Bring a valid physical photo ID, leave your calculator at home, and give yourself plenty of time. The PERT is untimed, but you must answer each question to move on and you can’t go back, so the habit that matters most is checking an answer before you submit it.
Test Ninjas Research · Updated November 5, 2026 · 7 min read
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The checklist: before, at check-in, during and after
Every testing center sets its own rules, so treat this as a list of things to confirm, not a promise of what your center does. The college examples come from their testing pages, checked November 5, 2026.
The day before
Confirm your appointment, or the walk-in hours. Santa Fe College asks walk-ins to arrive at least two hours before closing.
Confirm which subjects you are taking: Reading, Writing, Mathematics or a mix.
Pay ahead if your college requires it. Broward books and prepays online, Palm Beach State uses its eMarket and Pensacola State uses RegisterBlast.
Find a valid, physical photo ID that is on your center’s accepted list (see the table below).
If you have an approved accommodation, make sure the testing center knows before you arrive.
Block enough time. Colleges’ own estimates range from about two hours to more than three for all three subjects; there is no official time limit. The test dates guide lists each college’s estimate.
At check-in
Arrive on time. Indian River State makes late arrivals reschedule, and Valencia may reschedule them.
Show your ID. Photos, copies and electronic IDs are rejected at Valencia, Seminole State, Polk State and Indian River State.
Store your belongings. Polk State requires phones, watches, bags and notes to go in a locker with devices powered down, and FSCJ allows no personal items.
Use the materials the center gives you. Santa Fe and Polk State provide paper and pencil, and FSCJ supplies all testing materials.
During the test
Expect 30 questions per subject. You won’t be told which 5 are unscored, so treat every question as if it counts.
Answer every question before moving on; you can’t skip ahead or return later.
Use the on-screen calculator when it appears on a math question, and do the rest by hand.
Work at a steady pace. There is no time limit, but the center still closes, and some colleges require all sections on the same day.
If you take all three subjects at Valencia, expect Reading and Writing before Math.
After the test
Get your scores. Santa Fe shows them immediately and FSCJ prints a score report when you finish. Virtual PERT scores at Valencia post after the recorded session is validated.
Note your test date. Several colleges count the two-year validity of PERT scores from it; see how long PERT scores stay valid.
If a subject falls short, ask about the retake wait before you leave and read the PERT retake policy guide.
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ID rules at Florida testing centers
Most centers accept a driver license, a state or federal ID or a passport. The differences are in the extras, such as student IDs, military IDs and high school IDs, and in what they turn away.
Examples of PERT ID rules (checked 2026-11-05)
College
What its page says
Valencia College
Physical ID only (no photos or electronic IDs; Florida Smart ID not accepted): driver license, Valencia ID, state/federal ID, passport
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Current valid government-issued photo ID or current FSCJ student ID
Santa Fe College
Driver license, state ID, military ID or passport
Seminole State College
Current, valid, original government photo ID with signature; no digital IDs; second ID if no signature
Polk State College
Valid unexpired photo ID; no copies/photos; driver license, state/federal ID, passport or official school ID
Indian River State College
Valid photo ID: current high school photo ID, government ID or IRSC ID; no expired, damaged, electronic or paper-copy IDs
Miami Dade College
See Miami Dade’s acceptable ID list; high school students may use a high school ID
Tallahassee State College
Tallahassee State photo ID, or a valid driver license or state ID
If your ID is expired, digital or a photo on your phone, assume it will be refused and bring something else. High school students should check whether a school ID is enough at their center.
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Calculator rules
You can’t bring your own calculator unless an approved disability accommodation allows one; an on-screen calculator appears only on some math questions. Santa Fe College’s page says calculators may not be brought and that paper and pencil are provided.
The PERT student study guide describes the on-screen tool as a standard four-function calculator that performs operations in the order you enter them. On a calculator that works in the order you enter the keys, 2 + 3 × 4 gives 20, not 14. Work out parentheses and products yourself, and use the calculator for one step at a time.
On the PERT you must answer each question before you move on, and once you submit, you can’t go back. Miami Dade College notes that you can change an answer before you move on. That makes the last few seconds before you submit the only review you get, so build a routine for them.
Read the whole question and say what it asks for: a value, a sentence, a main idea.
Solve before you look at the choices when you can, so a trap answer doesn’t steer you.
Check your answer against the question. Is it the quantity they asked for, the sentence that fits the paragraph, the idea the passage supports?
Eliminate, then choose. If you’re unsure, cross out choices that contradict the math, the passage or the grammar, and pick the strongest one left.
Submit and let it go. Don’t carry a doubtful question into the next one. A harder-looking question doesn’t tell you your score.
The routine on one question · Easier · Signed numbers and order of operations
Evaluate −4 + 3(2 − 7).
A.−19
B.−11
C.11
D.19
Answer: A (−19)
How to solve it
The question asks for the value of the expression, so you need one number.
Check before submitting: −11 would mean you treated −4 as +4. Your sign is right, so submit −19.
Why it works: The parentheses give −5. Multiplying by 3 gives −15, so −4 + (−15) = −19. The choice −11 comes from adding 4 to −15, which reverses the sign of the initial −4.
Practice this routine where it costs nothing. The free practice test forms use the same answer-to-advance navigation, and the question of the day gives you one question to try the routine on each day. For Reading and Writing, the reading evidence guide and writing editing guide show what to check before you submit.
Practice the answer-to-advance habit.
Free 30-question forms that move forward only, like the real PERT, with an explanation for every question.
Remote PERT is offered only at some colleges, each with its own rules. Valencia offers a virtual PERT for current students through a request form, and scores post after the recorded session is validated. Tallahassee State allows remote testing for examinees outside its tri-county area. Indian River State uses Honorlock and requires a desktop or laptop with a webcam and microphone, not a tablet or phone. Santa Fe may allow it if you ask by email. Broward says PERT is not available remotely, and Eastern Florida’s virtual option is ACCUPLACER, not PERT.
If your college offers remote testing, follow its setup instructions exactly and test your equipment before the day.
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Accommodations
Florida law requires public colleges to provide appropriate test modifications for students with disabilities. Request them through the college’s disability or accessibility office before you test: Miami Dade routes requests through ACCESS and Broward through its student accessibility office. Some colleges, such as Eastern Florida, offer a paper-based PERT for students with documented accommodations. The PERT exam guide has more detail.
Free PERT prep
Walk in ready for all three subjects.
Free lessons and practice for Math, Reading and Writing, with an explanation for every question.
You can’t bring your own calculator unless an approved disability accommodation allows one; an on-screen calculator appears only on some math questions.
A valid, physical photo ID that your testing center accepts, usually a driver license, state or federal ID or passport. Some colleges also accept a student, military or high school ID, and several reject photos, copies and electronic IDs.
No. You must answer each question before moving on, and you can’t return to change an answer after you submit it.
It depends on the college. Indian River State requires one session with no breaks, and several colleges require all sections on the same day. Ask your testing center.
The PERT is untimed. Colleges’ own estimates range from about two hours to more than three for all three subjects; there is no official time limit.
Expect not. Polk State requires phones to be powered down and stored in a locker, and FSCJ allows no personal items.
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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.