First-Time-In-College (FTIC) Student Placement Testing
State Board Rule 6A-10.0315 mandates that all first-time-in-college (FTIC) applicants for admission to state colleges and universities who apply to enter degree programs (bachelor's or associate) must be tested for reading, writing and mathematics proficiency prior to the completion of registration, using one or more of the prescribed tests (ACT, SAT, PERT or CPT) and must enroll in college developmental communication and computation instruction if the test scores are lower than those required by the state. The state-mandated Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) is used in conjunction with the Accuplacer/CPT for college-credit placement into English and math courses.
Entry level placement test scores must be less than two years old.
Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT)
For college-credit students without a current ACT, CPT, PERT or SAT score, Seminole State administers the PERT as the primary placement test. Institutional standards have been established for placing students in certain levels of courses based on the PERT scores. The PERT Refresh Program is available for students who wish to challenge their initial PERT outcome. Transfer students who have completed either the first level college-credit English or math class (or successfully completed the last sequential developmental course) do not need to take a placement test. Completion of entry testing is required prior to participation in new student orientation and advisement and prior to registration for any course that has a math or English prerequisite.
PERT Requirements
All degree-seeking, FTIC students and all college-credit, certificate-seeking students whose degree or certificate program is 12 or more credits must take the PERT. Such students may not register for any credit course at Seminole State until they have a set of complete scores on file.
All students in these groups must take the PERT:
- All students who register for any English or mathematics course.
- All students seeking Early College/dual enrollment.
- All students who took a placement examination more than two years ago but never enrolled into a Florida public postsecondary institution. Students must complete the PERT refresh program (www.seminolestate.edu/testing/pert/refresher.htm) before retesting.
- All students who cannot provide ACT, SAT, PERT or CPT official scores or scores on an official transcript by the date of their advising appointment.
- All students who studied ESOL in high school or completed a portion of high school in a country where English is not the only official language are required to:
- Complete a timed writing sample for possible placement into English for Academic Purposes (EAP) in addition to having college-ready PERT, ACT, CPT or SAT scores.
- Complete the Level of English Proficiency (ESL/LOEP) test in addition to completing the timed writing sample if PERT, ACT, CPT or SAT scores are not college ready.
- Score at ESL/LOEP, EAP Intermediate (EAP 400) level, to take PERT math test
- Complete EAP sequence without retaking the PERT/LOEP after starting the sequence (students may retake after two years’ absence from sequence for advancement purposes).
PERT Exemptions
Students are exempt from taking the PERT unless needed as a prerequisite for a specific course, if they provide written documentation for one of the following:
- Official ACT, CPT, PERT or SAT scores less than two years old that place the student into college-level coursework at Seminole State. Test scores may not be mixed for an exemption.
*The college may not mandate students to retest for placement if students have former placement scores older than two years old and have enrolled (whether enrolled into developmental courses or not) into a Florida public postsecondary institution.
- SAT scores of 440 or above on verbal/critical reading; 440 or above on math for placement into Intermediate Algebra (MAT 1033).
- ACT scores of 18 or above on the reading and 17 or above on English; and 19 or above on math for placement into Intermediate Algebra (MAT 1033). Any score presented which is below that needed for exemption will require the student to be tested on the appropriate PERT subtest(s).
- Attended a regionally accredited college or university in which English was the language of instruction and have completed college-level or the highest college-developmental-level coursework, as evaluated by Seminole State, in English and/or mathematics with a grade of C or higher.
- Official Seminole State record indicating that the student is enrolled in another college or university and has applied to Seminole State as a transient student.
- Official Seminole State record indicating that the student is enrolled for teacher recertification.
PERT Placement Scores
English Placement (PERT)
Reading Skills Score (> 104) plus Writing Skills Score (> 99) = ENC 1101
Required Developmental Writing and Reading courses (or required EAP courses, if applicable) must be completed prior to entering English I and/or any Gordon Rule course.
Reading Skills Score
50 – 60 = TABE for reading placement or PERT refresh
61 – 83 = REA 0007C: Developmental Reading I or LOEP for EAP placement
84 – 103 = REA 0017C: Developmental Reading II or LOEP for EAP placement
> 104 No Prep reading required
Writing Skills Score
50 – 89 = ENC 0015C: Developmental Writing I or LOEP/writing sample for EAP Placement
90 – 98 = ENC 0025C: Developmental Writing II or LOEP/writing sample for EAP Placement
> 99 No Prep writing required; writing sample required for EAP students
Mathematics Placement (PERT)
Mathematics Skills Score
50 – 60 = TABE for math or PERT refresh
61 – 95 = MAT 0018C: Developmental Mathematics I or MAT 0022C: Developmental Mathematics Combined
96 – 112 = MAT 0028C: Developmental Mathematics II
113 – 122 = MAT 1033: Intermediate Algebra
123 – *150 = MAC 1105: College Algebra or MGF 1106: College Mathematics or MGF 1107: Liberal Arts Math or STA 2023: Statistical Methods I
*Students who score 135 or above are eligible to take the CLM portion of the CPT. Please refer to the information below when working with students who have taken the CLM portion of the Accuplacer/CPT.
Accuplacer/CPT: College Level Math (CLM) Skills Score
20 – 39 = MAT 1033: Intermediate Algebra
40 – 62 = MAC 1105: College Algebra or MGF 1106: College Mathematics or MGF 1107: Liberal Arts Math or STA 2023: Statistical Methods I
63 – 96 = MAC 1140: Pre-calculus Algebra or MAC 1114: Trigonometry or MAC 2233: Concepts of Calculus
97 – 120 = MAC 2311: Analytic Geometry and Calculus I
Retaking the PERT
Students may only take the PERT a total of two times (one initial and one retest) within a two-year period. The refresh options are subject to change. Please refer to the online catalog for the most recent update: www.seminolestate.edu/testing/pert/refresher.htm.
To be eligible to retake the PERT, students must refresh their skills. Students may choose one of these two refresh options:
- Option 1: Visit www.seminolestate.edu/academic-success/cptrefresh.htm and refresh skills by choosing the appropriate remediation. The student must print the information he/she studied and any practice test(s) he/she completed. Students must bring a minimum of three pages for each subject from this website to their test session to document their attempt to remediate (this information is not returned to the student). Students are not allowed to retake their PERT exam without this proof.
- Option 2: Purchase the PERT subtest packet(s) from an Seminole State Bookstore. Students must bring the packet(s) to their test session (showing work, a minimum of three pages in the booklet(s)) to document remediation. The information will be date-stamped by the Assessment and Testing Office. Students are not allowed to retake their PERT without this proof. Cost per booklet: Reading $2.75, Sentence Skills $3.50, Mathematics $6.25.
For both options, students should pace themselves. This is a self-study program. It is recommended that students study for a minimum of three hours per subtest. For additional study information visit www.seminolestate.edu/testing/pert/refresher.htm.
The cost to retake the PERT is $10 per testing session (whether you take one or three subtests, the cost is $10). If referred by an advisor, you must have a “Request for Testing Form.”
To be eligible to retake the PERT, you must refresh your skills.
Students should keep in mind these additional rules for testing out of remediation:
- Students may retake the Accuplacer/CPT after completion of a developmental course to improve their placement. To avoid the refresh requirement, students must take the CPT within the next consecutive term (no refresh is required, but they must pay $10 per testing session).
- Students who fail or make a “D” in the last developmental course do not need to retake the course if they meet the CPT cutoff score for the college-credit course; however, the “D” cannot be removed by taking the CPT.
