, but a good piece of writing will nearly always go through a similar process of revising, editing and proofreading.

In the traditional publishing process, the stages are clearly divided, with different professionals responsible for each revision. A separate proofread of the final print version is necessary, especially because new typographical errors can be introduced during production.

However, in texts that don’t need to be formatted for mass printing, there is often more overlap between the steps. Some editorial services combine copy editing and proofreading into a single stage (sometimes called proof-editing), where grammar, syntax and style are addressed at the same time as minor spelling and punctuation errors.

Basic proofreading skills are important for anyone who writes. For everyday texts, such as business reports, blogs, or college papers, there are some techniques you can use to proofread efficiently and effectively before sharing your work.

Edit your writing first

Before you get to the final stage of proofreading, make sure you’ve thoroughly revised and edited your work. There’s no point spending time fixing minor errors if you might later remove whole sections or rewrite paragraphs. Only proofread once you’ve got a completed final draft that you’re happy with.

Take a break from the text

When you’ve been reading and rereading the same words for hours or days, it becomes much harder to notice mistakes. Before proofreading, set your work aside for a while so that you can look at it with fresh eyes.

Ideally you should wait at least a day or two before final proofreading, but if you’re on a tight deadline, even a half hour break can help.

Proofread a printout

Seeing your words on a printed page is another useful strategy for noticing things that might have escaped your attention on the screen. If the final version will be printed, this is also a good chance to check your formatting is correct and consistent on the page.

Use digital shortcuts

While reading from print can help you spot errors, word processing software can help you fix them efficiently. Most obviously, run a spell check – but don’t rely on the computer to catch every mistake.

If you notice that you’ve repeatedly misspelled a particular word, inconsistently capitalised a term, or switched between UK and US English , you can use the Find and Replace function to fix the same mistake throughout the document.

Be careful, though, and don’t use ‘replace all’. Click through and check every replacement to avoid accidentally adding more errors!

Learn from your mistakes

Pay attention to the errors that keep recurring in the text. This can help you avoid them in future.

Knowing what to look out for is the most challenging part of proofreading. You’ll probably notice obvious typos, but subtle mistakes in grammar and punctuation can be harder to recognise. The table below shows some of the most common errors to look out for.

What to watch out for when proofreading

If you lack confidence in your written English, or if you just want to ensure you haven’t missed anything in an important document, you might want to consider using a professional proofreading service.

There are two main options: you can hire a freelance proofreader, or you can send your document to a proofreading and editing company. There are various things to consider when choosing a service.

Do you only need proofreading or also editing?

It’s important to have a clear idea of how much work your text requires. People often think they only need proofreading when, in reality, the text would benefit from some level of editing as well.

If you send a proofreader a document full of grammar mistakes, confusing sentences, and difficult-to-follow paragraphs, they might decline the job or recommend a different service.

Many freelancers and companies offer both editing and proofreading, either separately (with separate pricing) or combined into one service. Make sure you understand exactly what kind of changes are included. Will the editor only correct minor errors, or will they also comment on awkward phrasings and structural issues?

Should the proofreader be specialised in your type of document?

Many different types of documents require proofreading: from literary novels to technical reports, from PhD dissertations to promotional flyers. The best choice of service is usually one that’s specialised in your type of document.

While proofreaders and copy editors generally don’t need expert knowledge of the text’s content, the process will be smoother if your proofreader is familiar with the rules and conventions of the genre you’re working in.

How much does proofreading cost?

The cost of proofreading varies widely. The price depends partly on the proofreader’s location and level of experience, the type and length of text, and the turnaround time. Rates are usually calculated per word or per hour. If the service also focuses on formatting, it may be priced per page.

How long does proofreading take?

You should try to leave plenty of time for editing and proofreading, but if you have a hard deadline, it’s important to find a service that can deliver on time.

Most companies offer various choices of deadline, but it’s best to plan a minimum of 24 hours for proofreading. The price will generally be lower if you can wait longer to have your document returned.

For very long documents, it might not be possible to complete the job in 24 hours, especially if you also need editing services. For combined proofreading and copy editing, you can expect an experienced editor to complete around 10,000–15,000 words in a single day.

How can you check the quality and reliability of the service?

Like everything on the internet, the quality of proofreading services varies widely. Do your research before you choose one. There are a few things you can check:

• Online reviews : are they rated on independent review sites (e.g. Trustpilot ) or freelancer platforms (e.g. Upwork )?
• Qualifications : do they have professional training and experience? If you’re using a company, how do they select and train proofreaders?
• Customer service : are they easily contactable and responsive to inquiries?
• Complaints policy : what happens if you’re not happy with the job? Can you get a refund or a second edit?

Scribbr offers proofreading services for students and academic editing services for all sorts of study-related documents, including essays, papers, theses, dissertations, reports, and proposals.

The basic service combines proofreading and copy editing at a rate of  £0.013 per word. You can choose between a 24-hour, 3-day, or 7-day turnaround time.

Scribbr is rated  4.6   on Trustpilot, with 3,553  reviews so far.

Editing and proofreading are different steps in the process of revising a text.

Editing comes first, and can involve major changes to content, structure and language. The first stages of editing are often done by authors themselves, while a professional editor makes the final improvements to grammar and style (for example, by improving sentence structure and word choice ).

Proofreading is the final stage of checking a text before it is published or shared. It focuses on correcting minor errors and inconsistencies (for example, in punctuation and capitalization ). Proofreaders often also check for formatting issues, especially in print publishing.

Whether you’re publishing a blog, submitting a research paper , or even just writing an important email, there are a few techniques you can use to make sure it’s error-free:

• Take a break : Set your work aside for at least a few hours so that you can look at it with fresh eyes.
• Proofread a printout : Staring at a screen for too long can cause fatigue – sit down with a pen and paper to check the final version.
• Use digital shortcuts : Take note of any recurring mistakes (for example, misspelling a particular word, switching between US and UK English , or inconsistently capitalizing a term), and use Find and Replace to fix it throughout the document.

If you want to be confident that an important text is error-free, it might be worth choosing a professional proofreading service instead.

The cost of proofreading depends on the type and length of text, the turnaround time, and the level of services required. Most proofreading companies charge per word or page, while freelancers sometimes charge an hourly rate.

For proofreading alone, which involves only basic corrections of typos and formatting mistakes, you might pay as little as £0.01 per word, but in many cases, your text will also require some level of editing , which costs slightly more.

It’s often possible to purchase combined proofreading and editing services and calculate the price in advance based on your requirements.

There are many different routes to becoming a professional proofreader or editor. The necessary qualifications depend on the field – to be an academic or scientific proofreader, for example, you will need at least a university degree in a relevant subject.

For most proofreading jobs, experience and demonstrated skills are more important than specific qualifications. Often your skills will be tested as part of the application process.

To learn practical proofreading skills, you can choose to take a course with a professional organisation such as the Society for Editors and Proofreaders . Alternatively, you can apply to companies that offer specialised on-the-job training programmes, such as the Scribbr Academy .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

McCombes, S. (2023, May 15). Quick Guide to Proofreading | What, Why and How to Proofread. Scribbr. Retrieved 1 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/english-language/proofreading-guide/

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Proofreading

Read about what proofreading is, why it's important and best practices to follow.

Proofreading is a vital and often overlooked academic skill that can improve the quality of your written work at university and beyond. But there is more to proofreading than just checking your work.

These videos and suggestions will introduce you to some of the main things to watch out for when you are proofreading and some useful strategies to make sure that you are getting the most out of your proofreading and producing polished written work free from avoidable errors.

301 Recommends:

Our Editing and Proofreading workshop will share a number of key editing and proofreading techniques and give you the skills you need to improve the quality of your own written work.

Proofreading is the process of checking text for errors and mistakes. It commonly concentrates on aspects of writing such as  grammar ,  spelling  and  punctuation,  but more in-depth proofreading might also pick out questions of  style ,  clarity  and  structure .

In much academic work, you will also need to check the presentation of  numbers ,  referencing  and the overall  formatting  of the work. Download our  handy checklist (PDF, 570KB)  for your assessed work. 

Importance of proofreading

For something that’s apparently straightforward, proofreading can be deceptively tricky.

It's a real challenge to find grammatical or spelling errors in text, especially in writing with which you’re very familiar – your eye and your brain know what they expect to find, so they don't pay close attention to what is actually there.

This is why it can help to leave written work for a day or two before proofreading it; reading your work aloud or even reading pages from the bottom up to keep your concentration sharp.

Proofreading is important in all writing because it's frequently the small details that matter. You don't want your reader – whether that's a lecturer, a potential employer or anyone else – to be distracted by errors on the surface of your text.

You want them to engage with all the good things you have to say.

Getting to grips with grammar

If grammar is an issue and you would like some further training and guidance, check out the English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC) online grammar bank.

It provides interactive online training in the use of academic grammar with a series of short activities that you can apply to your academic writing.

Access the ELTC grammar bank

Using paid proofreading services

There are a large number of companies offering paid proofreading services to students.

Be aware that the University of Sheffield does not endorse any of these services. If you use them, you do so at your own risk.

All writing submitted for assessment  must be your own work , so any external input into your writing carries with it a risk of plagiarism.

Proofreading your own work is free, carries no risk of plagiarism and will teach you a new transferrable skill.

For more information on plagiarism, collusion and unfair means, see our  guidance for students on unfair means .

Don’t proofread until you're completely finished with the actual writing and editing.

Make sure you have no distractions or potential interruptions.

Forget the content or story.

Make several passes for different types of errors.

Take notes.

If you do make a last-minute change to a few words, make sure you check the entire sentence, or even paragraph, over again.

Check facts, dates, quotes, tables, references, text boxes, and anything repetitive or outside of the main text separately.

Monitor yourself.

Get familiar with your frequent mistakes.

Check format last.

University of Sheffield Library –  Research skills and critical thinking resources

School of Health and Related Research –  Unfair means

English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC) - Language Resources 

Open University –  Editing and checking

University of North Carolina (UNC) Writing Center –  Proofreading

BBC –  Editing and proofreading

Daily Writing Tips –  Eight proofreading tips and techniques

Related information

Dissertation planning

The conventions of academic writing

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Proofreading Practice: Exercises with model answers and commentary

By margaret aherne (improving books, 2011): 226pp, £25, isbn 978 0 9570890 0 6., reviewed by ruth ekblom.

Note: the second edition (January 2017) is now available and the author is giving CIEP members a special discount .

I have appreciated the thought and expertise that has gone into this excellent resource as I have worked my way through it. While Margaret compiled the exercises with the novice proofreader in mind, it is as useful to the returning or rusty proofreader as it is to the new.

Opportunities

The book comes in loose-leaf format in an A4 ring binder to make it is easy to remove exercise sheets for copying.* Margaret suggests doing this, keeping the original sheets clean for reference, and working on the copies. The user therefore gets as many opportunities as they need to brush up their skills.

Having completed an exercise, the user is able to turn to the model answer pages at the back of the book, and find out just how well they have done – or not done. Margaret's encouraging commentary after the answer sheet helps to clarify issues, highlights common mistakes people make and provides useful suggestions for avoiding these errors in actual work. It is clear that Margaret wants the user to improve their skill.

* For the second edition (published in 2017), the format was changed to downloadable PDFs.

Different focus

The exercises are taken from a variety of sources. Apart from giving the student no room for getting bored with the subject, the range illustrates the possibilities for future work for a proofreader. While traditional books feature, there is also an excerpt from a motorcycle maintenance manual as well as drug information sheets and knitting patterns, just for starters.

The focus for each unit is different. The five exercises in a unit get progressively more complex and detailed. The final part in each unit is a zero tolerance exercise, giving the student the challenge of finding every error. Unit A covers narrative, Unit B deals with layout and formatting, Unit C with complexity and Unit D addresses the later stages a proofreader might encounter. A coffee break section after Unit D has a series of short but challenging exercises. I found proofreading gibberish certainly got me checking the text letter by letter.

Good value for money

Was this book useful? Yes, without a doubt. I believe it would be good addition to the recommended resources of any proofreading course, for both beginners and improvers. It is good value for money, and has the benefit of being ultimately reusable, if you scan or photocopy the exercises first. I am sure it would help others as much as it has helped and challenged me.

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