Scores from the PSAT have been released! Score release timing is based on the date that a school offered the PSAT: 

In this post, we want to talk about how you can use your 10th- or 11th-grade student’s PSAT score to make a test prep plan.

A note before we dive into the specifics: we know that this post contains a lot to read! If you’d prefer to get this information in a video format, we encourage you to watch our Director Jim Wismer’s recent webinar on this topic on YouTube! And if it’s easier for you to set up a quick call to discuss your student’s individual situation, feel free to book 15 minutes with Jim at this link.

 

Baseline SAT score

The first and most significant purpose of the PSAT is to provide a benchmark for roughly how a student would perform on the SAT today. 

The PSAT is roughly accurate, but not perfectly precise, as an SAT predictor. PSAT scores are inflated because the PSAT’s questions are slightly easier, since it is a test designed for juniors early in the school year, whereas the SAT is designed for a combined population of juniors and early seniors. Yet the scores are also deflated because the PSAT is only scored out of 1520 instead of 1600. 

For most students in most cases, this evens out. The main exception is students at the very top end of the scoring scale. Because the PSAT does not contain questions at the top of the SAT’s difficulty level, it cannot tell a student where between 1520 and 1600 they might land. For everyone else, the PSAT gives students an accurate idea of their SAT performance. This allows a student to determine how much work they have ahead to raise their SAT score to the level they want. 

 

Compare an ACT

Students have the option to take either the SAT or ACT for college admissions. Colleges have no preference between the two tests, which means that students should target the test most likely to give them the highest score.

The simplest way to determine which test will work for a student is to try both and compare the scores. For some students, the scores themselves tell the story – they show a significant head start on one test or the other. College Board and ACT have published data showing how scores on one test translate to the other. We use this data to recommend which test will tend to give students stronger results.

We offer free diagnostic testing that any student can take from home. We return the results of the test, provide our recommendation for SAT/ACT, and offer a call to discuss a test prep plan. Contact us for more information. 

 

When to Test

Most juniors who are thinking about their test prep plans for the first time when PSAT scores come back should be targeting the March SAT or February ACT. These test dates are before the end-of-junior-year crunch time but still offer plenty of time to prepare. 

For sophomores, we recommend testing in the first half of junior year if they will have completed Algebra 2 and Geometry (or the equivalent Integrated Math course) by the end of 10th grade. If they will be taking Algebra 2, Geometry, or equivalent during junior year, they should wait for the second half of the year for their first official test. Those courses represent the last of the math that a student must already know to do well on the exams. 

 

National Merit

The PSAT is used to determine which students qualify as National Merit Semifinalists. Students who score in roughly the top 1% of their state’s testers qualify. They are informed in the fall of senior year and invited to apply for the National Merit Scholarship. 

The exact score students need to qualify for National Merit varies state by state and year by year. The calculation of the score double-weights the verbal portion of the test. Contact us with your student’s score, and we can give you an idea of how they would have fared based on the last few years of data. 

Click this link to learn more about the steps to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship.

 

What If I Didn’t Take the PSAT?

Students can take a practice SAT independently to get the same information that a PSAT score would provide. Contact us for instructions on how to do so. 

 

In closing, a testing plan is best formed with the specifics of your student’s life and schedule in mind. Click here for a free planning call to talk through test dates and prep logistics based on your student’s commitments.