Skill IQ helps identify where you should begin learning in a given technology's path.
Who can use this?
Introduction to Skill IQ assessments
A Skill IQ assessment measures your proficiency in a technology skill. This measurement takes 10-15 minutes and approximately 25 questions to complete. Skill IQ assessments are often part of a path and can be added to a channel, making Skill IQ an integral part of the learning journey.
Important: Some Skill IQ assessments are marked as BETA. This means we're still collecting data for those skills in order to give you the most accurate Skill IQ. In order to receive a Skill IQ, you must take the skill assessment again once it moves out of beta.
Skill IQ levels
Skill IQ is a continuous score from 0 to 300 that's based on your percentile in that skill area. Pluralsight's adaptive skill calculations work by measuring your technical abilities relative to the population of users who have taken that assessment. This doesn't measure your broad intelligence. Your percentile tells you how much more you know than others who have the same skill, on a scale from 0 to 100.
The Skill IQ 0 to 300 scale is broken into five ranges:
- Novice: 0–19th percentiles
- Emerging: 20th–39th percentiles
- Average: 40th–59th percentiles
- Above Average: 60th–79th percentiles
- Expert: 80th and higher percentiles
You'll get a skill level of Novice, Proficient Emerging, Proficient Average, Proficient Above Average, or Expert, depending on your Skill IQ results.
For example, if you receive a score of 104, you'll be in the 21st percentile of your peers. Your skill range will be Emerging and your skill level will be Proficient Emerging. All Skill IQ scores also include a date of verification that matches the date you completed the assessment.
Skill IQ accuracy
The engine powering Skill IQ has high levels of statistical accuracy. The difficulty of the questions changes based on right or wrong answers given by all individuals who've taken a particular assessment. The tests are short and comprehensive because they're based on modern test theories, Bayesian statistics, and machine learning to model skills and find questions that match those skills.
With a large network of expert practitioners regularly adding questions to our assessments, Skill IQ assessments not only stay relevant, but also constantly evolve.
Path placement
Skill paths are structured into beginner, intermediate and advanced categories. Skill IQ provides a skill rating of 0–300, which falls into one of five levels: Novice, Proficient Emerging, Proficient Average, Proficient Above Average, and Expert.
Your skill level typically aligns with where in a path to start. For example, in the Above Average range of Proficient, you could start in the advanced section of a path. A Novice skill level will almost always suggest starting in the beginner section of a path.
Comparison to other features and products
While Skill IQ assessments share some similarities to other Pluralsight features and products, they can differ in many ways as well. This section compares certificates, badges, learning checks, and vendor certifications.
Certificates and badges
Skill IQ is a numeric assessment of your skill proficiency, whereas badges or certificates are given for course completion or activity points. Each Skill IQ measurement is built with high statistical significance by Pluralsight's content team and expert network, so you can trust the results.
Learning checks
Learning checks help learners check their knowledge of course material and retention, and are best used as a learning aid. They can be retaken multiple times and are not timed.
Skill IQ looks at a skill in a much more holistic way, measuring the total level of the test-taker's skill compared to other professionals—helping them determine which skills to watch next to keep advancing. Skill IQ helps quantify skill level, determine what to watch to skill up, and validates growth along the learning journey.
Vendor certifications
Skill IQ ratings and scores aren't vendor certifications. Skill IQ assessments are intended to measure your skill proficiency in specific areas. While this measurement can be used in combination with industry certifications, it’s not intended to replace vendor certifications.
Skill IQ assessments are less time-intensive and expensive than vendor certifications. This makes measuring your skill in a technology more accessible. You can also remeasure your skill to keep your Skill IQ level current with your knowledge.