Welcome!
PSAT Interpretation
December, 2012
Albion Middle School
Don Berkey, School Counselor
Denise Candow, School Counselor
SAT Question of the Day
from www.collegeboard.org
Sentence Completion
Directions:
 Read the sentence
 Choose the word or set of words that,
when inserted in the sentence, best
fits the meaning of the sentence as a
whole.
Sentence Completion
Because King Philip's desire to make Spain the
dominant power in sixteenth-century Europe
ran counter to Queen Elizabeth's insistence on
autonomy for England, ------- was -------.
Answer Choices:
(A) reconciliation . . assured
(B) warfare . . avoidable
(C) ruination … impossible
(D) conflict … inevitable
(E) diplomacy … simple
Correct Answer
D
Explanation: The word "because" indicates that the
information in the first part of the sentence (the part
before the comma) explains the reason for the situation
described in the second part. The first part states that
what King Philip wanted (domination for Spain) "ran
counter to" what Queen Elizabeth wanted
(independence for England). Choice (D) logically
completes the sentence.
Correct Answer
The correct sentence reads:
Because King Philip's desire to make Spain
the dominant power in sixteenth-century
Europe ran counter to Queen Elizabeth's
insistence on autonomy for England,
conflict was inevitable.
(from sample test, Jan. 2011)
PLEASE REMEMBER …
The PSAT test for 7th and 8th graders
is just practice!
Students gain experience in test-taking skills such as
time management, familiarity with standardized test
format, etc. which should help them with future
PSAT/SAT/ACT tests.
Middle school student scores - compared
to college-bound sophomores;
Juniors-compared to juniors and above.
Materials brought home
by your child
 2012
Score Report Plus
 Test
booklet used by your child
on test day {Oct. 2012}
Scoring

Each correct answer = + 1 point

Each unanswered question = 0 points
(regardless of level of difficulty)
Scoring


Incorrect answers
(to math questions 29-38)
0 points
Incorrect answers
(to multiple choice questions)
- 1/4 point
Scoring



Critical Reading
Math
Writing Skills
20 to 80 scale on all tests
Grade 9 avg: 38-42
Grade 10 avg: 43-36
Grade 11 avg: 47-50
Scoring



Range: Scores within the range can be
considered “similar” to yours. This
estimates how much one’s score would vary
if taken repeatedly with no additional skills
Percentile: More significant because a
“national” ranking.
Expected score on SAT:
Add zero to raw score:
48 on PSAT = 480 on SAT
Your Answers




Question number
Correct answer
Check mark if correct or
correct answer is shown
Difficulty of question
(e = easy, m = medium, h = hard)
Selection Index




Sum of Critical Reading, Math and Writing Skills
scores.
The asterisk (*) indicates that your student does not
meet the eligibility requirements of being in the 10th
grade.
Used as initial screening for scholarship programs.
Additional information was provided
by your student, including career interests.
See “Next Steps” {www.collegeboard.org/quickstart}
How To Improve Scores



Read section of report titled “Your Skills”
College Board has identified skills most likely
to improve with extra work.
Caution: Many questions have not yet been
covered in 7th and 8th grade curriculums!
Albion Results - 7th Grade


48 students tested
Mean scores:
Critical Reading:
Math:
Writing Skills:
Selection Index Range:
44.9
47.2
44.6
85 to 190
Albion Results - 8th Grade
(Compared to 2011 District Results)


53 students tested
Mean scores:
Critical Reading: 45.8
(45.5)
Math:
45.7
(45.5)
Writing Skills:
42.8
(42.3)
Selection Index Range: 95 to 185
(93 to 194)
Albion Results - 8th Grade
(Class of 2017)
(Compared to 2011 District Results)
46
45
44
43
2011
42
2012
41
40
Critical
Reading
Math
Writing Skills
8th Grade Compared To
College-Bound OHIO Sophomores




Mean Scores:
8th Grade (OHIO 10th Grade)
Critical Reading:
Math:
Writing Skills:
45.8 (49)
45.7 (47)
42.8 (48)
Current 8th Grade Compared To
College-Bound OHIO Sophomores
49
48
47
46
45
44
43
42
41
40
39
Current 8th
graders
College
Bound 10th
graders
Critcal
Reading
Math
Writing
Summary


PSAT scores are not used by colleges as
part of their admissions criteria.
Success will increase with more course
work and more testing experiences.
It’s Just Practice!!
Take The Next Step




Access your FREE PSAT College Planning Kit at:
www.collegeboard.org/quickstart
Review question and answer explanations
Develop skills through rigorous academic courses
and quality outside reading
Follow the personalized advice in My SAT Study
Plan and My College Quick Start
{see next slides}
My College QuickStart
My College QuickStart
My Online Score Report
• Projected SAT®
score ranges
• State percentiles
• You can filter questions
• Questions and
answer explanations
My College QuickStart
My SAT Study Plan™
• Personalized skills
to improve
• SAT practice questions
• An official SAT practice test
My College QuickStart
My College Matches
• Starter list of colleges
• Criteria to customize
search
• Ability to save searches
My College QuickStart
My Majors & Career
Matches
• Major you chose
• Related majors
• Related careers
In conclusion …
Thank you for reading the material.
Remember to contact your middle
school counselor with further
questions and/or concerns.