Practice Assessments
One-on-one Practice Assessments lay the foundation for you to earn your license hours and develop your skills and competencies as a professional designer.
What Happens at a Practice Assessment?
Practice examiners, who are all practicing design professionals, meet with you to evaluate your learning through a reflective evaluation of your portfolio, supervisor feedback, and your ability to articulate your own understanding and appreciation of what you have learned in settings outside the classroom.
Based on the evidence presented, the Practice examiner evaluates your progress and notes progress by assigning you a higher skill level. They also provide verbal and written feedback, help you plan next steps in your career development, and guide you to become a better advocate for your progress and advanced learning.
Scheduling a Practice Assessment
Please log in to the BAC Practice Portal to set up your appointment.
Preparing for a Practice Assessment
Please bring the following materials to your assessment:
Bring one bound hard copy, and one digital copy (on CD or a flash drive) of your Practice Portfolio. You can either:
- Download this template. (If you are using an earlier and incompatible version of InDesign, download the PDF for reference). The Practice Portfolio must include the reflective essay, resume, and self-assessment; otherwise, your Practice Assessment will be considered incomplete.
OR
- Design your own Practice Portfolio. You can design your own layout if you feel it reflects your work in a more positive light. (Note: Refer to the questions and context in the template about, highlighted in red, and answer them in your portfolio. Otherwise, your portfolio may be considered incomplete.)
Note: The examiner is looking for a rich design process, not just a final digital picture with a caption. They want to know more about what analytical skills were used and how these skills were graphically represented. This is no different than an academic portfolio, or a professional portfolio.
Download the Supervisor Assessment, send it to your supervisor to complete, and bring a copy of the completed form to your Practice Assessment.
If it has been over a year since you had a Practice Assessment, bring either your last Practice Assessment Portfolio or your last Segment I/Segment II Portfolio Review Portfolio in a digital copy (on CD or a flash drive). This information will assist the examiner in converting the information from the previous Student Learning Contract to the new Student Learning Contract.
Contact the Practice Department