The Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education Students (the test) is designed to assess initial teacher education students’ personal literacy and numeracy skills to ensure teachers are well equipped to meet the demands of teaching and assist higher education providers, teacher employers and the general public to have increased confidence in the skills of graduating teachers. The teacher literacy and numeracy test is designed to reflect the real-world contexts where aspiring educators are most likely to apply their literacy and numeracy skills. These contexts include personal and community settings, schools and teaching environments, as well as further education and professional development. Most of the personal literacy and personal numeracy questions are embedded in these three core contexts.
Literacy Test
In the teacher literacy test, approximately two-thirds of the questions focus on reading comprehension, while one-third assesses technical writing skills. The reading section is organized around three key processes:
- Access and Identify
- Integrate and Interpret
- Evaluate and Reflect
The reading questions are based on a variety of text types, including:
- Procedural, Regulatory, and Technical Texts
- Descriptive, Informative, and Persuasive Texts
- Narrative Texts
The technical writing skills assessment covers four key areas:
- Syntax and Grammar
- Spelling
- Word Usage
- Text Organization
Numeracy Test
The teacher numeracy test includes questions across three primary content areas:
- Number and Algebra
- Statistics and Probability
- Measurement and Geometry
An on-screen calculator will be available for most numeracy questions. However, some questions will require candidates to solve problems without the aid of a calculator. For more information on the calculator’s functions, please refer to the Test Preparation and Strategy Page.
The personal numeracy test emphasizes the practical application of numeracy skills, prioritizing questions that challenge candidates to apply mathematical knowledge to solve real-world problems.
The numeracy items are categorized by three distinct processes:
Interpreting, Evaluating, Communicating, and Representing Mathematics
Identifying Mathematical Information and Meaning in real-life activities and texts
Using and Applying Mathematical Knowledge through problem-solving techniques