Diagnostic assessment

This tends to come in advance or at the very start of students beginning a course of learning.

It can be useful in establishing commonalities of comprehension within a diverse cohort, to provide insight in terms of the level at which to begin teaching, or to identify key blind spots or misconceptions prior to the start of the teaching.

Diagnostic assessment can also be used to identify students who may need additional, extra-curricular support or for students themselves to note areas of possible misunderstanding to which they may wish to pay special attention.