We recommend that you start your students at a level or two below where you believe they should be. This allows the student to have some success with the system and helps engage the student. Still, it also serves the purpose of enabling you and Elephant Learning to identify any existing gaps in understanding.  

If your student is significantly ahead of other students their age, the Placement Exam in Elephant Learning will take longer. This is a good thing because it confirms that your student is already excelling in mathematics. It allows for a more customized, targeted learning that will keep them engaged once they move out of the placement test.

The Placement Exam consists of a set of subjects that are placed into test out mode. Test out mode essentially means that the app will present the most challenging puzzles from each subject to the child. If your student answers correctly, new subjects open up in test out mode. We can find their actual level very quickly. 

It is essential that skipping in our system, especially during the placement exam, be reserved for questions that are too challenging. Our system will treat a skipped problem as an incorrect answer. If a child encounters a question that is too difficult during the placement exam, they should skip and receive a review rather than power through, as our reviews tend to go quickly.

 You can determine if any subject is in test out mode on the Dashboard as it will have a star next to it. Usage during the placement exam should match what you want each student to do for coursework. Recommended usage is ten minutes a day, three days a week.