Understanding Your Redesigned PSAT/NMSQT Scores Applerouth Tutoring Services
What is the PSAT? The preliminary SAT College Board s PSAT suite now includes PSAT 8, PSAT 9, PSAT 10, and PSAT/NMSQT PSAT/NMSQT and PSAT 10 are the same test, but PSAT 10 may be given in the spring. ONLY PSAT/NMSQT will be considered for National Merit scholarships. 2
Score Ranges on the PSAT Section Min Section Max Test Total SAT 200 800 1600 PSAT/NMSQT 160 760 1520 PSAT 10 160 760 1520 PSAT 9 120 720 1440 PSAT 8 120 720 1440 Identical structure Identical structure 3
Vertical Scaling of PSAT scores 400-1600 320-1520 PSAT 9 Additional content Passport to advanced math Higher Trig Science reading Advanced Texts 240-1440 PSAT 8 + PSAT 10 PSAT NMSQT SA T As content gets harder, the possible point total increases 4
PSAT Scoring Reading 160-760 Evidence Based Reading and Writing 160-760 Math Writing No Calculator Math Math Composite 320-1520 Composite 5
PSAT Structure and Timing Time (minutes) # of Questions Seconds/ question Reading 60 47 77 Writing 35 44 48 No Calculator Math 25 17 88 Calculator Math 45 31 84 2:45 139 71 Section Total Relatively generous timing solves timing issues for many students 6
Interpreting your PSAT score report 7
PSAT Scores: Total and Section Scores Sample Score Report from https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sample-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf 8
Percentiles Be mindful of your comparison group. If you are a Junior taking the PSAT/NMSQT, your score will be compared against other juniors. If you are a freshman taking the PSAT/NMSQT, your performance will also be compared against other juniors. Sample Score Report from https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sample-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf 9
Redesigned PSAT Scores: Test and Cross-Test Scores Scaled Evidence Based Reading and Writing 160-760 Math 160-760 Sample Score Report from https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sample-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf 10
Scaling Test scores Scaled R EBRW Evidence Based Reading and Writing 160-760 Math 160-760 W 38 + 38 = 76 * 10 = 760 = 76 * 10 = 760 M Math 38 * 2 11
Redesigned PSAT Scores: Subscores Sample Score Report from https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sample-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf 12
Next Step suggestions Sample Score Report from https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sample-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf 13
Remember that the SAT scales have changed Redesigned SAT Old SAT 1040 970 14
Redesigned PSAT and SAT scores are inflated compared to the old SAT Old SAT Redesigned SAT 670 760 730 820 820 900 920 1000 1000 1080 1100 1170 1200 1270 1230 1300 1400 1450 1470 1510 The mean score on the Old SAT is roughly 1000, compared to a mean score of 1080 on the Redesigned SAT. https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/educators/higher-ed/scoring-changes/concordance 15
Test Changes Altered the Score Distribution Redesigned PSAT curve Eliminating the guessing penalty & dropping from 5 to 4 answer choices allowed students to guess their way to higher scores, shifting the curve to the right Leading to score compression at the top 16
Sample Answer Sheet Sa Student Response Math Difficulty Subscores
Patterns to Look For Carelessness: lots of early wrong answers on the math section, missing easy level problems, while correctly answering harder items. Mental fatigue: did a student run out of gas over time? Large error blocks on Reading or Writing: possibly loss of focus due to changes in interest level/content.
Patterns to Look For Omits/string of wrong answers at end of each section indicate a possible time management problem, except in Math sections, where difficulty increases. Talk about writing in the test booklet. Students who engage more with the booklet tax their working memory less, tend to make fewer careless errors and attain higher scores.
OVERVIEW OF NATIONAL MERIT NMSQT 20
National Merit Overview Of the 1.5M+ juniors who take the PSAT/NMSQT in a given year, approximately 50,000 (3.3%) will be identified for National Merit recognition. Approximately 16,000 students will be selected as Semifinalists; from those, 15,000 will be selected as Finalists. This represents top 1% of all test-takers nationally. The number of Semifinalists from GA is determined based on the percentage of total US High School graduates coming from GA.
National Merit Scholarship Selection Index: (CR + W + M) x 2 38 38 38 The highest index score for the redesigned PSAT is 228: (38+38+38)*2 The cutoff score for Georgia this year was 219. Available at https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sample-psat-nmsqt-score-report.pdf
Does the PSAT Matter? Only if you are a junior on the cusp of the National Merit Scholarship. Otherwise No. Colleges do not receive your PSAT. It s not a college admission test. If you are not in contention for the National Merit Scholarship, look at the PSAT as practice and a tool to help you determine whether to take the SAT or ACT.
Translating PSAT to SAT Score The College Board has made clear that the PSAT and SAT scores are on the same 200-800 scale. The College Board predicts that a student who scored a 1400 on the PSAT would also score a 1400 on the SAT. Vertical scaling falls apart for kids at the very highest scores, so if you re an ultra-high-scorer, you may expect your SAT score to be a bit higher than your PSAT score. To convert your PSAT score to an ACT equivalent, see.com/testcomparison
(P)SAT Score to ACT Conversion https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/higher-ed-brief-sat-concordance.pdf
A few notes on individual PSAT sections Reading Writing No Calculator Math Math
Reading: Expect a hard passage on each PSAT Tough! Science (Comparison) Science Humanities Narrative Fiction Humanities Students can expect spikes in difficulty on the PSAT. The score report may reflect this.
The two PSAT math sections are very different. Reading 60 minutes Writing 35 minutes No Calculator Math 25 minutes 20 items 88 45 minutes 38 items 84 Math Seconds per question The No Calc section primarily tests algebraic concepts in the abstract. It emphasizes challenging hand calculations (i.e. long division), creating timing challenges for some students. Check for scoring differences on these two sections to explore a possible area for improvement.
PSAT Calculator math has a higher reading burden Words Per Math Item* 41 35 22 PSAT No calc. section Calculator section Reading comprehension is paramount on PSAT math. Some students may be challenged by the reading burden here. Look to the score report to see differences. *Derived from analysis of SAT math items
PSAT Math content* Algebra Arithmetic/ Data Analysis Geometry 57% 33% 9% PSAT has lots of algebra and much less geometry. Check the score report to see relative performance in these content areas. *From analysis of College Board s 2 online PSATs
We have our PSAT scores... What s Next?
A Quick Anatomy of the Tests SAT ACT More generous with timing Science scattered through all sections Emphasis on algebra Faster paced Separate science section Greater spread of math topics, more geometry
Which Test Should I Try First? Both, ideally, to establish dual baselines Three-Step Analysis: 1. 2. 3. Start with your STRENGTH. If none, Prep to your PREFERENCE. If still none, If you are very close or even across the tests, you may want to consider taking at least one official SAT and one official ACT as an insurance policy. This does NOT mean you should do test prep for both tests.
Questions? Deeper analysis of your score report? Testing guidance for your student? Contact us at 404-728-0661 or at info@.com