This booklet provides a brief overview of the Connecticut ninth-grade proficiency test by listing the skills to be assessed on the test. Sample questions exemplifying each skill are also included. Areas assessed include: (1) basic writing skills in the language arts (mechanics of written expression, composing and organizing skills, and library skills for writing tasks); (2) mathematics (addressing the broad categories of computation skills, mathematical concepts, and problem-solving); and (3) reading. The reading portion of the proficiency test (a new type of test called the "Degrees of Reading Power") is designed to measure a student's ability to process and understand nonfiction English prose passages written at different levels of difficulty or readability, identifying the hardest prose that a student can read with comprehension. A sample passage from the test is included. (JN)