# Placement test template: a free example | Evalmee

> A complete placement test example for the start of a training course: 20 marked questions, a self-assessment and a threshold grid that turns a score into a pathway decision. Print it or import it into Evalmee.

Source: https://evalmee.com/en/placement-test-template/
FR: https://evalmee.com/fr/modele-test-de-positionnement/
ES: https://evalmee.com/es/modelo-examen-diagnostico/
ES-ES: https://evalmee.com/es-es/modelo-prueba-de-nivel/
IT: https://evalmee.com/it/modello-test-di-ingresso/

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## Placement test template for the start of a training course

Twenty questions, a self-assessment and a reading grid, ready to print or to import into Evalmee.

This placement test template is published in full on this page: an identity and background sheet, two prerequisite questions, three competency blocks of six questions, a three-level self-assessment and a grid for reading the score of each block. The example covers an intermediate-level office skills course; each block is replaced by the content of your own course.

### How do you use this template?

The template prints from the browser as it is, for a paper session in the room. It imports into Evalmee by copying its questions into the Excel import template, which accepts sections, question texts, tags, points and choices.

There is no file to download and no e-mail address to leave: the full content is below, with the correct answers and the competency each question targets. The Competency column becomes a tag in the Excel template, and the points of each question become its marking scheme.

The test is designed to last thirty minutes: two prerequisite questions, eighteen questions spread over three blocks, then a one-minute self-assessment. Closed questions rely on [automatic marking](https://evalmee.com/en/assessment-glossary/#automatic-marking); the two short open questions take a few seconds each to read.

### What a placement test must contain

A course adapted to the people who take it starts with knowing what they already know. Quality frameworks for training providers say the same thing in their own words: the provider identifies each participant's needs and prior achievements at the start of the service, and keeps a trace of it. None of them imposes a format. A paper test, an online questionnaire or an interview all qualify, provided the procedure exists, is applied, and leaves a trace.

A useful [placement test](https://evalmee.com/en/assessment-glossary/#placement-test) measures the gap between what the participant already knows and what the course will teach. It therefore covers the content of the programme, competency by competency, and not a general scale. A [diagnostic assessment](https://evalmee.com/en/assessment-glossary/#diagnostic-assessment) is the pedagogical name of the same act; a level test, by contrast, ranks a person on a scale with no reference to a specific course, such as A2 or B1 in a language.

The result is not a mark that counts. It is there to decide: waive a module already mastered, add a refresher session, adjust the duration. That decision, and the trace of the test it rests on, is what an auditor or a corporate client reads.

#### The six parts of a placement test

- Identity and background: who takes the test, for which course, with what practice of the subject
- Prerequisites: two or three questions on what must be known before starting, eliminatory if the course assumes them
- Knowledge by block: one block per major competency of the programme, six to eight questions each
- Self-assessment: the participant places themselves on each competency, on three levels
- Reading grid: one threshold per block, which turns a score into a pathway decision
- Kept trace: the paper, the score per block and the decision taken, dated

### The structure of the template

The template has twenty questions: two prerequisites, then three blocks of six questions. Each block mixes single-choice questions and, for two of them, a short open question. Closed questions are worth one point, open questions two points.

Three blocks are enough for most short courses: they match the three competencies the programme announces. The single-answer [MCQ](https://evalmee.com/en/assessment-glossary/#mcq-multiple-choice-question) dominates because it marks itself and covers a lot of content in little time. The [short open question](https://evalmee.com/en/assessment-glossary/#short-open-answer-question) placed at the end of two blocks checks that the participant can produce, and not only recognise: a formula written by hand says more than four boxes.

| Part | Content | Questions | Points |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Identity and background | Six fields completed by the participant | 0 | 0 |
| Prerequisites | File management, basic handling | 2 | 2 |
| Block 1: word processing | Styles, page layout, table of contents, tables, mail merge, sharing | 5 closed, 1 open | 7 |
| Block 2: spreadsheet | References, formulas, sorting, conditions, charts | 5 closed, 1 open | 7 |
| Block 3: e-mail and organisation | Recipients, attachments, search, calendar, rules, security | 6 closed | 6 |
| Self-assessment | Six competencies, three levels | 0 | 0 |
| Reading grid | One threshold per block, one decision per level | 0 | 0 |

The parts of the template, in the order they are taken.

### Identity and background

This part carries no points. It helps read the score: a participant who uses a spreadsheet every day and fails block 2 does not have the same need as one who is discovering it.

| Field | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| Last name and first name | … |
| Course applied for | Office skills, intermediate level |
| Current position or situation | … |
| Last training followed on the subject, and year | … |
| Frequency of use: word processor, spreadsheet, e-mail | Never / monthly / weekly / daily, for each |
| What you expect from the course, in one sentence | … |

Sheet completed by the participant before the questions.

### Prerequisites

Two questions on what the course assumes is known. A participant who fails both belongs in an introductory course, not the intermediate level.

| No. | Question | Choices | Correct answer | Competency |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| P1 | To save a file in a specific folder, you use: | a) Save as, then choose the folder; b) Print; c) Close the window; d) Rename the desktop | a | File management |
| P2 | The shortcuts Ctrl+C then Ctrl+V are used to: | a) Close the document; b) Copy then paste; c) Select all; d) Undo the last action | b | Basic handling |

One point per question.

### Block 1: word processing

Five single-choice questions, one point each, then a short open question worth two points. Maximum block score: seven points.

| No. | Question | Choices | Correct answer | Competency |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | To give the same formatting to every heading of a long document, you use: | a) Bold, heading by heading; b) Heading styles; c) A table; d) A footnote | b | Styles |
| 2 | To start a chapter at the top of a new page, you insert: | a) Several blank lines; b) A font change; c) A page break; d) A smaller margin | c | Page layout |
| 3 | An automatic table of contents is built from: | a) Heading styles; b) Bold text; c) Tab stops; d) The page header | a | Document structure |
| 4 | To align amounts in a column in a letter, you prefer: | a) Repeated spaces; b) Line breaks; c) Dashes; d) A table or tab stops | d | Tables |
| 5 | Mail merge is used to: | a) Check spelling; b) Produce one letter per recipient from a list; c) Reduce the file size; d) Translate the document | b | Mail merge |
| 6 | Give two reasons for saving a document as PDF before sending it. | Written answer | Identical layout on every device; content the recipient cannot edit | Document sharing |

Question 6 is marked by hand: two elements expected, one point per element.

### Block 2: spreadsheet

Five single-choice questions, one point each, then a formula to write, worth two points. Maximum block score: seven points.

| No. | Question | Choices | Correct answer | Competency |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 7 | In a formula, the reference $A$1: | a) Changes when the formula is copied; b) Refers to another sheet; c) Stays fixed when the formula is copied; d) Causes an error | c | Cell references |
| 8 | The function that adds up a range of cells is: | a) AVERAGE; b) COUNT; c) MAX; d) SUM | d | Basic formulas |
| 9 | To sort a table by date without mixing up the rows, you: | a) Sort the date column alone; b) Select the whole table, then sort on the date column; c) Cut and paste the rows one by one; d) Hide the other columns | b | Sorting and filters |
| 10 | The IF function returns: | a) A value that depends on a condition; b) Always a number; c) Today's date; d) A cell colour | a | Conditional formulas |
| 11 | A chart built on cells is updated: | a) Never; b) Only when the file is opened; c) When the source cells change; d) After printing | c | Charts |
| 12 | Write the formula that calculates the average of cells B2 to B10. | Written answer | =AVERAGE(B2:B10) | Basic formulas |

Question 12 is marked by hand: both the function and the range must be right.

### Block 3: e-mail and organisation

Six single-choice questions, one point each. Maximum block score: six points.

| No. | Question | Choices | Correct answer | Competency |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 13 | The Bcc field of an e-mail is used to: | a) Attach a file; b) Send a copy without showing the address to the other recipients; c) Mark the message as urgent; d) Request a read receipt | b | Recipients |
| 14 | You have to send a 40 MB file. The safest way is to: | a) Attach it, it will always go through; b) Send it in two messages; c) Share a link to the file, as e-mail limits attachment size; d) Rename it | c | Attachments |
| 15 | To find every message from the same sender, you: | a) Re-read the inbox; b) Delete the other messages; c) Print the list; d) Use search or a filter on the sender | d | Search and filing |
| 16 | When you accept a meeting invitation, it: | a) Is added to your calendar; b) Deletes the message; c) Creates a contact; d) Archives the inbox | a | Calendar |
| 17 | An e-mail rule lets you: | a) Check spelling; b) Change the password; c) File or process incoming messages automatically; d) Block the connection | c | Automation |
| 18 | The safest password among these is: | a) Your first name and year of birth; b) A long, unique phrase used nowhere else; c) The company name; d) 123456 | b | Security |

Every question in the block is marked automatically.

### Self-assessment

The participant ticks one level per competency. This part carries no points: it is compared with the score of the matching block. A gap between the two is information in itself.

[Self-assessment](https://evalmee.com/en/assessment-glossary/#self-assessment) correlates weakly with the score as long as the criteria have not been explained. That is why each line describes a concrete action, not a notion: participants know whether they have already done a mail merge, they do not always know whether they "master word processing".

| Competency | I am discovering it | I get by | I master it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Format a long document with styles and a table of contents | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Prepare a mail-merge letter | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Write a formula with fixed references | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Sort, filter and chart data | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| File my e-mail with folders and rules | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Organise meetings from the shared calendar | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |

One tick per line.

### Reading grid for the scores

The score is read block by block, never as a total. A participant with 7 out of 7 in spreadsheet and 2 out of 7 in word processing is not "intermediate": they can be exempted from block 2 and are a priority for block 1.

The thresholds below are a starting point. They are set against the programme: if the spreadsheet module opens with absolute references, a participant who fails question 7 stays in the planned programme even with 60% on the block. One prerequisite missed out of two is discussed with the participant; both missed points to an introductory course.

| Block score | Level | Pathway decision |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Under 40% | Beginner | Refresher session before the module, or referral to an introductory course |
| 40% to 70% | Intermediate | Module followed as planned in the programme |
| Over 70% | Advanced | Exemption from the module, or replacement by an advanced session |

One level per block, and the pathway decision that goes with it.

For the seven-point blocks, 40% is 3 points and 70% is 5 points; for the six-point block, 2 and 4 points. Always round in the participant's favour, and write down the rule you chose: that is what the auditor will read.

### Adapting it to your course

The template is rewritten block by block. Keep the structure, replace the content: one block per competency announced in your programme, six to eight questions per block, one short open question wherever recognising is not enough.

#### What changes, and what stays

- The blocks: as many as there are competencies in the programme, three for a short course, up to five for a pathway of several weeks
- The number of questions: six to eight per block; below that, one lucky guess changes the level; above it, the test runs past half an hour
- The prerequisites: the two or three things without which the first session does not hold
- The thresholds: start from 40% and 70%, then raise the upper threshold if the exemption commits a certification
- The self-assessment: one action per line, never a notion, and the same list as the [learning outcomes](https://evalmee.com/en/assessment-glossary/#learning-outcomes) targeted

For a language course, the blocks become reading comprehension, written expression and grammar; the short open question becomes three sentences to produce about a work situation, marked with a criterion-based scheme. The levels of the grid then align with the levels the programme targets, A2 towards B1 for instance, rather than on percentages alone.

For a workplace safety course, the prerequisite is regulatory: the question covers what the person is allowed to do today, and a missed prerequisite closes access to the practical block.

### Running it and reading the results

On paper, the template prints and is marked with the Correct answer column; the score per block is copied onto the sheet. Online, the questions are copied into Evalmee's Excel import template, and the test is run from the diagnostic and placement page.

In Evalmee, each question carries up to two tags: the competency from the template's column, and the block. Closed questions mark themselves according to the scheme entered; the two open questions are read on the paper. In criterion-based assessment mode, a mark per criterion appears next to the overall mark, which gives the reading per block with no manual calculation. The full approach, random draw included, is described on the [online placement test](https://evalmee.com/en/for-what/diagnostic-positioning/) page.

After the test, the Statistics screen shows the minimum, average and maximum mark, then the success rate question by question: a question missed by the whole group flags a point to cover in the very first session. Marks export to Excel, marked papers to PDF, with the start and end of each attempt time-stamped. That is the trace an audit expects; what Evalmee produces for it, line by line, is detailed on the [training providers](https://evalmee.com/en/for-who/training-providers/) page.

Evalmee is not the right choice for a group of six people gathered in a room with a trainer who marks on the spot: paper is enough, and the template is made for that. It brings something when participants are remote, when sessions repeat, or when the proof must be found two years later without opening a cupboard.

### Frequently asked questions

#### Is a placement test required by quality frameworks?

Quality frameworks for training providers ask the provider to identify each participant's needs and prior achievements at the start of the service, and to keep a trace of it. The format is free: written test, online questionnaire or interview. A test scored by block is the simplest form to prove, and the framework that applies to you is the text that counts.

#### What is the difference between a placement test, a level test and a diagnostic assessment?

A placement test measures the gap between a participant's prior achievements and the content of a specific course. A level test ranks a person on a general scale, such as A2 or B1 in a language, with no reference to a programme. A diagnostic assessment is the pedagogical name of the same act as placement: situating before teaching.

#### How many questions should a placement test have?

Six to eight questions per competency assessed, so eighteen to twenty-four questions for three blocks, in thirty minutes. Below six, one lucky guess changes the level read; above eight per block, the test gets longer without ranking better.

#### Is the test taken before or after enrolment?

Before the service starts, and preferably before the quote is final: the result is used to adjust the duration and the modules. It can be taken after signature if the contract provides for adjusting the pathway.

#### What evidence should be kept for a quality audit?

The written procedure, the test itself, each participant's paper or answers with the date, the score per block, and the pathway decision that follows. With Evalmee, papers export to PDF, marks to Excel, and every attempt is time-stamped.

### Run this test online

Copy the template into Evalmee and let closed questions mark themselves.