PAT-2 (Phonological Awareness Test-2) checks different phonological skills and how letters sound in words, as well as decoding made-up words. Which description best captures its focus?

• A. Rhyming only
• B. Segmenting and blending sounds, including start, middle, and end
• C. Reading speed
• D. Spelling accuracy

Answer: (B)

This item targets the ability to hear, manipulate, and map sounds in words. It centers on segmenting words into their individual phonemes (breaking apart the sounds) and blending those sounds back together to form the word, including handling the initial, medial, and final positions of sounds. The test even uses made-up words to check decoding, which means applying knowledge of how sounds correspond to letters to read unfamiliar strings, not just recognizing familiar words. That combination—breaking apart sounds, putting sounds together, and applying sound-to-letter correspondences to decode new words—captures the essential skill being measured. Focusing only on rhyming would miss the broader skill set, and reading speed or spelling accuracy tap into different abilities rather than the core phonemic manipulation and decoding skills this description emphasizes.