Understanding your �PSAT scores

Building better learners for life.

Jonathan Holle

Test Prep Tutor

What is the PSAT?

• The “preliminary” SAT
• College Board’s PSAT suite now includes PSAT 8, PSAT 9, PSAT 10, and PSAT/NMSQT
• PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 are the same test, but PSAT 10 may be given in the spring.
• ONLY PSAT/NMSQT will be considered for National Merit scholarships.

Score ranges on the PSAT

Identical structure

Identical structure

Vertical Scaling of PSAT scores

PSAT 8

PSAT 9

PSAT 10

PSAT

NMSQT

SAT

240-1440

320-1520

400-1600

Additional content

• Passport to advanced math
• Higher Trig
• Science reading
• Advanced Texts

+

As content gets harder, the possible point total increases

PSAT Scoring

Reading and Writing

Math

Math

Composite

160-760

160-760

320-1520

Reading and Writing

Digital PSAT Format

Speaker Name

Title

Each section also includes 2 unmarked “pretest” questions that do not affect a student’s score

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What is Adaptive testing?

Speaker Name

Title

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The Digital PSAT is a section adaptive test. Depending on how you do on the first reading & writing module and the first math module, you will be routed to an upper or lower second module.

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Adaptive

module

Baseline

module

Baseline

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Easier

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Harder

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Will I know if I got into the upper module?

Speaker Name

Title

​

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• No, the PSAT does not provide any feedback on which module you received.
• Different questions have different weights, so it’s basically impossible to figure out how many questions you need to answer to get to the upper module.

Digital PSAT scoring

Speaker Name

Title

• The Digital PSAT continues to be out of 1520 points, with the R&W and Math sections each worth 760 points.

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• The National Merit cutoff scores can be calculated by doubling the R&W score, adding the Math score and dividing by 10. This keeps on the same 228 scale and makes reading & writing more important than ever.

(2RW + M)

10

The Reading & Writing Section

Speaker Name

Title

The R&W section is very predictable. The questions always appear in the same order in each module

Math Section

• Both math modules go easy to hard.
• The questions will mostly be multiple choice with some student-produced responses peppered in
• The PSAT allows you to use a Desmos calculator on every question.
• You will also have scratch paper and can bring your own calculator if you prefer.

Math topics covered

• The PSAT focuses primarily on algebra, with some data representation, geometry, and trigonometry thrown in.

Easier and Harder Adaptive Modules

• There is a pronounced difference in average difficulty level between the easy and hard adaptive module. Students who find themselves on easy street for the adaptive section have most likely landed in the lower-level module.
• By our estimate, 16 out of 22 questions on the easier module were Easy/Medium difficulty compared to only 5 out of 22 questions on the harder module.

J

Digital Math Test 1 difficulty analysis

Item Response Scoring

• Different test items will have different weights.
• You’ll never know which items count more, but that will affect the calculation of your score.

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PSAT Scores: Total and Section Scores

Sample Score Report from https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sample-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf

PSAT Scores: Total and Section Scores

Sample Score Report from https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sample-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf

Percentiles

Sample Score Report from https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sample-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf

Feed�back

National Merit Selection Index: relevant for a few

Available at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sample-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf

PSAT Selection index is (Math+2(Verbal))/10). A student with a 680M 590V would have a NM index of 680+2(590) = 1860/10 = 186. NM cutoff for GA should be 218 or 219 (e.g, 730M, 730V). Cut scores announced in the fall.

Do PSAT scores matter?

• Your PSAT score will never be seen by or submitted to colleges.
• Your PSAT score can help you predict performance on the SAT.
• Your PSAT score percentile is helpful to compare to ACT or PreACT percentiles, to help you pick the optimal test.

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Testing and College Admissions: an overview

The SAT and ACT have roughly 80% overlapping content

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The SAT is a more rigorous reading test than the ACT

Reading

Critical

Thinking

The ACT has more rigorous STEM content

Math

Science

Comparing SAT and ACT content

SAT has more algebra and less geometry. Trigonometry is mostly an afterthought. Algebra dominates the SAT.

ACT math is broader, integrating more challenging concepts

• Expanding use of matrices (e.g., multiplication)
• Adding more conic sections (e.g., working with ellipses and parabolic equations)
• Understanding the domain of a function
• Vertical and horizontal asymptotes
• Trig: Using Radians, Terminal Sides and Coterminal Angles (e.g., 30°, –330° and 390°)
• Monomial factors
• Associative and commutative properties

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Structurally, the two tests are distinct

Reading and Writing

Math

Reading

English

Math

Science

SAT

2:14

2:55

ACT

Testing Time

Experimental

:20

Reading and Writing

Math

A shorter ACT is coming this Spring

Reading and Writing

Math

Reading

English

Math

Science

SAT

2:14

2:05

Core ACT

Testing Time

:45

Reading and Writing

Math

The Digital SAT is an adaptive test

Module 2

Adaptive

Module 1

Baseline

Much more time per question on the SAT

Compared to the ACT, the digital SAT allows a whopping 60.5% increase in the amount of time allotted per question on verbal and 59% more time per question on math. 

But the Core ACT is closer in timing

Compared to the updated ACT, the digital SAT allows 43% more time per question on math, 36% more time on verbal. That’s a significant change.

The number of test items is much lower on the digital SAT

But less of a difference on the Core ACT

98 Total Items on the SAT

131 on the ACT

(+ Science)

ACT structural changes

ACT is getting less speedy

ACT is making science optional

• Students can opt in or out of the science section.
• The science section is getting less speedy as well.
• STEM students may still want to showcase their science skills
• Science will be scored out of 36, as a standalone score
• It remains to be seen what colleges will do with the optional science section.

Experimental questions will be embedded within sections

ACT Proposed Content Changes

English

• The length of ACT English passages will vary, with some new shorter form passages.
• There will be a new argumentative essay with questions related to argumentation

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Math

• The number of answer choices will be reduced from 5 to 4.
• There will be fewer questions on advanced topics (higher grade level items).
• There will be fewer time-intensive questions in context.
• There will be fewer questions in the Integrating Essentials Skills category.

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ACT Proposed Content Changes

Reading

• The length of ACT Reading passages will vary, with some new shorter form passages.
• There will be a greater percentage of question in the Integration of Knowledge and Ideas category.
• ACT is “refining our approach to selecting literary narrative texts in our ongoing commitment to featuring authentic diverse perspectives.”

Science

• At least one passage will address an engineering and design topic.
• More items will require scientific background knowledge.

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There will be 4 ACT test options

• The core ACT (English, Reading, Math)
• ACT plus Science
• ACT plus Writing
• ACT plus Science and Writing

The core ACT will be cheaper

Pricing has yet to be announced, but CEO Janet Godwin has announced the shorter test will be cheaper than the full scale ACT

Rolling out the shorter ACT

Digital ACTs only

Access will be limited to

Computerized Test Centers

All domestic and international tests on national dates

Science drops out of the composite score

School, District, State testing shifts to truncated form

When will students be able to register for the shorter test?

• Registration for April is expected to open in December

Expect initial availability for digital testing to be very limited

In Georgia, before there’s any meaningful demand for digital testing, the first 10 locations are an average of 31 miles from my home

While access to Paper ACTs is much easier

In Georgia, the first 10 locations offering paper testing are an average of 8 miles from my home

When will the ACT release new practice materials for the Core test?

• ACT plans to release an addendum to the 2024-2025 Preparing for the ACT guide.
• ACT has promised to release a full-length practice test in the new format in early 2025.

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Paper testing appears to be on its last legs

The ACT “let the market drive the decision” in some areas- including the retention of a pencil and paper option. “As soon as demand for that dries up, the company will move to fully digital.”

Janet Godwin, CEO,

quoted in Inside Higher Ed

Which Test To Try First?

Both, ideally, to establish dual baselines

• 1. Start with your STRENGTH. If none,
• 2. Prep to your PREFERENCE.
• 3. If prep is not yielding results, switch to the other test. If you have to switch, more than 80% of the content transfers

Find your best test before thinking about schedules

• Take a practice ACT and SAT to establish dual baselines.
• Compare performance on the (P)SAT and the ACT. Concord ACT scores to the SAT scale.
• If you are clearly stronger on one test (70 point SAT difference or more), start with that test and go with your strength.
• If your score difference is under 60 points, (given the roughly 30 points of error on each test) you are within the range of indifference, so go with student preference.

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If possible, plan on taking an official SAT or ACT test 3 times

• Most students, while prepping in earnest, see gains through a third official test.
• Some students are “one and done,” but plan on 3 tests in case you need them.

Elements to Successful Prep

• Mock tests: testing effects
• Distributed practice
• Starting early
• Time on Task
• Finishing strong
• Having a goal (use Collegeboard.org/SCOIR/Naviance to calibrate)

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Highly Simplified Testing Plan

Testing Timelines

Oct

Nov

Dec

Aug

Mar

May

Jun

Apr

PSA

Sep

Feb

PSAT

Jul

Building Better Learners for Life

Q&A

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