A laptop, an open notebook and a pen on a wooden desk

Scoring Tests and Essays From Home: Seasonal Work for Good Readers

ByWalter Briggs

If you spent years reading student essays, or you simply have a sharp eye for clear writing, there is a quiet kind of work-from-home job you may not have heard of: scoring tests. Testing companies hire people to read and grade written answers, essays and spoken responses from standardized tests. The work comes in seasons.

For some people, the pay from a few weeks could help cover a smaller bill, such as a $15 to $25 streaming plan, for a good part of the year. That is an estimate, not a promise; hours and pay vary by company and project.

What the work looks like

You log in to the company’s scoring system on your own computer, read a student’s answer and give it a score using a guide called a rubric.

At ETS, which scores tests such as the GRE, TOEFL and Praxis, raters are hired as part-time “variable employees.” Its FAQ says scoring sessions run seven days a week between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. Eastern, and many programs use eight-hour shifts during busy periods. Most programs also ask raters to pass a short check, called calibration, before each scoring day. You must live and work in the U.S.

Measurement Incorporated, another scoring company, says its reader jobs are remote, temporary and project-based, with most work from March to June. It asks for a bachelor’s degree in any field and takes applications from December through April.

What it pays

Most scoring companies do not post a single pay rate, so check the offer letter before you agree to anything. One published example: the ETS FAQ for AP scoring says AP Readers earn $30 an hour for training and scoring, whether at home or on site (as of October 2026). AP scoring, however, is open to teachers who are currently teaching the AP subject, or active college faculty and graduate students who taught a similar course in the past three years, so many retirees will look at the other programs instead.

How to apply, step by step

  1. Go to the company’s own careers page, not a link from a text or social media post.
  2. Fill in the online application and upload a short résumé. Mention any teaching, tutoring, editing or writing experience.
  3. Wait for a reply. ETS says reviews can take up to four weeks.
  4. If you are offered a role, sign the offer letter, finish the hiring paperwork and complete the training and qualifying test when the company schedules it.

Red flags

Real scoring companies hire you as an employee and pay you. Walk away from any “test grading” offer that asks you to pay for training or a starter kit, to buy gift cards, or to deposit a check and send money back.

Before you start: taxes and benefits

Scoring pay is wages, so it is taxable and shows up on a W-2. If you are collecting Social Security and are younger than full retirement age, earnings above a yearly limit can reduce your benefits for a while (in 2026, $1 is held back for every $2 earned over $24,480). See the Social Security page on working while receiving benefits. Earnings can also matter for SSI, Medicaid or housing help, so check your own situation first.

More on Replace a Bill

Sources

Similar Posts