What are Khan Academy assessments and how do they work?
This article provides a general overview of how assessments work at Khan Academy. If you're just getting started, we recommend exploring the resources below to help you begin.
Recommended resources:
- How to connect your class to a Khan Academy assessment
- Quick start guides:
Khan Academy is developing a new way for teachers and schools to assess student understanding with flexible, standards-aligned assessments you can give throughout the school year.
If your school or district is using Khan Academy assessments, this article will give you a quick overview of what they are, what makes them different, and where to go for more details.
What are Khan Academy assessments?
Khan Academy assessments are short, online tests designed to help educators get a clearer picture of how students are progressing on key grade-level standards. These assessments are:
- Aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
- Delivered online
- Intended to be taken at key moments during the school year (like mid-year and end-of-year)
These assessments are currently available to participating districts for:
- Mathematics: Grades 6 - 8, Algebra I, Geometry
- English Language Arts: Grades 6 - 12
What makes these assessments different?
Khan Academy assessments combine traditional question formats with new ways to explore student thinking.
Some assessments include:
- Explain Your Thinking (EYT): For selected math questions, students briefly interact with Khanmigo, our AI tutor, to explain their reasoning.
- Short responses: In ELA assessments, students write short, open-ended answers to prompts.
Question types may include:
- Multiple choice
- Numeric input
- Drop-down menus
- Expression entry
- Interactive graphing
- Short written responses
- Khanmigo conversations (math only)
These formats help capture a broader picture of what students know and how they approach problems.
How long do they take?
Each assessment takes about one class period (typically under 45 minutes). Students can pause and return to the test if needed, as long as they complete it within the testing window set by your school or district.
How do students take the assessments?
Assessments are taken online:
- On a Chromebook or computer (mobile devices are not supported)
- While students are logged into their Khan Academy account
- Using a direct link shared by the teacher
Each student sees one question at a time and progresses forward without going back to previous questions.
What happens after students finish?
After completing the test, students may see a short feedback survey. Score availability and reporting will depend on your school or district’s settings. In some cases, data may be used for internal insights but not shared directly with students or families.
A note about our assessments
All Khan Academy assessments go through several development phases to ensure they are fair, valid, and reliable.vCurrently, our assessments are either in Pilot or Beta.
- Pilot assessments are designed to collect testing data and feedback. These assessments are not adaptive and do not include scores and are not intended to be used for instructional decisions
- Beta assessments are adaptive and include scores and topic-level breakdowns to help surface early insights. They are still in development and may not yet include features like performance levels or percentiles
Current assessments and their phase:
Beta assessments (include scores and domain breakdowns):
- Algebra 1
- Geometry
Pilot assessments (no scores/reporting included yet):
- Grades 6–8 Math
- Grades 6–8 ELA
- Grades 9–12 ELA
Your participation helps us improve the quality and fairness of our assessments. Thank you for being part of this important process.
Additional resources
Curious about the student experience? We created a "sandbox" for each assessment.
Heads up: You can only go through each sandbox experience once.
If you need help or have questions please reach out!
assessmentsupport@khanacademy.org