The PSAT/NMSQT – SAT Suite (2024)

FAQs

How hard is PSAT Nmsqt compared to SAT? ›

The PSAT is a practice SAT, usually taken by juniors, whereas the SAT is a college entrance exam. The SAT is slightly more challenging than the PSAT. While the PSAT is scored between 320 and 1520, the SAT is scored between 400 and 1600. It may cost up to $18 to take the PSAT, whereas the fee for taking the SAT is $55.

Before beginning the test, choose a letter to use for every guess you make. Maybe your letter is “A for Awesome!” or “D for Done!” It doesn't matter which letter you choose because they are all equally likely to be correct.

Older versions of the PSAT had a wrong-answer penalty so that students who guessed on questions would not have an advantage over students who left questions blank. This penalty has been removed; make sure you never leave a PSAT question blank!

Your 940 PSAT score is a starting point and will give you an idea of where you stand. It's below the average for students who are typically admitted to highly selective colleges, and many competitive colleges will look for higher PSAT scores.

A good PSAT score is between 1210 and 1520, which would put you in the top 10% of test takers. The average score earned on the PSAT is about 920, and a “perfect” score on the PSAT would be the maximum score of 1520.

If your child scored in the middle (1100 to 1300):

A score in this range means that your child is on par with or a little above the other students who took this test.

For example, if your target score is 1400, you might aim for the following test/section scores: Math: 700 (miss at most around six questions) Reading: 35 (miss at most around six questions) Writing: 35 (miss at most around four questions)

Your acceptance or rejection into college is much more dependent on the SAT or ACT , so the short answer is “no,” colleges don't care at all about the PSAT. An abysmal score on the PSAT will not have any direct effect on your chances of getting into a college.

These scores will not be reported to colleges, so they will not negatively impact your admissions processes. The only downside – if you get a low score in your junior year specifically – is that you will not be considered for scholarships like National Merit, which use the PSAT scores as qualifying metrics.

Of course, a perfect score is a good score! A perfect score on the PSAT is a 1520. If you're in 10th grade and you score between 1420 and 1520, you're in the top 1% of all test takers (99th percentile). If you're in 11th grade, anything between a 1490 and 1520 places you in the top 1%.

Is 1000 a bad PSAT score? ›

A PSAT score of 1000 indicates that you're around the 50th percentile, so you're definitely in a solid starting position.

While the data is preliminary, you may be interested to know that a 99th percentile score in Reading and Writing is 700 while the same percentile score in Math is a 740. These scores are good benchmarks to see where you need to be to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship.

The average PSAT/NMSQT score is about 920. A score between 1210 and 1520 puts you in the top 10% of test takers. The PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT are very similar tests, so your score on the PSAT/NMSQT can give you an idea of how you'll do when you take the SAT.

PSAT 10, and PSAT/NMSQT don't directly affect college admissions decisions, these exams can make a big impact on your college prospects. Here's what you need to know.

Because of its comparatively less-challenging content, the PSAT 8/9 is scored on a slightly different scoring scale than the PSAT 10, PSAT/NMSQT, and SAT—the PSAT 8/9 is scored on a 240-1440 scale.

Since the two tests are designed for two different grade levels, you can expect the PSAT NMSQT to be slightly more difficult in both math and English. More challenging geometry and trigonometry problems and trickier grammar questions are designed for 11th graders on the PSAT NMSQT.