Anyone studying an initial teacher education (ITE) course must successfully complete the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) to graduate.
The test is split into two components – literacy and numeracy. This page features study tips, helpful resources, and practice tests to make you feel more comfortable with the types of questions you may come across in the LANTITE.
If you would like further information about the test please refer to the School of Education’s range of support resources.
The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is in charge of making the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) a requirement for new teachers in Australia. Their website is a great place to find answers if you have questions about the test. You can also read the ACER content guide for a clear explanation of the two parts of the test and the skills and topics each part covers.
The ACER website also gives helpful advice and strategies for taking the test. This includes tips on managing your time and how to use the tools provided during the test, like the on-screen calculator used in the numeracy section. It is a good idea to read this information before you try the sample tests and before you take the real test.
You will also find practice questions and old test questions on ACER’s practice materials page. These are excellent for study, and it is strongly recommended that you work through them as part of your preparation. There are also full practice tests for both literacy and numeracy. You can do these online after you register for the test. They are also available as PDFs, but it’s best not to look at the PDF version until after you’ve tried the online version.
For more details about these practice tests, check the ACER website and the “Further Tips” section on this page.
The rest of this page is split into two parts—one for literacy and one for numeracy. Each part gives you ideas on where to start studying and includes more practice tests focused on each section of the LANTITE.
The Numeracy part of the LANTITE test has 65 questions and is split into two sections. In the first section, there are 52 questions where you can use a calculator. In the second section, there are 13 questions where you are not allowed to use a calculator. Once you start the second section, you won’t be able to go back to the first. You will have two hours to finish the whole test.
A good place to begin your study is with the Numeracy fundamentals module. This module explains the key ideas in the test and gives examples to help you understand them. It is organised into three main areas:
These pages also show you how to do some calculations without a calculator, which is important for the second section of the test.
After you have gone through the module, it is a good idea to try some practice questions. These are grouped by topic and will help you get used to the types of questions in the test. The goal is to do enough practice so you feel confident with the content.
There is also a practice test that is about half the length of the real numeracy test. It includes 26 questions where you can use a calculator (some have more than one part), followed by 6 questions where you cannot use a calculator. Try to complete this practice test in one hour, which is half the time of the actual test. Just like in the real test, once you start the non-calculator section, you won’t be able to go back to the calculator section.
Try to answer as many questions as you can. The answers are provided at the end so you can check your work.
Finally, after you have registered for the test, make sure to go back to the ACER website, log into your account, and complete the official practice test before sitting the real one.
The Literacy part of the LANTITE test has one section with 65 questions. You will have two hours to complete the test.
If you are just beginning to prepare for the literacy test, or if you have already started but still feel unsure about some parts, we strongly recommend starting with the Structure and mechanics module. This module helps you improve your reading and writing skills, especially in areas like punctuation, sentence structure (syntax), and grammar. These skills are important for the technical writing section of the test.
As you work through the module, it can be useful to make a list of topics you still find difficult.Then, you can go back and review the Reading skills and Writing skills modules. For general advice on answering multiple choice questions, and more tips on reading comprehension and writing, check out the LANTITE Literacy Test Preparation and the Tests and Exams page.
Once you feel confident with these skills, try working through the sample questions in the Literacy Practice Test Resources [PDF, 153 kB]. These questions vary in difficulty, just like the real test. If you struggle with some of the questions, go back and review the materials or use other resources. Pay attention to the types of questions you find hard and figure out what’s causing the problem, whether it’s vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, or how the text is organised.
The sample test below is about half the length of the real LANTITE literacy test. It has 32 questions, and you should try to finish it in one hour (which is half the time of the actual test).
Try to answer as many questions as you can. The answers are provided at the end so you can check your work.
Finally, after you have registered for the test, make sure to go back to the ACER website, log into your account, and complete the official practice test before sitting the real one.
If you have registered for the LANTITE and have not already done so, make sure you try the ACER practice test. You can access it through your ACER account after registration. If you want more details, check out the practice test information on the ACER website.
When you do the ACER practice test, try to complete it just like you would the real test. Don’t use notes or other resources, give yourself only two hours for each part, and use good test-taking strategies, like finding a quiet place to work so you are not distracted.
If you’re finding it hard to finish the test in time, start by practising with smaller sets of questions. For example:
This will help you get used to working within a time limit. After each practice test, review your answers and make a note of the areas where you still need to improve. The more you practise, the better your test-taking skills will become.
Once you finish the practice tests, you will get feedback to help you understand if you are ready for the real LANTITE. If you pass the practice test on your first go and your score is above the standard (based on the equivalence table), that is a good sign you are ready. But if you do not reach that level, don’t worry. Look at the questions you got wrong and figure out which literacy or numeracy skills you need to work on. Go back to the resources provided and find extra materials to help you. Searching online can be useful, some students find websites like Maths is Fun, NAPLAN sample questions, and selective entrance practice tests helpful. Just remember, not all questions will be at the right level or match the LANTITE exactly, but they are still good for practice.
If you are running out of time during the test, it is better to guess than to leave questions blank. You will not lose marks for wrong answers. Still, try to manage your time well so you can give each question your best effort. If you finish early, use the extra time to check your answers and make changes if needed.
After you have completed the LANTITE, you might feel proud, relieved, or even worried about how you went. It is normal to feel unsure or to think about questions you may have answered incorrectly. If that happens, try not to stress about things you can’t change. When you get your results, if you did not pass, use the feedback to figure out what to improve for next time.
All the best with the LANTITE!