Requiring a Placement Test Before Enrolment

Make new students take a placement test before they can enrol in a course above beginner level. Students who don't have the level a course needs are asked to take the online test first, and can enrol once their result places them at that level. Returning students with a level don't have to test again.

Step 1: Check your setup

#	Check	Where	What to do
1	Placement tests are set up	Placement Tests	Create your tests. See Setup the Configuration and Using our Pre-Built Test Templates.
2	Your test set is linked to your course types	Placement Tests › edit your set	Tick every course type the tests apply to, such as standard and conversation courses. A course only asks for a test when its age group and course type match a set. A set with no course types ticked applies to no courses.
3	Your levels are linked in order	Courses › Configuration › Levels › edit each level	Under Grants Access To, choose the level that comes next (for example A1.1 grants access to A1.2). A level with nothing before it is a starting level, open to anyone. If no levels are linked, no course will ask for a test.
4	Each course has its level	Courses › edit the course	Set the course's level, so the system knows which level a student needs to enrol.
5	Automatic placement is on (recommended)	Placement Tests › edit each test	Tick Enable Automatic Placement and choose the level the test gives, so students get their result straight away.

Step 2: Turn it on

1. Go to Courses › Configuration › Course Selector.
2. Scroll down to When Choosing Course - Placement Test.
3. Tick Require placement test or valid level.
4. Click Save Configuration.

Step 3: Test it

1. Log in to your website as a test student who has no level and no past courses.
2. Open the Course Selector and choose a course above beginner level.
3. You should see a Placement Test Required message in place of the order button. If you can still order, go back to Step 1.

What the student sees

#	The student…	What happens
1	Chooses a course in the Course Selector	If they don't have the course's level, the order button is replaced by Placement Test Required, showing the level needed.
2	Clicks Take the Placement Test Online	They go to your placement tests page, filtered to the right age group and course type. New students create an account; existing students log in.
3	Takes the test	The test adapts as they go: too easy moves them up a level, too hard moves them down.
4	Finishes the test	With automatic placement, they see their level straight away with a link back to the Course Selector for that level, and get an email with their result.
5	Enrols	They can now order courses at their recommended level.

Who has to take the test?

Student	Takes the test?
New student choosing a course above beginner level	Yes
New student choosing a beginner (starting) level course	No  unless you set that level to Requires Placement
Student who passed a course with you	No  for the next level
Student whose level your team has set on their contact record	No  for that level, or an earlier level in the same progression
Student whose level has expired	Yes

Automatic or manual placement?

	Automatic placement	Manual placement
Result	Immediate	After your team reviews the test
The student sees	Their level, with a link to order a course	A message that your team will be in touch
Your team	Nothing to do	Gets an email, then sets the level in the Can Enrol In box on the contact record
Best for	Most levels	Advanced tests with writing or speaking

Optional settings

If you want to…	Where	What to do
Test beginners too	Courses › Configuration › Levels › edit the first level	Change Placement Required to Requires Placement. This option only shows on levels with no level before them. If a course has more than one level, change it on each of them.
Offer an on-site test	Courses › Configuration › Course Selector	Tick Enable on-site placement test option. Students see a link under the online test button that opens an appointment request form. Set the On-Site Label (link text), On-Site Description (text above the form) and On-Site Notification E-mail (who receives requests). After the on-site test, set the student's level in Can Enrol In on their contact record.
Control how long a level lasts	Courses › Configuration › Levels › edit the level	Set Level Expiry, for example "1 year". Leave it empty if levels never expire. Once a level expires, the student takes the placement test again before enrolling at that level.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Students can still order without a test	The test set has no course types ticked, the levels aren't linked, or the course has no level	Work through checks 2 to 4 in Step 1
Only some courses ask for a test	The other courses' age group or course type doesn't match a test set	Tick that course type on your set, or create a set for that age group
Beginner courses don't ask for a test	Starting levels are open to anyone by default	Set the level to Requires Placement (see Optional settings)
A course with more than one level doesn't ask for a test	One of its levels is a starting level that anyone can enrol in. If any level on a course is open, the whole course is open (for example a course set to both A1 and A1.1)	Set every starting level on that course to Requires Placement, or link the levels with Grants Access To so only the first one is a starting level
A returning student is asked to take the test	Their level has expired, or no level is recorded for them	Set their level in Can Enrol In on their contact record
A student finished the test but still can't enrol	That test uses manual placement	Review the submission and set their level in Can Enrol In

Frequently asked questions