Your scores on the preliminary SAT aren’t sent to colleges, so you may wonder: does the PSAT matter? Developed as a preview of the SAT to come in Juniors’ spring semester, the PSAT (or “Pre-SAT”) is a standardized test created for high school students to familiarize themselves with the SAT ahead of the real exam.
The factor that makes the PSAT so unique is that colleges won’t see your scores! PSAT scores won’t directly affect your college admissions, but that doesn’t mean that this test is insignificant. We’re diving into the details of the Pre-SAT in this article, focusing on the benefits and consequences of taking this test in an effort to answer, “is the PSAT important?”
What is the PSAT?
The PSAT (Preliminary SAT) is a standardized test administered in the fall semester, developed by College Board as a preview of the Digital SAT they’ll be taking in their 11th grade spring semester. Thousands of juniors across the country take the PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) each October, and many students in 8th through 10th grade have the opportunity to take the PSAT 8/9 or PSAT 10.
PSAT/NMSQT registration is done by schools and/or school districts, not by students or parents. Schools may conduct PSAT testing on any school day in October (or one of two permitted Saturdays: October 12th and 26th).
The PSAT has an identical structure to the SAT—with the same modular format: students have 64 minutes to answer 54 Reading & Writing questions, then 70 minutes to answer 44 math questions. Questions are presented in the same way, and the same content areas are tested on the PSAT/NMSQT and SAT. (The PSAT 8/9 and 10 test less advanced topics in math.)
There are a few central differences between the PSAT and SAT:
- The PSAT max score is 1520, lower than the SAT max score of 1600.
- The PSAT is slightly easier than the SAT, as it’s intended for students early in their junior year.
- Its results are not part of college admissions; colleges don’t see student PSAT scores.
Why Take the PSAT?
By administering the PSAT, high schools gain valuable insight into their student body’s college readiness while improving their students’ college admissions preparedness. There is no impact on your college admissions or your grades if you fail the PSAT. In fact taking the exam in itself helps you prepare for the real SAT—and you can qualify for scholarships if you earn a great score!
Understanding Your College Readiness
The PSAT is a valuable step in a student’s journey to college. Because the SAT tests students on their college readiness, this preliminary SAT shows students what skills they need in order to be college ready. This exam presents students the opportunity to identify existing problem areas in their education and mend them before they begin SAT prep.
Treating the PSAT as part of your college prep journey, together with AP courses, pre-college programs, and academic extracurriculars, can equip you with the strong foundational knowledge necessary to face advanced college courses well ahead of time.
Test Prep with the PSAT
Perhaps the most commonly understood benefit of taking the PSAT is the value it brings to students’ test preparation. With this benchmark exam, students have the opportunity to evaluate their knowledge in a testing environment, allowing them to practice and get comfortable with higher-level standardized testing.
Standardized Test Prep
Since your PSAT scores aren’t sent to colleges, your test day should be relatively stress-free—no worries about making that perfect, Ivy League-ready score! Take advantage of this testing trial run to familiarize yourself with standardized testing, practice common test-taking strategies, and mentally prepare for any future tests you’ll be taking.
The PSAT helps you prepare for the SAT, ACT, or any other standardized test by placing you into an identical testing environment. You’ll be able to get a feel for the questioning style and timing of these types of tests, which can be especially important after a test-free summer.
If you have test-taking anxiety, the PSAT experience can help you identify, manage, and triumph over stress. Further, part of getting acquainted with standardized testing is getting accustomed to the timing of the exam and practicing time management skills, such as pacing yourself in each section of the test or skipping unfamiliar questions and coming back to them later. Use the PSAT as a trial run to use different testing strategies and learn your personal test-taking strengths and weaknesses.
Digital SAT Prep
The greatest benefit of the PSAT for most students is its effectiveness as an SAT prep tool. It provides the same experience of taking the SAT, minus the pressure to excel on it.
If you’ve been studying for the SAT since the summer before 11th grade or even earlier, use the PSAT as a practice test to see how far your efforts have taken you. If you have yet to start SAT prep, this season is the perfect time to begin—the PSAT will give you a baseline score to build on top of.
Though the PSAT is nothing students should stress about, its benefits are maximized if the test is taken seriously. Treating this benchmark test as if it were the real SAT—studying in advance, having a full eight hours of sleep the night before, and giving the exam your best effort—is the best way to take full advantage of the exam. This will help you familiarize yourself with the SAT testing experience, and your full-effort results are most indicative of how you’d perform on the SAT.
After taking the test and getting your score report back, evaluating your PSAT performance will directly improve your SAT journey. Though the tests are scored differently, your overall performance on the PSAT will show you if you’re on-track for a solid SAT performance. Evaluating your scores from each section tells you the areas in which you need improvement and practice as well as the topics in which you’re already proficient. Use this knowledge to guide your SAT studying, then see your improvement when you take another SAT practice test on your own!
The National Merit Scholarship
While your PSAT scores don’t impact your college admissions process, they can help you pay for college! The College Board can connect you with scholarship programs looking for college-bound juniors using your PSAT/NMSQT score.
Each year, juniors taking the PSAT are automatically entered into that year’s National Merit® Scholarship Program competition. The scholarship program works as follows:
After taking the PSAT, students’ scores are sent to the National Merit® Scholarship Program. The top ~50,000 scorers are recognized by National Merit as Commended Students or Semifinalists in September of their senior year. (Note: This recognition will enrich your college application, helping you stand out to admissions offices!)
16,000 students are selected as Semifinalists on a state-by-state basis; the highest scorers from each state are chosen, and they will compete against each other in becoming finalists and awardees. As a result, qualifying will be more competitive in some states than others.
Semifinalists must meet high academic standards and achieve ACT/SAT scores that confirm their PSAT scores. Then, in February of their senior year, 15,000 students are selected as finalists. The 6,870 winners are chosen holistically, based on their accomplishments and abilities. The National Merit award is $2,500.
Students who qualify for the National Merit® Scholarship Program are also eligible to receive corporate- or college-sponsored scholarships. These programs are partnerships between NMSP and businesses or colleges, and the corporate sponsors or college officials determine the winners. Learn more about the details of these scholarships on National Merit’s scholarship page.
Does the PSAT Matter in 8th, 9th, and 10th Grade?
Many schools administer the PSAT to freshmen, sophomores, and even some eighth graders. College Board created the PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10 to give students and schools early feedback on their SAT knowledge and readiness, but does the Pre-SAT matter in these grades?
Taking the PSAT earlier in your academic career is a great way to get on track for SAT success early. While the PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10 aren’t qualifying exams for the National Merit scholarship, taking an SAT benchmark in these grades helps you build familiarity with the SAT exam and identify knowledge gaps early in your academic career. Plus, the PSAT 10 may help you qualify for a scholarship through College Board.
For instance, a student taking a PSAT 10 who performed considerably better in the Reading & Writing section than the math section will identify that they are struggling with math concepts or have holes in their math knowledge. Since they still have years before college and over a year before the SAT, there is ample time to close those foundational knowledge gaps before facing more advanced math courses.
Prepare for the Digital PSAT with Piqosity
So, does the PSAT matter? Let’s put it this way: a bad PSAT score won’t affect you poorly, an excellent score could qualify you for a scholarship, and taking the exam in itself helps you get ready for your real upcoming Digital SAT test. Overall, PSAT testing is a huge help to your college admissions test prep, and there are no risks from a subpar performance.
As we discussed above, the best way to approach the PSAT is to use it as part of your SAT test prep. By preparing with SAT study materials and taking more SAT practice tests ahead of test day, the PSAT can be a monumental step in your path to earn that goal SAT score and impress admissions offices!
As you begin or continue your test prep journey, Piqosity’s here to help! Along with our full-length, online ELA and Math courses for grades 5-11, we offer full SAT, ACT, and ISEE test prep courses, each of which includes 12 practice exams, dozens of concept lessons, personalized practice software, and more.
In addition to our new digital SAT course, we’re also offering two free digital PSATs! These DPSAT practice tests are designed to help you prepare ahead of time for the October exam’s format, available for anyone who signs up for a Piqosity community account. Our free community account allows you to try out all of Piqosity’s features—no credit card required! When you’re ready to upgrade, Piqosity’s year-long accounts start at only $89.
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