Illustrative example
80 Before→100 After
What is the percentage increase?
Maths assessment
Identify your current numeracy level before working on specific learning gaps.
View guidanceBKSB Maths and English Test
The two stage format colleges and apprenticeship providers set, the levels it places you at, what the maths and English papers cover, and how the result decides what you study next.
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What is a BKSB test?
A BKSB test is an online English and maths assessment from bksb Ltd, whose name stands for Basic and Key Skills Builder. Colleges, training providers and employers set it, most often at the start of an apprenticeship or a course. There are two stages. The Initial Assessment adjusts to your answers and works out the level you are currently at, from Pre-Entry Level to Level 2, and the Diagnostic Assessment then takes you through that level in detail and shows how far you are from the next one. Both are interactive and self marking, and neither is a qualification in itself.
Which BKSB test you sit depends on the employer and the role: an entry-level position will not be given the same assessment as a graduate or managerial one.
How a BKSB test works
Four things to know before you sit one. Timings and difficulty vary with the level of the role.
- FormatTwo assessments, in that order
- The Initial Assessment comes first and places you. The Diagnostic Assessment follows at the level the first one set, and goes through that level topic by topic. Both are taken online, in English and in maths.
- PaceNo published time limit
- bksb publish no time limit for either assessment, and providers generally let you work at your own pace. Treat the sitting as untimed unless your college or employer says otherwise, and use the time on the questions you are unsure of.
- DifficultyIt moves to find your level
- The Initial Assessment adjusts as you answer, so the questions get harder while you are getting them right. That is the assessment working, not you failing. The Diagnostic is then pitched at the level you reached.
- ScoringA level, not a pass mark
- The result is a working level from Pre-Entry Level to Level 2, and the Diagnostic also shows the distance to the next level. bksb set no pass mark. The number that matters is whatever your course, apprenticeship or employer asks for, so ask them before you sit it.
BKSB: assessment names, formats and timings
Match the name in your invitation to the assessment below. Timings marked “approx.” are completion estimates; other published durations are limits for the named version.
| Assessment | What it measures | Questions | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional Skills Initial Assessment | Your current working level in English and maths, from Pre-Entry Level to Level 2 | Not published | Approx. 15 to 20 min |
| Functional Skills Diagnostic Assessment | Strengths and gaps within the level you were placed at, from Entry Level 1 to Level 2 | Not published | Not published |
| Functional Skills Progress Checks | Whether the gaps the Diagnostic found have closed, part way through a course | Not published | Not published |
| Functional Skills Exam Practice | Practice for the functional skills exam itself, which is a separate qualification | Not published | Not published |
| Digital Skills Diagnostic Assessment | Digital Functional Skills and Essential Digital Skills | Not published | Not published |
| GCSE Assessments | English and maths at GCSE level, for learners on a GCSE route rather than functional skills | Not published | Not published |
Counts and timings vary by role level and by the version an employer licences. Check the instructions on the screen before you start. Facts checked 11 September 2026.
bksb is now Assessment & Learning from OneAdvanced. The initial assessment duration is an estimate; the provider selects the modules. Qualification exams are separate from these diagnostic assessments.
Official sources for assessment names and timings
What BKSB assessment formats look like
A visual guide to the skills and response formats covered on this page. Your invitation tells you which assessments to prepare for.
Illustrations by Practice Aptitude Tests · not official test screenshots
Illustrative example
All deliveries arrive before noon.
“A delivery arrives at 2 pm.”
English assessment
Work with reading and language questions as part of your initial or diagnostic assessment.
View guidanceUnderstanding practice scores
These results come from our own practice test in a format covered on this page. They are not official BKSB results, a benchmark for our entire BKSB practice pack, or an employer pass mark.
How our test takers score
Results from our basic numeracy test.
Average score88%
75th-percentile score100%
0%50%100%
Average75th percentile
Source: Practice Aptitude Tests
Based on 100 completed practice sittings, all time. Checked 11 September 2026.
The 75th percentile marks the boundary of the top quarter of recorded scores; tied scores can share that boundary. These are our practice results, not employer pass marks.
How we calculate these figures
We use all-time completed, scored attempts at this practice test. Repeat attempts count separately, so the sample is sittings rather than unique people.
The average is the mean score across those sittings. The 75th percentile comes from their recorded score distribution. The “checked” date is when we retrieved the figures, not the period when the tests were taken.
Sharing these figures? Please credit Practice Aptitude Tests and link to this page.
Practise the real thing
One question tells you the style. A pack gives you the pace: timed and marked, with the working shown.
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What the two stages look like
The Initial Assessment places you. It adjusts as you answer, so the level moves up while you keep getting questions right, and it reports the level you are working at in English and in maths, anywhere from Pre-Entry Level to Level 2. It is interactive and self marking, so the result comes back at the end of the sitting rather than weeks later.
The Diagnostic Assessment then works through that level in detail. It reports your level again more precisely, shows how far you are from the next one, and points at the learning that closes the gap. Providers usually follow it with progress checks part way through the course.
Neither stage is a qualification. The qualification is functional skills, and BKSB is what a provider uses to decide which functional skills level you should be working at and to get you there.
What is on the BKSB maths test
Number first: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, then fractions, decimals, percentages and ratio, and reading numbers written as words. Above that come measure, shape and space, and handling data, which is where charts and tables appear. This is everyday applied maths rather than algebra.
Example question. Adam owns a selection of golf balls. Three eighths of the balls are green and the rest are white. What is the ratio of green to white balls?
a) 3:5 b) 3:8 c) 5:8 d) 8:5
The correct answer is a) 3:5. Three parts in eight are green, which leaves five parts white.
What is on the BKSB English test
Reading, spelling, punctuation and grammar. Comprehension is tested by giving you a passage and asking questions on it, which is as much about separating what the text states from what it implies as it is about reading speed. You are also asked to pick misspelled words out of a list and to answer questions on sentence structure and word choice.
Example question. Which is the correct word to complete the sentence? “The _______ workers were dirty and tired and expressed their displeasure to the boss.”
a) Happy b) Excited c) Disgruntled d) Optimistic
The correct answer is c) Disgruntled, which means angry or dissatisfied.
Who sets it
Further education colleges are the biggest users: bksb say 90% of colleges use their products. Training providers and employers running apprenticeships set it at the point of application or at induction, and it is also used in schools, in prisons and by the NHS. In Australia, bksb Australia has run since 2007 with TAFE Queensland, mapped to the Adult Core Skills Framework, which is why the assessment turns up in TAFE applications too.
Frequently asked questions
What candidates ask us most often
Are the BKSB tests timed?
bksb publish no time limit for either the Initial or the Diagnostic Assessment, and providers usually let you work at your own pace. Check with whoever set it, because the provider decides how the sitting is run, and treat any figure you find online as somebody else’s estimate rather than bksb’s.
What mark do I need to pass a BKSB test?
There is no pass mark. The Initial Assessment reports the level you are working at, from Pre-Entry Level to Level 2, and the Diagnostic reports how far you are from the next one. What counts as good enough is set by your course, apprenticeship or employer, so ask them what level they need before you sit it.
What happens if I do badly on a BKSB test?
You are placed at a lower level and given the learning that goes with it, which is what the assessment is for. It is not a qualification and there is no fail. If the level you reach is below what your programme asks for, you can usually sit it again after some study, and your provider will tell you when.
Can you use a calculator in the BKSB maths assessment?
That is your provider’s decision, not bksb’s, and bksb publish no rule on it. Functional skills maths itself is examined in a non calculator section and a calculator section, so practising the arithmetic by hand is worth doing either way.
How do you prepare for a BKSB test?
Practise the two things it measures, which are everyday maths and reading. Work through timed practice papers so the question styles are familiar, then use what you get wrong as the revision list. The basic numeracy and reading comprehension pages cover the same ground.
Is BKSB the same as functional skills?
No. Functional skills are the qualifications; BKSB is the assessment and learning platform providers use to work out what level you are at and get you ready for them. bksb build their assessments to the reformed functional skills standards, which is why the two look so alike, but passing a BKSB assessment does not award you anything.
BKSB is a trademark of its respective owner. Practice Aptitude Tests is not affiliated with BKSB and our practice tests are not endorsed by them.
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