The initial assessment takes place at the outset of students' use of ALEKS, immediately after Registration and Tutorial (See Sec. 3.9). We strongly recommend that this initial assessment, which has the character of an orientation to the system for student users, take place in a supervised computer lab setting to ensure that students do not receive help or collaborate. In creating or editing a class account, the instructor can stipulate that the initial assessment be allowed only from school (See Sec. 7.17.).

In some ALEKS course products, students may choose to continue their initial assessment for particular pie slices where no topics are yet available to them. In order to initiate these assessments, the students click a button marked "Assessment" which appears in the place of a list of available topics for the particular slice. Such assessments are called "Initial Assessment (continued)," and are generally shorter than other assessments. They focus on topics from the slice chosen, and their purpose is to "open" that slice for work by the student.