All ICDL courses offer free online practice tests called Diagnostic Tests to help you diagnose what digital skills you need to work on the most.
What is an ICDL diagnostic test?
Diagnostic tests are a kind of practice or mock assessment of your skills for a specific ICDL course. They contain similar questions to the actual certification test which you sit when you have completed a course. They can be taken before or after you complete your eLearning.
You can take a diagnostic test as many times as you like. There are also no time limits on diagnostic tests so you can stop and start as often as you need to.
Why take a diagnostic test before a course?
You’ll be able to assess your knowledge on the chosen topic in your own time. You can take these tests before you get started to find any weak spots that you may want to focus on while studying the course.
You may feel confident you have enough knowledge to skip straight to certification for a subject, so a diagnostic test will be able to confirm if this is the case.
Why take a diagnostic test after a course?
These tests let you get used to the way the tests are run, to make you feel comfortable when you are ready to sit the actual test. This way you can focus on answering to your best ability as you’ll be used to the structure and way the tests are performed.
You’ll also be given solutions to any answers which were incorrect, so you’ll find out if you need a little extra study or revision before you sit the certification test.
Will a diagnostic test help me pass my final exam?
Diagnostic tests use a very similar format to the final exam. It will help you relax and feel confident about not only your subject but also the test and the way questions are asked.
All of our tests use the software you’re familiar with so if you’re learning Spreadsheets course to master Microsoft Excel then that is what we will use to test you on.
You can do diagnostic tests as many times as you like until you are confident you will pass your final exam – called a certification test.
How do I access my diagnostic test?
- Login at https://cms.ics-skills.net/learner
2. Once you login you will be redirected to your personal profile page listing at https://cms.ics-skills.net/learner/profile
3. 
Under ‘Automated Tests’ section at the bottom of the page, select the course you would like to practice for (course may Differ than that shown below)
4. Under Diag Standard, select the test for the course you would like to practice
5. Please refer to our Testing Setup Guide if you have any technical problems at https://web.ics-skills.net/support/Preparing_for_ATS_tests.docx
When am I ready to take a certification test?
ICDL Foundation recommends you achieving a pass rate of 80% in your diagnostic test to ensure your knowledge is high enough to comfortably pass the actual ICDL certification test.
Find an ICDL Accredited Test Centre near you