It’s a drizzly mid-October day here in the Northeast—the days are getting shorter, the cotton cobwebs and jack-o-lanterns have started to emerge, and I’ve officially taken my fall and winter boots out of the closet. This week, college-bound Sophomores & Juniors will undergo one more time-honored fall tradition: taking the PSAT/NMSQT.
What are the differences between the PSAT and its sibling, the SAT? For starters, the P in PSAT stands for practice—and that is exactly what it means. The PSAT is a practice test meant to help you begin your college process. It is not an important part of your eventual college application (except in rare cases that have to do with all the extra letters at the end of the test’s name— more on this below*). You have enough stressors in your life; don’t let the PSAT become one of them.
But just so there are no surprises—whether you’ve been studying for the SAT for a few months, or you haven’t touched one since your LogicPrep Diagnostic Test—let’s go over three main differences between the PSAT and the SAT:
#1. The Number of Questions
The PSAT has fewer questions than the SAT on three of the four sections—all except for grammar (the “Writing & Language” section). This results in a slightly different time allotment per question in some sections. Most of this evens out, but you actually get a little more time per question on the no-calculator math section. Plus, there’s no essay!
#2. The Difficulty
According to the College Board, the PSAT is slightly less difficult than the full-blown SAT, but it assesses the same skills required for college success. They may have lopped off the hardest grid-in math question or two, and the sentences in the historical reading passage might be a little less windy and confusing, but you’re not that likely to notice much of a difference. The format, the number of passages, and the types of questions all look exactly the same.
#3. The Scoring
Here’s where things get funky. You’re probably used to SAT scores coming out to around 800 points in each section, for a total score up to 1600. On the PSAT, the max score on each section is 760, for a maximum total score of 1520.
This means that your PSAT score does not directly translate to the same-number SAT score. In general, students who do just as well on the SAT as the PSAT receive a slightly higher numerical score on the SAT.
Ultimately, the moral of the story is not to over-analyze your PSAT score. The score is a helpful benchmark when starting your college list, and the whole experience is a good reminder that it’s time to start thinking seriously about your future. But remember: this is a beginning step in your college journey, not the end.
If you’re a Sophomore or Junior and you’ve never taken a standardized test from the College Board before, the PSAT can provide good exposure to what taking an SAT is like. If you’re unsure if taking the PSAT is right for you, click here or give us a call today to discuss your testing plan.
*The only case where the PSAT score kind of matters is if you are aiming to be in the very top set of scorers (approx. 96th percentile, or roughly 32+ on the ACT and 1450+ on the SAT). Then, you may get an official “commendation” from the National Merit Scholarship program or even be named a National Merit Scholar semifinalist. This recognition can be a nice feather in your cap but rest assured that it will not make or break any college application.