Choosing a test type and level
Reference table of available levels and formats
Choosing a test type
Digital or Paper
PTM is available as either a digital or a paper test.
Please note that any SEND accommodation requirements might affect our recommendation for which format of the test you take. See Testing SEND and EAL students for more details.
Digital
PTM is currently available as a digital test for levels 7-15 for both Form A and Form B, as well as Level 11T for Form A.
The digital format is taken on our Testwise platform and all instructions and questions are fully incorporated into the digital test.
Digital PTM tests can be taken on a laptop or PC, but are not currently available on tablets.
NOTE: Level 15 is standardised for international schools only and is not recommended for use in the UK.
Paper
PTM is also available as a paper test for:
- Levels 5-14 + Level 11T (Form A)
- Levels 7-11 (Form B)
This currently means that you can test twice a year with paper for Year Groups 1-6 (UK) if you would like to.
Student booklets are accompanied by an 'At a Glance Guide' which contains all instructions necessary for the teacher or test administrator.
Form A or Form B
There are two sets of tests available for PTM, Form A and Form B. They are based on the same standardisation and test the same skills at the appropriate ages, but contain different questions with different phrasings and specific scenarios. This means that, for most levels, there are two tests available to choose from.
Please see the table at the top of the page for the available levels in each form and format.
Annual Administration
If you would like to administer the test once a year, you can choose either of the forms to administer. We strongly recommend that you do not randomly assign different forms to different students within the same cohort, but that you pick either Form A or Form B to administer to the entire cohort.
Testing twice a year
You can use both forms to test twice in the year if you would like to measure a student's baseline at the start of the year, progress or effectiveness of intervention during the year, or retention of knowledge over the school break.
We recommend testing in the first and third terms of the academic year, as these are closest to the original standardisation window.
IMPORTANT: If you are testing in the first term of the year you MUST use the level for the year below. For example, if you are testing at the beginning of UK Year 5, you will test with Level 9 in the first term of the year, and then with Level 10 in the third term. This is because students will not have learned all of the content covered in the Level 10 test in the first term of the year.
This is still the same if you are wanting to measure in-year progress: the SAS scores and statistical analysis will allow you to compare a student's progress over the year even though they have taken two different levels of test.
The table below demonstrates how this schedule works:
This example shows the use of Form A (but the level below) at the beginning of the academic year, with Form B (of the correct age level) used for the end of the year. You can however use the Forms in either order, as long as you remain consistent with your schedule and do not use the same Form for the same students more than once.
Choosing a test level
Please refer to the tables below to see the target year groups and age range covered for each test level.
UK - Test level age guide
| PTM Level Start of school year | PTM Level End of school year | Year Group (England and Wales) | Year Group (Northern Ireland) | Age of Year Group | Key Stage (England and Wales) | Key Stage (Northern Ireland) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 5 | Reception | Year 1 | 4 - 5 | Early Years | KS1 | |
| Level 5 | Level 6 | Year 1 | Year 2 | 5 - 6 | KS1 | KS1 |
| Level 6 | Level 7 | Year 2 | Year 3 | 6 - 7 | KS1 | KS1 |
| Level 7 | Level 8 | Year 3 | Year 4 | 7 - 8 | KS2 | KS1 |
| Level 8 | Level 9 | Year 4 | Year 5 | 8 - 9 | KS2 | KS2 |
| Level 9 | Level 10 | Year 5 | Year 6 | 9 - 10 | KS2 | KS2 |
| Level 10 | Level 11 | Year 6 | Year 7 | 10 - 11 | KS2 | KS2 |
| Level 11T | Level 12 | Year 7 | Year 8 | 11 - 12 | KS3 | KS3 |
| Level 12 | Level 13 | Year 8 | Year 9 | 12 - 13 | KS3 | KS3 |
| Level 13 | Level 14 | Year 9 | Year 10 | 13 - 14 | KS3 | KS3 |
| Level 14 | Level 15 | Year 10 | Year 11 | 14 - 15 | KS4 | KS4 |
International - Test level age guide
| Year (UK) | Grade (US) | Grade (Indian) | IB Programme | Age of Year Group | PTM level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1st | 1st | 1st PYP | 6-7 | 7 |
| 3 | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd PYP | 7 - 8 | 8 |
| 4 | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd PYP | 8 - 9 | 9 |
| 5 | 4th | 4th | 4th PYP | 9 - 10 | 10 |
| 6 | 5th | 5th | 5th PYP | 10 - 11 | 11 |
| 7 | 6th | 6th | 6th PYP | 11 - 12 | 12/11T* |
| 8 | 7th | 7th | 7th PYP | 12 - 13 | 13 |
| 9 | 8th | 8th | 8th PYP | 13 - 14 | 14 |
| 10 | 9th | 9th | 9th PYP | 14 - 15 | 15** |
*11T is available as a transition test at the start of the year and must be administered in the first half-term of secondary school. There is no end-of-year test for UK Year 7 or equivalent students. PLEASE NOTE: Level 11T is not available in the UAE.
** There is no mental maths at Level 15 and a calculator can only be used in the main part of the test.