You open an assignment, and instead of the questions you see a message saying it isn’t available, was due, or needs something first.
What this means
Your instructor decides when each assignment opens and closes, and who can open it. The message tells you which of those rules is stopping you. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong with your account.
Try this now
A unit or folder on your course page is missing, opens empty, or has greyed-out assignments? Your instructor may have made it, or the assignments in it, available only between certain dates. If your classmates can see or open something you can’t, or it should be open by now, ask your instructor to check its settings.
Find the message you see:
| Message | What it means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| “This assessment is not yet available. It will be available” (then two dates) | It hasn’t opened yet. | Come back after the first date. If classmates can already open it, ask your instructor to check your dates. |
| “This assessment is not currently available.” | Your instructor has hidden or closed it. | Ask your instructor. |
| “This assessment was due” (then a date) | The due date has passed. | Use a LatePass if one is offered, or ask your instructor about an extension. |
| “You have not yet met the prerequisite requirements to work on this assessment.” | You need a certain score on another assignment first. The next sentence names it: “A score of” … “on” … “is required.” | Raise your score on that assignment, if you still can, or ask your instructor. |
| A Password: box with a lock icon, above the Start button | Your instructor has set a password for this assignment. | Type the password your instructor gave you in that box, then click Start (Resume if you already began). If you see “The password you entered was invalid”, check it with your instructor. |
| “You have used all your attempts at this assessment.” | You have no retakes left. | Ask your instructor if you need another attempt. |
| “The timelimit has expired on this assessment.” | The time limit ran out. | See Timed tests. |
| “Your current assessment time limit expired at” (then a date) | Your timer ran out before the test was submitted. | If there’s no line about an extension, the page shows a Submit it now button. It submits the answers that were saved. If you want more time, ask your instructor before you click it. If your instructor says they gave you extra time, don’t click it yet; see My instructor gave me extra time, but the test is still closed. See also Timed tests. |
| “This course is currently locked for an assessment,” (then a test name) | Your instructor has set the course so that only that test can be opened. If the next line says “That assessment must be submitted before you can open anything else in the course.”, the lock started when you began that test and ends when you submit it. | Open that test (from your LMS, or with Go to Assessment), finish it and submit it. If that second line isn’t there, the course stays locked after you submit, until your instructor unlocks it, so ask your instructor. |
Past due? The page may show “You can redeem one LatePass to reopen this assessment until” a date, with a Redeem LatePass button. See Using a LatePass. It may also offer Practice, which opens the assignment for un-graded practice. Nothing you do in practice counts toward your grade.
Practice or a LatePass: choose before you click
If a LatePass is on offer, the page warns: “If you do so, you will not be able to later use a LatePass.” It shows this warning under both Practice and View scored assessment. Once you open the assignment in practice, you can’t use a LatePass on it. Viewing your scored assessment can block a LatePass too, so if you might want one, use it first.
Don't use a LatePass on an assignment that hasn't opened yet
The “not yet available” page can also show Redeem LatePass. There is no box asking you to confirm, so clicking it uses up a LatePass right away. A LatePass moves the due date, not the start date, so it won’t open the assignment early. If your instructor later moves the start date earlier, the assignment can stay closed for you while it’s open for the class. Only your instructor can fix that.
Who can fix it
- You: wait for the start date, enter the password, finish the required assignment, or use a LatePass when one is offered on past-due work.
- Your instructor: sets the dates, passwords, prerequisites, attempts and course locks, and can give you an extension or another attempt. These are their decisions.
Copy this to your instructor
I can’t open [assignment name] in XYZ Homework. It shows: “[copy the message here]”. [If it applies: My classmates can open it, but I can’t. / I used a LatePass on it before it opened.] Could you check the dates for this assignment, and any extension or LatePass on my account for it?