Is the LANTITE hard?

The LANTITE can be very scary, whether you’re confident in your literacy and numeracy skills or not. It’s a basic literacy and numeracy test that you need to complete before you graduate with a teaching degree in Australia. To pass, you need to score in the top 30% of the Australian population, and if you fail, you cannot be a teacher. 

The LANTITE is scary for a number of reasons, but a key one is that it does sound quite difficult. To add to the actual test itself, you can only attempt it three times before you cannot try any more. 

But is the LANTITE actually hard? Well, that depends on who you ask…

It feels like a big deal because it is.

Whether you’re a whiz at English and Maths or not, a single test that determines whether you can finish your degree is a big deal. Even if you’re not seriously worried about whether or not you will pass it (when you’re thinking about it rationally, at least) this is still a test that carries a lot of weight. 

It becomes incredibly difficult to deal with this pressure when you are struggling to acknowledge it. Sure, you should be able to reach the top 30% of the Australian population for literacy and numeracy, but the impact on your career and self-esteem can be severe. If this is the expected minimum standard for teachers, what if you can’t reach it?

In order to properly deal with this and prepare for sitting the actual test, acknowledging the pressure is a great step to take. Accept that this is a big deal and that it is something to take seriously. I’m not talking about stressing yourself out more and studying even harder, but just give yourself permission to think and worry about it, even if you know that you can do it.

You need to study for it.

Even if you’re pretty confident, you need to make sure you’re prepared. ACER themselves have some great resources not only for studying the content but also for mentally preparing yourself for the test conditions.

If you’ve been doing a Teaching or Education degree in Australia, it may have been a little while since you sat a formal test or exam. This is something that you may not be used to, which is a good reason to practice and prepare. 

There are a range of ways for you to study for the LANTITE and other resources that you can use. Universities want you to pass this test – they look really bad if their teaching students get to their final year and then can’t end up graduating. If you look out for support from your university, you are very likely to find it.

So is it actually hard?

The test changes every time it is conducted, and sometimes it will be harder than others. While the test may be more difficult, you still need to be in the top 30% of the population to pass, so you will probably be able to pass with a lower score. This makes it very difficult to say whether the test itself is hard or not.

The important thing to remember is to not get thrown off if you do get a difficult question. Try your hardest, and record down everything that you can. Putting down something is much better than freezing because you’ve panicked in the middle of the test. 

This is why I strongly believe that the best way to prepare for the LANTITE is to think about the test conditions and preparing yourself to do the best that you can do under pressure. There is plenty of support out there to help you with the literacy and numeracy components, but the fear factor is often overlooked. 

Have you done the LANTITE yet? Have you just booked in and the fear is starting to set in? Comment below!