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Assessment is a cornerstone of effective teaching and learning. It’s how educators measure what students know, understand, and can do, and how learners receive feedback that supports their progress.

Understanding the different types of assessment is essential for educators aiming to improve outcomes, adapt their teaching strategies, and meet individual learning needs. Each form of assessment serves a distinct purpose and contributes to a more complete picture of student progress and achievement.

In this guide, we break down the key types of assessment in education and explore how each one plays a role in shaping the learning experience.

What is an assessment in education?

In education, assessment refers to the process of gathering information about a student’s knowledge, skills, and understanding. It helps teachers evaluate whether learning goals are being met and supports learners in identifying areas for improvement.

Assessments don’t just measure learning, they actively shape it. By providing timely feedback, they help teachers refine their instruction and give students the insight they need to grow. When used thoughtfully, assessment is a powerful tool for guiding the learning journey.

The main types of assessment in education

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is an ongoing process used throughout teaching and learning to check for understanding, track progress, and guide what comes next. These assessments are typically low stakes, meaning they aren’t used for final results. Instead, their purpose is to support learning.

For educators, formative assessment highlights where learners may be struggling, enabling timely intervention or a change in teaching approach. For learners, it provides regular, constructive feedback and encourages active engagement with the material.

Examples of formative assessment include:

  • Short, low-stakes quizzes at the end of a lesson to reinforce and check understanding
  • Peer or group discussions, where learners share ideas and clarify concepts together
  • Mock exams or practice tests, used not for grading but to highlight strengths and areas for improvement before final assessments

Formative assessment is most effective when it’s embedded into everyday classroom practice. It turns learning into a two-way process, encouraging students to reflect on their progress and enabling teachers to respond in real time.

“Features on the platform allow students to tailor the questions they need to improve on and improve their overall score. Their spaced repetition algorithm also helps highlight areas students need to improve.”

-Freenow user

Summative assessment

Summative assessment evaluates learning at the end of a specific instructional period, such as a unit, course, or academic year. Its primary purpose is to determine whether key learning objectives have been met.

These assessments are typically high stakes, meaning the results contribute significantly to final grades, qualifications, or decisions about progression.

Examples of summative assessment include:

  • Final written exams, designed to assess overall understanding of a subject
  • Standardised tests, which measure performance against national or institutional benchmarks
  • End-of-project presentations or coursework, used to evaluate the application of knowledge and skills
  • Professional certification exams, like those delivered by GRESB

For GRESB, the certification exam plays a crucial role in validating sustainability expertise and supporting career advancement.

"The customised certificate has been definitely a great piece of feedback from the end users. When users pass the exam, the certificate they get, they can share it on their LinkedIn profile.”

While summative assessments are vital for measuring achievement, they should be balanced with ongoing formative methods to provide a fuller picture of each learner’s progress and potential.

Diagnostic assessment

Diagnostic assessment is used before instruction begins to assess a learner’s existing knowledge, skills, and misconceptions. It helps teachers identify starting points and tailor their teaching to individual or group needs.

This type of assessment is especially useful for planning interventions or adapting teaching method.

Examples of diagnostic assessment include:

  • Pre-tests, used to gauge prior knowledge before teaching begins
  • Learning style inventories, to better understand how individual students learn
  • Skills gap analyses, which identify areas requiring targeted support

By understanding where students are starting from, teachers can make instruction more targeted and effective.

Ipsative assessment

Ipsative assessment compares a student’s current performance with their own previous work, rather than against peers or set criteria. Its goal is to support personal growth, reflection, and continuous improvement.

This form of assessment is particularly motivating for learners, as it encourages self-evaluation and celebrates progress.

Examples of ipsative assessment include:

  • Learning journals, where students track reflections and progress over time
  • Personal goal reviews, used to assess progress against individual learning targets
  • Self-assessed progress tracking, comparing current work to earlier efforts

Ipsative assessment works well in environments that prioritise individual development over competition.

Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments

Norm-referenced assessments compare a student’s performance to that of a broader peer group. They are commonly used in standardised testing to rank or sort learners.

Criterion-referenced assessments, on the other hand, evaluate students against fixed learning objectives or standards, regardless of how peers perform.

Examples of norm-referenced assessments include:

  • IQ tests, designed to rank cognitive ability relative to a population
  • Standardised aptitude tests, such as national curriculum benchmarks or entrance exams

Examples of criterion-referenced assessments include:

  • Driving tests, where performance is measured against a fixed standard
  • Curriculum-based exams, aligned to specific learning outcomes or objectives

Each approach has its own strengths. Norm-referenced tests help identify relative performance, while criterion-referenced assessments provide a clearer picture of whether learning goals have been met.

Choosing the right type of assessment

There’s no single assessment type that works for every context. The best approach depends on your learning objectives, subject matter, and the needs of your learners. A well-balanced mix of assessment types allows educators to track progress, identify gaps, and provide timely support.

Formative assessments are most useful during the learning process, helping to shape teaching in real time. Summative assessments are best for measuring overall achievement at the end of a topic or course. Diagnostic assessments help identify where to start, while ipsative assessments encourage self-reflection and personal growth over time.

By aligning your assessment strategy with specific goals and learner needs, you can make your teaching more targeted, responsive, and effective.

Bringing assessment strategies to life

Knowing the different types of assessment is one thing. Putting them into practice in a way that’s meaningful, manageable, and consistent is often much harder. Whether you're supporting a small group of learners or running large-scale assessments, it's easy to get caught up in admin, lose track of progress, or struggle to meet everyone's needs.

The right tools won’t replace good teaching, but they can make the process more manageable. With the right platform in place, you can save time, deliver more consistent assessments, and get clearer insights into learner performance.

How Synap can help

At Synap, we know that assessment needs to be flexible, data-driven, and built around the needs of both educators and learners. Our online exam platform is built to support a wide range of assessment types, whether you're delivering formative quizzes, summative exams, or diagnostic evaluations.

With Synap, you can:

Synap is trusted by educational institutions, tutoring companies, certification bodies, and recruitment teams that want a smarter, more scalable way to assess.

Let’s talk about your assessment goals

If you're looking to streamline your assessment process, improve learner outcomes, or scale your strategy without increasing admin, we can help. Synap is designed to support flexible, high-quality assessment at any scale.

Book a free demo to see how Synap could work for your organisation. We’ll walk you through the platform and explore how it can support your goals.