What is a Good PSAT Score?

For most high school students, the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) is a student’s first exposure to the College Board’s imposing SAT Suite of Assessments. Luckily, today’s SAT is a very different exam from the SAT of yesteryear (buh-bye obscure vocabulary and down-to-the-wire essays), and there are even more changes on the horizon. That said, the test is nothing to scoff at; it requires diligent preparation, and that begins with the PSAT.

PSAT: NUTS & BOLTS

What is the College Board PSAT/NMSQT?

The College Board PSAT is a warm-up for the actual SAT. Nearly identical in format and content, it serves as a diagnostic marker of how a student might score if they took the SAT today. While a student’s PSAT score will never be seen or used by colleges, for a select group of high school students scoring in the top percentile among PSAT test-takers, a strong PSAT/NMSQT score can qualify them to enter the highly-competitive National Merit Scholarship Competition. Even if you’re not in range to qualify, you should still do your best when taking the PSAT for your own SAT prep purposes. Note that students may also opt in to the College Board’s Student Search Service when they take the PSAT to get brochures and other targeted marketing materials from colleges and universities. (But proceed carefully…)

Who takes the PSAT/NMSQT, and when is the exam administered?

The PSAT is designed for eleventh graders and some tenth graders, although occasionally ninth graders may take the exam. (Note that any ninth grader taking the PSAT will not be eligible to enter the National Merit Scholarship Program.) The PSAT is administered each year in October.

What is the PSAT 10?

You may have heard of something called the PSAT 10. This exam is identical to the PSAT/NMSQT, but it is offered to tenth graders in the spring, rather than in October. As with the PSAT/NMSQT, ninth graders are also welcome to take the PSAT 10, although they are encouraged to take the more grade-appropriate PSAT 8/9.

What is the PSAT 8/9?

The College Board offers a more grade-appropriate exam for eighth and ninth graders: the PSAT 8/9. This exam can offer a baseline of college and career readiness as a student begins his/her high school career.

What are the sections of the PSAT vs. SAT?

Like the SAT, the PSAT suite is separated into two sections: Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. Similar to the SAT, the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section on the PSAT is separated into a Reading section and a Writing and Language section. The Math subsection is separated into calculator and non-calculator sections. Compared to the SAT, the PSAT is slightly shorter. There are also fewer questions on the Reading, calculator, and non-calculator sections of the PSAT than there are in their SAT equivalents. The PSAT 8/9 is even shorter than the PSAT, with both fewer questions and shorter durations for each section.

The level of difficulty increases on an age-appropriate basis as one climbs the ladder of the SAT Suite of Assessments. While the PSAT 8/9 math section, for example, only includes six questions on complex Passport to Advanced Math topics, the PSAT includes fourteen such questions, and the SAT sixteen. This progression of difficulty level is reflected in the Reading and Writing and Language sections of the exam as well.

What is a good PSAT score?

Let’s start with some basic scoring info. While the SAT sections are scored from 200-800 for a total SAT score between 400-1600, the PSAT section scores range from 160-760 (for a total score of 320-1520) and the PSAT 8/9 section scores range from 120-720 (for a total score of 240-1440). These ranges reflect the slightly different lengths of the individual exams in the SAT Suite of Assessments. A student’s score report will include their total exam score and section scores, but it will also include individual test scores (for Reading, Writing and Language, and Math), two cross-test scores (Analysis in History/Social Studies and Analysis in Science), and numerous subscores for Reading, Writing and Language, and Math concepts to help the student identify particular areas of strength and/or weakness.

According to the College Board, the average PSAT score is about 920, while a score between 1210 and 1520 lands you in the top 10% of test takers. This converts to a predicted SAT score between 1310 and 1570. You can convert your PSAT score to its SAT equivalent using our PSAT to SAT conversion.

As for an excellent score, you really want to bump your score as high up in the percentile ranking as you can. The average SAT score for admitted students at Ivy League schools is about 1550, so you want to be aiming for a PSAT score that puts you around 1490.

When are PSAT scores released?

Scores are typically available online between four and six weeks following the test administration.

PSAT WRAP-UP

Now that we’ve covered the top PSAT FAQs, we’re ready to tackle our top tips for PSAT prep. Stay tuned for our next blog installment, “PSAT Prep: Top Tips” coming soon!