In contrast to highlighting within self-regulated learning, instructed highlighting refers to the selective marking of text passages to answer given questions about texts which emerges in classroom settings or can be used in test administrations. According to literature, it requires reading processes of different complexity and focusing on and selecting of passages of texts, controlling and regulating processes that are operations of learning strategies. Therefore, we expected high correlations of instructed highlighting with reading competence and with using learning strategies. In order to evaluate these hypotheses on the base of precise measures of highlighting behaviour, four parameters were derived from literature, that quantify different quality aspects of instructed highlighting, e.g., the fit with experts' judgements. Based on a sample of German adults (N = 937) who completed achievement tests in instructed highlighting and reading competence as well as a standardized learning strategies questionnaire, the introduced indices allowed for detailed descriptions of instructed highlighting. Furthermore, instructed highlighting correlated substantially with reading competence. Contrary to our expectations, it showed negligible associations with the self-reported use of learning strategies. The results indicate that instructed highlighting represents aspects of focused reading, and, thus, might provide an innovative approach for technology-based assessments of reading competence.