C O L L E G E S U C C E S S™
COMING SOON!
OCTOBER 17th
What Denton High
Students Need to Know
about the PSAT/NMSQT
Critical Reading &
Writing Skills
Item Specifications
PSAT/NMSQT
Critical
Reading
Time
Questions
2 hours 10 minutes
Number/Type of Questions
Section 1: 25 minutes
Section 3: 25 minutes
Section 1: 8 sentence completion;
16 passage-based reading
Section 3: 5 sentence completion;
19 passage-based reading
Section 2: 25 minutes
Section 2: 20 mc questions
Section 4: 25 minutes
Section 4: 8 mc questions;
10 grid-in questions
Section 5: 30 minutes
Section 5: 14 identifying sentence errors;
20 improving sentences; 5 improving
paragraphs
Math
Writing
How is the PSAT Scored?
• 1 point for each correct response.
• Subtract ¼ point for each incorrect
response.
• Skipped questions are not counted at
all.
• Wrong answers to math studentproduced response questions=no points
lost
C O L L E G E S U C C E S S™
Sections of the PSAT
Critical Reading
Writing
Types of Questions on the
PSAT
Critical Reading (Multiple Choice)
• Sentence Completion (powered:
questions arranged from easier to
more difficult)
• Short and Long Paragraph
• Reading Items
PSAT Critical Reading
Approaches
• Work on sentence completion questions
first. They take less time to answer than the
passage-based reading questions.
• The difficulty of sentence completion
questions increases as you move through a
question set.
• Reading questions do not increase in
difficulty. Instead, they follow the logic of
the passage.
PSAT Critical Reading
Approaches
• The information you need to answer each reading
question is in the passage(s). Reading carefully is
the key to finding the correct answer. Don’t be
misled by an answer that looks correct but is not
supported by the actual test of the passage (s).
• Do not jump from passage to passage. Stay with a
passage until you have answered as many
questions as you can. When you have gone
through all the questions associated with a
passage, go back and review any you left out or
were not sure about.
• In your test book, mark each question you don’t
understand so that you can easily go back to it later
if you have time.
PSAT Critical Reading
topics will include
• 13 Sentence Completions
• Measures knowledge of meanings of words and ability to
understand how different parts of a sentence fit together
• 35 Passage-Based Reading Questions
• Analyze and evaluate ideas, opinions, and arguments
• Make inferences and recognize implications
• Determine author’s purpose or perspective
• Compare or contrast ideas in a passage
• Long and short reading passages are taken from different fields:
Natural sciences, Humanities, Social Studies, and Fiction
The Critical Reading Section
Example of a sentence completion item
The directions will look like this:
Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each
blank indicating that something has been omitted.
Beneath the sentence are five words labeled (A)
through (E). Choose the word or set of words that,
when inserted into the sentence, best fits the meaning
of the sentence as a whole.
Sentence Completion Approaches
• Read the entire sentence to yourself.
• Watch for introductory or connecting
words and phrases like "but," "not,"
"because," etc.
• In sentences with two blanks, make sure
the words for both blanks make sense in
the sentence.
Sentence Completion Approaches
• Start by working with one blank at a
time.
• Stay within the meaning of the sentence.
• Before you mark your answer, read the
complete sentence with your choice
filled in.
Reading Passage Approaches
• Don't skip introductions to passages.
• Read each passage and any accompanying
information carefully. Follow the author's reasoning
and be aware of features such as assumptions,
attitudes, and tone.
• You may find it helpful to mark the passages as you
are reading, but don't spend too much time making
notes.
• Read each question and all the answer choices
carefully.
Reading Passage Approaches
• When a question asks you to compare an aspect of
a pair of passages, don't be misled by choices that
are correct for only one of the two passages.
• Select the choice that best answers the question
asked. Don't select a choice just because it is a true
statement.
• You may find it helpful to read the questions first to
get an idea of what to look for. Or, you may prefer
to read the passage and try to answer the
questions.
Types of Questions on the
PSAT
Writing (Multiple Choice)
• Improving Sentences (20 questions)
• Identifying Sentence Errors (14 questions)
• Improving Paragraphs (5 questions)
Improving Sentences
Approaches
• 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.
• Mark choice (A) if the underlined portion seems
correct. Check the other choices quickly to make
sure that (A) is really the best choice.
Improving Sentences
Approaches
• Think of how you would revise the underlined
portion if it seems wrong. Look for your revision
among the choices given.
• Replace the underlined portion of the sentence
with choices (B) through (E) if you don't find your
revision. Concentrate on the choices that seem
clear and exact when you read them.
Identifying Sentence Errors
Approaches
• Read the entire sentence carefully but quickly.
• Look at choices (A) through (D) to see whether
anything needs to be changed to make the
sentence correct.
• Don't waste time searching for errors. Mark (E)
No error, on your answer sheet if you believe the
sentence is correct as written.
Identifying Sentence Errors
Approaches
• Move quickly through questions about Identifying
Sentence Errors. The other kinds of questions
(Improving Sentences and Improving Paragraphs)
will probably take more time.
• Mark questions that seem hard for you and return
to them later.
Improving Paragraph Approaches
Expressing Ideas Logically
• Coordination and subordination
• Logical comparison
• Modification and word order
Improving Paragraph Approaches
Being Clear and Precise
•
•
•
•
Avoiding ambiguous and vague pronouns
Diction
Avoiding wordiness
Avoiding improper modification
Improving Paragraph Approaches
Following Conventions
• Pronoun case
• Idiom
• Sentence fragment
PSAT Writing Section
Examples of Multiple-Choice Writing Items
Improving paragraphs:
In the context of the first paragraph, which revision is most
needed in sentence 3?
(A) Insert “As a matter of fact” at the beginning.
(B) Omit the words “it being.”
(C) Omit the word “scene.”
(D) Change the comma to a semicolon.
(E) Change “think” to “thought” and “consider” to “considered.”
Difference on Writing
(SAT and PSAT)
• In addition to the types of writing questions on the
PSAT, the SAT includes a writing prompt and written
essay , the PSAT does not.
• The essay will be similar to the type of on-demand
writing that is typically done in college.
• Many colleges began requiring a standardized
writing test for admission beginning with the entering
class of 2006.
How Students Can Prepare
for the PSAT/NMSQT
• The PSAT/NMSQT Student Bulletin, the free
booklet that includes a full-length practice test,
is what we are using in this tutorial session.
• Familiarize yourself with the format, types of
questions, and scoring on the PSAT
• Do practice problems on the PSAT website
www.collegeboard.com/psat