If you’ve ever had a student accidentally click “Submit” before finishing a test, you know the mild panic that follows. The good news? Pear Assessment (formerly Edulastic) gives teachers the tools to reverse that submission and give students a second chance — without losing any of their previous work. This guide walks you through exactly how to unsubmit on Pear Assessment, when it’s possible, what happens afterward, and how related features like Redirect can help in situations where unsubmitting isn’t the right move.
Whether you’re a classroom teacher dealing with a nervous student who submitted too early, or a school administrator managing a large-scale assessment, this guide covers everything you need to know.
What Does “Unsubmit” Mean on Pear Assessment?
In Pear Assessment, “unsubmitting” a test means reversing a student’s completed test status so they can re-enter the assessment and continue answering questions. This is officially called Undo Student Test Submission in the platform.
It’s important to understand that unsubmitting does not delete the student’s previous answers. Their prior responses remain intact. Once a submission is undone and the test is resumed, the student can review or modify their answers before submitting again.
This feature is especially useful when:
- A student accidentally hits “Submit” before finishing
- A student rushed through the test without thinking through their answers
- Technical issues interrupted the testing session
- The teacher wants to allow a student to revisit skipped questions
Who Can Unsubmit a Test on Pear Assessment?
Only teachers and administrators can undo a student’s test submission. Students cannot unsubmit their own tests once they have clicked the submit button. This is an intentional design choice to maintain academic integrity — submissions are locked on the student side, and only authorized users with teacher or admin access can reverse them.
This is worth emphasizing: if a student is asking “how do I unsubmit on Pear Assessment,” the answer is that they need to contact their teacher. The teacher is the only one who has the ability to initiate the undo process. why is edulastic now pear assessment
Prerequisites Before You Unsubmit
Before you can undo a student’s submission, there is one important condition to check:
The student must have a “Complete” or “Marked Complete” test status.
If the student’s status shows anything other than these two, the undo option will not be available. You can verify a student’s test status from the Students in Sessions section inside the Testing area of your Pear Assessment dashboard.
Here’s a quick reference:
| Student Status | Can Unsubmit? |
|---|---|
| Complete | ✅ Yes |
| Marked Complete | ✅ Yes |
| In Progress | ❌ No (still active) |
| Exited | ❌ No (use Resume instead) |
| Not Started | ❌ No (hasn’t begun) |
How to Unsubmit on Pear Assessment: Step-by-Step
The official process to undo a student test submission in Pear Assessment involves navigating to the Testing section and working through the Students in Sessions panel. Here is the complete step-by-step process:
Step 1: Log in to your Pear Assessment teacher account and go to the Testing section from the main navigation menu.
Step 2: Select Students in Sessions from the Testing menu. This will open a panel where you can manage individual student test sessions.
Step 3: Click Add a Session to bring up the session search panel.
Step 4: Type the name of the relevant session into the search field. Once it appears, click the checkbox next to the session name to select it.
Step 5: Click Add Selected to load the session into your view.
Step 6: In the student list, type the student’s name into the search field and click the checkbox next to their test entry.
Step 7: Click Select Tasks, then choose Undo Student Test Submissions from the dropdown, and click Start.
Step 8: A confirmation screen will appear. Select the checkbox next to the student’s test (or a specific unit of the test) to confirm your selection.
Step 9: Click Undo Submissions to complete the process.
That’s it. The submission has been reversed.
What Happens After You Unsubmit?
After you undo a student test submission, the student’s test status changes to Exited. At that point, you must use the Resume function to allow the student to re-enter and continue their test.
This is a two-step process that trips up many teachers. Undoing the submission alone is not enough — you also need to resume the test for the student. If you skip the Resume step, the student will not be able to get back into their test.
Here’s the post-unsubmit workflow:
- Undo the submission (steps above)
- Confirm the student’s status is now “Exited”
- Use the Resume function from the same Students in Sessions panel
- Notify the student they can now re-enter the assessment
Once resumed, the student will be able to see their previous answers and either change them or keep them as-is before submitting again.
Using the Live Class Board to Manage Submissions
For real-time situations — like when a student accidentally submits during an active testing session — the Live Class Board is your fastest route. You can access and adjust student test status and settings directly from the Live Class Board, including manually releasing scores or managing individual student progress.
The Live Class Board gives you a real-time view of where every student is in the assessment. You can spot completed submissions instantly and take action before the student even realizes the issue. This is particularly helpful during monitored classroom testing where you need to act quickly.
When Unsubmitting Isn’t the Right Option: Using Redirect Instead
Sometimes, the full undo process isn’t necessary or appropriate. Pear Assessment offers a powerful alternative called Redirect, which is better suited to certain scenarios.
Pear Assessment uses the term “Redirect” when referring to redoing, reassigning, or reopening an assessment. Teachers may need to redirect an assessment if students were absent or didn’t finish the test during the initial testing window, if technical errors prevented a student from completing an assessment, if students inadvertently skipped questions, or if a teacher wants to give students additional practice. Importantly, when you redirect, the prior responses are not deleted — students can choose to change their responses or keep them as-is.
Redirect vs. Unsubmit: Which Should You Use?
| Situation | Best Option |
|---|---|
| Student accidentally submitted mid-test | Unsubmit + Resume |
| Student was absent and missed the test | Redirect |
| Student skipped questions | Redirect |
| Student needs to retake for practice | Redirect |
| Technical error during active session | Unsubmit + Resume |
To use Redirect, navigate to the Assignments tab, find the assessment, and click on the Live Class Board. From there, click the Redirect button located above the student cards. A pop-up will appear where you can choose to redirect the entire class, absent students, or individual students.
You can also choose what information students see during a redirect: teacher feedback only, student score and teacher feedback, student responses and teacher feedback, or all three combined. This gives teachers meaningful control over the retake experience.
Can Students Unsubmit on Their Own?
No. Students do not have the ability to unsubmit or undo their own test submissions in Pear Assessment. Once a student clicks “Submit,” their test is locked on the student-facing side. Only a teacher or administrator can reverse this action.
If you are a student reading this guide, here’s what you should do:
- Contact your teacher immediately and let them know you submitted by accident or before you finished
- Your teacher can undo the submission and resume your test, and your previous answers will still be there
- The sooner you reach out, the easier it is to fix before grading begins
Anti-Cheat Settings and Their Impact on Unsubmitting
It’s worth noting how Pear Assessment’s security settings interact with the unsubmit process. Pear Assessment includes settings such as Kiosk Mode and the ability to restrict navigation out of the test. When Restrict Navigation is enabled, an alert appears if a student navigates away for more than five seconds, and if the designated number of alerts are exceeded, the student’s assignment is automatically paused — requiring the teacher to manually resume from the Live Class Board.
This means that in high-security testing environments, some students may end up in a “paused” state rather than accidentally submitted. If this happens, the teacher simply needs to resume the test — no unsubmit required.
Understanding these settings helps you distinguish between different scenarios:
- Accidentally submitted: Use Unsubmit + Resume
- Auto-paused due to navigation: Use Resume only
- Deliberately closed the test: Use Redirect
Best Practices for Teachers: Preventing Accidental Submissions
Prevention is always better than remediation. Here are a few practical steps to reduce the likelihood of students accidentally submitting their assessments:
- Remind students verbally before they reach the end of a test to review all questions before hitting Submit
- Enable the question flag feature so students can mark questions to return to
- Use the Live Class Board to monitor student progress in real time and catch potential issues early
- Consider enabling the “Restrict Question Navigation” setting thoughtfully — while it prevents going back to questions, it also prevents students from accidentally skipping to the end
- Communicate clearly to students that only their teacher can undo a submission, so they should alert you immediately if it happens
FAQ: How to Unsubmit on Pear Assessment
Can a student unsubmit their own test on Pear Assessment? No. Students cannot unsubmit their own tests. Only teachers and administrators have the ability to undo a student test submission through the Testing → Students in Sessions panel.
What student statuses allow unsubmitting? Only students with a “Complete” or “Marked Complete” status can have their submission undone. Students who are still “In Progress” or “Exited” require a different action, such as Resume.
Does unsubmitting delete the student’s previous answers? No. When you undo a submission, the student’s previously entered answers are preserved. After the test is resumed, the student can keep or change their responses before submitting again.
What do I do after I unsubmit a student’s test? After undoing the submission, the student’s status changes to “Exited.” You must then use the Resume function to allow the student to re-enter the test. Undoing the submission alone is not enough.
What is the difference between Unsubmit and Redirect on Pear Assessment? Unsubmit (Undo Student Test Submission) reverses an active submission so a student can continue a test they already started. Redirect is used to reassign a test to a student or group of students — useful for absences, retakes, or additional practice. Both features preserve prior responses.
Conclusion
Knowing how to unsubmit on Pear Assessment is one of those practical classroom skills that saves real stress on test day. The process itself is straightforward once you know where to look: Testing → Students in Sessions → Select Tasks → Undo Student Test Submissions → Resume. The key things to remember are that only teachers can initiate this, the student must have a “Complete” or “Marked Complete” status, and the test must be manually resumed after the submission is undone.
For situations that go beyond a simple accidental submission — like absences, retakes, or practice opportunities — the Redirect feature gives teachers even more flexibility. Together, these tools make Pear Assessment a genuinely teacher-friendly platform that balances academic integrity with practical classroom realities.
If you found this guide useful, consider bookmarking it for future reference. Test day surprises are unpredictable, but your response to them doesn’t have to be.
