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PERT sample questions, with worked answers

Here are 12 original PERT-style questions covering all three subtests, with the answer and the reasoning under each: 6 Math, 3 Reading and 3 Writing. Try each one before you open the answer, then take a full practice test to see how the three subtests compare, because Florida colleges place you from each one separately.

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Last checked · Original questions written for LifeScore, not PERT items

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

What do PERT math questions look like?

Algebra from start to finish: evaluating expressions, solving equations and inequalities, exponents, polynomials, factoring and lines. The first two are worked in full; try the others before you open them.

  1. PERT-style question 1 · Linear equation

    Solve for x: 2x − 7 = 13

    1. Ax = 13.5
    2. Bx = 20
    3. Cx = 3
    4. Dx = 10
    Worked answer

    D: x = 10. Add 7 on both sides: 2x = 20. Divide by 2: x = 10.

  2. PERT-style question 2 · Polynomials

    Which expression is equal to (3x + 1)(x − 3)?

    1. A3x² − 8x − 2
    2. B3x² − 2x − 3
    3. C3x² − 8x − 3
    4. D3x² − 10x − 3
    Worked answer

    C: 3x² − 8x − 3. Multiply every term by every term (FOIL): 3x · x = 3x², 3x · −3 = −9x, 1 · x = 1x, 1 · −3 = −3. Combine the x terms: 3x² − 8x − 3.

  3. PERT-style question 3 · Functions

    If f(x) = 3x² + 4x − 1, what is f(−1)?

    1. A−3
    2. B−8
    3. C−2
    4. D−11
    Show the answer

    C: −2. Replace every x with −1: 3(−1)² + 4(−1) − 1 = 3 − 4 − 1 = −2.

  4. PERT-style question 4 · Fractions

    1/6 + 1/4 = ?

    1. A11/24
    2. B1/5
    3. C1/24
    4. D5/12
    Show the answer

    D: 5/12. Use a common denominator: 1/6 = 4/24 and 1/4 = 6/24, so the sum is 10/24 = 5/12. Adding the tops and the bottoms (2/10) is the classic slip.

  5. PERT-style question 5 · Writing expressions

    Which expression means "6 more than the square of a number n"?

    1. A2n + 6
    2. B6n²
    3. Cn² + 6
    4. D(n + 6)²
    Show the answer

    C: n² + 6. Translate piece by piece. "Less than" and "more than" put the second amount after the first: n² + 6. Watch the order: "6 less than x" is x − 6, not 6 − x.

  6. PERT-style question 6 · Fractions

    2/5 ÷ 1/12 = ?

    1. A5/24
    2. B2/17
    3. C1/30
    4. D4 4/5
    Show the answer

    D: 4 4/5. To divide by a fraction, multiply by its reciprocal: 2/5 × 12/1 = 24/5 = 4 4/5.

The math subtest decides between developmental math, Intermediate Algebra and College Algebra, so it is the one most worth preparing. The topics and rules are on the PERT math practice test page, with a free drill.

What do PERT reading questions look like?

A short passage, or a pair of short texts, and one question about the main idea, a detail, an inference, the author's purpose or a word in context. All three are answered in full.

  1. PERT-style question 7 · Fact and opinion

    Which sentence from the passage states an opinion?

    1. AThe new community center opened in March.
    2. BAll three sentences are facts.
    3. CIt has a pool, two gyms and a computer lab.
    4. DIt is the most beautiful building in the county.
    Worked answer

    D: It is the most beautiful building in the county.. Whether a building is "the most beautiful" is a judgment that people can disagree about. The opening date and the facilities can be checked.

  2. PERT-style question 8 · Inference

    What can most reasonably be inferred?

    1. AThe first bakery has lost some customers to the new one.
    2. BThe new bakery sells only cakes.
    3. CThe first bakery has raised its prices.
    4. DPeople are eating less bread than before.
    Worked answer

    A: The first bakery has lost some customers to the new one.. Sales dropped right after a competitor opened nearby, so the likeliest explanation is that customers went across the street. Nothing supports a price rise or less bread overall.

  3. PERT-style question 9 · Author's claim

    Which statement best summarizes the author's argument?

    1. ASchools should ban video games.
    2. BSome games build useful skills, so the type and amount of play matter more than whether students play.
    3. CVideo games are always a waste of time.
    4. DVideo games should replace schoolwork.
    Worked answer

    B: Some games build useful skills, so the type and amount of play matter more than whether students play.. The author answers the critics by naming skills games can build and ends: "The question is not whether students play, but what they play and for how long."

Every full mock also has a four-question passage set. The method that wins most reading points is on the PERT reading practice test.

More questions like these

Eight full PERT-style mocks and 12 drills, with every answer worked like the ones on this page.

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

What do PERT writing questions look like?

A single sentence to fix or complete: punctuation between clauses, agreement, pronoun case, verb tense and the right word. The first is worked in full.

  1. PERT-style question 10 · Sentence boundaries

    Which version of the sentence is written correctly?

    1. AThe library closes at six; however, the study room stays open until nine.
    2. BThe library closes at six however the study room stays open until nine.
    3. CThe library closes at six, however, the study room stays open until nine.
    4. DThe library closes at six; however the study room, stays open until nine.
    Worked answer

    A: The library closes at six; however, the study room stays open until nine.. "However" joining two complete sentences needs a semicolon before it and a comma after it. A comma before "however" makes a comma splice.

  2. PERT-style question 11 · Pronoun clarity

    Which version makes it clear that Ana is the one who will be late?

    1. AWhen Ana talked to her mother, they said she would be late.
    2. BAna told her mother, "I will be late."
    3. CWhen Ana talked to her mother, her said she would be late.
    4. DWhen Ana talked to her mother, she said she would be late.
    Show the answer

    B: Ana told her mother, "I will be late.". Only the quotation leaves no doubt: "I" can only be Ana. In the second version, "she" could mean Ana or her mother; "they" and "her" are the wrong pronouns.

  3. PERT-style question 12 · Parallel structure

    Which version of the sentence is written correctly?

    1. AThe job requires not only patience, but also it requires attention to detail.
    2. BThe job requires not only patience but also being attentive to detail.
    3. CThe job requires not only patience but also attention to detail.
    4. DThe job not only requires patience but also attention to detail.
    Show the answer

    C: The job requires not only patience but also attention to detail.. After "not only" and "but also," the two parts should match: two nouns, "patience" and "attention." The second option misplaces "not only."

The PERT also asks about short drafts: combining sentences, choosing transitions and cutting a sentence that does not belong. The rules list is on the PERT writing practice test.

How should I use PERT sample questions?

Answer each one before you open the working, then sort your misses by the rule behind them; sample questions are for finding rules, and a full practice test is for checking you have fixed them.

A sample set is small, so a good score here does not mean much on its own. A wrong answer, though, almost always points to a rule you can learn in minutes: distribute to every term, flip the inequality when you divide by a negative, multiply a factored answer back out, find the subject before the verb. Write each rule on a card.

Then take the free PERT practice test, which has 20 Math, 12 Reading and 12 Writing questions and scores each subtest separately. The drills on the subtest pages explain every answer.

Florida colleges also publish the official P.E.R.T. student study guide with sample questions. Use it too: it lists every competency the test covers.

Are these like the real PERT questions?

They follow the competencies in the official P.E.R.T. study guide and the format Florida colleges describe, but they are original, they are not adaptive, and none is a real PERT item.

On the real PERT the next question depends on your last answer, so you will see harder or easier questions than a fixed set, and five questions in each subtest are unscored field-test questions you cannot identify. The topics, the four-option format and the kinds of traps are what we copy.

For the format, the minimums and the exemptions, read the PERT test guide; for what a score of 114 or 123 means for your first semester, see PERT scores.

Which PERT subtest should I study first?

The one furthest below the line you need; if they are close, math, because the gap between 114 and 123 is the most expensive one on the test.

Reading and Writing together decide ENC 1101, and both minimums sit close to the middle of the scale. Math decides your first math course, and many colleges ask 123 for College Algebra, well above the 114 minimum. If your degree needs College Algebra or Statistics, that line is worth a week of algebra on its own.

The seven-day plan in how to pass the PERT starts with your weakest subtest and gives algebra two full days.

Frequently asked questions

Are these real PERT questions?

No. They are original PERT-style questions written for LifeScore. Real PERT items are not published.

Where can I find official PERT practice?

Florida colleges publish the official P.E.R.T. student study guide, which includes sample questions for each subtest.

How many questions are on the real PERT?

30 in each subtest, 25 scored and 5 unscored field-test questions.

Do these questions appear in your mocks?

No. This sample set is kept out of every PERT-style mock and drill, so practising here never spoils a full test.

Ready for a full test?

Eight full PERT-style mocks, 12 drills and every answer explained, for one payment.

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 what is inside the PERT Pass Pack How our questions are built and checked
8
timed mocks
12
topic drills
1
score predictor

LifeScore is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the Florida Department of Education, the Florida College System or any Florida college. PERT and other test names are the property of their owners. Our PERT-style practice tests use original questions written for this site and are not the official PERT or a placement score.

Facts last checked by the LifeScore Editorial Team. How we check facts.