Skill IQ Verified assessments check proficiency against an expert-defined standard. They are criterion-based assessments intended to validate the skill level and ability of a learner.

See Skill IQ suite: overview and assessment comparison for more about other assessments available through Pluralsight Skills.

Overview

Skill IQ Verified assessments help verify that a learner meets Pluralsight-defined skill outcomes. These assessments are criterion based, meaning they measure an individual learner’s mastery of a skill or set of skills rather than comparing them to peers learning the same topic like for Skill IQ Discovery assessments.

A Skill IQ Verified assessment uses a testing framework with a cut score— a threshold of correct answers a learner must achieve in order to pass a particular assessment. To encourage meaningful learning over rote memorization, the cut score isn’t shared with learners or leaders.

After completing an assessment, learners may receive course recommendations to improve their knowledge and prepare them for their next attempt. They can also review their previous results to see how far they’ve come.

These assessments also provide valuable analytics to admins via the Skill IQ Verified assessment analytics page.

Format of a Skill IQ Verified assessment

Skill IQ Verified assessments are multiple choice and/or multiple selection and are timed at the assessment level. The timer starts when the assessment begins and ends when the assessment is completed or time runs out. The time allowed depends on the number of questions. Some learners may finish the assessment before the allotted time expires. During the assessment, the learner has the opportunity to take a break.

Learners can retake the assessment as many times as they wish as long as they still have access via their Pluralsight plan and the assessment remains available. Most assessments have a 7-day retake window, meaning learners must wait 7 days between attempts.

Finding an assessment

Exploring assessments

To explore Skill IQ Verified assessments:

1. Click Skill IQ in the navigation menu.
2. Click Browse Verified. This takes you to the Skill IQ Verified page (opens in new tab).
3. Click on an assessment to find out more about which courses are aligned to that assessment.

Each assessment has a card showing the time allowed, the number of questions, and your current score, if you’ve finished at least one attempt previously. If you are in the middle of an attempt, you’ll see how much time you have remaining on your break and a link to continue your attempt.

You can also use the Skill IQ Verified filter in browse (opens in new tab) to find assessments you want to attempt. Use other filters like Topic or Job Role to further refine your search.

Assessments in solution packages

Skill IQ Verified assessments often part of solution package programming. To access an assessment, click Program on the learner navigation menu, then the program name. This takes you to the program page. Skill IQ Verified assessments for that program are in carousels on the program page. If your program includes a Skill IQ Verified assessment, it will appear in a carousel on the program page with an assessment tag.

Taking an assessment

Before starting the assessment

Though you’ll have an opportunity to take a break during the assessment, it's important to limit interruptions within your control, such as silencing notifications and ensuring your internet connection is stable. You may consider blocking out a specific time just to take the assessment so you are less likely to be interrupted or distracted.

Before you begin, ensure that:

• You’re taking the assessment as yourself using your account.
• You aren’t using any resources or notes during this assessment.
• Your internet connection is stable.
• You silence all interruptions so you can focus fully on the assessment for the allotted time.

Starting the assessment

Once you’ve ensured you and your environment are ready for your attempt, you can take your assessment.

To take an assessment:

1. Review the number of questions and time limit listed before clicking Start.
2. Review the assessment requirements, then click Start assessment.
3. Answer each question by selecting an answer(s) from the options provided, then click Next.

4. When you’ve completed the last question, click Submit and finish.

Taking a break

You’re allowed one break per assessment attempt to handle unexpected interruptions or emergencies. This break stops the timer for the assessment after you click Start break and log out. You’ll have 24 hours to return and complete the assessment attempt.

To start a break during a Skill IQ Verified assessment attempt:

1. Click Take a break. You’re given a time and date when you must return to finish your assessment attempt.
2. Click Start break and log out. You’ll be logged out of your Pluralsight account.

To return to your assessment attempt:

1. Navigate to the Skill IQ Verified page and locate the assessment.
2. Click Resume on the assessment you’re attempting. You’ll see the remaining time and number of questions in the assessment.
3. Click Resume assessment.
4. Continue with the assessment.

Understanding your results

At the end of your attempt, you’ll be taken to assessment results page, where you’ll see:

• Outcome
• Score and questions correct
• Recommended courses
• Past attempts table

Revisit your score, recommendations, or your attempt history by reopening the assessment and clicking View past results. You can also see how many days remain until you can retake the assessment.

Outcome

Your outcome is how you did on the assessment. An outcome can be passed, not passed, or expired.

• Passed: you achieved or exceeded the cut score required. The cut score differs between assessments.
• Not passed: you didn’t meet the cut score required.
• Expired: the timer elapsed before you completed and submitted the assessment. No score or questions correct are recorded or displayed.

Score and questions correct

Your score is calculated by dividing the number of questions you answered correctly to the total number of questions. Each question is worth one point with no half points for partially correct answers. You’ll see this score displayed as a percentage and as a ratio.

You won’t see the minimum required cut score of how many correct answers are required to pass the assessment. This threshold differs between assessments.

Recommended courses

Improve your understanding of the assessment topic by reviewing concepts you missed with links to relevant video course material. While your plan may have access to other materials on the same topic, these recommendations are intended to return you to a defined learning path.

If you answered all or most of the questions correctly, you may not see any recommendations. You can rewatch the course videos by returning to the program page.

Past attempts table

Review your previous attempts via the past attempt table. View your scores, questions you answered correctly, outcomes, and the dates the data was recorded. See how far you’ve come or where you need to go by sorting any of the table headers.

Admins on your plan can see some of this information, including the results of your last attempt and how many attempts you’ve made at that assessment. Admins can’t see which questions or concepts you missed or your course recommendations.

Analytics for Skill IQ Verified assessments

Admins can see analytics for Skill IQ Verified assessments for their learners. Analytics for these assessments are separate from the larger analytics experience and are only accessible through individual Skill IQ Verified assessments.

To access analytics for a Skill IQ Verified assessment, open the assessment, then click View analytics. This button only appears if you’re a plan admin and takes you to the Skill IQ Verified assessments analytics page.

The Skill IQ Verified assessments analytics page shows all Skill IQ Verified assessments that learners have attempted on your plan. To see a particular assessment’s analytics, click the title of the assessment.

Each assessment arranges analytics into data at a glance and learner data in a table. The data at a glance shows overall results for that particular assessment. The table shows learner attempts with a row for each learner who has attempted the assessment. Click on any column label to sort by that field, and click again to toggle between ascending and descending.

Skill IQ Verified assessment analytics display the following:

1. Total attempts: the number of attempts made by learners on the team plan for this assessment.
2. Assessment completions: the total number of times the assessment has been finished before the timer runs out.
3. Unique learners: the number of learners who have attempted the assessment.
4. Learners passed: the percentage of learners who have achieved a passing score.
5. Name: the name of the learner
6. Outcome: the result of the learner’s latest attempt (passed, not passed, expired).
7. Best score: the highest score that the learner has achieved expressed as a ratio of correct questions to total number of questions. This may not be the most recent score.
8. Best score date: the date the learner achieved their best score.
9. Time spent on best score: the amount of time the learner took to complete the assessment.
10. Total attempts: the number of times the learner has attempted the assessment.
11. Analytics filter: the filter that allows admins to limit the assessment analytics by time frame.
12. Export: button to export the table as a .csv file.

Common solutions