PERT Writing case studies
PERT Writing · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The PERT Writing subtest is one component of the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test, a placement instrument used within Florida's public postsecondary system to gauge whether incoming students are ready for college-level coursework. It is intended for students entering or transferring into Florida colleges and for others who need a placement determination in writing. The PERT Writing case studies are 5 cases and about 2,033 words.
1The Grant Report That Loses Its Reader
A community health nonprofit must submit a 900-word progress report to a funder. The draft opens with three sentences of background on the organization's founding, then buries the key result-142 of 150 enrolled clients completed the program-in paragraph five.
398 words, about 2 min2Two Sentences, One Relationship
A student is revising a paragraph in a placement essay about part-time work. The draft contains this sentence: 'Many students work twenty hours a week, they still struggle to cover tuition.' Later in the same paragraph: 'The job teaches time management, it also consumes the hours students need for study.' A peer reviewer marked both sentences 'run-on' without further comment.
426 words, about 2 min3The Semicolon in the Scholarship Essay
A student's scholarship essay includes this sentence: 'I volunteered at the shelter for three years; an experience that taught me patience.' The student's teacher flagged it but the student believes the semicolon is correct because 'both halves could stand alone.' A second sentence reads: 'The residents, who arrived each evening, taught me more than I taught them.' The student wants to remove both commas in the second sentence, arguing they are 'unnecessary.' The essay is 640 words against a 650-word limit, and the deadline is tonight. Evaluate the student's reasoning about the semicolon.
389 words, about 2 min4Consistency in a Personal Statement
A transfer applicant's personal statement shifts tense three times: it opens in past tense describing a summer job, moves to present tense for a paragraph about what the applicant 'now understands,' then returns to past tense for a final anecdote. The applicant also alternates between 'I' and 'the writer' in two sentences, and uses 'myself' where 'me' is needed: 'The manager gave the schedule to my coworker and myself.' The essay is otherwise strong.
432 words, about 2 min5Cutting 60 Words Without Losing the Argument
A student's argumentative essay is 710 words against a 650-word limit. The essay argues that a campus library should extend weekend hours.
388 words, about 2 min