The Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) is a standardized assessment tool used primarily within the Florida College System. This examination serves as an initial measure for individuals seeking to transition from high school to college-level coursework. It helps institutions gauge a student’s current academic standing and determine their preparedness for credit-bearing classes.
What PERT Stands For
PERT stands for the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test. It is Florida’s customized common placement test, developed specifically to align with the state’s educational standards. The test is utilized by public high schools and Florida College System institutions across the state.
The Primary Goal of the PERT
The PERT assesses a student’s academic skills in core subject areas to determine appropriate course placement. It is aligned with the Postsecondary Readiness Competencies identified by Florida faculty members for success in entry-level college credit coursework. It is a college placement test used to ensure students are enrolled in classes that match their current skill level.
The results dictate whether a student can enroll directly into credit-bearing courses, such as Freshman Composition I or Intermediate Algebra. If scores indicate a gap in foundational skills, the student is placed into developmental education, often referred to as remediation. This placement ensures that students build necessary math, reading, and writing skills before attempting college-level material.
Test Components and Format
The PERT is structured into three subject area assessments: Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. The Reading section assesses skills like determining the main idea, drawing inferences, and understanding vocabulary within context. The Writing section focuses on demonstrating standard English conventions, including grammar rules and sentence structure.
The Mathematics section tests knowledge in areas such as algebraic concepts, including solving equations and expressions, and foundational geometry and data analysis. Each of the three subtests contains 30 questions. The full test is officially untimed but is typically completed in about three hours.
The PERT is administered as a computer-adaptive test (CAT), meaning the difficulty of the questions adjusts based on the student’s performance. If a question is answered correctly, the system presents a more challenging question, while an incorrect answer results in an easier follow-up question. Due to this adaptive mechanism, students cannot skip questions or go back to change a previous answer.
Interpreting and Using PERT Scores
Each of the three PERT sections is scored on a scaled range from 50 to 150 points. These scores are used for placement purposes, indicating the student’s readiness for college-level courses, not for college admission. Colleges use established cut scores to make placement decisions.
A score at or above the designated cut score allows a student to enroll directly into corresponding college-level credit courses. Scores falling below these thresholds indicate a need for further academic preparation.
Students with lower scores are required to take developmental education courses to strengthen their skills before moving on to credit-bearing classes. Placement scores are generally valid for two years, and testing centers can access the results immediately after the assessment is complete. The PERT score serves as the foundation for the student’s initial academic advising and course registration process.
Tips for Preparing for the Test
Preparation for the PERT involves utilizing available resources and understanding the test format. A good starting point is working through practice tests, often provided by educational institutions, to become familiar with the types of questions asked. This practice helps students identify specific areas of weakness in math, reading, and writing.
Students should concentrate study efforts on the content areas where they scored lowest. Since the test is untimed, a successful approach involves working through each question carefully. It is advisable to use the on-screen calculator provided for the Mathematics section when it appears, and to avoid leaving any questions unanswered due to the computer-adaptive nature of the exam.