PSAT:
Your Score
Introduction to the PSAT
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Agenda
• Get to know the PSAT
• Understanding Your PSAT Score Report Plus
• What Comes Next?
• College Prep Timeline
• Class of 2017
• Prep Smarter, Not Harder
But First – Let’s Say Hello!
• Grade?
• Math vs. Reading?
• Dream school?
Luke
Powell
Let’s Get to
Know the
PSAT
Why Does the PSAT Matter?
1. Practice Run for the Real Thing
2. Get a Higher Score on the SAT
• Students who took the PSAT scored, on average, 136 points higher on SAT
3. Scholarship Opportunities
•
National Merit Scholarship Program, Corporate Scholarships,
National Achievement Program
: College Board: ,http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/psatnmsqt-fact-sheet.pdf
The PSAT at-a-glance
SECTION
FORMAT /
TIMING
Two Sections
Math
Two 25-min sections
38 Questions
Critical
Reading
Two Sections
Writing
TOTAL:
Two 25-min sections
48 Questions
One Sections
One 30-min section
39 questions
QUESTION
TYPES
SCORE
11th Grade
’12 NATL
AVGS
Multiple Choice,
Grid-Ins
20-80
48
Sentence
Completion, Reading
Comprehension
20-80
49
Identifying Sentence
Errors, Improving
Sentences, Improving
Paragraphs
20-80
47
5 sections
60-240
2 hours and 10 minutes
(144 National Average)
The PSAT at-a-Glance
Understanding PSAT Scoring
• Correct Answer: +1 point
• Omitted Question: 0 points
• Incorrect Answer (multiple choice) : -1/4 point
• Incorrect Answer (non-multiple choice math questions) : 0 points
Test Day Tip:
If you can eliminate 1 answer choice, guess!
PSAT Scoring
Here’s how the PSAT is scored:
Score Type
Definition and Scale
Raw Score # right – ¼ of # wrong
Scaled Score
Selection Index
Percentile
Average
N/A
Compares scores to
other students’:
Scaled scores
added together:
Percentage of students who
received a lower score: 1 – 99%
•
8
50
Understanding
Your PSAT Score
Report Plus
Snapshot
4 Key Components of the
PSAT Score Report Plus:
1. Your Scores
2. Your Skills
3. Your Answers
4. Next Steps
Your Scores
Scaled Scores: 20–80 score on each section that’s
calculated based off of your raw score
Your Scores
Score Range: Shows how your score might vary if you took the
PSAT again without preparing anymore
Your Scores
Percentile: How your performance compares to other students’
who took the test the same day as you did
Your Scores
Selection Index: The sum of your scaled scores and used to
determine National Merit Scholarship winners
Your Scores
Percentile: How your performance compares to that of collegebound juniors
Your Skills
• Your performance on questions associated with specific skill categories
• Sections for Critical Reading, Math, Writing skills
• Displayed graphically to help visualize where you are strong and where you
can improve
Your Answers
• Details each of your answers on the test (multiple choice AND grid-ins)
• Scoring key shows how your raw score can be calculated
• See which questions you answered wrong and work through them for practice
Grid - In
• No Wrong Answer Penalty –
ALWAYS GUESS!
• No answers are negative
• Fill answers in at the top and
bubble in the ovals
• You may start your answer
in any column, space
permitting
Next Steps
• Displays access code for your My QuickStart account
• Offers information about college majors and programs based
on the interest you marked on your exam
What Comes
Next?
What does my score mean?
11th
Grade PSAT
Score
Estimated 11th Grade Score Range
SAT CR
SAT Math
SAT Writing
20-24
240 – 340
230 – 320
240 – 340
25-29
270 – 380
260 – 370
270 – 380
30-34
310 – 420
300 – 410
310 – 430
35-39
350 – 460
350 – 460
360 – 470
40-44
390 – 500
390 – 500
400 – 510
45-49
430 – 540
440 – 550
440 – 560
50-54
480 – 590
480 – 590
480 – 600
55-59
530 – 630
530 – 630
530 – 640
60-64
570 – 680
570 – 680
570 – 680
65-69
620 – 720
620 – 730
610 – 720
70-74
670 – 770
670 – 760
650 – 750
75-80
720 – 790
710 – 790
680 - 770
Scholarships
A chance to qualify for scholarships! There are several scholarships that recognize
high PSAT scores:
 The National Merit Scholarship: Top ________ scorers receive letters of
commendation, and top _______ scorers can receive up to $2,500 per year
toward college! Visit www.nationalmerit.org
 National Hispanic Scholar Recognition Program: Helps top Hispanic scorers
gain financial aid.
 National Achievement Scholarship Program: Helps top Black American
scorers gain aid.
 National Scholarship Service: www.nationalscholarshipservice.com
 The Telluride Association: www.tellurideassociation.org
•
22
Scholarships
National Merit Program
•
To qualify for National Merit Scholarship you must:
•
Be a full-time high school student
•
Be a junior and planning to enroll in college full-time
•
Complete grades 9-12 in four years
•
Around $50 million awarded each year
•
There is no one “cut-off” score.
•
Minimum scores for Semi-Finalists change every year and vary by state.
•
Semi-finalist scores ranged from 203 to 224 (based on state) in 2013.
•
Source: National Merit Scholarship Corporation, “National Merit Scholarships”
Key Differences: PSAT vs. SAT
•
•
•
•
SAT has an essay portion
SAT is scored on a scale of 200-800
PSAT is shorter
No experimental section on the PSAT
PSAT vs SAT
PSAT
SECTION / TIMING
Critical Reading
Two 25-mins sections
Math
Two 25-min sections
Writing Skills
One 30-min section
Experimental
N/A
Total
5 sections
2 hours and 10 minutes
SAT
SCORE
SECTION / TIMING
SCORE
20 - 80
Critical Reading
Two 25-mins sections
One 20-min section
200 - 800
20 - 80
Math
One 25-min section
One 20-min section
200 - 800
20 - 80
Writing
One 25-min essay
One 25-min section
One 10-min section
200 – 800
Essay: 0-12
N/A
Experimental
One 25-min section
Not Scored
Total
10 sections
3 hours and 45 minutes
600 - 2400
20 - 80
The SAT at-a-glance
SECTION
FORMAT / TIME
QUESTION TYPES
SCORE
‘12 NATL
AVGS
Math
3 sections
Two 25-minute
One 20-minute
54 Questions
44 Multiple Choice
10 Grid-Ins
200 – 800
514
Critical
Reading
3 sections
Two 25-minute
One 20-minute
67 Questions
19 Sentence Completions
48 Reading Comprehension
200 – 800
496
49 Questions + Essay
18 Identifying Sentence Errors
25 Improving Sentences
6 Improving Paragraphs
200 – 800
488
Writing
3 sections
One 25-minute essay
One 25-minute
One 10-minute
Experimental
1 section
One 25-minute essay
Varies
Total
10 sections
4 hours, 5 minutes
160 Multiple Choice
10 Grid-Ins
1 Essay
Essay
Essay
0-12
7.2
600 – 2400
1496
The ACT at-a-glance
SECTION
FORMAT / TIME
QUESTION TYPES
SCORE
‘12 NATL
AVGS
English
1 section
45 minutes
Multiple Choice
75 Questions
1 – 36
20.5
Math
1 section
60 minutes
Multiple Choice
60 Questions
1 – 36
21.0
Reading
1 section
35 minutes
Multiple Choice
40 Questions
1 – 36
21.3
Science
1 section
35 minutes
Multiple Choice
40 Questions
1 – 36
20.9
1 – 36
20.8
Writing
1 section
30 minutes
Essay (Optional)
2 – 12
7.1
4-5 sections
2 hours, 55 minutes
3 hours, 25 minutes
215 Multiple Choice
1 Essay
1 – 36
21.0
Total
College Prep
Timeline
College Prep Timeline
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
• Extracurricular activities
• PSAT in October
• Prep for AP/Honors
• Take AP and SAT Subject
Tests after completing courses
• Summer prep for PSAT
College Prep Timeline
Junior Year
• PSAT in October for National
Merit
Senior Year
• Take SAT and/or ACT for the last time
• Take required SAT Subject Tests
• Focus on academics—this is the
•
critical year!
•
• Research admissions
requirements for chosen
•
schools
• Prepare for SAT and/or ACT
• Take required SAT Subject
Tests
Request letters of recommendation
Fill out FAFSA and research
scholarships
Visit schools
Sophomores: New PSAT & SAT
• You will see the New PSAT in the fall of 2015 and the
New SAT in the spring of 2016.
• How will the test be changing?
• We will touch briefly on this here tonight.
New PSAT and SAT:
Key Difference from current PSAT/SAT
1. The New SAT has a greater focus on History &
Social Studies passages
New
PSAT?
New
SAT?
What will be
changing?
2. Will focus on Algebra and has a greater
emphasis on Data Analysis & Problem Solving
3. The New SAT requires more mental math, and
will include a section without calculator
4. The New SAT has grid-in questions, and an
extended thinking grid-in question
5. New PSAT structure will be aligned with the
New SAT, and almost the same length
Test Changes
Test Change Timeline
ACT:
Enhanced
Scoring +
Writing
Test
College
Board:
PSAT
Sample
Test
SAT:
2nd to
Last
Current
Test
Kaplan:
New
Suite of
Practice
Tests
Mar 2015
SAT:
New Test
Launches
PSAT:
New Test
Launches
June 2015
Test Changes
Sept 2015 Oct 2015
SAT:
Last
Current
Test
Dec 2015 Jan 2016
Mar 2016
Class of 2017 Test Paths
Student Profile
Potential Test Path
 Early Decision
 APs and Subject Tests
 Current SAT or ACT
 Regular Decision
 ACT not an option
 New SAT
 Great Test Taker
 Current SAT & New SAT & ACT
 Anxious test taker
 Obvious strengths with one test
 Current SAT or New SAT or ACT
Test Changes
Prep Smarter,
Not Harder
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