Florida has no statewide PERT retake rule. Each college sets its own waiting period, fee and attempt limit, and some require a review program before you test again. Check your college’s policy, then use the wait to fix the specific mistakes that cost you points.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated November 5, 2026 · 7 min read
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The short answer: your college sets the rules
The state does not set PERT fees, retake waiting periods or attempt limits. Rule 6A-10.0315 leaves those to each college. Published waits range from no same-day retest (FSCJ, Palm Beach State) to 30 days (Polk State). Retake fees for a college’s own students run from $4 (Tallahassee State) to $33.50 (Broward, $30 plus a $3.50 online fee), and students testing for another institution often pay more.
One rule is statewide: if you have more than one score on an approved placement test, your highest score is used. A retake that goes worse does not cost you an earlier, higher score.
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Retake rules at twelve Florida colleges
The table summarizes what each college’s testing page said on November 5, 2026. “Not listed” means the page did not say. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the testing center before you book.
PERT retake fees, waits and limits by college (checked 2026-11-05)
College
Retake fee
Wait and limits
Valencia College
$10 per subject retake
3 attempts per section within two years; 1-day wait between sessions
Miami Dade College
$10 (Miami Dade and high school students); $45 for students from other institutions
2 attempts per subtest before you enroll in a course in that subject; a test-prep option before the 2nd attempt; after that, remediation and the department chair’s permission
Florida State College at Jacksonville
$32 per sitting; $63 per sitting for other institutions
No same-day retest; you can retest a subject only if you have not started or completed coursework in it
First retest after 24 hours; later retests after 30 days; limit not listed
Palm Beach State College
$10 per section retaken
No same-day retake; students in a developmental course can’t retest that subject until the term ends
Eastern Florida State College
$10 plus handling charge
14 days after the first test; up to 3 retests in 12 months; a 4th attempt needs a 30-day wait and proof of remediation
Seminole State College
$10 (fees subject to change, non-refundable); PERT Diagnostic also $10
3 attempts; the PERT Review Program and Seminole State approval before each retake (not required for dual-enrollment students); wait not listed
Polk State College
Not listed ($35 if the scores are for another institution)
30 days apart, before you start classes in that area, with proof of remediation; 2 attempts per subject, a 3rd needs the Student Services Dean’s approval
Indian River State College
$20 per additional session
7-day wait per subject; no limit on retest attempts
Tallahassee State College
$4 per retake (Tallahassee State students)
After 14 days; limit not listed
Pensacola State College
$10 (Pensacola State and dual-enrollment students)
At least 7 days; limit not listed; an A, B or C in a developmental course means you don’t need further remediation before retesting
Read the conditions as closely as the wait: several colleges stop retests once you start coursework in that subject, and some require preparation first. For booking and first-attempt fees, see PERT test dates and registration.
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Retaking just one subject
Each PERT subject is scored and used separately, so a low Math score has no effect on Reading or Writing placement. Many colleges price and count retakes per subject: Valencia charges per subject and allows three attempts per section, Palm Beach State charges per section, Indian River State applies its 7-day wait per subtest, and MDC and Polk State count attempts per subtest or portion. At those colleges you can usually retake only the subject that fell short, and under the highest-score rule the scores you already met still count. Confirm with the testing center.
Timing matters. At FSCJ you can retest a subject only if you have not started or completed coursework in it, Polk State requires the retest before you start classes in that area, and Palm Beach State students in a developmental course cannot retest that subject until the term ends.
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Diagnose before you retake
Your official report tells you which subject fell short, not why. To find out, take a free practice form in that subject and label every miss with one error type from the table below. Practice results can’t be converted to a PERT score, so ignore the percentage and look for the error that keeps coming back.
Common PERT error types and how to fix them
Error type
What it looks like
Fix
Where to practice
Arithmetic or sign slip
Right setup, wrong number, often a dropped negative
Write each step; check signs before you submit
Lesson on signed numbers and order of operations
Answered a different question
You found the discount when the question asked for the sale price
Underline what the question asks for and check your answer matches it
Algebra and models guide
Algebra rule error
Distributing a negative or moving a term incorrectly
Substitute your answer back into the original equation
Expressions, polynomials and factoring guide
Unsupported inference
The choice sounds reasonable but the passage never says it
Point to the sentence that proves your answer
Reading evidence guide
Word or structure misread
Choosing a dictionary meaning instead of the meaning in context
Reread the sentence with each choice in place
Reading structure guide
Grammar rule gap
Matching the verb to the nearest noun, not the subject
Name the rule being tested before choosing
Writing editing guide
Revision purpose missed
Picking a true sentence that doesn’t fit the paragraph’s focus
Error type in action · Easier · Percents and proportional models
A $72 jacket is discounted by 25%. What is the sale price, in dollars?
A.18
B.47
C.54
D.57
Answer: C (54)
How to solve it
Read what is asked: the sale price, the amount the buyer pays.
Find the discount: 25% of 72 is 0.25 × 72 = 18.
Subtract it: 72 − 18 = 54. Paying 75% of the price gives the same result, 0.75 × 72 = 54.
If you picked 18, you found the discount, not the price. Label that miss “answered a different question.” The fix is to check what is asked, not to relearn percents.
Why it works: A 25% discount removes 18 dollars. The buyer pays 75% of 72, or 54 dollars. The choice 18 is the discount amount rather than the sale price.
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A two-week retake plan
Two weeks fits the 14-day wait at Eastern Florida and Tallahassee State. Adjust the days to your college’s wait.
Two-week plan for retaking one PERT subject
Days
Focus
What to do
1–2
Diagnose
Take a practice form in the subject, label every miss and pick your top two error types
3–6
First error type
Study the matching lesson and guide, then do a short question-bank set on that type each day
7–10
Second error type
Repeat the same routine for the second error type
11–12
Mixed review
Do a mixed question-bank set in the subject and check whether the labeled errors still appear
13
Logistics
Confirm the booking, fee, ID and any required review program
14
Test day
Answer each question carefully before submitting; there is no going back
For a longer runway, the PERT study plan has 14, 30 and 60-day schedules. Build daily sets in the question bank by subject and question type.
Find your error types in one subject.
Take a free 30-question form with explanations and label each miss.
The PERT system includes Diagnostic tests in math, reading and writing as well as the placement tests. The placement test sets your course; the Diagnostic identifies, by competency, the skills you have not mastered yet. It does not replace a placement score. Seminole State requires it, for a $10 fee, as part of its PERT Review Program before a retest.
Free PERT prep
Use the wait to fix the right things.
Free lessons with worked examples for every PERT question type.
It depends on the college. Published waits range from no same-day retest (FSCJ, Palm Beach State) through 1 day (Valencia), 7 days (Indian River State, Pensacola State), 14 days (Eastern Florida, Tallahassee State) and 30 days (Polk State).
Each college sets its own fee. Listed amounts for a college’s own students range from $4 (Tallahassee State) to $33.50 (Broward, $30 plus a $3.50 online fee), and students testing for another institution often pay more.
There is no state limit. Some colleges set one, such as three attempts per section within two years at Valencia, while Indian River State lists no limit on retest attempts.
At many colleges, yes. Valencia, Palm Beach State, Indian River State, MDC and Polk State all charge or count retakes per subject, section or subtest. Confirm the rules with your testing center.
Rule 6A-10.0315 uses your highest score when you have more than one score on an approved placement test.
At some colleges, yes. MDC offers a test-prep option before the second attempt, Seminole State requires its PERT Review Program before each retake and Polk State asks for proof of remediation.
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Sources
PERT rules are set by Florida law and by each college. These are the pages this guide relies on; your testing center’s current instructions take priority.