How to create a Pre-Test (Topic Readiness Test) in Mathspace

Use a Pre-Test to check if your students are ready to begin a new topic. This short, adaptive diagnostic targets the key prerequisite skills and provides a readiness report, so you can plan your lessons with confidence.

What is a Pre-Test?

The Pre-Test is a short, topic-specific diagnostic task available in every Mathspace textbook topic. It’s designed to:

• Assess your students’ readiness for a specific topic

• Target only the prerequisite outcomes — no off-topic questions

• Take 15 minutes or less to complete (maximum 15 questions)

• Adapt across multiple year levels to meet students where they are

• Provide instant, actionable reporting once students finish

When should I assign a Pre-Test?

We recommend assigning a Pre-Test before starting a new topic. It’s especially helpful when you want to:

• Quickly check if your class is ready to move forward

• Identify gaps in prerequisite knowledge

• Plan your next steps — whether that’s revising, remediating, or diving into new content

How to assign a Pre-Test

Follow these steps to assign a Pre-Test to your class:

1. Open your class textbook
   Go to the Mathspace textbook for the class you’re teaching.

2. Select a topic
   Choose the topic you plan to begin. You’ll find Pre-Tests available for most topics.

3. Click on the 'Pre-test:'  and ‘+ Assign’
   Use the Assign Task button from the topic page.

   

4. Adjust task settings (optional)
   You can set a due date, time limit or assign to specific student groups.

5. Click ‘Assign’
   The task will appear in your students’ dashboards right away.

Video Examples:

How to view the readiness report

Once students complete the Pre-Test, the readiness report is generated automatically.

To view the report:

• Go to the topic where the Pre-Test was assigned

• Click on the task to open the Pre-Test report

The report shows:

• Overall class readiness

• Mastery of each prerequisite outcome

• Individual student results and skill gaps

• A Growth tab to track progress across follow-up tasks

You can revisit this report at any time during or after the topic.

Example Reports:

Pre-test Report	Pre-test Growth Report

Common questions

Can I reassign a Pre-Test?
Yes — but the original results will be replaced with the new responses.

Will students see their scores?
Yes, students receive feedback on questions and their score.

Can I preview the Pre-Test questions?
You can see all questions and student responses once the task is complete. Pre-Test questions are drawn adaptively, so each student may see a slightly different set.

Tips for using Pre-Test results

• Use the report to group students for revision

• Assign follow-up tasks for any prerequisite outcomes not mastered

• Track progress in the Growth tab after post-tests or practice

• Return to the report throughout the topic to guide your teaching

Need help?

If you have any questions about Pre-Tests or need support, contact our team via the in-platform Help chat or reach out to your Mathspace representative.