By using the pronunciation of phonetically irregular words to measure reading comprehension, the TIWRE offers a rapid assessment of the examinee's reading vocabulary. Because phonetically irregular words cannot be pronounced correctly unless they are already a part of the reader's vocabulary, they are especially useful for measuring reading comprehension. The TIWRE is different from other reading comprehension assessments because it utilizes this concept and presents only phonetically irregular letters and words for pronunciation. This easy-to-administer measure is supported by validity evidence and is highly reliable. With three equivalent forms, the TIWRE provides its user with the ability to monitor changes in reading performance over relatively short periods of time with no detectable practice effect from testing itself.

Each form presents phonetically irregular letters (uppercase and lowercase) and words for a total of 50 items and takes approximately 2 minutes to administer. Because the three forms are based on a common normative sample and use the same normative table, frequent repeated testing is convenient and quick. Reliability coefficients for all forms are in the mid-to-high .90s. Change in reading comprehension is measured by comparing scores from two administrations and using the provided precalculated significance score ranges to determine statistically significant levels of change.

The TIWRE was normed using a large, nationally-drawn U.S. stratified sample of 2,438 individuals ages 3-94 years. The Professional Manual provides a wide range of score conversions, including scores scaled to the metric commonly used with measures of aptitude and achievement (i.e., age-corrected deviation scaled scores with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15) and additional supplementary scores that are commonly used in educational reporting and research. The Profile Form enables the examiner to plot scores of repeated administrations for easy, rapid identification of an individual's progress in reading performance. The reusable Stimulus Cards are color-coded for simple administration of each form.

The TIWRE was designed to have multiple applications in a variety of environments, including educational, clinical, and rehabilitation settings. It can be used to assess current reading level, to measure response to intervention (RTI) in reading, to assess reading levels for completing self-reports or questionnaires, and to rapidly screen for individual reading difficulties. The TIWRE can enhance the accuracy and overall efficacy of progress monitoring and can lead to more frequent, accurate assessments of real reading skill in a variety of contexts.