Taking an Assessment

Assessments are formal activities that allow your trainer to evaluate your knowledge and skills. They may contain a mix of question types, from multiple choice and true/ false to short answer and file uploads, and are submitted to your trainer for review and marking. This article walks you through everything you need to know to start, complete, and submit an assessment confidently.

What's Covered in This Article

This article explains the full student experience for completing an assessment in Nimbu, from opening the activity through to viewing your final result.

Starting an Assessment: How to access and begin an assessment when it is available.
Answering Questions: How to respond to different question types.
Saving Your Answers: How your work is saved as you go.
Submitting Your Assessment: How to finalise and send your work to your trainer.
Multiple Attempts: What happens when you have more than one attempt available.
Due Dates and Auto-Submit: How deadlines work and what happens when time runs out.
Viewing Your Results: How to access your result and trainer feedback after marking.

Starting an Assessment

Checking Availability

Before you can begin an assessment, it must be available to you. An assessment may be unavailable if:

It is locked by a prerequisite: you need to complete a prior resource or activity first.
It requires trainer activation: your trainer has not yet opened it for your cohort.
It has a scheduled open time: it will become available at a set date and time.

If an assessment shows a lock icon or a time indicator, check the information displayed to understand when and how it will become accessible.

Read-Only Period

Some assessments have a read-only period before the open time. During this window, you can open the assessment and review its questions, but you cannot submit any answers. This gives you time to read through the content and prepare before your attempt begins.

Opening the Assessment

When the assessment is ready:

Navigate to the relevant unit in your class.
Locate the assessment and click View.
An information screen will appear showing key details, include the attempt number, any due time, and open or read-only time settings. Review these carefully before proceeding.
Click Start Now to begin your attempt.

Note: Once you click Start Now, your attempt has begun. If a due time is set, the countdown starts from this point.

Answering Questions

Assessments in Nimbu may include several question types. Here is how to respond to each.

Multiple Choice

A question with one correct answer selected from several options.

Read the question carefully, then click the option you believe is correct.
Your selection is highlighted. You can change your answer at any time before submitting.

True/ False

A statement that you must identify as either true or false.

Click True or False to record your answer.
You can change your selection before submitting.

Selection (Multiple Select)

A question where more than one correct answer may apply.

Tick all options you believe are correct.
Read the question wording carefully, it will indicate if multiple answers are expected.

Short Answer

An open-ended question requiring a written response.

Click into the text field and type your answer.
Write clearly and address all parts of the question. Your trainer will review and mark this response manually.

Upload

A question requiring you to attach a file as evidence, such as a document, image, or portfolio piece.

Click Upload or the attachment icon.
Select the file from your device. Supported file types and size limits will be shown.
Once uploaded, the file name will appear confirming the attachment. You can remove and replace it before submitting.

Tip: Before submitting, scroll through all questions to confirm you have answered every one. Unanswered questions are automatically marked as Not Satisfactory (NS) by the system.

Saving Your Answers

Nimbu saves your answers automatically as you work through the assessment. You do not need to manually save after each question. If you need to stop partway through:

Your answers will be retained when you return, provided you are within the same attempt and before any due time.
Navigate back to the assessment via your unit and click View to resume.

Important: Saving is automatic, but it is not the same as submitting. Your trainer will not see your work until you click the Submit button. If a due time is reached before you submit, the assessment will be auto-submitted on your behalf.

Submitting Your Assessment

When you have answered all questions and are ready to submit:

Review your answers using the question navigation panel or by scrolling through the assessment.
When satisfied, click the Submit button.
A confirmation prompt may appear which confirm to finalise your submission.

Once submitted, your assessment moves to TBM (To Be Marked) status and enters your trainer's marking queue. You will not be able to edit your answers after submission unless your trainer requests a revision or resubmission.

Note: Self-marking questions (multiple choice, true/false, selection) are graded automatically by the system at the moment of submission. Short answer and upload questions require manual review by your trainer.

Multiple Attempts

Your RTO may configure assessments to allow more than one attempt. This gives you the opportunity to improve your result if your self-marking questions are not all correct on the first try.

How Attempts Work

The information screen shown before you click Start Now will display your current attempt number and the total number of attempts available (for example, "Attempt 1 of 3").
After submitting an attempt where self-marking questions are incorrect and attempts remain, you will see a result screen showing how many attempts you have left. You can choose to resubmit.
Each new attempt starts fresh for self-marking questions. Short answer and upload questions from previous attempts remain visible for your reference.

Reaching the Last Attempt

On your final attempt, the assessment is automatically submitted for your trainer's review and marking, regardless of your self-marking results.
If a due time is set per attempt, the timer for each new attempt begins as soon as you submit the previous one.

Trainer-Granted Additional Attempts

Even if you have used all your allowed attempts, your trainer can grant you an additional attempt by requesting a resubmission. If this happens, you will receive a notification and the assessment will become accessible again.

Due Dates and Auto-Submit

Due Dates

Your trainer may set a due date for an assessment — a specific date and time by which your submission must be received. The due time is displayed on the assessment information screen before you begin, and a countdown timer appears while you are working.

What Happens at the Due Time

If the due time is reached before you manually submit:

The assessment is automatically submitted by the system.
A pop-up notification will appear on your screen informing you that time has ended and your work has been turned in.
Any questions you have not answered will be marked as NS (Not Satisfactory).
Your submission is sent to your trainer for review and marking.

Important: Auto-submission cannot be reversed. Submit your assessment before the due time to ensure all your answers are complete and intentional.

Per-Attempt Due Times

If attempt limits are configured with individual due times, the timer for each attempt begins at a different point:

First attempt : The due time starts from the moment you open the assessment or from the trainer-set open time, whichever applies.
Subsequent attempts : The due time for each new attempt begins as soon as the previous attempt is submitted.

Viewing Your Results

Self-Marking Questions

Results for multiple choice, true/false, and selection questions are available immediately after you submit. The system marks these automatically and displays whether each answer was correct or incorrect.

Trainer-Marked Questions

Short answer and upload questions are reviewed manually by your trainer. These results will not be available until your trainer has completed their marking.

Accessing Your Result

Once your trainer has finalised the assessment result:

You will receive an in-app notification and an email advising that your result is ready.
Navigate to the relevant unit and click View on the assessment.
Your result will be displayed as either S (Satisfactory) or NS (Not Satisfactory), along with any feedback your trainer has provided.

If Your Result is Not Satisfactory

If you receive an NS result, your trainer may:

Request a resubmission: asking you to redo the entire assessment or specific questions as a new attempt.
Request revisions: asking you to edit and resubmit your existing answers without starting a new attempt.

You will receive a notification when either of these requests is made. See the Resubmitting Your Work article for a full walkthrough of what to do next.