diff --git a/src/qtism/runtime/expressions/operators/Utils.php b/src/qtism/runtime/expressions/operators/Utils.php
index ec67c665d..26c88f521 100644
--- a/src/qtism/runtime/expressions/operators/Utils.php
+++ b/src/qtism/runtime/expressions/operators/Utils.php
@@ -333,59 +333,26 @@ public static function lastPregErrorMessage()
      * @param string $pattern
      * @return string
      */
-    public static function prepareXsdPatternForPcre($pattern): string
-    {
-        // XML schema always implicitly anchors the entire regular expression
-        // Neither caret (^) nor dollar ($) sign have special meaning so they are
-        // considered as normal characters.
-        // see http://www.regular-expressions.info/xml.html
-        $pattern = self::removeCaretFromBegging($pattern);
-        $pattern = self::removeDollarFromEnd($pattern);
-        $pattern = self::escapeSymbols($pattern, ['$', '^']);
-        $pattern = self::withStartOfStringToken($pattern);
-        $pattern = self::withEndOfStringToken($pattern);
-        $pattern = self::pregAddDelimiter($pattern);
-
-        // XSD regexp always case-sensitive (nothing to do), dot matches white-spaces (use PCRE_DOTALL).
-        $pattern .= 's';
-
-        return $pattern;
-    }
-
-    private static function removeCaretFromBegging(string $pattern): string
-    {
-        if ($pattern[0] === '^' && ($pattern[1] === '[' || $pattern[1] === '(' || $pattern[1] === '{')) {
-            $pattern = ltrim($pattern, '^');
-        }
-
-        return $pattern;
-    }
-
-    private static function removeDollarFromEnd(string $pattern): string
-    {
-        $length = strlen($pattern) - 1;
-        if ($pattern[$length] === '$' && ($pattern[$length - 1] === ']' || $pattern[$length - 1] === ')' || $pattern[$length - 1] === '}' || $pattern[$length - 1] === '+')) {
-            $pattern = rtrim($pattern, '$');
-        }
-
-        return $pattern;
-    }
-
-    private static function withStartOfStringToken(string $pattern): string
-    {
-        if (substr($pattern, 0, 1) !== '^') {
-            $pattern = '^'.$pattern;
-        }
-
-        return $pattern;
-    }
-
-    private static function withEndOfStringToken(string $pattern): string
-    {
-        if ($pattern[strlen($pattern) - 1] !== '$') {
-            $pattern = $pattern.'$';
-        }
-
-        return $pattern;
-    }
+     public static function prepareXsdPatternForPcre(string $pattern): string
+     {
+         // XML schema always implicitly anchors the entire regular expression
+         // Neither caret (^) nor dollar ($) sign have special meaning so they are
+         // considered as normal characters.
+         // see http://www.regular-expressions.info/xml.html
+         $pattern = self::withoutStringAnchors($pattern);
+         $pattern = self::escapeSymbols($pattern, ['$', '^']);
+         $pattern = self::pregAddDelimiter('^' . $pattern . '$');
+
+         // XSD regexp always case-sensitive (nothing to do), dot matches white-spaces (use PCRE_DOTALL).
+         $pattern .= 's';
+
+         return $pattern;
+     }
+
+     private static function withoutStringAnchors(string $pattern): string
+     {
+         $pattern = ltrim($pattern, '^');
+
+         return rtrim($pattern, '$');
+     }
 }
diff --git a/test/qtismtest/runtime/expressions/operators/OperatorsUtilsTest.php b/test/qtismtest/runtime/expressions/operators/OperatorsUtilsTest.php
index 5ff5a8a8f..ad4b6e546 100644
--- a/test/qtismtest/runtime/expressions/operators/OperatorsUtilsTest.php
+++ b/test/qtismtest/runtime/expressions/operators/OperatorsUtilsTest.php
@@ -353,15 +353,20 @@ public function lastPregErrorMessageProvider()
     public function patternForPcreProvider(): array
     {
         return [
-            'max 5 chars string pattern' => ['[\s\S]{0,5}', '/^[\s\S]{0,5}$/s'],
-            'max 5 chars string pattern with caret and dollar' => ['^[\s\S]{0,5}$', '/^[\s\S]{0,5}$/s'],
-            'only digits pattern' => ['[0,1]+', '/^[0,1]+$/s'],
-            'only digits pattern v2' => ['^[0,1]+$', '/^[0,1]+$/s'],
-            'max 5 words pattern' => [
+            'max chars string pattern without anchors' => ['[\s\S]{0,5}', '/^[\s\S]{0,5}$/s'],
+            'max chars string pattern with anchors' => ['^[\s\S]{0,5}$', '/^[\s\S]{0,5}$/s'],
+            'digits only pattern' => ['[0,1]+', '/^[0,1]+$/s'],
+            'digits only pattern with anchors' => ['^[0,1]+$', '/^[0,1]+$/s'],
+            'string prefix without anchors' => ['test(.*)', '/^test(.*)$/s'],
+            'string prefix with anchors' => ['^test(.*)$', '/^test(.*)$/s'],
+            'max words pattern without anchors' => [
                 '(?:(?:[^\s\:\!\?\;\…\€]+)[\s\:\!\?\;\…\€]*){0,5}',
                 '/^(?:(?:[^\s\:\!\?\;\…\€]+)[\s\:\!\?\;\…\€]*){0,5}$/s',
             ],
-            ['10$ are 10$', '/^10\\$ are 10\\$/s'],
+            'max words pattern with anchors' => [
+                '^(?:(?:[^\s\:\!\?\;\…\€]+)[\s\:\!\?\;\…\€]*){0,5}$',
+                '/^(?:(?:[^\s\:\!\?\;\…\€]+)[\s\:\!\?\;\…\€]*){0,5}$/s',
+            ],
         ];
     }
 }