How can you ace a proofreading test and land your dream job?

It is doubtful that success in a proofreading test could help anyone land a "dream" job, but it is possible to complete such a test at a level others might fail to attain. First, it's essential to know which national standard–American, British, Canadian, Australian–will be used to assess your performance. Conduct your work in British, for example, and it will lack the streamlined flow expected of American English. Second is the need to be as consistent as possible with respect to punctuation and structure. If your solution for one sentence can't be applied in another, choose a different but equally acceptable option. Third, check your work for errors and any conflict with the instructions. Fourth, pray for that dream job.

Preparing is as essential as executing. Preparing is as essential as executing. Read EVERYTHING slowly before the test starts: instructions, guides, and any and all resources available to you. I read first, then reread much more slowly, looking for what I have missed or misread/misinterpreted. I prepare others for tests in a similar way and always encourage them to seek clarification rather than guessing. It might mean taking longer or working more slowly on the test, but DO IT SLOWLY, don't overthink it and your brain will support you.

When it comes to editorial work ,in this case proofreading,it is important to ensure that you're alert in order to give the work your full attention. It's also important to know how long you can work on the computer screen without straining or losing focus. Some people prefer working on a printed hard copy first and then effecting the changes on the soft copy. Watch out for any trace of ambiguity that may have escaped editorial correction. In order to do this good punctuation is key. Use all the tools at your disposal, i.e dictionaries,software, thesaurus.

Definitely don't fall into the interview from a night shift. Or after an all night party. Or from an international flight. Just saying!

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the specific style the test expects you to apply. AP style is very different from academic style (MLA, Chicago Manual, etc.), for example.

Another important aspect of preparing for your proofreading test is to know the audience the document is targeting. This will help when making word choice and internal verbiage decisions.

Make sure you use the house style guide and, if it isn't provided, ask if there is one. Have a look at examples of published work from the company before the test for insight into their tone, perspective and vocabulary choices. A proofreading test may be looking at your raw skills, but house style matters. Also find out about the hierarchy of reference material, which will help you make choices with things that conflict. For instance, series style trumps house style, which trumps an overarching external style manual, which trumps their preferred dictionary.

A few things that might help you a lot to ace this test: either ask if there is any glossary available to you or research the company's website to better understand how they communicate. If these tips do not apply or are unavailable, you can consult similar brands' websites and see how the communication happens.

I would also add that as well as knowing who the audience is, it helps to know the platform or channel the writing will be delivered in. Do you have the length of an email, a web page, a chapter in a book or 2 mobile app screens to deliver your message? Different channels have different strengths and opportunities. Bear that in mind while you’re editing.

Style and reference is important, but don't become so paralyzed by the need to show the client you can adapt to their style that you completely kneecap your own creativity. Where appropiate, flex your muscles and don't be afraid to be transformative. It's not just about fixing mistakes, it's about showing what new value and perspectives you can add to the team.

Start from the top and work down might sound simple but it is more than just words. I use certain tools to check for consistency that a tired eye might overlook, especially in long documents. If you get a brainwave of something to check, either start and finish it in one sitting, or note it down and come back when you have finished whatever it is you are already doing. I also like to run a parallel Notepad doc to make any notes on to come back to, just in case ;)

It is important to be as relaxed as possible when performing focus-intensive work. A relaxed brain not only enhances focus for efficient proofreading, it also supports confidence which is essential in allowing us to put our best foot forward without overanalyzing. Here are some helpful tips: - start the task when your ability to focus is optimal - ensure that your environment is distraction-free - set a reasonable time limit for the task - this prevents you from the drain of overthinking which negatively impacts focus

For maximum accuracy and consistency, a methodical approach is key. To minimize error, don't toggle between the assessment and other tasks. Complete as much of it as possible in one sitting (focus permitting). Have the style guide and client specifications at the ready for referencing, read the text aloud and make time to check your own work.

Checklists help. If you are proofreading a proof rather than a manuscript, checklists really help you to remember folios, running heads and feet, the heading hierarchy and so on.

Reading the text aloud will definitely enable you to catch inconsistencies that may have been missed while reading. Having made sure everything 'sounds right' (sentence construction, flow, rhythm) narrow down the next layer - spelling. Having finished that, go even narrower - can the grammar be corrected or improved. And when all that is done, read aloud again. Trust your gut and ears as much as you do your knowledge.

In my experience, if there are no specialists or colleagues that can jump to aid, the good old taking a break and returning to the text does the trick. Spell checkers and grammar checkers can be useful, but don't be overly reliant on them since they can often interfere with the meaning of the text. Grammarly, for instance, is great as an advisory tool, but it still happens to introduce changes that make no sense. Consistency, attention to details and several (types of) checks are crucial. Software checkers are tools, and you should always take an extra look to check if the tool accomplished its mission.

Something that I find really helpful, is to move away from the end product, if time allows, do something else and then return to it for a final look. It always amazes me how many little errors I have missed and what new perspectives and insights my brain seems to have gained in the interim. When I am able to do this, the quality of the final result is so much better.

Over the years, I have prepared kind of a ‘cheat sheet’ where the usual errors can be checked and ruled out or double-checked to ensure error-free copy. Personally, I work best in the morning and encourage you to listen to your body and take cues from it. So, hard to proof content should be tackled head-on when you know you are in full focus mode.

If at first you don't succeed, stet, and stet again. Take a break from the work and return to it – fresh eyes are essential. Look carefully at all your corrections that involve spacing or punctuation, because it's very easy to make changes to those in a way that inserts errors simply because the markup is unclear, messy or inserted incorrectly.

While you check, you will realise that you notice patterns in your mistakes (if any). Ensure to make a note, even a mental note will do, and once your done with all other checks, go through the whole document for just this one mistake pattern, and over again for the second one, and so on. This way your looking just for one thing and most likely you’ll be able to pull out all the weeds in the end of this process.

I once made the mistake of saving a file in my "Downloads" and then not uploading it right away after editing. I then downloaded another file from a client and proofread that. I then mixed up the files and sent the wrong one to the client. ONLY HAPPENED ONCE though :) Now I always download files to a special client folder, categorised by month so that I keep things clean and organised.

If the client sent a Word document, unless they request otherwise, the delivery is a Word document. Delivering the same format is as important as delivering on time, because the final document, if deliver in the wrong format, may be of no use to the client.

Make sure to pay attention as some clients may ask you to name or format the test file you need to return to them in a certain way. Mess this up and it's a great way to show them that you're not paying attention — not a good first impression!

Keeping an efficient file-name and sorting system is crucial - so you know which is the correct file to work on, which to submit and to track your changes over time. I find it handy to create a separate file for each task/document and include in this file a note with the specific instructions (deadline, process etc) for the particular task.

Taking a break before doing a final read through can help keep you fresh so you can spot those final tweaks. If there was no time limit or restrictions on which other programs you can access, think about 'flushing your memory' using a quick game like tetris before completing the task.

I was once tasked with proofreading a 750 word highly technical industry specific document down to 500 for a general audience. The test was timed and when finished was expected to be ready to publish. In those days we were not given any grammar tools or rewriting supports. It was MS Word and “go!” By not overthinking the task, and instead applying grammar rules and general writing principles consistently throughout the document, I finished in record time, and ultimately got the job.

If time allows it, you can proofread a text, re-reading it a few times on a given day, then let it rest for a night and read it again a few times the following day. Re-reading it with fresh eyes can help you spot things you might have previously missed.

Reading well-written articles, books, and texts is always helpful. Expand your vocabulary in different subjects, get inspired by more experienced editors and proofreaders, and do not forget to consult trustworthy sources (fact-checking could be an asset in your portfolio). We have an abundance of information, but not always the best is at hand. Keep that in mind! Part of our job is to ensure communication is clear and pleasant. Good luck!

A good instructor of mine back in the day stressed the importance of orthotypography. It really does make a difference. Plus, we mustn't assume that typographical syntax is the same for every language. Sometimes rules differ, so having a style guide/manual that we can trust in the language that we are writing in becomes crucial.