PSAT/NMSQT Testing and Evaluation
Test Overview
The Preliminary SAT (PSAT) is cosponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and is also referred to as the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT).
It's a College Board test to help prepare you for the SAT and can also help in winning scholarships. High School sophomores and juniors most commonly take the test.
The test combines your knowledge of past high school teachings and general reading, math, and comprehension which is evaluated and scored.
Registration
Contact your school guidance office or principal for PSAT registration forms. If you live outside the United States, then you need an English-speaking assistance to help you sign up and administer the test. If you are a student temporarily outside the U.S, you will have to put down your school code and address in a section on the answer sheet.
The test is administered in October and requires a small fee, usually around $12. There normally only two test dates, so plan ahead.
Home-school students can also take the PSAT by contacting a local high school and making arrangements. You are advised to do this as early as you can to be familiar with the guidance office and their school code.
The Use of Calculators
The use of calculators is permitted and encouraged as part of the test. Take a calculator you are used to working with. Do not buy a new one just for the test since you may run into problems and waste your valuable test time. Acceptable calculators include:
- four-function
- graphic
- scientific
All others will most likely not be allowed, so keep it simple.
Scholarship Opportunities
Since the National Merit Scholarship Corporation sponsors the test, they use the scores to find student who are worthy candidates for college scholarships. These are not regular scholarships as we commonly refer to them, but act more like scholarship referral organizations. They give colleges lists of students who high excelled and who should be given extra consideration when the college hands out scholarship funds. Hispanic and African American students benefit from this service.
Adding up and Comparing Your Scores
Critical reading, math, and writing skills are all scored together and also separated for better analysis. Each subsection score ranges fro 0 to 80. The Selection Index is the sum of all sections, and ranges from 60 to 240. The average score for high school juniors is around 147.
Take advantage of the free PSAT practice tests available online to prepare you for better score.
