Assessments are where you prove your language ability—to your teachers or to yourself.

You can find assessments in the learning paths and some playlists in the Lesson Library. Mixed in with the lessons, assessments are carefully created to test your understanding of the learning material.

Types of Assessments

There are two types of assessments. Multiple-choice Assessments are the simplest—read a question and pick from the provided answers. You’ll receive a grade immediately. Hand-graded Assessments involve short answer, written essay, and/or audio questions. When you submit them, they get graded by a real native speaker.

Multiple-choice Assessments are available to Premium users and above. Hand-graded Assessments are a Premium PLUS feature.

Click here to watch a video on Multiple-Choice Assessments

Click here to watch a video on Hand-Graded Assessments

Skipping Questions and Retakes

Some assessments allow you to skip questions. For example, the Diagnostic assessments at the beginning of most learning paths are meant to judge your current language level. Answer what you know, but feel free to skip anything that’s too hard. Skipped questions are recorded differently than incorrect questions, so you can better understand your ability.

What if you took an assessment in the past and think you could do better now? Many assessments can be retaken. Simply open the assessment again and select the Retake option. Your previous scores will be cleared and you’ll be given the opportunity to take it again. Try to get 100%!

Hand-graded Assessments In-depth

When an assessment is labeled as “hand-graded,” it means at least one question is a type that must be graded by a teacher. This means Hand-graded Assessments could contain multiple-choice questions as well. But they can also include:

Short Answer Questions: Type your answer, usually just a word or a sentence.

Essay Questions: Type your answer in a paragraph or longer.

Audio Questions: Record your answer. These questions are meant to test your speaking ability. You can use the built-in audio recorder or upload an audio file recorded in a different program.

Please note, the built-in audio recorder requires that you have a working microphone attached to your device. Smartphones or tablets work great! Just keep in mind that it’s not compatible with the Chrome browser on iOS.

When your assessment is graded, it can be found in your Assessments Inbox under the My Teacher subheader on the navigation bar. Your assessment will be graded by a native speaker, but it may not be graded by your My Teacher tutor. The name of the teaching staff who graded your assessment is displayed when you review your graded answers.

Passing Assessments

In most cases, assessments are tools for you to judge your ability. If you do poorly on one, don’t worry about it! Take it as a sign to review what you got wrong and review some earlier lessons. Or, just move on!

When the total points you earned on an assessment is over 60% of the possible points, it’s counted as a pass and appears with a green checkbox in the pathway.

Portfolio Assessments

Some assessments are Portfolio assessments. They are exactly the same as any other assessment, except that they were designed by our staff to judge your real-life skills. By passing these assessments, they’ll appear in the special Portfolio section of your Assessments Inbox. Try to build up your portfolio to prove your ability!