Cisco Networking Academy Assessments FAQ

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Cisco Networking Academy Assessments
Frequently Asked Questions
Last Updated 22 November 2013
FAQ Table of Contents
Overview of Cisco Networking Academy Assessments ...................................................................... 3
Q1. What types of assessments are available? .......................................................................................... 3
Q2. What is a pretest exam? ...................................................................................................................... 3
Q3. How are exams designed and where can I find the assessment objectives or competencies? ........... 4
Q4. What types of questions and how many questions are typically on an exam? ..................................... 4
Q5. What is a Packet Tracer Media Object (PTMO)? ................................................................................. 4
Q6. What versions of Packet Tracer and Java are required for course and assessment activities? ........... 4
Q7. If I had problems upgrading to the latest version of Java, can I skip the questions with PTMO
components in the pretest, chapter, and final exams in the CCNA Routing and Switching courses? ............ 4
Q8. Can I skip questions with drag-and-drop components? ....................................................................... 5
Q9. Can students revert to the beginning of an exam if they erroneously click on Skip? ............................ 5
Q10. What happens if my browser closes while taking an exam? ............................................................ 5
Cisco Packet Tracer Skills Assessments .............................................................................................. 5
Q11. What are Cisco Packet Tracer Skills Assessments? ....................................................................... 5
Q12. What types of Packet Tracer Skills Assessments are currently available? ...................................... 5
Q13. What are some benefits of the PTSAs for CCNA courses? ............................................................. 5
Q14. Will the PTSAs be translated from English into other languages? ................................................... 5
Technical Requirements .................................................................................................................................... 5
Q15. What are the local computer requirements for taking a PTSA? ....................................................... 5
Q16. What are the software requirements for taking a PTSA? ................................................................. 6
Q17. What are the steps to set up your device for a PTSA exam? .......................................................... 6
Q18. How can I get help with issues related to downloading or installing Packet Tracer or Java, or with
running the PT Skills Assessment Environment Checker? ............................................................................. 6
Q19. Do I need to open any special network ports to communicate with the Networking Academy
assessment servers? ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Instructor Exam Administration ........................................................................................................................ 6
Q20. How do I preview a PTSA before activating it? ................................................................................ 6
Q21. How do I activate a PTSA? .............................................................................................................. 6
Q22. What exam settings are available when activating a PTSA? ........................................................... 7
Q23. How can I tell which PTSA exams are activated? ............................................................................ 7
Q24. Can I activate multiple PTSAs using the Activation Tool? ............................................................... 7
Q25. Can PTSAs be used to replace the final hands-on skill exams? ...................................................... 7
Q26. Why do the PTSAs appear in the course Gradebook with a default grade weighting if they are
meant for practice purposes only? ................................................................................................................. 7
Q27. Can I make modifications to the PTSA scoring rules? ..................................................................... 7
Q28. Where can I find information about the topics covered on each exam? .......................................... 7
Q29. Can students take a PTSA outside of the classroom? ..................................................................... 7

2. © 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 2 of 20
Q30. Can I print the PTSA activity instructions for my students? ............................................................. 7
Q31. What kind of instructor feedback is available after a student has completed a PTSA? ................... 8
Q32. How can I view the Item Information Page (IIP) for a student? ........................................................ 8
Q33. Do PTSAs help students prepare only for the final hands-on skill exams? ...................................... 8
Student Exam Experience ................................................................................................................................. 8
Q34. What level of Packet Tracer experience is needed to complete a PTSA? ....................................... 8
Q35. How can a student initiate a PTSA? ................................................................................................ 8
Q36. What steps are involved in taking a PTSA? ..................................................................................... 8
Q37. After completing an exam, how do I submit my work for scoring? ................................................... 9
Q38. Can I pause an exam and come back to finish it at a later time? ..................................................... 9
Q39. How long does it take to complete a PTSA? .................................................................................... 9
Q40. Can I print the PTSA activity instructions? ....................................................................................... 9
Q41. How do I resume working on a previously saved assessment? ....................................................... 9
Q42. Do I need to start Packet Tracer before taking the exam? ............................................................... 9
Q43. What happens to the work I’ve already completed on the exam if my computer experiences a
system or software crash? ............................................................................................................................ 10
Q44. Do I need to close Packet Tracer before submitting my work for scoring? .................................... 10
Q45. How can I manage the multiple windows that appear after launching the exam? .......................... 10
Q46. Do I need to pay attention to the correct case when entering my work in a PTSA? ...................... 10
Q47. What kind of student feedback is available for a PTSA? ............................................................... 10
Q48. How can I report bugs in the PTSA exams or assessment environment? ..................................... 10
Support ............................................................................................................................................................. 10
Q49. Where can I get help with questions regarding the PTSAs? .......................................................... 10
Q50. How can I report issues, errors, or bugs in the PTSAs or assessment environment? ................... 10
Q51. Where can I discuss the PTSAs with other instructors? ................................................................ 10
Appendix A: Student View of PTSA Feedback ................................................................................... 11
Appendix B: Instructor View of PTSA Feedback ................................................................................ 14
Appendix C: Common PTSA Errors ..................................................................................................... 17

3. © 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 3 of 20
Overview of Cisco Networking Academy Assessments
Q1. What types of assessments are available?
A. The Cisco Networking Academy
®
program provides a wide array of assessment types and tools to help
students, instructors, and administrators understand the strengths and weaknesses of individuals as they
progress through a curriculum. Students receive feedback on their knowledge and skills through self-activated
assessments and online activities. Instructors can schedule and deliver more formal and summative
assessments through a globally accessible online assessment system. Although Cisco provides these tools, it
does not specify instructional actions and uses for assessments, but does offer sound pedagogical
suggestions for their use in making inferences about students’ abilities.
Assessments provide valuable teaching and learning metrics that are important to all groups of stakeholders:
● Students receive formative feedback and a summative evaluation of their learning.
● Instructors receive formative feedback and summative evaluations of their teaching.
● Administrators supporting and managing Cisco Academies receive information that provides
opportunities for coaching, remediation, and recognition.
We offer a full suite of assessments to support 21st century learning:
● Formative assessments provide practice and support to help students master core concepts. Formative
assessments align with topics covered in the curriculum and give students and instructors detailed
feedback about students' strengths and weaknesses. Chapter quizzes, interactive Flash tasks,
simulations, and Cisco
®
Packet Tracer activities embedded throughout the curriculum are examples of
formative assessments that support learning and evaluation of student performance.
● Summative assessments help measure students' familiarity with course content and ability to apply
their knowledge. Summative assessments are designed to summarize the knowledge and skills of a
student, and usually cover a broader range of information than formative assessments and provide less
detailed feedback. Examples include online practice certification exams, final exams, and hands-on
performance exams administered on real equipment.
● Cisco Packet Tracer Skills Assessments allow students to assess their knowledge and skills using the
simulation and configuration capabilities of the Packet Tracer learning environment. Packet Tracer Skills
Assessments (PTSAs) are currently available for Cisco CCNA
®
and CCNA Security courses. These
formative assessments are designed to help students prepare for the final hands-on skills exam at the
end of each course.
Q2. What is a pretest exam?
A. Skills review and pretest exams are optional exams made available at the beginning of some NetAcad™
courses to help instructors and students prepare for the course. Skills review exams test for prerequisite
knowledge that students are expected to have before starting a course. A skills review exam is available for
the IT Essentials course.
A pretest exam covers both prerequisite knowledge and core content that is included in the course. Pretest
exams are available for each Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching course. The exam is designed to give
instructors and students an indication of the student's prerequisite knowledge, as well as their familiarity with
the major concepts presented in the course.
A sub-score report is provided to the student upon completion of the pretest exam. The report shows
performance for each knowledge area tested. This information is intended to help students and their

4. © 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 4 of 20
instructors determine areas in which further study is required to help ensure a student’s success. Cisco does
not define a passing score or an acceptable score in any of the areas tested.
Q3. How are exams designed and where can I find the assessment objectives or competencies?
A. NetAcad uses the Evidence Center Design framework to design, develop, and deliver our exams. As a result
of this process, each exam is designed based on a Table of Specification (TOS), or blueprint, that aligns with
the same objectives, competencies, and topic coverage as the curriculum. TOS documents can be found
under Chapter and Final Exam Design Documents in the Instructor Resources section for each course.
Q4. What types of questions and how many questions are typically on an exam?
A. Most exams contain a combination of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, drag-and-drop, and Packet Tracer
simulation-based questions. Performance-based activities are used in conjunction with other types of tasks to
gather detailed evidence of the student’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. The type of question used depends
on the objective that needs to be assessed and the inference goal.
Pretest exams typically have 40 questions, with approximately 60% of the questions covering prerequisite
content and 40% covering course content.
Chapter exams typically contain 15 to 25 questions and are designed to assess a student’s mastery of the
content for each chapter in the online curriculum. In some cases, an exam may combine the information from
two or more chapters as the student progresses through a course.
Final exams typically contain 50 to 60 questions that align with the objectives outlined for the course.
Q5. What is a Packet Tracer Media Object (PTMO)?
A. A PTMO is a Packet Tracer activity that acts as an interactive media object for multiple choice, drag-and-drop,
and fill-in-the-blank questions. Students perform basic configuration, design, and exploration tasks within the
PTMO activity before answering the question. PTMOs currently appear in assessments in the CCNA Routing
and Switching courses.
Q6. What versions of Packet Tracer and Java are required for course and assessment activities?
A. We strongly recommend using the latest available version of Packet Tracer and Java for all course and
assessment activities. The latest version of Java must be installed and enabled in each browser used for
course and assessment activities. Please see Q17 for installation instructions for PT and Java.
While we recommend using the latest version of Packet Tracer for all courses, there is a minimum version that
must be used per curriculum for activities and assessments to work properly. The minimum versions required
are as follows:
Curriculum Minimum Packet Tracer Version Required
IT Essentials 5.0 P T 5.3.3
CCNA Routing and Switching PT 6.0.1
CCNA Discovery and CCNA Exploration PT 5.3.3
CCNA Security PT 5.3.2
Q7. If I had problems upgrading to the latest version of Java, can I skip the questions with PTMO
components in the pretest, chapter, and final exams in the CCNA Routing and Switching courses?
A. After the selection of the exam has been made, a Skip button will appear. Click the Skip button to prevent PT
from initializing. The questions will still display but you will not be able to launch the PT activity. This means

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that information needed to answer the question will not be available, but the question will still be scored based
on the student's response. Instructors can re-grade or curve the exam scores from the Grades section of their
course if desired.
Q8. Can I skip questions with drag-and-drop components?
There is no way to prevent drag-and-drop items, which are built in Flash, from loading. The question will be A.
scored based on the student's response. If left blank, the question will be scored as incorrect. However,
instructors can re-grade or curve the exam scores from the Grades section of their course.
Q9. Can students revert to the beginning of an exam if they erroneously click on Skip?
A. If the Skip button is selected at the beginning of an exam in error, the user can reload the exam and allow
Packet Tracer to initialize. Before reloading the exam, the user should ensure that the correct software is
installed. Simply close the assessment window, resume the exam, and allow the Packet Tracer initialization
process to complete. When resuming the exam, all previously answered questions will be saved.
Q10. What happens if my browser closes while taking an exam?
A. Your exam information is saved. Simply close the assessment window, click on the Assignment link for the
exam, and click Resume Assessment. If the instructor must re-enable the assessment, please contact the
instructor for assistance.
Cisco Packet Tracer Skills Assessments
Q11. What are Cisco Packet Tracer Skills Assessments?
A. Cisco Packet Tracer Skills Assessments are formative assessments that measure student performance and
knowledge of networking concepts and skills using the simulation and configuration capabilities of the Packet
Tracer learning environment. The online, centrally administrated Packet Tracer Skills Assessment environment
presents complex and authentic tasks, immediately scores the exams, and provides rich, detailed feedback,
which is also integrated into the Student Performance Summary for instructors and available in the course
Assessment History for students.
Q12. What types of Packet Tracer Skills Assessments are currently available?
A. Packet Tracer Skills Assessments are available as practice exams for CCNA Routing and Switching, CCNA
Discovery, CCNA Exploration, and CCNA Security courses. These PTSAs help students prepare for the
corresponding final hands-on SBA for each course. The exams are available in English only. Some practice
exams are available in multiple courses within a curriculum.
Q13. What are some benefits of the PTSAs for CCNA courses?
A. The PTSAs help students and instructors identify areas that need improvement to help increase student
confidence, satisfaction, and success when preparing for the final hands-on SBAs at the end of the CCNA
courses.
Q14. Will the PTSAs be translated from English into other languages?
A. While there are no plans to translate the exams at this time, the English versions of these exams are available
for use by all CCNA academies, regardless of the course language version being used.
Technical Requirements
Q15. What are the local computer requirements for taking a PTSA?
A. The requirements are the same as the recommendations for the NetAcad

CCNA courses.

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Q16. What are the software requirements for taking a PTSA?
A. We recommend using the latest available version of Packet Tracer and Java for all course and assessment
activities. Please see Q6 for the minimum software requirements for each curriculum and Q17 for download
instructions.
Q17. What are the steps to set up your device for a PTSA exam?
A. The steps to correctly set up your device for a PTSA are as follows:
1.Download and install PT 6.0.1 or above if your device does not have PT installed.
a.After logging in to the Cisco NetSpace™ learning environment, select Offerings > Packet Tracer,
then click Download Packet Tracer.
2.Download and install the latest version of Java.
www.java.com.a.The latest version of Java can be downloaded from
http://java.com/verify.b.You can verify that Java is installed by going to
Chrome, Firefox, and Internet 3.Perform this test on each compatible browser installed on your device (
Explorer). Reboot your device to make sure all software and environmental variables are loaded properly.
4.Click on the PTSA Environment Checker on the Packet Tracer page, or on your course Getting Ready
page, to validate that your system is ready. Each student should be instructed to run the PTSA
Environment Checker at the beginning of a course, and again as needed during the course before an
exam, to ensure their system’s readiness.
Q18. How can I get help with issues related to downloading or installing Packet Tracer or Java, or with
running the PT Skills Assessment Environment Checker?
A. Students should contact their instructor for assistance. If further help is needed, click Help at the top of your
NetSpace homepage.
Q19. Do I need to open any special network ports to communicate with the Networking Academy
assessment servers?
A. No, special ports are not required.
Instructor Exam Administration
Q20. How do I preview a PTSA before activating it?
A. Go to the Assignment page, then select the PTSA exam link that you wish to preview. Click Assessment
Viewer. The first page displays a description. Use the navigation buttons at the bottom of the window to view
the instructions and high-level scoring information, and to preview the PT Activity associated with this
assessment.
Please note that some PTSAs include variables. The variations may consist of changes to the topology layout,
labeling, names of the devices, addresses, and other surface features that are intended to keep the
assessment experience the same but provide more opportunities for practice. These variations appear in the
instructions and the topologies. Students will receive different versions of the assessment that combine
different names, labels, addresses, and numbers with different topology layouts. There are several possible
combinations. Each time you launch the PT Activity, you will receive a different variation of the assessment.
An ID number representing the specific combination given can be found at the end of the instructions
for the activity.
Q21. How do I activate a PTSA?
A. The PTSAs are activated from the Assignment page using the normal assessment activation process.
Instructors can use the default activation settings or modify them as needed.

7. © 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 7 of 20
Q22. What exam settings are available when activating a PTSA?
A. The default exam login activation period is one hour, but you can activate the exam for up to 30 days. The
default number of exam attempts is 20 to allow students to take the exam as many times as needed to gain
proficiency, but instructors can reduce this number during activation. The default exam duration is 2 hours,
which can also be adjusted as needed up to a maximum of 10 hours.
Note: Exam settings should not exceed the dates for the course. Some exams are shared across
courses and may prevent future activations for the student.
Q23. How can I tell which PTSA exams are activated?
A. Select the PTSA from the course Assignment page. Click Manage Activations to view current activations and
manage your activations.
Q24. Can I activate multiple PTSAs using the Activation Tool?
A. Currently, only chapter exams can use the bulk assessment activation process. All other exams, including
PTSAs, must be activated from the Assignments page. After activation, you can manage PTSA exams from
the Activation Tool.
Q25. Can PTSAs be used to replace the final hands-on skill exams?
A. No. The PTSAs were not designed to be a replacement for the final hands-on skill exams. We recommend the
use of physical equipment for hands-on learning and for the final hands-on skills based assessment. The
opportunity to gain hands-on experience is a key Networking Academy™ differentiator relative to other
programs. The PTSAs are designed to provide additional learning and practice opportunities to help students
prepare for the hands-on SBA and support student success. Certain hands-on skills can only be validated by
configuring and connecting real equipment.
Q26. Why do the PTSAs appear in the course Gradebook with a default grade weighting if they are meant
for practice purposes only?
A. Currently, all assessments that are scored and appear in the course Gradebook display a default weighting,
including optional exams such as chapter exams, practice final exams, and PTSAs. Instructors can adjust the
grade weighting as needed.
Q27. Can I make modifications to the PTSA scoring rules?
A. No, exam modifications are not available at this time.
Q28. Where can I find information about the topics covered on each exam?
A. Topics covered can be viewed from the Assessment Viewer for each exam. Design documents are also
available for all PTSAs. These documents are located on the Instructor Resources page for each course.
Q29. Can students take a PTSA outside of the classroom?
A. Instructors can determine the best use for their classes. The practice exams were designed to be offered
either in the classroom or instructors may make them available outside of class for additional practice.
Q30. Can I print the PTSA activity instructions for my students?
A. Yes, instructors can print the PTSA activity instructions for their students. Printing instructions can be found
under Instructor Resources along with the PTSA design documents. Instructors can also print from the
Assessment Viewer preview menus. In the Assessment Viewer, click on View Instructions in the navigation
bar and print from there. You can also click Launch Student PKA from the Preview Activity page.
When the activity is open in Packet Tracer, select Print from the File Menu. Select Activity Instructions and
then choose Print or Print to a File.

8. © 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 8 of 20
Note: PTSAs that have variables will produce different scenarios in the instructions each time the
activity is launched or the exam is started.
Q31. What kind of instructor feedback is available after a student has completed a PTSA?
A. In addition to proficiency estimates and detailed scoring feedback, the Item Information Page (IIP) for
instructors also includes the Packet Tracer initial topology and instructions and the answer topology and
scripts for the proposed solution. Instructors can also view and download the actual .pka activity files
submitted by students, exam timing statistics, the student’s final running configuration, and a time stamped
activity log of every IOS command entered by the student during the exam.
Q32. How can I view the Item Information Page (IIP) for a student?
A. You can view the IIP for a student by selecting the exam name from the course Gradebook, and then clicking
the student’s score on the Exam Details page. The detailed feedback helps identify areas where the student
may need additional study and practice. See Appendix B for more information on viewing the IIP.
Q33. Do PTSAs help students prepare only for the final hands-on skill exams?
A. While the PTSAs for CCNA courses were designed to help students prepare for the final hands-on SBA at the
end of each course, they also provide useful practice and performance feedback that may help students
prepare for the final exam, Cisco certification exams, and entry-level jobs. Some PTSAs have also been added
to target key skills earlier in the learning process. These typically align with the Packet Tracer Skills
Challenges that are available in the courses.
Student Exam Experience
Q34. What level of Packet Tracer experience is needed to complete a PTSA?
A. Since the PTSAs are designed to be used at the end of a course to help students prepare for the final hands-
on SBA, students should have gained the necessary level of experience with the software by working on the
Packet Tracer activities embedded in each CCNA course.
Q35. How can a student initiate a PTSA?
A. Students will use the same process to launch a PTSA as any other online Networking Academy assessment.
Go to Assignments and click on the exam link. Click Take Assessment.
Q36. What steps are involved in taking a PTSA?
A. Taking a PTSA is a seamless experience that uses Packet Tracer software and the online exam environment
that students are already familiar with:
1. The student selects and launches an exam.
2. Packet Tracer and the exam launch on the student’s desktop.
3. The student works through the activity instructions to take the exam.
4. Students may submit their work when finished, or save it and resume the exam at a later time.
5. Submitted exams are immediately scored and integrated into the course Gradebook.
6. If the exam does not submit immediately, make multiple attempts to submit. There may be a connectivity
issue between your device and the server. The information is stored.
7. Students should go to the course Assignments, click the name of the exam first and then click
Assessment History. Click on the score to view detailed feedback about their performance on the Item
Information Page and identify areas where they need additional study and practice. See Appendix A for
more information.

9. © 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 9 of 20
8. Instructors can also view this feedback from the course Gradebook and work with students as needed to
reinforce concepts. See Appendix B for more information.
Q37. After completing an exam, how do I submit my work for scoring?
A. After you launch the exam, your web browser will remain open in the background with a submission page
window. Switch to that window and click Submit Assessment. The PT Skills Assessment environment will
keep Packet Tracer open prior to submitting your assessment. Do not turn off your computer or force your
web browser or Packet Tracer to close prior to submitting your assessment, or your exam will not be scored
and work may be lost.
Q38. Can I pause an exam and come back to finish it at a later time?
A. Yes. When you reach a point where you’d like to pause, switch to the submission page window and click Save
Assessment and Continue Later. You should make note of where you stopped working in the activity
instructions to make it easier to resume where you left off at a later time. The amount of time left to complete
the exam will depend on the amount of time used prior to saving the assessment.
Q39. How long does it take to complete a PTSA?
A. The time it takes to complete a PTSA depends mostly on the skill level of a student. The elapsed time needed
to complete an exam may range from approximately 1 to 2 hours. Students have the option of saving the exam
and returning to finish it at a later time.
Q40. Can I print the PTSA activity instructions?
A. Yes, when the activity is open in Packet Tracer, select Print from the File menu, or click the Print icon in the
activity.
Q41. How do I resume working on a previously saved assessment?
A. To resume working on a previously saved assessment, go to the Assignments page, click on the title of the
assessment, and then click Resume Assessment. Packet Tracer and the exam will launch on your desktop
with your saved activity file containing all the work you had previously completed. Resume working on the
activity instructions from the point where you had stopped. The amount of time remaining to complete the
exam will be displayed when you resume., as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Time remaining is displayed when resuming a saved assessment


Q42. Do I need to start Packet Tracer before taking the exam?
A. No, Packet Tracer should not be running on your computer prior to taking the exam. Packet Tracer will
automatically open on your computer when the exam is launched.

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Q43. What happens to the work I’ve already completed on the exam if my computer experiences a system
or software crash?
A. The PTSA assessment environment periodically saves your work to the Networking Academy servers. If a
system or software crash occurs, the most recent work you completed will most likely be lost and need to be
reentered.
Q44. Do I need to close Packet Tracer before submitting my work for scoring?
A. No, do not close Packet Tracer manually when taking a PTSA. Packet Tracer will automatically close when
you click either Submit Assessment or Save Assessment and Continue Later. If Packet Tracer is closed
prior to submitting or saving your work, you will need to launch the assessment again to resume working on it.
The most recent work you completed will most likely be lost and need to be reentered.
Q45. How can I manage the multiple windows that appear after launching the exam?
A. You can move and arrange your windows to show the activity instructions and the Packet Tracer application to
make it easier to perform the exam tasks.
Q46. Do I need to pay attention to the correct case when entering my work in a PTSA?
A. Yes. In situations where the instructions specify a particular mixture of upper case and lower case characters,
that format should be followed for your work to be scored correctly. For example, you would need to enter
Router1_LAN if that is the correct name of the device instead of router1_lan.
Q47. What kind of student feedback is available for a PTSA?
A. Feedback includes proficiency estimates for the performance components tested on the exam and the score
earned for each task and sub-task. This feedback is designed to help students identify their strengths and
weaknesses and areas that need improvement. See Appendix A for more information.
Q48. How can I report bugs in the PTSA exams or assessment environment?
A. Students should report bugs and errors directly to their instructors. Instructors should then follow the normal
procedures to report the issues through the Help link in NetSpace.
Support
Q49. Where can I get help with questions regarding the PTSAs?
A. For more information regarding the PTSAs, please review Appendix C of this document and the following
resources in the Assessment resource folder on NetSpace:
● PT Skills Assessments Overview Presentation
● PT Skills Assessments FAQ
● PT Skills Assessments At A Glance
If you have questions after reviewing these resources, please contact the Networking Academy Global
Support Desk for assistance.
Q50. How can I report issues, errors, or bugs in the PTSAs or assessment environment?
A. Instructors should report issues, errors, or bugs through the Help link. To access this site, log in to NetSpace
and click Help at the top of the page
Q51. Where can I discuss the PTSAs with other instructors?
A. To collaborate with other instructors, join the Packet Tracer Skills Assessment community discussion. To
access the forum, log in to NetSpace, click Communities, then select Packet Tracer, then select PTSA -
Packet Tracer Skills Assessment under Forums.

11. © 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 11 of 20
Appendix A: Student View of PTSA Feedback
After submitting a PTSA, students should go to the course Gradebook and follow the steps outlined below to see
their scores and view the Item Information Page (IIP). The IIP provides detailed feedback about their performance
and identifies areas where they need additional study and practice.
1. Go to the course Assignments. Click on the name of the exam.
2. Click Assessment History.
3. Click on the name of the PTSA exam

4. Click on the score.

5. Click the Item Feedback link.

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6. The first section called Feedback gives a visual overview of how you performed on the assessment.

13. © 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information. Page 13 of 20

7. The next section, called Scoring, provides details on the maximum points and points you received for each
portion of the activity. Each portion of the submitted logs and configurations, known as a work product
feature, is evaluated. Points are assigned when all features for a task are marked as “Correct” in the
Student Result column.
For example, in the scoring report below, the student correctly activated the interface and configured the
IP address and subnet mask on the Router1 Fa0/0 interface. They received 8 points for the Router 1
Fa0/0 Addressing task.
The student received 0 points on the Switch VLAN Interface Addressing task as the features were marked
“Incorrect” in the Student Result column.

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Appendix B: Instructor View of PTSA Feedback
In addition to proficiency estimates and detailed scoring feedback, the Item Information Page (IIP) for instructors
also includes the Packet Tracer initial topology and instructions and the answer topology and scripts for the
proposed solution. Instructors can also view and download the actual .pka activity files submitted by students,
exam timing statistics, the student’s final running configuration, and a time stamped activity log of every IOS
command entered by the student during the exam.
1. To view the IIP page for a student, go to the Assignments section of the course and click on the name of
the exam, then click Student Performance Summary. Click on the numerical grade for a student and
then click Item Feedback Report to view the student’s results. See Appendix A as a reference for viewing
proficiency estimates and detailed scoring feedback for a student.
2. The Variable Keys section list the variables used in the scenario. These variables will appear in the
instructions, topology and scoring sections of the PTSA

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3. If variables are used in the activity, the scenario ID, which indicates the specific scenario given to that
student can be found at the bottom of the instructions.

4. The Proposed Solution section on the Instructor IIP contains the Answer Topology and the Answer
Scripts (running
configurations) for all Cisco
IOS
®
devices the student
was required to alter.











5. As a quick verification, the instructor can compare the Proposed Solution Answer Script to the Student
Final Running Configuration. Both configurations are located in the Student’s Work Product section.

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6. For more details on the correct configuration for all devices, the instructor can download the student PKA
file and review the Answer Network.
a. Download the student PKA by clicking Launch Student PKA from the instructor IIP page.

b. Open the Activity Wizard. This can be done by typing Ctrl-W or by selecting the Activity Wizard
icon.








c. Select Answer Network.










d. Click through the various devices to see the answers for the activity.

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Appendix C: Common PTSA Errors
Due to the ever changing security updates needed for applications, the software for PTSAs must be updated often.
One way to determine if the system is ready for the PTSA is to run the PTSA Environment Checker.
1. Issue: The correct version of PT is not loaded.
Resolution: Go to Offerings and then Packet Tracer to download the latest version of PT. After installing PT,
be sure to reboot the machine to ensure all software is installed correctly.

2. Issue: The latest version of Java is not loaded.
Resolution: Go to www.java.com/verfiy to check your version of Java.

3. Issue: Java is not enabled in the browser.
Resolution: Java must be installed on each browser that will be used for the assessment. Go to
http://www.java.com/en/download/help/enable_browser.xml for more information.

4. Issue: I received an XP-ERR-003N indicating a JRE Runtime Error.
Resolution: see XP-ERR-003N below.

5. Issue: My grade did not submit. I received XP-SUB-002 Error.
Resolution: see XP-SUB-002 below.

XP-ERR-003N

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These are variations of the standard XPass Assessment Warning page or VDS Begin Assessment page. This
indicates that the user has no Java plug-in enabled in their browser.
Possible Causes:
There is no JRE installed on the user’s computer.
The user has one or more JREs installed on their computer, but all of them are disabled as plug-ins for their
browser.
The user has disabled support for Java content in their browser’s options.
Resolution:
1. The user (or their sysadmin) needs to determine which of the above causes is in effect.
a. First, check browser options or preferences to see if Java content is currently enabled.
i. In Firefox, select Tools > Options and click the Content tab. Ensure that the box
labeled “Enable Java” is checked.

ii. IE may not allow you to disable or enable Java.
iii. Check the plug-ins page for your browser to see if JRE version 7 or later is installed.

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iv. If a JRE 7 or later plug-in is already installed, use the plug-ins page to enable it. Close
the browser window to close the XPass error page, and return to the Course
Assignments page. Click on the exam name. Click on the “Take Assessment” link
again. (Note: it’s possible, depending on the user’s OS and browser, that they might
need to shut all of their browser windows and open a new one, or even to re-start their
computer, before this will be successful.)

v. If no JRE 7 or above plug-in is installed, go to java.oracle.com to download and install
one.
b. Reboot your machine.
c. Log back in to NetSpace.
2. Suggest that the user visit the Environment Checker to verify the problem has been solved, prior to trying to
take their PTSA again.

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XP-SUB-002

This means that there was a server-side error while the student’s assessment results were being calculated by
XPass and transmitted to VDS.
Possible Causes:
● There was a connection error.
● A software error occurred while XPass was preparing the information to submit to VDS.
● The network connection between XPass and VDS is down.
● The VDS server that handles XPass requests is down.
Resolution:
Continue trying to resubmit. Depending on how long the connection is out, this may take some time. Your
information is saved.