PERT Practice Test

Free PERT Practice Test 2026 | Questions + Scores

The Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) is administered by the state of Florida to adequately assess your academic skills in mathematics, reading, and writing. How well you score on the exam will determine your placement into appropriate college courses.

Click the “Start Test” button above to begin our free PERT practice test! These practice questions will give you a better idea of what to study for your exam.

PERT Question of the Day

PERT Practice Tests by Subject

If you need some extra practice in a specific subject, click one of the subjects below to get started on a subject-specific PERT practice test.

PERT Exam Outline

The PERT is split into three sections, each containing 30 questions: Mathematics, Reading, and Writing. The exam is untimed, but completing all three sections typically takes about 3 hours.

Here’s a closer look at each PERT test section:

Mathematics

The PERT Mathematics test will assess your knowledge of equations, polynomials, coordinate planes, and more.

• Equations
• Evaluating algebraic expressions
• Polynomials
• Dividing by monomials and binomials
• Applying standard concepts or algorithms
• Coordinate planes
• Focusing on pairs of simultaneous linear equations in two variables

Reading

The Reading section of the PERT will assess your ability to determine word meanings, recognize relationships between sentences, and distinguish between facts and opinions.

• Discerning and summarizing important ideas and information
• Supporting or challenging assertions about a text
• Determining the meaning of words and phrases
• Analyzing the meaning, tone, and organizational structure of a text
• Determining an author’s purpose
• Determining the relation of events in a text
• Analyzing the traits and thoughts of fictional and nonfictional characters
• Analyzing how multiple texts address similar topics
• Distinguishing between fact and opinion
• Evaluating reasoning and rhetoric of an argument

Writing

The Writing section of the PERT will assess your ability to establish a topic/thesis, your usage of grammar and spelling, and your skills that pertain to conceptualizing and organizing ideas.

• Sustaining focus on a specific topic or argument
• Establishing a topic or thesis
• Demonstrating the uses of standard English writing conventions (grammar, mechanics, etc.)
• Developing and maintaining a style/tone
• Synthesizing information from multiple sources
• Conveying complex information clearly and coherently
• Representing and citing data, conclusions, and opinions
• Establishing a claim and acknowledging competing arguments
• Conceptual and organizational skills
• Word choice skills
• Sentence structure skills
• Grammar, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation skills

Top 5 Challenging PERT Questions

Now that you know more about the test, try your hand at some targeted practice!

Over the last year, we've compiled the data from about 5,000 test-takers who tried their hand at the practice test at the top of this page. According to the data, around 65% of people answered these five questions incorrectly.

Answer each question and read through the answer explanation, whether you got the answer right or wrong. This will help you ensure you've got the topic mastered.

Whether you struggled with these questions or aced them on your first try, be sure to take the full PERT practice test to get a better idea of how prepared you really are!

1. Read the passage below before answering the question:

Read Passage

Chang-Rae Lee’s debut and award-winning novel Native Speaker is about Henry Park, a Korean American individual who struggles to find his place as a second-generation immigrant in a suburb of New York City. This novel addresses the notion that, as the people who know us best, our family, peers, and lovers are the individuals who direct our lives and end up defining us. Henry Park is confronted with this reality at the very start of the novel, which begins:

"The day my wife left she gave me a list of who I was."

Upon separating from his wife, Park struggles with racial and ethnic identity issues due to his loneliness. Through Park’s work as an undercover operative for a private intelligence agency, the author presents the theme of espionage as a metaphor for the internal divide that Park experiences as an immigrant. This dual reality creates two worlds for Park and increases his sense of uncertainty with regard to his place in society. While he constantly feels like an outsider looking in, he also feels like he belongs to neither world.

Chang-Rae Lee is also a first-generation Korean American immigrant. He immigrated to America at the early age of three. Themes of identity, race, and cultural alienation pervade his works. His interest in these themes no doubt stems from his firsthand experience as a kid growing up in a Korean household while going to an American school. Lee is also the author of A Gesture Life and Aloft. The protagonists of these novels are similar in that they deal with labels placed on them based on race, color, and language. Consequently, all of these characters struggle to belong in America.

Lee’s novels address differences within a nation’s mix of race, religion, and history, as well as the necessity of assimilation between cultures. In his works and through his characters, Lee shows us both the difficulties and the subtleties of the immigrant experience in America. He urges us to consider the role of borders and to think about why the idea of opening up one’s borders is so frightening. In an ever-changing world in which cultures are becoming more intermingled, the meaning of identity must be constantly redefined, especially when the security of belonging to a place is becoming increasingly elusive. As our world grows smaller with increasing technological advances, these themes in Lee’s novels become even more pertinent.

Which of the following best describes the purpose of this passage?

A.To criticize B.To analyze C.To entertain D.To inform Submit

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Hardest Question

Only 34% answered correctly

2. Which is the best way to combine the two sentences below?

The colonists refused to buy stamps. They were determined to get the Stamp Act repealed.

A.The colonists refused to buy stamps and they were determined to get the Stamp Act repealed. B.The colonists refused to buy stamps, and they were determined to get the Stamp Act repealed. C.The colonists refused to buy stamps, and were determined to get the Stamp Act repealed. D.The colonists refused to buy stamps, were determined to get the Stamp Act repealed. Submit

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5. Read the passage below before answering the question:

Read Passage

Chang-Rae Lee’s debut and award-winning novel Native Speaker is about Henry Park, a Korean American individual who struggles to find his place as a second-generation immigrant in a suburb of New York City. This novel addresses the notion that, as the people who know us best, our family, peers, and lovers are the individuals who direct our lives and end up defining us. Henry Park is confronted with this reality at the very start of the novel, which begins:

"The day my wife left she gave me a list of who I was."

Upon separating from his wife, Park struggles with racial and ethnic identity issues due to his loneliness. Through Park’s work as an undercover operative for a private intelligence agency, the author presents the theme of espionage as a metaphor for the internal divide that Park experiences as an immigrant. This dual reality creates two worlds for Park and increases his sense of uncertainty with regard to his place in society. While he constantly feels like an outsider looking in, he also feels like he belongs to neither world.

Chang-Rae Lee is also a first-generation Korean American immigrant. He immigrated to America at the early age of three. Themes of identity, race, and cultural alienation pervade his works. His interest in these themes no doubt stems from his firsthand experience as a kid growing up in a Korean household while going to an American school. Lee is also the author of A Gesture Life and Aloft. The protagonists of these novels are similar in that they deal with labels placed on them based on race, color, and language. Consequently, all of these characters struggle to belong in America.

Lee’s novels address differences within a nation’s mix of race, religion, and history, as well as the necessity of assimilation between cultures. In his works and through his characters, Lee shows us both the difficulties and the subtleties of the immigrant experience in America. He urges us to consider the role of borders and to think about why the idea of opening up one’s borders is so frightening. In an ever-changing world in which cultures are becoming more intermingled, the meaning of identity must be constantly redefined, especially when the security of belonging to a place is becoming increasingly elusive. As our world grows smaller with increasing technological advances, these themes in Lee’s novels become even more pertinent.

How does the author of the passage feel about the ideas presented in Lee’s novels?

A.Concerned about the disappearance of cultures in a rapidly expanding and mixed world B.Excited that immigrants are easily able to redefine and establish themselves in new cultures C.Certain that all borders will eventually be eliminated so world cultures will commingle and fully assimilate D.Critical regarding the role technology has played in society and how it destroys the immigrant experience Submit

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Scores

How the Exam is Scored

The PERT is computer-adaptive, so depending on your performance, the difficulty of your test will increase or decrease as you go on.

Here’s a look at how it works:

The first question is judged to be of medium difficulty, and depending on your performance, the next question may be easier or harder. If you do well in the first question, the second question will be harder; conversely, if you do poorly on the first question, the second question will be easy.

Each PERT subtest is scored on a scale of 50–150. Your scores are used to determine your course placement. Higher scores indicate stronger performance in that subject.

Receiving Your Scores

You will receive your PERT scores immediately after you finish the test. Your college will provide you with the final official score results.

Study Tips

Start with a PERT Practice Test

Before creating your study schedule, take a PERT practice test to establish a starting point. You don't need to wait until you have reviewed every algebraic expression, reading passage, grammar rule, or sentence structure. At this stage, the goal is to identify where your preparation time will have the greatest effect.

Review your results across the three subjects:

• Mathematics: Can you solve equations and inequalities, evaluate expressions, work with polynomials, interpret coordinate-plane relationships, and solve systems of linear equations?
• Reading: Can you identify main ideas, summarize information, determine meaning from context, analyze purpose and tone, recognize relationships, and evaluate arguments?
• Writing: Can you identify problems with focus, organization, word choice, sentence structure, grammar, usage, punctuation, and transitions?

Identifying those specific weaknesses will show you where to devote more attention during your study time.

Review Difficult Questions

After each practice session, review every question you answered incorrectly AND every question you guessed on or answered with low confidence.

For each difficult question, determine which of the following caused the problem:

• You knew the algebraic rule but applied it incorrectly.
• You made an order-of-operations error.
• You couldn't translate the information in a math problem into an equation or relationship.
• You confused the main idea of a passage with a supporting detail.
• You made an inference that wasn't supported by the text.
• You misunderstood a word or phrase because you ignored its context.
• You recognized that a sentence sounded awkward but couldn't identify the grammar or structure problem.
• You selected a grammatically correct revision that didn't fit the meaning or organization of the passage.

Then, outline a specific plan for improvement based on what you discovered. In other words, don't just say, “I need to study algebra.” Note that you need to practice factoring quadratic expressions or solving systems of two linear equations.

Similarly, replace “study grammar” with something specific, such as recognizing pronoun-antecedent disagreement or choosing transitions that accurately show the relationship between ideas.

Utilize Answer Explanations

Answer explanations are an underutilized studying resource. To take full advantage of them, read the explanation for every question you found difficult, including questions you answered correctly.

For each one, make sure you can confidently explain:

1. Why the correct answer is correct
2. Why each incorrect answer is less appropriate
3. What mathematical, reading, or writing skill is being tested
4. Which information in the question controls the answer
5. What reasoning or process leads to the correct answer
6. How the same skill could appear in a different problem or passage

For mathematics questions, redo the entire problem yourself instead of memorizing the answer. Identify what is given, what you need to find, which mathematical relationship applies, and whether your result is reasonable.

For reading and writing questions, return to the passage and identify the exact words, sentences, or relationships that support the correct answer.

Practice Reading and Writing in Context

Don't prepare for the Reading assessment by memorizing literary terms or for the Writing assessment by memorizing grammar rules in isolation. Both require you to use information in context.

For reading questions, use this process:

Question → Relevant Passage Evidence → Meaning or Relationship → Answer

Before choosing an answer about an author's purpose, tone, inference, or argument, identify which part of the passage actually supports your conclusion.

For writing questions, use:

Sentence or Passage → Intended Meaning → Problem → Best Revision

A revision must do more than sound grammatically correct. Consider whether it maintains the writer's focus, fits the surrounding sentences, uses an appropriate transition, and communicates the intended idea clearly.

PERT Online Prep Course

If you want to be fully prepared, Mometrix offers an online PERT prep course designed to give you everything you need to succeed!

Here's what you'll find in the PERT course:

Everyone learns differently, so we've tailored the PERT online prep course to ensure every learner has what they need to prepare for the PERT exam.

Click below to check it out!

FAQs

By Eric Richter

Eric is the Product Development Manager responsible for developing and updating the Mometrix Teacher Certification and K-12 products. Eric has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a master’s of education in Teaching ESOL.

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Aaron is the content manager and lead editor for Mometrix Academy. He regularly produces, updates, proofreads, and edits content to ensure it meets Mometrix’s quality and accessibility standards.

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