PERT practice test 2026: free math, reading and writing, scored by subtest

This free PERT-style practice test has 44 original questions in the three subtests Florida colleges use: 20 Mathematics, 12 Reading and 12 Writing, on practice clocks of 30, 18 and 18 minutes. You get a score for each subtest, because colleges place you from each one separately: Florida's college-ready minimums are Math 114, Reading 106 and Writing 103, and many colleges ask 123 for College Algebra.

44
questions in three parts: 3
subtests, scored one by one: 50-150
the real score range: 114
math college-ready minimum

Last checked 22 October 2026 · Test facts from Florida college testing centers

44
questions
66 min
time limit
Free
instant score

3 timed parts, each on its own clock: Mathematics, 20 questions in 30 minutes, then Reading, 12 questions in 18 minutes, then Writing, 12 questions in 18 minutes. A part's clock starts when you begin it, and you cannot go back to an earlier part.

By the LifeScore Editorial Team · Updated 22 October 2026 · How we check facts · How this is scored

What is on this PERT practice test?

Forty-four original questions in the three PERT subtests, Mathematics first, then Reading and Writing, each running from easier to harder questions.

The math part follows the topics the official PERT study guide lists: linear equations and inequalities, literal equations, expressions, polynomials and factoring, quadratic equations, lines on the coordinate plane and systems of two equations. Reading has a four-question passage set and eight short passages on main ideas, details, inferences, purpose, fact and opinion and word meaning. Writing has a short draft to revise and seven single sentences to fix.

Like the real PERT, you answer each question before the next appears and cannot go back. The real test has no time limit. We put a practice clock on each part, 90 seconds a question, because people who lose patience on an untimed test start guessing on the hardest questions, and on the math subtest those are the ones that separate Intermediate Algebra from College Algebra.

What this practice test copies, and what it does not
Parts	Mathematics, Reading and Writing, in that order
Questions	44 in all: 20 Math, 12 Reading and 12 Writing, four options each, easy to hard within each part
Reading mix	A four-question passage set and 8 short passages
Writing mix	A five-question draft to revise and 7 single sentences
Clock	30 minutes for Math and 18 each for Reading and Writing, a practice pace of 90 seconds a question. The real test has none
Adaptive?	No. Every taker sees the same questions in a mock, so scores compare from one mock to the next
Your result	Percent right for each subtest and a practice band. Never a 50-150 score or a placement

Can I practise just the PERT math, reading or writing?

Yes. Each subtest has its own free 12-question drill with every answer explained, on its own page with worked examples and a study plan.

PERT math practice test
1 free drill
Equations, inequalities, factoring, quadratics and lines: worked examples, the rules to know and the 114 and 123 lines.
PERT reading practice test
1 free drill
Main ideas, inferences, fact and opinion, purpose and word meaning, with the method that wins most points.
PERT writing practice test
1 free drill
Fragments and run-ons, agreement, modifiers, tense and transitions: the short list the test keeps returning to.

Take the full test first, then drill the subtest with the lowest score. A college places you into math from your math score alone, so a weak math score can cost a semester of developmental math while your English placement is fine.

How does the real PERT compare?

The real PERT is three untimed, computer-adaptive subtests of 30 questions each, 25 scored and 5 unscored, each scored from 50 to 150.

The real PERT, with where each fact comes from
Subtests	Mathematics, Reading and Writing, taken and scored separatelySourcedChipola College, About PERT
Questions	30 multiple-choice questions in each subtest: 25 scored and 5 unscored field-test questions that look the sameSourcedChipola College, About PERT
Format	Computer-adaptive: each answer sets the difficulty of the next questionSourcedChipola College, About PERT
Time limit	None. The PERT is untimed, though your testing center sets its hoursSourcedChipola College, About PERT
Score	50 to 150 on each subtestSourcedPensacola State College, College Readiness Assessments Standards 2025 (PDF)
College-ready minimums	Reading 106, Writing 103, Math 114, under State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.0315SourcedPensacola State College, College Readiness Assessments Standards 2025 (PDF)
College Algebra	Math 123 or higher at many colleges, such as Pensacola State and Seminole State (a college placement level, not a state minimum)SourcedSeminole State College, FTIC placement testing (PERT)
Calculator	An on-screen calculator on some math questions only; you cannot bring your ownSourcedChipola College, About PERT

Adaptive means your next question depends on your last answer: right answers bring harder questions, and wrong ones bring easier ones. That is why accuracy early on matters, and why a fixed practice test like this one scores you in percent rather than inventing a 50-150 score.

Five questions in each subtest are field-test questions that do not count, but you cannot tell which they are, so treat every question as if it counts. The full picture, including who is exempt, is in the PERT test guide.

What PERT score do I need?

Florida's college-ready minimums are Reading 106, Writing 103 and Math 114; for College Algebra (MAC 1105), many colleges ask for 123 or more in math.

State college-ready minimums under Rule 6A-10.0315, as published by Florida colleges, checked 2026-10-22
Subtest	College ready
Mathematics	114 or higher
Reading	106 or higher
Writing	103 or higher

One college's math placement chart: Pensacola State College, 2025. Charts vary by college and year, so check yours.
PERT math score	First math course
50 to 95	MAT 0018 (developmental pre-algebra)
96 to 113	MAT 0028 (developmental algebra)
114 to 122	MAT 1033 (Intermediate Algebra)
123 to 150	MAC 1105 (College Algebra) or STA 2023 (Statistics)

Reading and Writing together decide whether you can take ENC 1101, the first college English course. More on reading a score report is on PERT scores.

What do PERT questions look like?

Algebra from one-step equations to quadratics, short reading passages, and sentences to fix. Try the six below: two are worked step by step and the rest open when you tap.

PERT-style question 1 · Linear equation
Solve for x: 4(x − 3) = 2x + 6
1. A9
2. B3
3. C4.5
4. D1.5
Worked answer
A: 9. Distribute: 4x − 12 = 2x + 6. Subtract 2x: 2x − 12 = 6. Add 12: 2x = 18, so x = 9.
1. Distribute the 4 to both terms: 4x − 12.
2. Collect x on one side: 4x − 2x = 2x, so 2x − 12 = 6.
3. Add 12 and divide by 2: x = 9. Check: 4(6) = 24 and 18 + 6 = 24.
The trap: Getting 4.5 by writing 4x − 3 instead of 4x − 12. Multiply the 4 into every term inside the brackets.
PERT-style question 2 · Factoring
Which is the factored form of x² + 2x − 15?
1. A(x + 5)(x − 3)
2. B(x − 5)(x + 3)
3. C(x + 15)(x − 1)
4. D(x − 5)(x − 3)
Show the worked answer
A: (x + 5)(x − 3). You need two numbers that multiply to −15 and add to +2: +5 and −3. So x² + 2x − 15 = (x + 5)(x − 3).
1. List factor pairs of −15: (1, −15), (−1, 15), (3, −5), (−3, 5).
2. The pair that adds to +2 is 5 and −3.
3. Check by multiplying out: x² − 3x + 5x − 15 = x² + 2x − 15.
The trap: (x − 5)(x + 3) has the right numbers with the signs swapped, and gives −2x. Always multiply back to check the middle term.
PERT-style question 3 · Linear inequality
Which is the solution of −3x + 5 > 17?
1. Ax < −4
2. Bx > −4
3. Cx < 4
4. Dx > 4
Show the worked answer
A: x < −4. Subtract 5: −3x > 12. Divide by −3 and flip the sign: x < −4.
1. Subtract 5 from both sides: −3x > 12.
2. Divide both sides by −3.
3. Dividing by a negative number reverses the inequality: x < −4.
The trap: x > −4 forgets to flip the sign. Check with x = −5: −3(−5) + 5 = 20, which is greater than 17, so values below −4 work.
PERT-style question 4 · Main idea
Which statement best expresses the main idea of the passage?
1. AThe garden mattered most for the connections it created among neighbors.
2. BThe garden grew more vegetables than officials expected.
3. CThe library wanted to use the empty lot for parking.
4. DCommunity gardens are the best use of empty land.
Show the worked answer
A: The garden mattered most for the connections it created among neighbors.. The passage turns on "the bigger change": neighbors speaking, sharing and organizing. That is the main idea; the vegetables are only the starting point.
1. Find the turn: "It did, but the bigger change was harder to measure."
2. What follows describes neighbors connecting and organizing.
3. The main idea is the change the passage spends most of its words on.
The trap: "Community gardens are the best use of empty land" goes further than one garden can support. A main idea stays the size of the passage.
PERT-style question 5 · Modifiers
Which sentence is written correctly?
1. ARunning for the bus, Lena dropped her phone on the sidewalk.
2. BRunning for the bus, the phone fell out of Lena's pocket.
3. CRunning for the bus, the sidewalk was where Lena dropped her phone.
4. DLena's phone, running for the bus, fell on the sidewalk.
Worked answer
A: Running for the bus, Lena dropped her phone on the sidewalk.. The opening phrase "Running for the bus" must describe the noun right after the comma. Only Lena can run for the bus.
1. Ask who is running for the bus: Lena.
2. The noun right after the comma must be Lena.
3. Only the first option puts Lena there.
The trap: The second option sounds natural in speech, but it says the phone was running. Check the first noun after an opening phrase.
PERT-style question 6 · Quadratic equation
What are the solutions of x² − 9x + 20 = 0?
1. Ax = 4 or x = 5
2. Bx = −4 or x = −5
3. Cx = 2 or x = 10
4. Dx = 9 or x = 20
Show the worked answer
A: x = 4 or x = 5. Factor: (x − 4)(x − 5) = 0, because −4 × −5 = 20 and −4 + −5 = −9. So x = 4 or x = 5.
1. Find two numbers that multiply to 20 and add to −9: −4 and −5.
2. x² − 9x + 20 = (x − 4)(x − 5).
3. Set each factor to zero: x = 4 or x = 5.
The trap: x = −4 or −5 reads the solutions straight off the factors. The factor (x − 4) is zero when x = +4.

These were written for this page, so none of them is in a mock. There are more, each with its reasoning, on PERT sample questions.

After the free PERT-style test

One mock shows which subtest is weakest. Seven more, and four drills for every subtest, show it is fixed.

The PERT Pass Pack gives you 8 full mocks on the real clock, 12 drills of 12 questions for the sections that cost you points, and a predictor that turns your mocks into the odds of reaching your target. One payment, no subscription, and your free score stays free.

Prep courses for these tests usually cost $19 to $129. The PERT Pass Pack is US$39 (£29), once.

See the PERT Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked

8
timed mocks: 12
topic drills: 1
score predictor

How do I read my PERT practice result?

You get the percent you got right in Math, Reading and Writing and a practice band for the whole test: Early practice, Building (45%+), Solid (60%+), Strong (75%+) or Excellent (90%+). These are our labels, not PERT scores.

Read the subtests, not the total. If Reading and Writing are strong but Math is at 50%, your English placement is probably safe and your first math course is the one at risk. The result page names the weakest subtest and builds a seven-day plan around it.

A practice band cannot be turned into a 50-150 score: the real PERT is adaptive and no published table converts percent correct into its scale. What a strong practice score does tell you is that the content of that subtest is no longer what stands between you and the course you want.

Is it worth studying for the PERT?

Yes. The gap between a math score of 114 and 123 is, at many Florida colleges, the gap between Intermediate Algebra and College Algebra: a full semester and a course that does not count toward most degrees.

Many students walk in cold because they are told the PERT "just places you". It does, and the placement is the point. Below 96 at Pensacola State, for example, a student starts two developmental math courses below College Algebra.

Most of the points are learnable. Linear equations, factoring, exponent rules, a short list of grammar rules and one reading habit cover most of what costs people placements. Retake rules and fees are set by each college, so the first attempt is the one to prepare for. The study plan is in how to pass the PERT.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the real PERT?

No. It is a PERT-style practice test with original questions. The real PERT is Florida's placement test, given at Florida college testing centers.

How many questions are on the PERT?

Each subtest has 30 multiple-choice questions, 25 scored and 5 unscored field-test questions, so 90 in all if you take all three.

Is the PERT timed?

No. The PERT is untimed, though testing centers have opening hours. Our practice test puts a clock on each part so you practise a steady pace.

Can you fail the PERT?

Not in the pass-or-fail sense. Each score places you into a course; a low score places you into a lower one. See PERT scores.

Can I use a calculator on the PERT?

Only the on-screen calculator on some math questions; you cannot bring your own. Practise the arithmetic by hand.

Do I have to take the PERT?

Not always. Students who entered ninth grade in a Florida public school in 2003-04 or later and earned a standard diploma, and active-duty military, are exempt. See the PERT test guide.

Do I have to pay for this practice test?

The full practice test and the three subtest drills are free with no sign-up. The Pass Pack, with every answer explained, seven more mocks and 12 drills, is a one-time payment.

Place into the course you want

Eight full PERT-style mocks, four drills for each subtest and every answer explained, in one payment with no subscription.