Those planning to commence teaching degrees in 2026 will soon have their first opportunity to sit the compulsory Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE), with the initial testing window now less than a month away.
The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) will continue its role in developing and administering LANTITE, after being selected by the Australian Government to deliver the assessment.
The test has been a requirement for initial teacher education students since 2016 and is designed to ensure aspiring teachers demonstrate personal literacy and numeracy skills comparable with the top 30 per cent of the Australian adult population.
ACER has been involved in the development and delivery of LANTITE for nearly a decade. Over that period, around 90 per cent of pre-service teachers have passed the assessment on their first attempt, reflecting what ACER describes as the strength of accredited Australian initial teacher education programs in preparing candidates’ literacy and numeracy skills.
ACER CEO Ms Lisa Rodgers said the assessment plays an important role in supporting classroom readiness across the profession.
“As part of our mission to improve learning for all, we see LANTITE as an essential safeguard to ensure students across Australia have access to capable and confident teachers,” Ms Rodgers said.
She said ACER was committed to maintaining the quality and integrity of the assessment, while supporting refinements over time.
“We’re proud to deliver a valid, fair and reliable assessment of pre-service teachers’ literacy and numeracy skills, and to support policy refinements over time that strengthen LANTITE’s contribution to producing classroom-ready graduates,” she said.
In recent years, several changes have been introduced to the way LANTITE operates. In 2023, the statement of results was updated to provide clearer and more comprehensive feedback for candidates and higher education providers. Since 2024, students enrolled in accredited teaching qualifications have been required to sit LANTITE in their first year of study, giving earlier insight into individual strengths and areas for improvement.
ACER will continue to provide practice tests, guidance for candidates and reasonable adjustments where appropriate, as part of its approach to fair and high-quality assessment.
LANTITE can be sat multiple times if required, with no limit on the number of attempts from 2025. Practice literacy and numeracy tests are available online to help candidates prepare ahead of the upcoming 2026 test windows.
Test dates
9 February 2026 – 22 February 2026
4 May 2026 – 17 May 2026
3 August 2026 – 16 August 2026
26 October 2026 – 8 November 2026
