All questions are multiple choice and are presented in no specific order. Candidates will only receive credit for correct answers and will be guided over the course of the test to questions at the level of their own achievement.

Every candidate gets a different set of 75 questions chosen from our bank of over 5000.

Our software ensures that good candidates are not asked inappropriately simple questions, whilst also ensuring that candidates with suspect basic skills are guided to questions of a suitably revealing level.

How do I give the candidate a test?

The Basic Skills Tests are entirely online. Once you have logged in to the Employer area, you simply fill in a form that requests the following; Candidate Name, Candidate Email, an e-mail address for the results to be sent to and a chance to associate the candidate with a specific vacancy. (We recommend this if your account has multiple users). The candidate is then emailed a test PIN and a link to the test, which will work in any internet browser. Once they have clicked the link and entered their PIN, the test will start. Upon completion of the test, the results are emailed to your chosen email address immediately in PDF format.

How long does the test take

The test takes around 45 minutes. There is an option to turn off the time limit however, for candidates with learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Written to compliment the Level 3 Award in Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools, The Basic Skills Test for Teaching Assistants was created to evaluate the skills a TA needs in today’s changing educational climate testing the candidate’s numeracy, literacy and IT skills identified in the new National Curriculum. It’s a consistent and effective tool designed to measure the aptitude of each job applicant, allowing you to make informed recruitment decisions.

Who writes The Basic Skills Test for Teaching Assistants questions?

The Basic Skills Test questions are drawn from a bank of multiple choice questions set and moderated by professional educationalists/UK teachers.

Teaching Assistants in the news

Making the best use of TAs [Education Endowment Foundation and MITA]
The freedom to make decisions about teaching assistants is nothing new, but now school leaders have the means to unlock their potential [MITA]
How headteachers are maximising the impact of teaching assistants and getting results [Institute of Education]
How teaching assistants can make a real difference in the classroom [The Guardian]

Basic Skills in the news

Making maths and English work for all [The Education and Training Foundation]
School leavers ‘lack basic skills in English and maths’ [The Telegraph]
Young people lack workplace skills, firms say in survey [BBC News]
Mind the skills gap: from classroom to career [Politics Home]

Try our FAQ or please email [email protected] with any questions you may have. You can also contact us via our contact form.