PERT Testing

HOW TO TAKE THE PERT IN PERSON

    1. Apply to Polk State College. You will receive a welcome letter via email with additional information.
    2. To request to take the PERT, please send an email to the email address below that applies to you:

Lakeland or Winter Haven students

Lake Wales (JDA) students

For new applications, wait 3 business days to send your request to allow time for processing.

    1. A student success advisor will respond to finalize your request.

Please allow at least 2 business days to process your initial request.

    1. You will receive an email with instructions for scheduling your appointment from PERT@Polk.edu within 2 business days of being approved for testing by an advisor.
    2. All PERT testing is done by appointment, which must be made at least one day in advance.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

All testers are required to show valid (not expired) photo identification (copies or photos of identification will not be accepted).

Acceptable forms of ID include the following.

    • Driver’s license
    • State or federal government-issued ID
    • Passport
    • Official school ID (with pre-printed name and photo)

Children are not permitted in the testing centers and all personal belongings must be stowed in a locker during testing. This includes but is not limited to the following.

    • cell phones and other non-medical electronic devices
    • watches and fitness trackers
    • purses, backpacks, and bags
    • papers and books
    • sunglasses
    • hats

Frequently Asked Questions

AM I EXEMPT FROM TAKING THE PERT?

Exempt individuals are:

    • Active duty military persons
    • Graduates who began a Florida public high school in 2003-4 or later and graduated from a Florida high school with a standard high school diploma.
    • You are a high school graduate with ACT or SAT scores at the college-level cutoff. See passing scores below. Order official copies to be sent directly to Polk State.
    • You are a transfer student who completed the developmental course sequence in math and English at another Florida postsecondary school, or you took at least one college-level English and one college-level math with a 2.00 GPA in each class.
    • You are a high school graduate or transfer student with PERT placement scores less than two years old.   Provide official copies to the Admission and Registrar’s office before Orientation.

WHEN DO I HAVE TO TAKE THE PERT?

    • Before student orientation is the best time to take the P.E.R.T.
    • Before seeing an advisor.
    • Before registering for class.

IS THERE A FEE TO TAKE THE PERT?

The PERT is administered free of charge to students who are using the scores for placement at Polk State College. A $35 fee is charged for those using the scores for other institutions.

HOW DO I GET PLACEMENT SCORES TAKEN AT ANOTHER COLLEGE?

Contact the Admission and Registrar’s office and let them know you took PERT at another school.  The scores must be less than two years from the start of classes.  Email registrar@391774.com with the school name, your information, and the date you took the PERT.

You must request to have official results from other exams, such as the Accuplacer, mailed to Polk State’s Office of the Registrar. Click here for mailing address.

HOW DO I RETAKE THE PLACEMENT TEST?

    • Each attempt must be at least 30 days apart and before you begin developmental classes in the area you are retaking.
    • You must demonstrate you have remediated, which means you have had some tutoring or special study to help you improve your scores.
    • Students cannot retest if they have met a grade requirement in the subject area.
    • Students are only allowed two attempts of any portion of the test. Third attempts must be administratively approved.

Please Note:  Any student found to have violated any rules of testing, either in-person or online remotely, will be subject to disciplinary procedures up to and including invalidation of test scores and a thirty-day waiting period for retaking any placement test. 

Dual Enrollment pert testing info: http://yi83.391774.com/admission-aid/dual-enrollment-early-admission/
Lakeland Collegiate High School pert testing info: http://yi83.391774.com/polk-state-lakeland-collegiate-high-school/admission-information/
Lakeland Gateway to College Collegiate High School  pert testing info:  http://yi83.391774.com/lakeland-gateway-to-college-high-school/admission-information/
Chain Of Lakes Collegiate High School pert testing info: http://yi83.391774.com/wp-content/uploads/How-to-apply-to-COL-2021-22.pdf