Number & Algebra
The largest section of the LANTITE numeracy test. Fractions and percentages alone account for roughly a third of all questions. Master these first.
Integers and Place Value
ACSF: Identifies and uses whole numbers, including negative integers, in a range of everyday contexts
Reading, writing and ordering whole numbers. Understanding the value of digits in different positions. Negative numbers in context (e.g. temperatures, debts, floors in a building).
Key skills
Common mistake: Confusing rounding rules: 5 always rounds up. Also, negative numbers: −3 is greater than −7.
Fractions
ACSF: Calculates with fractions, including mixed numbers, in a range of everyday and work contexts
Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions. Converting between mixed numbers and improper fractions. Comparing fractions with different denominators.
Key skills
Common mistake: Adding fractions by adding numerators AND denominators separately (e.g. 1/2 + 1/3 ≠ 2/5). Always find a common denominator first.
Decimals
ACSF: Performs calculations with decimals, including in money and measurement contexts
Operations with decimals. Ordering decimals. Converting between fractions and decimals. Rounding to a given number of decimal places.
Key skills
Common mistake: Ordering decimals: 0.9 > 0.85 > 0.8 > 0.75. Students often think more digits = bigger number.
Percentages
ACSF: Calculates percentages and uses them to solve problems in everyday and work contexts, including percentage increase and decrease
Finding a percentage of an amount. Percentage increase and decrease. Expressing one quantity as a percentage of another. GST calculations (10% in Australia).
Key skills
Common mistake: Removing GST: dividing by 1.1 is NOT the same as subtracting 10%. A $110 item has $10 GST, not $11.
Rates and Ratios
ACSF: Uses rates and ratios to solve problems in everyday contexts, including unit rates, scale and proportion
Unit rates (cost per item, speed, pay rates). Simplifying and using ratios to share quantities. Scale factors and direct proportion.
Key skills
Common mistake: Sharing in ratio 3:5: students forget to find total parts (8) first. The shares are 3/8 and 5/8 of the total, not 3 and 5.
Order of Operations (BODMAS)
ACSF: Applies order of operations to evaluate numerical expressions in context
Evaluating expressions with multiple operations. Brackets, powers, division, multiplication, addition, subtraction: in that order.
Key skills
Common mistake: On the LANTITE calculator: 17.50 + 19.75 × 3 = 76.75, NOT 111.75. The calculator does the multiplication first. Use brackets: (17.50 + 19.75) × 3 = 111.75.
Powers, Squares and Roots
ACSF: Recognises and uses squares, square roots and cubes in measurement and everyday contexts
Squares and cubes of whole numbers. Square roots and cube roots. Scientific notation for very large or small numbers.
Key skills
Common mistake: √9 = 3, not ±3. In the context of LANTITE questions (lengths, areas), the answer is always the positive root.
Basic Algebra
ACSF: Substitutes values into formulae and solves simple equations in everyday and work contexts
Substituting values into formulae. Solving simple one-step and two-step equations. Reading and using simple algebraic expressions in context.
Key skills
Common mistake: LANTITE algebra questions are almost always about substitution or simple solving: not factorising or quadratics. Keep it simple.
Ready to test yourself?
Take the free 13-question diagnostic — see exactly where you stand across all four LANTITE numeracy strands. Or sit a full practice paper free, no sign-up needed.