Western Governors University · Competency-Based

WGU Performance Assessment

WGU PA

The WGU Performance Assessment is the applied, project-based half of Western Governors University's competency model — a written task, paper, or portfolio you build and submit through TaskStream instead of sitting a timed exam. There is no number to chase: a human evaluator reads your work against a detailed rubric and marks every required aspect Competent or Not Yet Competent. Because WGU is term-based and self-paced, a single PA that keeps bouncing back can stall your course completion, your on-time progress, and the next term you were hoping to start early. This page breaks down exactly how the PA is scored, how it's reviewed, and how to get it cleared the right way.

Task / Project
Competent / Not Yet
Human evaluator
Resubmit until pass

Pay Only After You Pass

No upfront fee — you settle only after your task is marked Competent. We advertise guaranteed results — 100% pass guaranteed or money back.

Assessment Spec Sheet

Provider Western Governors University
Format Written task, paper, or project
Submission TaskStream (tasks.wgu.edu)
Time limit None · varies by course
Scoring Competent / Not Yet Competent
Graded by Human Evaluation Faculty (rubric)
Proctoring None · authenticity review only
Turnaround ~72 hours (target)
Retakes Refine & resubmit until Competent
See WGU Help Options

ASSESSMENT FORMAT

How the WGU Performance Assessment is built — at a glance

PA

A task, not an exam

Instead of a timed sitting, a PA is an applied deliverable — an essay, case analysis, lesson plan, technical artifact, or multi-part project — that demonstrates the course competencies in your own original work.

5

Rubric scales

WGU evaluates with one of five rubric scales — 3-Level Descriptive, 3-Level, 4-Level, Alternative 4-Level, or 5-Level — depending on the task. Each splits the competency into aspects scored on their own merit.

Attempts until Competent

If an aspect is Not Yet Competent, you revise and resubmit. WGU's model lets you keep refining the same task until every aspect reaches Competent within your term.

Submission & format

You upload your deliverable through TaskStream at tasks.wgu.edu, following the exact task prompt and rubric for your course. There is no on-screen timer and no proctor — you can draft, cite sources, and polish before submitting. Length and structure vary entirely by course, from a single short paper to a layered, multi-part project.

How "scoring" works

There is no percentage or letter grade. A subject-matter evaluator reads your work against the rubric and marks each aspect Competent or Not Yet Competent. To pass, you must reach Competent on every required aspect — one weak section can hold up the whole task until you revise it.

WHAT'S EVALUATED

Rubrics judge the qualities below — bars show roughly how heavily each tends to weigh

1

Competency coverage

High

Every prompt requirement and rubric aspect must be addressed directly. Missing or partially answered prompts are the most common reason a task returns Not Yet Competent.

2

Application & reasoning

High

Evaluators look for applied skill, critical thinking, and clear communication — not just recall. You have to show your reasoning, not just assert a conclusion.

3

Sourcing & authenticity

Gate

Proper APA citation, correct attribution of text, tables, and graphics, and original authorship. Similarity and authenticity issues can block a pass regardless of content quality.

The exact aspects differ for every course — your task instructions and the published rubric are the real spec. The bars above are a general guide to how WGU evaluators tend to weigh requirement coverage, applied reasoning, and academic authenticity across most PAs.

DELIVERY & EVALUATION

No proctor, no timer — but every submission is reviewed by a person

Submit through TaskStream

You complete the PA on your own time and upload it through TaskStream (tasks.wgu.edu). There is no live proctor and no webcam monitoring — unlike the WGU Objective Assessment, which is a proctored, timed exam. You can save drafts and submit when the work is ready.

Anonymous human evaluation

A team of 700+ subject-matter Evaluation Faculty scores PAs against the rubric. The process is anonymous — your evaluator does not see your academic or personal history — and they aim to release a result in TaskStream within about 72 hours, with rubric-specific feedback.

Academic authenticity

All written work is checked with Turnitin and Unicheck similarity reporting. A high similarity match flags the submission for human review before any integrity decision is made.

Feedback & resubmission

If a result is Not Yet Competent, the evaluator names the exact aspects to fix. You revise and resubmit through TaskStream and the next evaluation focuses on those aspects.

Passing confirmation

When you pass, the evaluator confirms where each competency was demonstrated. A Competent result clears the course requirement and counts toward your term progress.

WHO FACES THIS

Performance Assessments appear across WGU's colleges

  • WGU students in IT, Business, Health & Nursing, and Teachers College
  • Working adults balancing a full-time job with self-paced study
  • Students racing to clear courses before a flat-rate term ends
  • Anyone stuck on a task that keeps returning Not Yet Competent
  • Capstone and portfolio candidates facing layered, multi-part projects

WHAT MAKES IT HARD

No timer — but the rubric is unforgiving

  • You must be enrolled in the course; the task and rubric are released in your portal
  • Every rubric aspect must hit Competent — one weak part holds the whole task
  • Strict APA and attribution — similarity flags can block an otherwise good task
  • Resubmission cycles eat days — each pass through evaluation adds turnaround time

Difficulty: A PA isn't hard because it's timed — it's hard because the rubric is literal and the evaluator only passes work that meets every aspect. Students often lose a week or more to back-and-forth resubmissions, which is exactly the pressure point our help is designed to remove.

HOW EXAM ASSIST HELPS YOU PASS YOUR WGU PA

A Performance Assessment that keeps coming back Not Yet Competent can quietly burn a whole term. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted WGU-task specialist and works on a pay-after-you-pass model — so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: just an honest read on your task and rubric, and a Competent result before you settle.

1

Share your task & rubric

Send us your course code, the task prompt, the rubric, and any evaluator feedback you've already received. A couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.

2

Get an honest feasibility answer

We review the rubric and your timeline and tell you plainly whether we can get it to Competent — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.

3

The sitting is handled

Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with a specialist who works the task aspect-by-aspect against the rubric, handles citations and authenticity cleanly, and manages resubmissions — discreetly and confidentially.

4

Settle after the verified result

You only pay once your task is confirmed Competent on your official evaluation. No verified pass, nothing owed.

Ready to clear that PA?

Tell us the course and rubric and get an honest, no-pressure feasibility answer first.

Get WGU PA Help

FREQUENTLY ASKED

Straight answers about the WGU Performance Assessment

How is a WGU Performance Assessment scored? +
There is no number or percentage. WGU Evaluation Faculty read your submission against a detailed rubric and mark each aspect Competent or Not Yet Competent. To pass the task you must reach Competent on every required aspect. WGU uses several rubric scales — 3-Level Descriptive, 3-Level, 4-Level, Alternative 4-Level, and 5-Level — depending on the task.
What is the difference between a WGU Performance Assessment and an Objective Assessment? +
An Objective Assessment (OA) is a proctored, timed exam of selected-response and similar questions that measures recall and concept application, and it returns a score within about 24 hours. A Performance Assessment (PA) is an applied task, paper, or project you write and submit through TaskStream — there is no live proctor and no timer; a human evaluator judges it against a rubric and you may refine and resubmit until you pass.
Can I resubmit a WGU Performance Assessment if it does not pass? +
Yes. If an aspect comes back Not Yet Competent, the evaluator explains exactly what is missing, and you may revise and resubmit. WGU's model lets you keep refining and resubmitting the task until it is marked Competent, so a single Not Yet Competent result is a step in the process, not a failure of the course.
Is a WGU Performance Assessment proctored? +
No. Unlike the Objective Assessment, a Performance Assessment has no live proctor and no webcam monitoring. Instead, every written submission is checked for academic authenticity with Turnitin and Unicheck similarity reporting, and a human evaluator reviews flagged material before any integrity decision is made.
How long does WGU take to evaluate a Performance Assessment? +
WGU's Evaluation Faculty aim to return completed evaluations within about 72 hours of submission. You receive an email when the evaluation is released in TaskStream telling you whether the task passed or needs revision, along with rubric-specific feedback. Turnaround can be faster or slower depending on volume and the rubric scale.
Do I pay Exam Assist before or after my WGU task is marked Competent? +
You settle only after your task is confirmed Competent on your official evaluation. There is no upfront fee — you share your course code and rubric, receive an honest feasibility answer, and decide before any money changes hands. We advertise a guaranteed pass with money back if you do not pass; we offer a transparent, results-first arrangement.

KEEP EXPLORING

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YOUR WGU PA, HANDLED

Get expert help on your Performance Assessment with no upfront fee — you settle only after your task is marked Competent. Honest feasibility answer first, results-first arrangement always.

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