State of Editorial Hiring 2026
Industry Benchmarks
Pass rates, average scores, and timing data drawn from representative industry data completed EditingTests.com assessments. Updated quarterly.
Total assessments
21,000+
industry estimate
Overall pass rate
54%
across pillar tests
Median score
72%
unweighted across tests
Pass rates by test
| Test | Pass rate | Median score | Median time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammar Test (GT) | 61% | 73% | 22 min |
| Editing Test (ET) | 52% | 70% | 48 min |
| Proofreading Test (PT) | 55% | 71% | 35 min |
| Writing Test (WT) | 47% | 68% | 58 min |
| Industry Vocabulary (IVT) | 56% | 72% | 28 min |
| MS Word Test (MWT) | 63% | 76% | 33 min |
By industry vertical
| Vertical | Avg score | Pass rate | Most-used test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publishing | 74% | 58% | Editing Test |
| Legal | 71% | 53% | Proofreading Test |
| Media | 73% | 55% | Grammar Test |
| Corporate | 70% | 49% | Writing Test |
| Academic | 76% | 62% | Industry Vocabulary |
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All benchmarks plus narrative analysis, year-over-year change, and methodology notes.
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