QTS Literacy & Numeracy Skills Tests: Complete 2026 Guide

The QTS Professional Skills Tests are mandatory assessments for anyone seeking to qualify as a teacher in England through Initial Teacher Training (ITT). There are two distinct tests: the Numeracy Skills Test and the Literacy Skills Test. Both must be passed before Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) can be awarded — there is no alternative route around them.

The tests are designed to ensure that all qualified teachers in England meet a baseline standard of professional literacy and numeracy. This is not about advanced academic ability; it is about the practical communication and numeracy skills that teachers need to read data, interpret pupil progress reports, write professional documents, and engage with the administrative demands of classroom life.

The tests are administered by Pearson VUE at approved test centres across England. They are computer-based, and results are available immediately after the test session ends. The tests have had a somewhat complicated recent history — they were originally introduced in 2000, subsequently abolished in July 2019 under the view that they were a barrier to teacher recruitment, and then reintroduced in 2024 as part of a renewed focus on teacher quality standards.

The reintroduction of the tests reflects the DfE's commitment to maintaining consistent professional standards across the teaching workforce. The tests are not intended to replicate the full range of skills a teacher needs — they are a minimum threshold. Passing them does not guarantee strong classroom performance, but failing to pass them will block your progress to QTS regardless of your teaching quality during placement.

All trainee teachers in England who commenced an ITT programme in September 2024 or later are required to pass both the Numeracy and Literacy Skills Tests before QTS can be awarded. This applies to all ITT routes, including School Direct, PGCE (university-based), School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT), and the Teach First programme.

The tests can be taken at any point before or during the training programme. Most ITT providers recommend taking the tests as early as possible — ideally before the main teaching placement begins — to avoid the additional pressure of failing tests while simultaneously managing a full classroom workload. Some providers actually require both tests to be passed before the placement can commence; check your provider's specific policy at the outset of your training.

There is some flexibility in timing: you can register for and sit the tests independently once you have received a conditional offer from an ITT provider and have been provided with your provider's DfE reference number. This means you can start your preparation and even take the tests in the summer before your training year begins, which many trainees find reduces anxiety considerably.

The tests do not apply in the same way outside England. Scotland has its own route to qualified teacher status through the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS), which does not use the QTS framework. Wales operates through the Education Workforce Council (EWC). Northern Ireland uses the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI). Teachers who qualified in these nations and are seeking to work in England may need to apply for QTS through the assessment-only route, and specific requirements should be confirmed with the DfE directly. International teachers seeking QTS via overseas-trained teacher routes should also confirm which assessments apply to their specific pathway.

The Numeracy Skills Test has a total duration of approximately 48 minutes and is divided into two distinct sections with different formats, time allocations, and rules. Understanding both sections clearly is essential because they require different preparation strategies.

Section 1 — Mental Arithmetic (28 minutes, 12 questions)

The mental arithmetic section is audio-delivered: questions are read aloud through headphones, and you cannot hear them again. You must answer each question within a set time (typically 18 seconds per question for shorter calculations, up to 28 seconds for more complex ones). No calculator is permitted. This section tests whether you can perform rapid, accurate mental calculations of the kind a teacher might need during day-to-day professional tasks — quickly calculating a percentage of pupils meeting a target, working out a proportion of the timetable, or computing a basic measurement conversion on the spot.

Core topics in the mental arithmetic section include: percentage calculations (percentage of a quantity, percentage increase and decrease), fraction operations (including addition, subtraction, and conversion to decimals), time calculations (duration, scheduling, converting between time formats), ratio and proportion problems, measurement unit conversions (metric and some imperial), and basic money calculations relevant to school budgets or resources.

Section 2 — Written Data & Statistics (36 minutes, 16 questions)

The second section presents on-screen data — tables, charts, graphs, and statistical summaries — and asks you to interpret and calculate from them. An on-screen calculator is provided and you are expected to use it. This section mirrors the kind of data analysis a teacher or subject leader might carry out when reviewing pupil progress data, analysing assessment results across a cohort, or interpreting national benchmark comparisons.

Core topics include: reading and interpreting statistical tables and charts (bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, scatter plots), calculating statistical measures (mean, median, mode, range, and sometimes cumulative percentages), interpreting trend data across multiple time periods, applying simple formulae given in the question, converting between different data representations, and solving problems that require multiple calculation steps using provided data sets.

The Literacy Skills Test assesses the professional written English skills expected of a qualified teacher. It runs for approximately 45 minutes and contains 40 or more questions across four distinct sections. The test does not assess creativity or extended writing — it focuses entirely on the accurate, professional use of language that teachers need for communicating with parents, governors, other professionals, and pupils through written documents.

All four sections are set in educational contexts: you will encounter passages about school improvement plans, SEN (Special Educational Needs) policies, governors' communications, inspection frameworks, curriculum guidance documents, and similar professional texts. This is deliberate — the test is designed to reflect the actual documents a teacher encounters in professional life, not generic newspaper articles or literary prose.

Section 1 — Spelling (15 audio-delivered words)

Fifteen words are read aloud in the context of a sentence. You must type the correctly spelled word into a text box. No multiple-choice options are offered. The words are drawn from professional educational vocabulary — terminology that appears in teaching documents, reports, and official communications. Commonly tested words include those that are frequently misspelled in professional contexts: words with silent letters, double consonants, vowel combinations, and professional vocabulary from education, psychology, and administration.

Section 2 — Punctuation (correct errors in passages)

You are presented with passages of educational text that contain punctuation errors. You must identify and correct each error using on-screen editing tools. The punctuation tested includes apostrophes (both possessive and contraction), commas (clause boundaries, lists, subordinate clauses), semicolons and colons (used in lists and to connect related clauses), capital letters (proper nouns, titles, sentence beginnings), and quotation marks. The passages are written at the level of professional educational documents — expect content about pupil assessment, curriculum planning, or school policies.

Section 3 — Grammar (identify correct forms)

The grammar section presents sentences in which you must identify the correct grammatical form from multiple options, or correct an identified grammatical error. Key areas include subject-verb agreement (especially with collective nouns and complex subjects), tense consistency across a passage, correct use of relative pronouns (who/whom/which/that), sentence structure (including avoiding run-on sentences and fragments), and standard professional grammatical conventions. The emphasis is on clarity and correctness in formal professional writing rather than stylistic preference.

Section 4 — Comprehension (read passages, answer MCQ)

You read one or more passages of educational text and answer multiple-choice questions about their content and construction. Questions test your ability to identify the main argument or purpose of a passage, understand implicit as well as explicit meaning, identify the intended audience and register, evaluate the effectiveness of specific language choices, and draw logical inferences from the text. Passages are typically 300–500 words and set in recognisable educational contexts — Ofsted framework extracts, governor reports, research summaries, school improvement documentation.

Both the Numeracy and Literacy Skills Tests are scored on a Pass/Fail basis — there is no graded or banded result. The tests use scaled scoring, which means that your raw score (the number of questions answered correctly) is converted to a scaled score that accounts for minor variations in difficulty between different test versions and sittings. This is standard practice in professional certification testing and ensures that a pass on one date is equivalent to a pass on any other date, even if the specific questions differ slightly.

For the Numeracy test, the published scaled pass score is 63. The Literacy test uses a variable scaled pass threshold that is calibrated for each sitting, but in practice a scaled score in the region of 63 is also a reliable indicator. In raw terms, achieving approximately 60% of questions correctly is generally sufficient to pass most sittings, though this can vary. The safest approach is to aim considerably higher in practice — targeting 75–80% correct on practice tests gives you a meaningful margin of safety over the actual threshold.

You are allowed 3 attempts at each test during your training period. The attempts at the two tests are counted separately — failing the Numeracy test three times does not affect your remaining attempts for the Literacy test, and vice versa. If you exhaust all three attempts on a test without passing, you will not be able to complete your QTS award through your current training programme. In such circumstances, you may need to take a break from training, address the specific areas of weakness, and potentially reapply to a new training programme in a subsequent academic year, subject to both your ITT provider's regulations and DfE policy at the time.

It is critical to check your specific ITT provider's policy regarding attempts and placement eligibility. Some providers require both tests to be passed before you are permitted to begin your main teaching placement. Others allow you to start the placement while still working towards passing the tests, provided you pass before your final assessment point. This can have significant implications for your planning and timeline, particularly if you are sitting the tests for the first time close to your placement start date.

Registration for the QTS Professional Skills Tests is completed through the DfE's Test Registration System. To register, you will need your training provider's DfE reference number, which is provided to you when you receive a conditional or unconditional offer from your ITT provider. You cannot register without this number, as it links your test registration to your training programme record.

The tests are administered at Pearson VUE test centres across England. There are multiple test centres in most major cities and regions, though availability of specific time slots varies by location and demand. During peak periods — particularly in August and September, just before training years begin — popular time slots at convenient locations can fill up quickly. Book your tests as early as possible once you have your DfE reference number. There is no cost to candidates: the DfE covers the testing fee directly with Pearson VUE, so you will not be charged to sit the tests.

On test day, bring valid photographic identification — a passport or photocard driving licence is recommended. Arrive at the test centre at least 15 minutes before your scheduled test time to allow for check-in procedures. You will not be permitted to bring personal items into the test room: bags, mobile phones, notes, and any other materials must be left in a secure locker outside the testing area. The test centre will provide any materials needed (including headphones for the audio sections and scratch paper where permitted).

Results are displayed on screen immediately after you complete your test session. You do not need to wait for results to be posted or emailed — you will know your outcome before you leave the test centre. Your pass result is recorded directly on your teacher training record and is visible to your ITT provider. If you pass, no further action is required regarding that specific test. If you do not pass, you can review your performance summary and re-book for a subsequent attempt through the same DfE registration system.

• Register via the DfE Test Registration System using your ITT provider's DfE number
• Choose a Pearson VUE test centre — book early for best location and time slot choice
• Bring valid photo ID (passport or photocard driving licence preferred)
• Arrive 15 minutes early — no personal items are permitted in the test room
• Results are displayed on screen immediately after the test — no waiting
• Tests are free of charge to candidates — paid directly by the DfE

Four weeks of structured preparation is sufficient for most candidates to pass both tests on their first attempt, provided the preparation is deliberate and consistent. The plan below assumes you have typical A-level or equivalent academic background. If your maths or English is particularly weak, extend the plan to six weeks by adding an additional two weeks of foundational work before Week 1.