II. Our Textbook
 Bring your textbook every day.
 We will use it in class as well as for homework.
 The Official SAT Study Guide, Second
Edition

by CollegeBoard
 Contains 10 tests
 Provides access to exclusive online tools
Our Textbook, continued
 Chapters 1-3 Introduction to the SAT and
test-taking tips
 Chapters 4-21 – Descriptions of types of
questions and approaches to answering
them. Solutions to sample questions.
Our Textbook, continued
 Critical Reading Strategies: Chapter 7
 Writing Practice: Chapter 21
 Math Strategies: Chapter 21
 Math Concepts: Chapters 15-18
Our Textbook, continued…
 There is an essay on the SAT but not on the PSAT.
 You may participate in the College Board’s practice
essay-writing program, Score Write. However, your
participation in Score Write will not affect your PSAT
score.
 Chapter 9 includes examples of essay topics with
sample scored essays.
Our Textbook, continued…
 Part V of the book provides 10 official practice tests to
help you become familiar with the test and practice
under timed conditions.
Our Textbook, continued…
 You will complete Practice Test 3 (pages 514-555)as
homework over 4 days (Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, and Monday).
 As you do your homework, you will mark your answers
on the answer grid in your book (pages 508-511).
 You will also mark your answers in your book by each
question, and grade each section yourself.
 At the beginning of each session, we will discuss
questions from the previous day’s homework.
Our Textbook, continued…
 We will work with practice questions from
the textbook in group sessions each day.
 You will have a choice each day whether to
focus on Math Strategies or Reading
Comprehension/Writing strategies in
concurrent breakout sessions.
Our Textbook, continued…
 Errata
 Note the yellow insert in the front of your book.
 Some answer keys and questions are printed
incorrectly.
 Please take time now to make the corrections in your
book.
Textbook Errata
Page #
Practice
Test #
Section #
Item #
Present
Correction
(Incorrect)
618
4
6
14
6
5
618
4
8
11 & 12
Item keys 11
and 12 are
repeated.
Cross out
the
repetition.
680
5
4
15
7/15, 466,
467
7/15, .466,
.467
680
5
4
6
Difficulty
M
Difficulty H
More Textbook Errata
Page #
Practice
Test #
Section #
Item #
Present
Correct to
(Incorrect)
742
6
3
24
Answer: E
Answer: B
742
6
4
4
Difficulty E
Difficulty
M
804
7
3
9
2/5, 4
2/5, .4
866
8
7
17
Answer: C
Answer: B
More Textbook Errata
Page # Practice Section #
Test #
Item #
Present
(Incorrect)
Correct to:
990
2
Answer: A
Answer: D
3
Answer: D
Answer: A
4
Answer: E
Answer: D
9
Difficulty: R
Difficulty: E
12
Difficulty: R
Difficulty: E
13
Difficulty: R
Difficulty: E
15
Difficulty: R
Difficulty: E
8
Difficulty: R
Difficulty: E
10
3*
*Writing Section 3 of Practice Test 10 is listed
incorrectly as Writing Section 6.
4
9
Final Textbook Errata
Page #
Practice
Test #
Section #
Item #
Corrections
641
5
2
13
15
Add an = and an ≤
…than the
perimeter of ∆DEF.
PSAT Scores
What's the range of possible PSAT scores?
 Each PSAT section has a scaled score from 20-80 points.
What are average PSAT scores?
Section
Average Scores for
Sophomores
Average Scores for
Juniors
Math
43.5
48.5
Critical Reading
42.6
47.7
Writing Skills
40.8
45.8
III. Scoring the PSAT
The Math, Critical Reading, and Writing sections of the
PSAT are scored separately, with each score ranging
between 20 (lowest) and 80 (highest). The Selection
Index used by the National Merit Scholarship
Corporation is the sum of these three scores. A
“perfect score” would be 240 .
Scoring the PSAT
 Students receive one point for each correct answer,
regardless of difficulty.
 For incorrect answers to multiple-choice questions, a
quarter (1/4) of a point is deducted. (This is a ‘guessing
penalty’. )
 Nothing is deducted for unanswered questions or for
incorrect answers to student-produced response (gridin) questions.
Scoring your practice PSAT
 Check your responses with the correct answers.
 Guessing Penalty: Count how many you got wrong in
each section (except for the Math Grid-In Section).
A = that number times 0.25
 Count how many you got right in each section =B.
 Subtract A from B. Round.
 Use the Conversion Table for each section to find your
3 scores.
Scoring the PSAT
 The raw score is converted to a score on the
PSAT/NMSQT scale of 20 to 80 points. This statistical
procedure, called equating, adjusts for differences in
difficulty between various forms, or editions, of the
test.
The National Merit Scholarship
Program and Awards
 Scoring high on the PSAT as a junior can qualify
you for National Merit Scholarships and other
awards.
 Juniors taking the PSAT are automatically entered
into the National Merit Program, a competition for
recognition and undergraduate scholarships
conducted by The National Merit Scholarship
Corporation (a not-for-profit organization). The
most outstanding participants receive scholarships
worth a total of $50 million for undergraduate
study.
Awards granted in the National Merit
Program
Title
Number of
Recipients per
Year
Criteria
Award
National Merit
Scholar
8,200
Final screening process –
criteria not released to
the public
$2,500
National Merit
Finalist
15,000
Those semifinalists who
meet eligibility
requirements
Certificate
National Merit
Semi-Finalist
16,000
Upper 99th
Certificate
Commended
Student
34,000
95th-mid-99th
Letter of
Commendation
(top 4-5%)
Semifinalists
 16,000 students who score in the upper 99th percentile
in their states receive a letter announcing their status
as a semifinalist, along with information about the
requirements for qualification as a finalist.
 These include:
 Maintaining high grades
 Performing well on your SAT
 Getting an endorsement from your principal
Semifinalists, continued…
 Semifinalist PSAT scores are usually in the range of
200-215.
 This means approximate scores of:
 70 in Critical Reading
 70 in Math
 70 in Writing Skills
Finalists
 The majority of semifinalists (more than 90%) go on to
qualify as finalists.
 Students who meet all of the eligibility requirements
will be notified in February of their senior year that
they have qualified as finalists.
 This means that they are eligible for scholarship
money.
 Only about half of National Merit finalists actually win
scholarships.
Finalists, continued…
 8,000 total scholarships are awarded
 3 groups of Scholarships:
 National Merit $2,500 scholarships
 Scholarships sponsored by grants from more
than 500 corporations & private foundations
 Scholarships sponsored by colleges & universities
 Renewable, 4-year Merit Scholarships may be worth as
much as $10,000 a year for four years.
Your Self-Assessment and Goals
 On the back of the yellow scoresheet, make 3 sections
to fill in after you score your practice test:
 My Strengths
 Areas needing Improvement
 My Goals for this Course