About the LANTITE

Who Is Eligible to Sit the LANTITE?

To be eligible, a candidate must fall into one of the following two categories:

• Enrolled ITE student: a person currently enrolled in an accredited initial teacher education course, either at undergraduate or postgraduate level.
• Prospective or unenrolled candidate: a person who is not currently enrolled in an accredited ITE course but intends to pursue one, or who has previously been enrolled.

Students in pathway programmes are classified as prospective or unenrolled candidates. If you have previously sat the test as an enrolled student and have since unenrolled, or if you are in an Australian education pathway course that articulates directly into an accredited ITE programme, contact ACER directly to confirm your eligibility status.

First-year requirement (from 2024)

From 2024, students who are required to sit the LANTITE must make at least one test attempt during their first year of an accredited ITE course. They are not required to meet the passing standard in this attempt; the requirement is simply to sit the test.

Unlimited attempts (from 2025)

Following a national trial under the Australian Government's National Teacher Workforce Action Plan, Education Ministers agreed from 2025 that there would be no limits on the number of times a candidate can sit the LANTITE. The trial demonstrated that removing attempt limits, combined with improved feedback, led to higher rates of candidates sitting the test and successfully meeting the standard.

State and territory requirements

Requirements vary by state and territory. Some jurisdictions require candidates to have passed the LANTITE before commencing their final professional experience placement. Check with your higher education provider and the teacher registration authority in your state or territory to confirm the specific requirements that apply to you.

Test Structure

The LANTITE is a computer-based assessment comprising two separate components: literacy and numeracy. Together the two components contain 130 questions in total, 65 per component.

All questions are in either selected response (multiple choice) or short answer format. No extended writing is required. Marks are not deducted for incorrect answers, so it is always worth attempting every question. If you are unsure of an answer, note the question number and return to it if time allows.

Test Standard

To pass the LANTITE, candidates must demonstrate literacy and numeracy skills equivalent to the top 30 per cent of the Australian adult population. This standard was empirically validated in 2017 against the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC).

The test has been developed with reference to the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF), the benchmark used by the Australian Government's Skills for Education and Employment Programme. Questions were designed in consultation with teacher educators from the higher education sector to reflect the literacy and numeracy demands teachers encounter in professional practice.

Test Content and Assessment Framework

Questions across both components are set within three real-world contexts: personal and community life, schools and the teaching environment, and further education and professional learning. This ensures the test reflects the situations in which teachers are genuinely expected to apply literacy and numeracy skills.

Literacy

Approximately two-thirds of the literacy questions assess reading comprehension. The remaining third assess technical writing skills. Reading questions are structured around three cognitive processes:

• Accessing and identifying information within a text
• Integrating and interpreting meaning across a text
• Evaluating and reflecting on a text

Reading questions draw from a range of text types, including procedural, regulatory and technical texts; descriptive, informative and persuasive texts; and narrative texts.

Technical writing skills are assessed across four areas:

• Syntax and grammar
• Spelling
• Word usage
• Text organisation

Numeracy

The numeracy component focuses on applying mathematical knowledge to practical, real-world situations. Questions are drawn from three content areas:

• Number and algebra
• Statistics and probability
• Measurement and geometry

Three cognitive processes are used to categorise numeracy questions:

• Identifying mathematical information and meaning within activities and texts
• Applying mathematical knowledge and problem-solving processes
• Interpreting, evaluating, communicating and representing mathematical information

An on-screen calculator is available for the majority of numeracy questions. A smaller set of questions must be answered without a calculator.

Test Timing

Each component runs for 2 hours (120 minutes), including a short tutorial at the start. Work steadily throughout and avoid spending too long on any single question.

Literacy

The literacy component has one section with all 65 questions. The full 120 minutes is available without interruption.

Numeracy

The numeracy component has two sections and requires careful time management. Once you advance from Section 1 to Section 2, you cannot go back. Do not rush through Section 1.

Sitting the Test

At a test centre

Allow at least 2.5 hours per component from your scheduled start time. When making travel arrangements, allow sufficient time for parking and transit. Follow all instructions from test centre staff and supervisors. Failure to comply may be recorded as misconduct.

You may leave the test room once you have finished, except during the final 10 minutes of the session, to avoid disrupting other candidates.

By remote proctoring

Allow 2.5 to 3 hours per component from the time you connect to your online proctor. The test is timed on-screen and will automatically end after 120 minutes. Your proctor will close the session and confirm that your test has been submitted.

You may finish early by letting your online proctor know. They will finalise your session and ensure your responses are submitted successfully.

Equity and Fairness

The LANTITE is developed to rigorous professional and technical standards. Questions are written by specialist test developers, reviewed by panels of external subject matter experts, and subjected to trial testing, statistical analysis, and multiple rounds of review before being included in a live test.

All test data are statistically analysed to confirm that each question is performing as intended. During development, questions are carefully scrutinised to minimise any bias on the basis of gender, ethnicity, or religion, and to ensure the test is culturally fair for all candidates across Australia.

A small number of trial questions may appear in any sitting of the LANTITE. These questions are being evaluated for future use and do not contribute to a candidate's score. This is standard practice in the development of secure, high-quality assessments.

Ready to practise?

Understanding the test is step one. Building real exam confidence through practice is step two.

Key facts

View 2026 test dates and registration windows.

About lantite.org: who we are and how this site relates to the test provider.