PSAT Tips! GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE on Wednesday, October 15!
Tips for the test as a whole:
1. If you can eliminate two or more answers - You should guess because getting an answer wrong costs 1/4 of
a point.
2. If you have no idea and cannot eliminate answers – Leave the answer blank. This is worth 0 points.
3. Do the easy questions first because they are all weighted equally. You score 1 point per correct answer.
Types of Questions:
 Writing Skills - 14 Identifying Sentence Errors, 20 Improving Sentences, 5 Improving Paragraphs
 Critical Reading - 35 Passage-Based Reading questions, 13 Sentence Completion questions
Identifying Sentence Errors:
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These questions ask students to find errors in sentences or indicate that there is no error. They test
knowledge of grammar, usage, word choice, and idiom.
Read the entire sentence carefully but quickly.
Don't waste time searching for errors. Mark (E) No error on the answer sheet if you believe the sentence is
correct as written.
Improving Sentences:
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These questions ask students to choose the best, most effective form of the underlined portion of a given
sentence.
Read the entire sentence carefully but quickly. Note the underlined portion because that is the portion that
may have to be revised.
Remember that the portion with no underline stays the same.
Improving Paragraphs:
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These questions require students to make choices that improve the logic, coherence, or organization of a
flawed essay
Read the entire essay quickly to determine its overall meaning. The essay is meant to be a draft, so don't be
surprised if you notice errors. Don't linger over those errors.
Make sure that your answer about a particular sentence makes sense in the context of the passage as a
whole.
Passage-Based Reading questions:
 Passage-based reading questions measure a student’s ability to read, understand, and interpret a single
reading passage or a pair of related passages.
Sentence Completion
 Sentences are given with one or two words omitted. The correct answer is the word or set of words that,
when placed in the blank(s), best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.