How do Course Levels work?

What is a course level?

A course level represents how many skills to proficient you have achieved in a course. Each level requires an increasing number of skill points to reach the next one.

In the example above, the learner is at level 4. They have achieved 2 out of the 4 skills needed to reach level 5. This user has a total of 8 skill points/8 skills proficient.

Earning skill points depend on achieving proficient or higher in new skills. With every proficient skill you earn, you get one skill point. Learn more about Mastery and Proficiency here.

Leveling up a skill to proficient moves you one point closer to your next course level. On unit quizzes and tests, you may earn more than one skill point at once since they cover more than one skill. If you level down a previously proficient skill, you will lose a skill point.

Note: Some skills may have a “covered skill.” A “covered skill” is a separate but related skill. If you get proficient on a skill that also has a covered skill, you earned an additional skill point!

How many levels does a course have?

The number of levels in a course depends on how many skills are in a course. You might see courses with 6 levels (17 skills),13 levels (88 skills), or more!

How many skill points does a level contain?

Every course starts at level 1, where you haven’t earned a skill in that course yet. Each level requires an increasing number of skill points to reach the next level. The higher you go, the more skill points are needed.

The level you are currently on represents the number of skill points needed to reach the next level. Each level up adds one additional skill point requirement.

For example:

- You start at Level 1 with 0 skill points. To get to Level 2, you need 1 skill point.

- At Level 2, you need 2 skill points to reach Level 3.

- At Level 10, you need 10 skill points to reach Level 11.

What happens when you achieve proficiency in all the skills in a course?

Congratulations! Getting to proficient in all the skills in a course takes hard work and persistence. The course will be marked complete.

What happens when courses are updated with new skills?

The Khan Academy content team periodically reviews and updates course content in order to keep it fresh and standards-aligned. In these updates, skills can be added to or removed from a course. If new skills are added, more potential skill points will be added to a course. If you had completed every skill in a course, you will see that you now have additional skills to achieve proficiency in.

If skills are removed, we will subtract them from the total skills. Your level may go up, down, or stay the same depending on whether or not you had completed the skills that were removed.