PERT Scores Explained: 50-150 and Placement Charts

What is the PERT score range?

Each of the three subtests is scored from 50 to 150, and the scores are reported separately; there is no total PERT score.

Your score depends on how many of the 25 scored questions you get right and how hard they were. Because the PERT is adaptive, it is not a percentage, and no published table converts a number right into a scale score. That is why our practice test reports percent right and a practice band, never a 50-150 number.

Scores appear at the end of the session at most colleges. Keep the printout: you will need the numbers when you meet an advisor to register.

What PERT score is college ready?

106 in Reading, 103 in Writing and 114 in Math, the minimums in State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.0315; colleges may set higher scores for particular courses.

College-ready minimums, checked 2026-10-22
Subtest	College ready
Mathematics	114 or higher
Reading	106 or higher
Writing	103 or higher

Reading and Writing together decide ENC 1101: you need both minimums. Math 114 usually opens Intermediate Algebra (MAT 1033), which counts as college level for some programs but is a prerequisite for College Algebra at many colleges.

What PERT math score do I need for College Algebra?

Usually 123 or more; at Pensacola State and Seminole State, 123 to 150 places you into MAC 1105, while 114 to 122 places you into Intermediate Algebra.

Pensacola State College, College Readiness Assessments Standards 2025. Other colleges draw the lower lines differently.
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)

The lines below 114 vary most between colleges and years, so use your own college's current chart. What does not vary much is the cost of each line: every step down the chart is a course, usually a semester, before the college-level course your degree needs.

If your degree needs Statistics rather than College Algebra, ask your college: some place students into STA 2023 from the same 123 line.

Move up a line on the chart

Eight full PERT-style mocks and four drills for every subtest, each answer explained, show the subtest holding you back and fix it.

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 happens if my PERT score is too low?

If you are not exempt, the college places you in developmental education in that subject, usually one or two courses before the college-level one, and you can often retest under its rules.

You can still enroll and take courses with no placement requirement.
Developmental courses cost tuition and time but usually do not count toward your degree.
Some colleges offer accelerated or combined options that finish the support faster.
Retesting is often allowed. Your college sets the waiting time, the number of attempts and any fee.
Exempt students may decline developmental education, but should think carefully before skipping support they need.

If you are within a few points of a line, a retest after a week of targeted review is often the cheapest route. Find your weakest subtest with the free PERT practice test and follow how to pass the PERT.

Do exempt students need a PERT score?

Not to enroll: Florida standard-diploma graduates who entered ninth grade in a Florida public school in 2003-04 or later, and active-duty military, are exempt, but many still test to choose their first math course.

An exempt student can enroll in college-level courses without a PERT score. The test is still useful: a math score of 123 or more can confirm that College Algebra is the right start, and a low score is a warning worth having before the semester begins rather than after the first exam. The PERT test guide explains the exemption in full.

What do PERT reading and writing scores decide?

Together they decide whether you can take ENC 1101, the first college English course: you need 106 or more in Reading and 103 or more in Writing, and a score below either line usually means developmental reading or writing first.

Unlike math, where the chart has several steps, the English decision is mostly one line in each subtest. That makes a near miss in Reading or Writing especially frustrating: a student at 104 in Reading with a strong Writing score can still need a developmental course before ENC 1101.

Reading and Writing also matter outside English. Many colleges list ENC 1101 as a prerequisite or corequisite for other general-education courses, so a developmental English placement can delay more than one class. If either score is close to its line, ask your college about its retest rules before you register.

What should I review before retaking the PERT?

The subtest that fell short, and within it the topics the official study guide lists; for math, that means equations, inequalities, polynomials, factoring, quadratics and lines.

These two worked examples come from topics in the P.E.R.T. study guide where a single slip, a fraction undone the wrong way or a middle term dropped, costs the whole question. Try each before you read the working.

PERT-style question 1 · Literal equation
The area of a triangle is A = ½bh. Which equation gives h in terms of A and b?
1. Ah = 2A/b
2. Bh = A/(2b)
3. Ch = 2Ab
4. Dh = b/(2A)
Worked answer
A: h = 2A/b. Multiply both sides by 2: 2A = bh. Divide by b: h = 2A/b.
1. Clear the fraction: multiply both sides by 2, so 2A = bh.
2. h is multiplied by b, so divide both sides by b.
3. h = 2A/b.
The trap: h = A/(2b) divides by 2 instead of multiplying. Undo ½ by multiplying by 2.
PERT-style question 2 · Multiplying polynomials
Which is equal to (2x + 3)(x − 4)?
1. A2x² − 5x − 12
2. B2x² − 12
3. C2x² + 5x − 12
4. D2x² − 11x − 12
Worked answer
A: 2x² − 5x − 12. Multiply every term by every term: 2x² − 8x + 3x − 12 = 2x² − 5x − 12.
1. First terms: 2x × x = 2x².
2. Outer and inner: 2x × −4 = −8x and 3 × x = 3x, which combine to −5x.
3. Last terms: 3 × −4 = −12. Result: 2x² − 5x − 12.
The trap: 2x² − 12 multiplies only the first and last terms. The two middle products are where most of the points are.

More worked examples and the full rules list are on the PERT math practice test.

How do practice scores relate to PERT scores?

They do not convert: our practice bands show how much of the content you have mastered, but only the adaptive PERT produces a 50-150 score.

Use practice scores to compare yourself with yourself. If your math drill moves from 50% to 85% over a week, algebra is no longer what stands between you and 123, whatever your exact scale score turns out to be.

Texas uses a different test with a different scale: the TSIA2 runs from 910 to 990. If you are comparing states, see TSI scores.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good PERT score?

At or above the minimum for the course you want: 106 Reading and 103 Writing for ENC 1101, 114 Math for college-level math, and 123 for College Algebra at many colleges.

What is the highest PERT score?

150 on each subtest.

Is 113 a passing PERT math score?

Not for college-level math: the minimum is 114. At Pensacola State, 96 to 113 places you in MAT 0028, developmental algebra.

How long are PERT scores valid?

Each college sets its own rule on how old a placement score can be. Ask yours if your scores are more than a year or two old.

Do Florida universities use the PERT?

It is mainly used by Florida College System institutions. Universities usually place students from SAT, ACT or their own tests, though some use the PERT for dual enrollment.

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