The purpose of Sumdog’s math diagnostic is to place students at the right level, based on their ability, so that we can personalize questions for each student. Once students have completed the math diagnostic, they will be given a skill to focus on when playing games on Sumdog. They will then gradually work through a skill plan aligned with their curriculum as they play games.

During the math diagnostic your students may be asked some questions that they find difficult. Please ask them not to worry and they will be able to skip the question.

Once your students complete their math diagnostic, you will get a snapshot of their ability by viewing their diagnostic results. The diagnostic result will show you ability related placement level. This shows you which level your students are working at based on your school’s curriculum. You will also be able to view a detailed diagnostic report including which skills within the curriculum they have a good understanding of and which skills they are having trouble with.

The math diagnostic is in a quiz format and is designed to be completed within about 30 minutes. Students will not play games during the math diagnostic.

Your students will be given two sets of teacher-reviewed and approved multiple-choice math questions.

The first 15 questions will focus on numeracy and are taken from the year group below a students’ current one and will be used to determine the level of diagnostic questions the student sees next.

If your student is working below level don’t worry, if they are struggling with the 1st 15 questions they will be asked a 2nd set of 15 questions which are at a lower level.

The remaining 40 questions will be drawn from a range of different math topics.

If students are not able to complete the math diagnostic in one sitting they can pick up where they left off when they next log in.

Once your students complete their math diagnostic, you will get a snapshot of their ability by viewing their diagnostic results. The diagnostic result will show you an ability related placement level. This shows you which level your students are working at based on your school’s curriculum. You will also be able to view a detailed diagnostic report including which skills within the curriculum they have mastered and which skills they are working on.

The math diagnostic will be automatically assigned to students with new Sumdog accounts and it will appear on their dashboard as ‘Getting to know you’ and students should press start. If you have set students other work (assessments/challenges/competitions) they will need to click on their Tasks box and select the math diagnostic.

If you would like to reset a students’ diagnostic, click here.

Students will have 15 minutes to complete the 15 pre-test questions, and one hour to complete the 40 main diagnostic questions.

However, they don’t have to use the full time, so they may finish more quickly.

Once your students have completed their math diagnostic they will be given a score and a focus skill. When they start playing Sumdog games they will be asked questions according to their focus skill. Each student will then progress through the skill plan in their curriculum according to their level.

Students will also be rewarded with their first pet when they have completed their math diagnostic. If the student has a pet, they will instead receive a pet trick.

Click here for how to view the results of your students’ diagnostic.

With the math diagnostic, students will be placed at most either two levels below or above their listed Grade level.

If your students are finding the questions too hard don’t worry. When they are working on the 1st 15 questions and are struggling they can be shown an addition 15 questions at a lower level.

If a student has completed the math diagnostic and you feel the score is too high you can reset the math diagnostic and select a new starting level for your student.

If your students rushed through questions or had help in the math diagnostic they might be placed in an incorrect level. If you find that they were placed in either a too low and too high level you can reset the math diagnostic score for them, here is how.

Note: If your students are rushing through the math diagnostic questions you could remind them that they will earn 5 coins for each correct answer. The more coins they earn the more they can spend in their House.

We recommend students complete the diagnostic in school to ensure they are taking their time and answering the questions without any outside help.