Researchers can evaluate the difficulty of standardized test passages with grade-level readability measures such as Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level and SMOG Grade. Applying these measures helps identify passages with difficulty appropriate for the intended participant population.

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ACT reading passages can serve as consistent experimental materials because they have calibrated difficulty and generally use neutral academic topics. Researchers can evaluate whether a passage is appropriate for intended participants with readability measures such as Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level and SMOG Grade. Their use in studies of comprehension, attention, mental fatigue, and reading speed further supports comparisons across reading experiments.

Basis for the Experimental Suitability of ACT Reading Passages

- As a measure of comprehension
- Memory span test and Attention
- Mental fatigue study
- Quantifying reading speed

Use cases of standardized college level tests

- Having constant difficulty level during the experiment time
- Assuring that the difficulty level do not exceed the capabilities of the experimenters 
- Ensuring that the tasks would be completed by over 95% of the subject population 
- Problems should be challenging to need some thought
- Chosen topics are neutral academic subjects 

Distinctive features of standardized college level tests

These readability tests are used extensively in the field of education. The "Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level Formula" instead presents a score as a U.S. grade level, making it easier for teachers, parents, librarians, and others to judge the readability level of various books and texts.

Flesch Kincaid index for difficulty

The SMOG grade is a measure of readability that estimates the years of education needed to understand a piece of writing. SMOG is an acronym for "Simple Measure of Gobbledygook". 

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