What Kind of Reading Will I Have to Do on the PERT Test?

What Kind of Reading Will I Have to Do on the PERT Test?

How Many Questions are on the PERT Reading Section?

The Post-Secondary Education Readiness Test possesses a reading portion that comprises 30 questions, each of them multiple-choice. Although the test is not technically timed, you must complete all sections of the test on the same day, with most students taking between 30 minutes and 1 hour to complete each section.

What Do I Need to Know for the PERT?

Each question in the Reading portion will focus on a given passage on the exam itself, and will not require you to bring in any outside knowledge to evaluate. Instead, the PERT reading exam will assess your ability to take new information and synthesize and analyze all of its parts to better understand the information given, and identify different parts of speech, ways of communicating, and clues to deliver meaning.

What Will I Need to Read?

The reading passages provided and examined on the PERT focus on several areas, including social science, history, and fiction, with each passage offering something new or unique for the exam questions. The passages themselves are typically at least one paragraph, but may also extend to 5–6 paragraphs. Subject matter is less important than the content of the pieces provided; one exam might include something from American history, while another might offer a passage from European folklore, but both will require you to think critically and pull information from the text.

How Should I Prepare for the PERT?

The reading for the PERT is designed to function at a high school graduate level, or just above; it is not intended to be overly complex or filled with technical jargon. Because the PERT is an entrance exam, selected passages are chosen based on how appropriate they are for someone who has a high school education. To prepare for the type of reading on the PERT, read textbooks from any of the social sciences or literature available in Florida state high schools at a junior or senior level. This will give you some idea of the difficulty and complexity of the subject matter likely to be covered on the exam. To test your knowledge, take PERT Reading practice tests or, if you’re short on time, quiz yourself using flashcards.

For some great and free preparation materials for all sections of the PERT test, check out Union Test Prep.

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