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Overview

Practice Mode provides a low-stakes environment where users can learn and improve their knowledge. Unlike examination mode, practice sessions offer immediate feedback, unlimited attempts (by default), and a focus on learning rather than assessment.
Practice mode is perfect for self-paced learning, skill building, and familiarizing users with your knowledge check content before taking a formal exam.

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Configuring Practice Mode

Practice mode is configured through the knowledge check settings: 
settings: {
  practice: {
    enablePracticing: boolean,           // Enable/disable practice mode
    allowedPracticeCount: number | null  // Attempt limit (null = unlimited)
  }
}

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Enable Practice

Control whether users can access practice mode: 
{
  "settings": {
    "practice": {
      "enablePracticing": true
    }
  }
}
When enablePracticing is true, users see a “Start Practice” button on the knowledge check page. They can practice as many times as allowed by the attempt count setting.Use when:
  • You want to support self-paced learning
  • Users should be able to familiarize themselves with content
  • The knowledge check is educational rather than purely evaluative

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Practice Attempt Limits

Control how many times users can practice: 
allowedPracticeCount: number | null

Unlimited Practice

Set to null for unlimited attempts
{
  "allowedPracticeCount": null
}
Ideal for learning environments where repetition enhances mastery.

Limited Practice

Set a positive number to limit attempts
{
  "allowedPracticeCount": 5
}
Useful when you want to encourage focused practice sessions.
The minimum allowed practice count is 1. You cannot set it to 0 - instead, disable practice mode entirely using enablePracticing: false.

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Practice Mode Features

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What Makes Practice Different

Practice mode differs from examination mode in several key ways:
Users receive instant feedback after answering each question. They can see:
  • Whether their answer was correct or incorrect
  • What the correct answer(s) should be
  • Explanations (if configured)
This immediate feedback loop accelerates learning and helps users understand mistakes.
Practice sessions have no time limit. Users can:
  • Take as long as they need per question
  • Review their answers before submitting
  • Take breaks without losing progress
The focus is on understanding, not speed.
Practice attempts don’t typically count toward formal evaluations:
  • Results may be tracked for progress monitoring
  • No pressure to achieve a specific score
  • Encourages experimentation and learning from mistakes
Questions marked with accessibility: 'practice-only' appear exclusively in practice mode:
{
  "question": "What is the capital of France?",
  "accessibility": "practice-only"
}
Use this to provide easier warm-up questions or learning exercises.

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User Experience Flow

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Starting a Practice Session

When users access a knowledge check with practice enabled, they see:
  1. Knowledge Check Overview
    • Name and description
    • Difficulty rating
    • Number of questions
    • Remaining practice attempts (if limited)
  2. Start Practice Button
    • Clear call-to-action to begin practicing
    • Disabled if attempt limit reached
    • Shows attempt count: “Practice (3/5 attempts remaining)”
  3. Practice Session Begins
    • Questions presented one at a time or as a full list (depending on settings)
    • Answer options displayed based on question type
    • Progress indicator shows completion status

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During Practice

As users practice, they experience:
1

Answer Questions

Users read each question and select or provide their answer. The interface adapts based on question type:
  • Radio buttons for single choice
  • Checkboxes for multiple choice
  • Drag-drop interface for ordering questions
  • Text area for open-ended responses
2

Submit Answer

After selecting an answer, users click “Submit” or “Next” to lock in their response.
3

View Feedback

Immediately after submission:
  • Correct answers highlighted in green
  • Incorrect selections marked in red
  • Correct answer revealed for comparison
  • Points awarded displayed
4

Continue or Review

Users can:
  • Move to the next question
  • Review previous questions and feedback
  • Exit and return later (progress saved)
5

Complete Session

After all questions:
  • Final score displayed
  • Performance breakdown by category
  • Option to start a new practice session

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After Practice

Following completion:
  • Score Summary: Overall performance and points earned
  • Category Breakdown: Performance across different question categories
  • Retry Option: Start a new practice session (if attempts remain)
  • Progress Tracking: Historical performance data (if logged in)

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Configuration Examples

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Example 1: Open Learning Environment

{
  "settings": {
    "practice": {
      "enablePracticing": true,
      "allowedPracticeCount": null
    }
  }
}
Best for:
  • Educational content
  • Self-paced courses
  • Study guides
  • Training materials

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Example 2: Controlled Practice

{
  "settings": {
    "practice": {
      "enablePracticing": true,
      "allowedPracticeCount": 3
    }
  }
}
Best for:
  • Pre-exam preparation (limited exposure)
  • Resource-intensive checks
  • Encouraging focused practice
  • Preventing over-reliance on practice

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Example 3: Exam-Only Assessment

{
  "settings": {
    "practice": {
      "enablePracticing": false,
      "allowedPracticeCount": null
    }
  }
}
Best for:
  • Formal certification exams
  • High-stakes assessments
  • Preventing question exposure
  • Pure evaluation scenarios

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Combining with Other Settings

Practice mode works alongside other knowledge check settings:

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Question Ordering

settings: {
  examination: {
    questionOrder: 'random' | 'create-order'
  }
}
  • random: Questions appear in different order each practice session
  • create-order: Questions always appear in the same sequence
Random question ordering helps users learn concepts rather than memorize sequences.

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Answer Ordering

settings: {
  examination: {
    answerOrder: 'random' | 'create-order'
  }
}
  • random: Answer options shuffle each session
  • create-order: Answers appear in consistent order

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Question Accessibility

Create practice-specific questions: 
[
  {
    "question": "Easy warm-up question",
    "accessibility": "practice-only",
    "points": 5
  },
  {
    "question": "Question for both modes",
    "accessibility": "all",
    "points": 10
  },
  {
    "question": "Difficult exam question",
    "accessibility": "exam-only",
    "points": 20
  }
]

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Best Practices

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When to Enable Practice Mode

Enable For

  • Learning-focused content
  • Complex material requiring repetition
  • Building confidence before exams
  • Self-assessment tools
  • Training and onboarding

Disable For

  • High-stakes certification
  • Preventing question exposure
  • One-time assessments
  • Security-sensitive content
  • Formal evaluations

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Setting Attempt Limits

Advantages:
  • Maximum learning opportunity
  • Builds mastery through repetition
  • Reduces anxiety
  • Supports different learning paces
Considerations:
  • May lead to over-reliance on practice
  • Could expose all questions too thoroughly
  • Requires larger question bank

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Designing for Practice

  1. Include Practice-Only Questions: Create easier questions specifically for learning
  2. Provide Rich Feedback: Consider adding explanations to answers
  3. Progressive Difficulty: Order questions from easy to hard in create-order mode
  4. Clear Instructions: Explain how practice differs from exams
  5. Encourage Use: Promote practice as a learning tool, not just test prep

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Monitoring Practice Activity

While practice is low-stakes, tracking can provide valuable insights:
  • Completion Rates: How many users complete practice sessions
  • Attempt Counts: Average number of practice attempts per user
  • Score Improvement: Performance trends across multiple attempts
  • Common Mistakes: Questions with high failure rates in practice
  • Time Spent: How long users spend practicing
Use practice data to improve your knowledge check content, identify difficult concepts, and refine question quality.

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Troubleshooting

Check:
  • enablePracticing is set to true
  • Knowledge check openDate has passed
  • Knowledge check closeDate hasn’t passed (if set)
  • User hasn’t exceeded allowedPracticeCount
Verify:
  • allowedPracticeCount is not null
  • Sessions are being completed (not abandoned)
  • User is logged in (for persistent tracking)
Ensure:
  • Questions have accessibility set to 'all' or 'practice-only'
  • Questions are properly assigned to existing categories
  • Question categories are enabled

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Next Steps

Examination Mode

Set up formal timed assessments with attempt tracking

Question Types

Learn about the four question types

Categories

Organize questions with prerequisites

Knowledge Checks

Back to knowledge check overview

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