PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT

The PSAT 10 and PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) might be relevant to your future success because they focus on the skills and knowledge at the heart of education. They’ll measure:

• What you learn in high school

• What you need to succeed in college

If you think the key to a high score is memorizing words and facts you’ll never use in the real world, think again. 

The best way to prepare for the test is to:

• Take challenging courses

• Do your homework

• Prepare for tests and quizzes

• Ask and answer lots of questions

In short, take charge of your education and learn as much as you can.

Note: VIS is not a test center for PSAT 10 (April session).  

See what these test are like

The test length is 2 hours, 45 minutes, and your scores will be based on the questions you answer correctly, there is no penalty for guessing.

Find out what kinds of questions you’ll see on the PSAT/NMSQT. 

Source:

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/inside-the-test (accessed on 21st February 2020)

Who sees your scores

To read about this, please access the following link:

https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/scores/who-receives-scores​

PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test)

This test is administered by VIS, so if you are in grade 10 or 11 you can register and take this exam in October.

The PSAT/NMSQT helps students prepare for the SAT Reasoning Test which is part of some university application processes, and provides grade eleven U.S. students the opportunity to enter the National Merit Scholarship Corporation competition. The PSAT/NMSQT measures critical reading skills, mathematics problem-solving skills and writing skills. In order to help them prepare, students have received the Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT which provides test taking suggestions and information about the NMSQT competition.

The National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and college scholarships. High school students enter the National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.6 million entrants each year, and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements. To enter the National Merit Scholarship Program and compete for recognition and scholarships :

• Take the PSAT/NMSQT in October (in grade 11).

• Attend high school in the United States, District of Columbia, or U.S. commonwealths and territories; or meet the citizenship requirements for students attending high school outside the United States; and

• Meet other entry requirements.

​Program entrants must take the test in the specified year of the high school program (in grade 11). 

Source: https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/images/gid2/editor_documents/student_guide.pdf?gid=2&pgid=61 (accessed on the 21st February 2020)

For more information about the National Merit Scholarship Program, please access: 

What Are the Benefits of taking the PSAT/NMSQT?

•Prepare for the SAT: The PSAT NMSQT is aligned with the SAT.

•Get free, personalised Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy

•Start getting ready for college with college and career planning tools

•Enter the National Merit Scholarship Program (if eligible)

•Get admission and financial aid information from colleges: If you opt in to the Student Search Service

PSAT Test Preparation

Start early.

People think test prep is a horrendous, stressful process. It’s not – if you start early. If you start studying a month before your test, it’s going to be hellish and stressful, and you won’t be able to leverage your brain’s preference for absorbing information over the long-term. If you start months in advance, you can put in 20-40 minutes a day (split into small sessions of 10-20 minutes each) and get way higher scores.

You’ll get a much higher score and the entire process will be way easier. As a bonus, you won’t need to derail any of your other activities – even if you’re in the debate club, on varsity soccer, and dealing with a challenging course load, you can easily find the time to study for 15 minutes in the morning and another 15 minutes in the afternoon. Why wouldn’t you?

Decision made! You’ve already made a huge step toward test prep success!

Taking an SAT practice test is good practice for the PSAT/NMSQT because the assessments measure the same skills and knowledge in ways that make sense for different grade levels. To get practice materials please access:

Digital PSAT

The PSAT is now digital. This is what to expect:

Scores

How do you access your PSAT scores and reports?

You can review your online reports through your College Board account.

The best method for students to get information about all of their scores and other college planning resources is to log in to their College Board account.

​In order to access to your College Board account, log in to your existing account or create a new one at: 

Input your personal information under “Create Your Student Account.” Please remember that this information (name, date of birth, email address) must match the information you provided in the student questionnaire on the PSAT/NMSQT.

Source: https://counselors.collegeboard.org/professional-learning/score-week-for-counselors (accessed on 11th April, 2020)

Understanding your PSAT scores:

*PSAT / NMSQT:

When students log in to their College Board account, they will be taken to a dashboard (entry) screen that includes their scores, links to Popular Tools like Student Search, and SAT Registration. 

The first thing they will see on the dashboard is their most recent scores. The total score for PSAT/NMSQT ranges from 320 to 1520. It is the sum of their Math section score added to their Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section score. This is the score they would likely receive on the SAT had they taken the SAT on the same day they took the PSAT/NMSQT because all of the scores for the assessments in the SAT Suite are vertically equated. The SAT total score ranges from 400 to 1600.  

Below the Total Score, students will find their section scores. “Your Evidence-Based Reading and Writing Score” is on the left, and is the scaled score they earned from the Reading Test and the Writing and Language Test combined. “Your Math Score,” to the right of the total score, is the scaled score they earned from taking the Math Test. Both of these section scores are on a scale of 160 to 760 on PSAT/NMSQT, and are added together to get the total score. On the SAT, the range for these section scores is 200–800. ​

With each of the three scores, students are presented with their Nationally Representative Sample Percentile. This number is the percentile rank (the percentage of scores that fall below this score) for a student if ALL U.S. students, in their same grade, took the test. Percentiles and benchmarks are provided for 10th and 11th grades on the PSAT/NMSQT. 

Students receive a predicted score range for the next assessment year. Tenth-grade students receive a prediction for PSAT/NMSQT as an eleventh-grader (as seen on the slide); eleventh-grade students receive a prediction for SAT. The predicted score is an initial projection based on current PSAT/NMSQT data and concordance. The projection range may include a lower score than the student earned on the PSAT/NMSQT. The projection is based on the growth of students who scored between the 10th and 90th percentiles. Students can use the predicted information as motivation to continue to practice and prepare for the SAT. 

How do a student's score measure against the benchmarks? Section scores:

Need to Strengthen Skills = below grade-level benchmark by more than one year

Approaching Benchmark = below grade-level benchmark by one year or less

Meets or Exceeds Benchmark = at or above grade-level benchmark

Test scores and subscores

Red, yellow, and green ranges reflect areas of strengths and weaknesses compared to the typical performance of students.

Students who meet the grade-level benchmark are on track for meeting the corresponding college readiness benchmark on the SAT. For their section scores, if the score falls in the red area of the graphic, they “need to strengthen their skills,” meaning they are more than one year below the grade-level benchmark. If the score falls in the yellow part of the graphic, they are “approaching benchmark,” or below the grade-level benchmark by one year or less. If the score falls in the green area of the graphic, they are on track to meet the college readiness benchmark and have met or exceeded the grade-level benchmark. 

​

For the test scores and subscores, which are also shown on a color-coded continuum, the colors in the graphics represent relative strengths (green) and weaknesses (red) based on typical student performance. The color coding doesn’t reflect how students performed compared to the benchmark, as it does with Section scores.

Source: https://counselors.collegeboard.org/professional-learning/score-week-for-counselors (accessed on 11th April, 2020)

How can I improve my academic skills?

Skills Insight informs you about what you are already likely able to do, and how you can improve your skills.

Skills Insight connects a student’s focus areas to the subscores and the skills that are assessed. Students can click on the Questions box to see the questions associated with the skills and subscores.

There is a link on the top of the page connecting students to Khan Academy, which will use their scores (if students link their College Board and Khan Academy accounts) to develop a free online personalized practice program​.

Source: https://counselors.collegeboard.org/professional-learning/score-week-for-counselors (accessed on 11th April, 2020)

​What can I learn from my answers?

Students can look at the test questions from the PSAT/NMSQT using the Test Questions tab on the Score Report screen, or by clicking the Questions button on the Test Scores screen.

For most PSAT/NMSQT administrations, students can see the question content and answer explanation with their scores, which can help them understand why they got a question right or wrong. 

Students can check the level of difficulty of each question and the related subscores and cross-test scores.

Source: https://counselors.collegeboard.org/professional-learning/score-week-for-counselors (accessed on 11th April, 2020)

Things you should do after taking the PSAT/NMSQT:

Take these steps to make the most of your scores: 

• Log in to or create a College Board account online (https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/scores/getting-scores).  PSAT/NMSQT scores will be released online. Log in to your account to see scores and test performance feedback.  

• Get free, personalized SAT practice. The PSAT/NMSQT is great preparation for the SAT®. Your score unlocks a free, personalized practice plan through Official SAT Practice on Khan Academy®. Visit satpractice.org, create an account, and link your College Board and Khan Academy accounts for a plan based on your test results.

• Use Career Finder™. This career exploration tool helps you make informed academic and career decisions based on what truly drives you. Learn more (https://pages.collegeboard.org/career-finder).

• The College Board National Recognition Programs. These are academic honors that can be included on college applications. They're not scholarships, but colleges use them to identify academically exceptional students. Learn more (https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-nmsqt-psat-10/scholarships-and-recognition/recognition-programs).

• Get started on BigFuture. Students can begin their College Search using BigFuture™.  (https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/)