skip to main content
Menu
Main Content Start

Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (P.E.R.T.)

The P.E.R.T. is used to determine initial course placement and provides information about your reading comprehension, writing and mathematics skill levels. It is a computer-adaptive test that is untimed, and typically takes about three hours to complete.

Testing Location

P.E.R.T. tests are administered in the Assessment Centers on all IRSC campuses.

Testing Dates and Times

The P.E.R.T. is offered daily at each IRSC campus. Students can start the P.E.R.T. Monday through Thursday, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. during all semesters, and between 8:00 and 11:30 a.m. on Fridays in the Fall and Spring semesters. P.E.R. T. is an untimed test. It will take most students approximately three hours to complete all three sections of the P.E.R.T.

To avoid long wait times during our peak testing periods, we will not be administering the P.E.R.T. exam during final exams.

P.E.R.T. is not offered on the following times:

  • Fall Finals 2019: Thursday, December 5; Friday, December 6; and Monday, December 9, 2019
  • Spring Finals 2020: Monday, April 20; Tuesday, April 21; and Wednesday, April 22, 2020
  • Summer A Finals 2020: Monday, June 15 and Tuesday, June 16, 2020
  • Summer B Finals 2020: Tuesday, August 4 and Wednesday, August 5, 2020

General Information

Students must arrive at an Assessment Center with a paid receipt and a valid photo ID no later than three hours prior to the established closing time. There is a $10 testing fee per testing session. Payments may be made online or at any branch campus Cashier's Office.

P.E.R.T. Frequently Asked Questions

Postsecondary Education Readiness Test

Reading, writing and math.

The P.E.R.T. math sub test will not place a student into MAC 1140, MAC 2233, MAC 1114, MAC 1147 or MAC 2311. If students wish to place into a higher-level math course, they will need to score a 135 on the P.E.R.T. math section and then take the College Level Math (CLM) section of the Computerized Placement Test (CPT) in the same sitting. The same CLM CPT scores still apply to higher level placement. Students will not need to pay an additional testing fee to take the CLM section.

There are 30 questions per test section; 90 questions total. Each section has 25 scored questions and 5 field test questions.

50-150

The P.E.R.T. is offered daily at each IRSC campus.  There is a $10 testing fee for the entire exam (or $10 for an individual subtest).  A valid photo identification is required.  Testing schedules and more information are available online at www.irsc.edu and at all IRSC campuses.

  1. Sign In to MyIRSC
  2. Enter Student ID and PIN
  3. Change PIN if prompted, then sign on
  4. Under Quick Links, select Pay for PERT Exam
  5. Click Enter Credit Card Details
  6. Enter your credit card information
  7. Verify your billing address
  8. Click Submit Payment
  9. Print your P.E.R.T. receipt and bring to the Assessment Center

No.  It is an untimed test.  It will take most students approximately 3 hours to complete all three sections of the P.E.R.T.

Students must arrive in an Assessment Center with a paid receipt and a valid photo ID no later than 3 hours prior to the established closing time.  Therefore, students can start the P.E.R.T. on Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during all semesters and 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. on Fridays in the Fall and Spring semesters.  Please note that the P.E.R.T. is not administered during final exams.

Yes.  The IRSC Academic Support Centers and the IRSC Assessment Services webpage have practice material for the P.E.R.T.  IRSC will not provide paper copies of the study guide or sample test.

There is a calculator built into the P.E.R.T. testing system. It will automatically “pop up” if the question allows the use of a calculator. However, personal or handheld calculators are not permitted.

Florida Statutes require degree-seeking students to undergo placement testing to ensure that they are guided into academic classes most appropriate to their skill levels.  Acceptable placement tests are the P.E.R.T. (Postsecondary Education Readiness Test), SAT and ACT.  Specific math, reading and English scores used for placement purposes can be found below in the P.E.R.T. Course Placement section.

Florida Statutes (Senate Bill 1720) exempt certain students from placement testing.  Students who entered 9th Grade in a Florida public school in the 2003-2004 school year or after and earned a Florida standard high school diploma, or students who are serving as active duty members of any branch of the United States armed services are no longer required – but are strongly encouraged – to complete mandatory placement testing to ensure success.  Students must provide official high school transcripts or documentation of military status to be exempt from placement testing.

Students are required to wait 7 days before retesting on the same P.E.R.T. subtest, and students are strongly encouraged to remediate before retesting.  There is no limit on the number of retest attempts.

Official valid P.E.R.T. results from a high school can be used for placement.  Students will be responsible for asking their high school to send P.E.R.T. scores to IRSC.  Scores should be sent from high schools via FASTER as part of a high school transcript.  Unofficial transcripts or score reports will not be accepted.  P.E.R.T. scores are no longer considered valid after two years from the date that the test was administered.

A valid photo ID is required for all exams taken at Indian River State College. Acceptable forms of identification include:

  • Current driver license with photo
  • Current Federal, State, County or Municipality issued ID with photo (includes U.S. Military ID)
  • Current Alien Registration Card (Green Card) with photo
  • Current Passport with recent photo
  • S. Passport Card
  • Current High School ID
  • Current Indian River State College ID card
If an ID has an expiration date, it is no longer valid after that date. Also, once an ID is broken into more than one piece or has been cut, it is no longer valid.  An ID printed on paper, photo paper or cardboard cannot be accepted for testing.

P.E.R.T. Resources

P.E.R.T. Course Placement – Effective Fall 2018

Developmental English Placement

Course Score Range
ENC 0017 50-102

Developmental Reading Placement

Course Score Range
ENC 0017 50-105

Developmental Math Placement

Course Score Range
MAT 0028 50-113
MAT 0055 96-113

P.E.R.T. College Credit Course Placement

  Course Score Range Notes
College English Placement ENC 1101 103-150 College English Placement: P.E.R.T. reading score of 106 or higher is also required to take ENC 1101
College Reading Placement

Exempt from reading classes

 106-150

College Reading Placement: Required for ENC 1101
College Math Placement MAT 1033 114-122  
College Math Placement

MAC 1105, MGF 2106, MGF 2107, MTG 2204, STA 2023

 123-134  
College Math Placement Eligible to take the College Level Math test of the CPT 135-150  

CPT College Level Math (CLM) Test Placement —Students must score 135 on the P.E.R.T. to take the CLM

Course Score Range

MGF 2106, MGF 2107, MTG 2204

 30-43
MAC 1105, STA 2023 44-59

MAC 1140, MAC 2233, MAC 1114, MAC 1147

 60-89

MAC 2311

 90-120

SAT College Credit Course Placement For SAT Exams Taken Before March 1, 2016

  Course Score Range Notes
College Reading Placement Exempt from reading classes 440+ College Reading Placement: Required for ENC 1101
College Math Placement MAT 1033 440+  
College Math Placement

MGF 2106, MTG 2204, MGF 2107

 490+  
College Math Placement MAC 1105, STA 2023 520+  
College Math Placement

MAC 1140, MAC 2233, MAC 1114, MAC 1147

 590+  

SAT College Credit Course Placement For  SAT Exams Taken After March 1, 2016

  Course Score Range Notes

College English Placement: Writing & Language Subtest

 ENC 1101 25+ College English Placement: Starting 1/25/17 SAT reading score of 24 or higher is also required to take ENC 1101.

College Reading Placement: Reading Subtest

 Exempt from reading classes 24+ College Reading Placement: Required for ENC 1101

College Math Placement: Math Subtest

MAT 1033 24+  
College Math Placement: Math Subtest

MGF 2106, MTG 2204, MGF 2107

 26+  
College Math Placement: Math Subtest MAC 1105, STA 2023 27.5+  
College Math Placement: Math Subtest

MAC 1140, MAC 2233, MAC 1114, MAC 1147

 30.5+  

ACT College Credit Course Placement

  Course Score Range Notes
College English Placement ENC 1101 17+ College English Placement: ACT reading score of 19 or higher is also required to take ENC 1101
College Reading Placement Exempt from reading classes 19+ College Reading Placement: Required for ENC 1101
College Math Placement: Math Subtest MAT 1033 19+  
College Math Placement: Math Subtest

MGF 2106, MTG 2204, MGF 2107

 21+  
College Math Placement: Math Subtest MAC 1105, STA 2023 23+  
College Math Placement: Math Subtest

MAC 1140, MAC 2233, MAC 1114, MAC 1147

 25+  

CPT College Credit Course Placement

  Course Score Range Notes
College English Placement ENC 1101

83+

 College English Placement: CPT reading score of 83 or higher is also required to take ENC 1101
College Reading Placement Exempt from reading classes 83+ College Reading Placement: Required for ENC 1101
College Math Placement MAT 1033 72+  

Scores

P.E.R.T. scores expire after two years from the testing date, and are no longer valid for placement purposes.

P.E.R.T. Retesting

Students are required to wait seven days before retesting on the same P.E.R.T. subtest, and students are strongly encouraged to remediate before retesting. There is no limit on the number of retest attempts.

Top
New version available REFRESH  DISMISS