NCTest vs ELSB Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NCTest
This application allows for the administration of online assessments for students in North Carolina, covering grades K-12. It is designed to facilitate educational testing and evaluation processes for the state.
- Online assessment administration
- Supports K-12 grades
- State-specific testing
- Educational evaluation tool
Read full descriptionHide full description
Application for administering online assessments for the State of North Carolina, grades K-12.
ELSB Lite
This app provides systematic instruction for print and phonemic awareness, featuring seven levels and ongoing assessments for personalized student progress. Research supports its effectiveness as a literacy program.
- Systematic print and phonemic awareness instruction
- Seven distinct learning levels
- Ongoing student assessments
- Personalized progress tracking
- Research-backed effectiveness
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Early Literacy Skills Builder app incorporates systematic instruction to teach both print and phonemic awareness. ELSB is a multi-year program with seven distinct levels and ongoing assessments so students progress at their own pace. Note: This free version comes with level 1 - Lesson 1 and Level 5 - lesson 1. Full levels can be purchased from the in-app store. Five years of solid research have been completed through the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, proving ELSB to be a highly effective literacy program and more effective than a sight-word only program. ELSB is based upon the principles of systematic and direct instruction. It incorporates scripted lessons, least-prompt strategies, teachable objectives, built-in lesson repetition, and ongoing assessments. The seven ELSB levels contain five structured lessons each. All students begin at Level 1. Instruction is one-on-one or in small groups. Teach scripted lessons daily in two 30-minute sessions. On the completion of each level, formal assessments are given. ELSB includes everything you need to implement a multi-year literacy curriculum.
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: ELSB Lite at 50% against NCTest's 0%. ELSB Lite also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.0) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). NCTest's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. ELSB Lite sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. NCTest asks for nothing beyond the download.
ELSB Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 4 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of NCTest's written reviews are positive against 50% of ELSB Lite's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NCTest | ELSB Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (4 ratings) | 4.8 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 50.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 236 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | North Carolina State University - CUACS | Attainment Company |
Customer experience
NCTest
ELSB Lite
In-app purchases
NCTest
No in-app purchases
ELSB Lite
- Level 1$21.99
- Level 2$21.99
- Level 3$21.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Level 4$21.99
- Level 5$21.99
- Level 6$21.99
- Level 7$21.99
