By 5th grade, the Florida FAST Reading test expects real stamina. Passages run close to 900 words, a story can sit next to a poem, and an article can be paired with a firsthand account. Students summarize, track an author’s purpose and claims, and pick the exact evidence that proves an answer. If you’re looking for FAST 5th grade reading test prep that covers all of it, this workbook was made for you.
The Florida FAST 5th Grade Reading Practice Test Workbook is aligned to Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards for English Language Arts and built from the FAST test design and blueprint published by the Florida Department of Education. Every passage and question is original, and a certified teacher reviewed the book.
It’s a Printable PDF, so you can print the pages you need for whole-group lessons, small groups, centers or homework. Below you’ll find what’s on the test, what’s inside the book, a look-inside video and a simple plan for the months before spring testing.
- An 18-question pretest, a Learn It lesson + test-style practice for all 13 assessed B.E.S.T. reading benchmarks, mixed review, test-taking strategies, 2 full-length practice tests and a 219-answer key.
- Stories, poems, informational articles and paired texts written for 5th grade readers.
- Printable PDF, 238 full-color pages, $9.99.
- Bubble answer sheets, progress trackers, class data sheets and a certificate make scoring and celebrating easy.
- Free with a Have Fun Teaching membership.
What’s on the FAST 5th grade reading test?
FAST stands for the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking. The ELA Reading test is taken on the computer, and it’s given three times a year so you can watch growth from fall to spring. Paper is used only as an accommodation.
One reading session
36 to 40 questions in one session: up to 90 minutes in fall and winter, up to 120 minutes in the spring.
It adapts
The test is computer-adaptive, so the questions get easier or harder as students answer.
Prose and poetry
Plot, theme, a character’s or narrator’s perspective and how poems are built: 25 to 35% of the test.
Informational text
Text structure, central idea, author’s purpose and perspective, and an author’s claims: 25 to 35%.
Across genres + vocabulary
Figurative language, summaries, primary and secondary sources, roots and context clues: 35 to 50%.
Spring counts most
The spring test (PM3) is the one used for accountability. For 2026–27 it runs May 3–28, 2027.
The questions come in several shapes: multiple choice, “select two” questions, table matches, two-part questions where Part B asks for the evidence behind Part A, and hot text, where students pick the sentence that proves an answer. When kids have already met those formats, test day is about the reading, not the buttons.
What’s inside the FAST 5th grade reading test prep workbook
The workbook follows the order you’d teach it. Find out what students already know, teach the gaps one benchmark at a time, mix everything together, then rehearse the real thing twice.
Inside · PretestPretest18 questions and a scoring guide that shows which benchmarks to teach first.
Inside · Learn ItLearn It pagesA short passage, a worked example and a tip for every benchmark.
Inside · ReviewMixed ReviewAll three reporting categories, mixed together, so earlier skills stay fresh.
Inside · Practice testFull practice testsTwo 38-question tests in FAST question styles, with bubble answer sheets.
Each practice test has four passage sets, just like the real one, including a story paired with a poem and an article paired with a firsthand account. The answer key ties every answer to its benchmark, so a quick look at the trackers shows which skills to reteach.
Take a look inside (video)
Want to flip through it before you buy? This short look-inside video walks through the whole workbook, from the pretest to the certificate at the end.
How to use the printable workbook
Because it’s a PDF, you print only what you need, when you need it. Here’s how teachers tend to use each part.
Print the pretest
One sitting shows you which benchmarks each reader needs most.
Small groups + centers
Pull the Learn It and practice pages for the skills your groups need.
Test day rehearsal
Give a full practice test in one sitting, the way students take the spring test.
Track the growth
Score with the answer key, then fill in the progress trackers and class data sheets.
5 tips to get 5th graders ready for the FAST
Read for evidence
Ask “How do you know?” every day. Two-part questions have a Part B that asks for the sentence that proves the answer.
Summarize in one breath
Summarizing was one of the hardest skills on Florida’s released grade 5 test. Practice one-sentence summaries that keep the big idea and leave out small details.
Ask why the author wrote it
Purpose and perspective questions trip up a lot of readers. After every article, ask what the author wants the reader to think and how you can tell.
Compare firsthand and secondhand
Pair a news-style article with a diary entry or interview on the same event, and talk about what each one can show that the other can’t.
Build stamina
The spring test can run up to two hours, with passages close to 900 words. Stretch independent reading time a little each month.
Printable PDF: $9.99, or free with a membership
The workbook comes as one Printable PDF with all 238 full-color pages. Print as many copies as your class needs, year after year.
Already a member? The Printable PDF is included with your Have Fun Teaching membership, so you can download it today at no extra cost.
When do Florida 5th graders take the FAST reading test?
The FAST ELA Reading test is given three times a year. For 2026–27, PM1 ran August 10 to September 25, PM2 runs November 30 to January 22, and PM3, the spring test that counts for accountability, runs May 3–28, 2027. Districts pick their own days inside each window, so check your school calendar. Here’s an easy way to spread your FAST 5th grade reading test prep across the year so spring never turns into a cram session.
Now: give the pretest
Score it with the guide and circle the benchmarks each reader needs most.
Fall into winter: teach the gaps
Use one Learn It + practice set a few times a week, in the order your pretest points to.
Winter: mix it up
Mixed review keeps theme, text structure and vocabulary fresh while you teach new texts.
March: Practice Test 1
Run it like test day in one sitting, then reteach the skills that slipped.
April: Practice Test 2
A second full run builds reading stamina and shows real growth.
May: celebrate
Hand out the certificate. They’ve seen every question type already. Tell them so.
For the benchmarks and the latest test design, see the Florida Department of Education’s B.E.S.T. assessment page. Our Florida test prep page has every Florida workbook, and test prep by state keeps every state in one place.
Members: it’s already yours
With a Have Fun Teaching membership, the Printable PDF of this workbook is included, along with every other state test prep workbook PDF and the whole resource library. See membership plans.
5th grade reading worksheets to pair with it
When the pretest flags a skill, a single-page worksheet is an easy way to add one more round of practice. These three line up with big 5th grade reading benchmarks on the test.
5th · WorksheetMain IdeaFind the central idea of a passage and the details that support it.
5th · WorksheetPoetry ResponseRead a poem closely and respond to it with details from the text.
5th · WorksheetBasketball TimeA nonfiction passage with comprehension questions for 5th grade readers.
Keep exploring
Get it included with a membership
This workbook, plus 6,600+ resources
Members get the Printable PDF of every state test prep workbook, plus the whole library. Try it free for 3 days.
- Florida FAST 5th Grade Reading: Printable PDF included
- Every printable, song and video, Preschool–6th
- Every state test prep workbook PDF
- Unlimited downloads, new resources added every week
FAST 5th grade reading test prep: questions teachers ask
Are these real FAST test questions?
No. Have Fun Teaching wrote every story, poem, article and question from scratch, and a certified teacher reviewed the book. It is aligned to Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards for English Language Arts and built from the published FAST test design, but it is an independent practice resource and does not use released state test items.
How long is the FAST 5th grade reading test?
It is one session of 36 to 40 questions. Students get up to 90 minutes for the fall and winter tests (PM1 and PM2) and up to 120 minutes for the spring test (PM3), which also includes a few unscored field-test questions. Each practice test in this workbook has 38 questions.
What 5th grade reading skills does the workbook cover?
It covers all 13 assessed grade 5 B.E.S.T. reading benchmarks across the three FAST reporting categories: Reading Prose and Poetry, Reading Informational Text, and Reading Across Genres and Vocabulary. That includes plot, theme, perspective, poem structure, text structure, central idea, author’s purpose and claims, figurative language, summarizing, primary and secondary sources, roots and affixes, and context clues.
How much does the workbook cost?
The Printable PDF is $9.99 for all 238 full-color pages, and you can print as many copies as your class needs. With a Have Fun Teaching membership, the PDF is included at no extra cost, along with the Printable PDF of every other state test prep workbook and the rest of the library.
When do Florida 5th graders take the FAST reading test?
The FAST ELA Reading test is given three times a year. For 2026–27, PM2 runs November 30, 2026 to January 22, 2027, and PM3, the spring test that counts for accountability, runs May 3 to May 28, 2027. The test is taken on the computer, and districts choose their own days inside each window.
Walk into test day ready.
Start with the pretest this week, and have every benchmark covered by spring.
FAST and B.E.S.T. are trademarks of the Florida Department of Education. Have Fun Teaching, LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Florida Department of Education. Not an official test.
