UNDERSTANDING YOUR
PSAT/NMSQT RESULTS
& REVIEW OF AP POTENTIAL
Presented by Avon Grove High School Guidance Department
Monday, December 22, 2014
4 Major Parts of Your PSAT/NMSQT Results
Your Scores
Your Skills
Your Answers
Next Steps
3 Test Sections
Critical Reading
Mathematics
Writing Skills
Your Scores
Score
You can see your projected SAT
score online in My College QuickStart
(www.collegeboard.org/quickstart).
Your Scores (cont.)
Score Range
Your Scores (cont.)
Percentile
If you are a junior, your scores are
compared to those of other juniors.
If you are a sophomore or younger
student, your scores are compared to
those of sophomores.
National Merit Scholarship
Corporation Information
National Merit Scholarship
Corporation Information (cont.)
The Selection Index is the sum of your critical reading,
mathematics and writing skills scores.
If it has an asterisk, you do not meet all of the eligibility
requirements for the competition.
National Merit Scholarship
Corporation Information (cont.)
The Percentile compares your performance to that of other
college-bound juniors.
National Merit Scholarship
Corporation Information (cont.)
The Entry Requirements section displays information you
provided on your answer sheet.
Your Skills
Your Skills (cont.)
See how you did on each skill. The same skills are tested on the SAT.
You can try hundreds of practice questions, organized by skill, online
in My College QuickStart (www.collegeboard.org/quickstart).
Your Answers
Your Answers (cont.)
You will get your test book back with
your PSAT/NMSQT results, so that
you can review the questions.
You can also review each test
question in My College QuickStart.
Your Answers (cont.)
You will get your test book back with
your PSAT/NMSQT results, so that
you can review the questions.
You can also review each test
question in My College QuickStart.
Your Answers (cont.)
You will get your test book back with
your PSAT/NMSQT results, so that
you can review the questions.
You can also review each test
question in My College QuickStart.
Your Answers (cont.)
You will get your test book back with
your PSAT/NMSQT results, so that
you can review the questions.
You can also review each test
question in My College QuickStart.
Your Answers:
Student-Produced
Responses
Your Answers:
Student-Produced
Responses (cont.)
Some of the math problems required you
to grid in answers instead of selecting an
option. For these questions, you will see
the correct answer(s) written out.
Next Steps
Next Steps (cont.)
What’s next?
Use the access code on your report to log in to My College
QuickStart, a personalized college and career planning kit. There you
can:
•Search for colleges
•Get a personalized SAT study plan
•Take a personality test to find majors and careers that fit you
•See your AP Potential
www.collegeboard.org/quickstart
My College QuickStart
My College QuickStart
My Online Score Report
• Projected SAT® score ranges
My College QuickStart
My Online Score Report
• State percentiles
My College QuickStart
My Online Score Report
• You can filter questions
My College QuickStart
My Online Score Report
• Questions and
answer explanations
My College QuickStart
My SAT Study Plan™
• Personalized skills
to improve
My College QuickStart
My SAT Study Plan™
• SAT practice questions
My College QuickStart
My SAT Study Plan™
• An official SAT practice test
My College QuickStart
My Personality
• Personality test
• Description of your type
• Tips for success
• Majors and careers that might
be a good fit for you
My College QuickStart
My College QuickStart
My College Matches
• Starter list of colleges
• Criteria to customize search
• Ability to save searches
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
My College QuickStart
My College QuickStart
My AP Potential
• Courses you’re likely to succeed
in
• Courses that match majors
you’re interested in
• Courses that were offered at
your school last year
My College QuickStart
The shading of the steps icons
illustrates your potential
My College QuickStart
Choosing a major puts a
checkmark in the Matches
Major column next to
appropriate courses
My College QuickStart
This column tells you if this
course is likely offered at your
school
My College QuickStart
Look for courses where you
have “potential”, it matches
your major, and it’s offered at
your school
My College QuickStart
Log in to your personalized account at
www.collegeboard.org/quickstart
What is an AP Course?
+
AP stands for Advanced Placement.
+
AP courses are the highest level courses that Avon Grove offers
(higher than an honors course).
+
At the completion of an AP course, a student can opt to take an AP
Exam and the score on the AP Exam can result in college credit
depending on the particular university.
What factors contribute to
success in AP Courses?
+
Due to the rigorous course load of AP courses, there are many
factors that contribute to student success in these classes.
- Motivational level
- Previous experience (has the student taken an Honors class?)
- Student strength and ability in a particular subject
- Passing the qualifying test (if applicable for that course)
- PSAT Scores and AP Potential
What is “AP Potential”?
+
AP Potential is a tool that may be incorporated into the course
selection process by teachers.
+
Web-based tool developed by CollegeBoard that helps high schools
find potential AP students among their school’s PSAT test takers.
+
It analyzes current PSAT student score data and generates a roster
of students who are likely to score a 3 or better on a given AP
exam.
What is “AP Potential”?
+
This tool, used by the school, is designed to help incorporate
student access to the AP courses and ensure that students who
have an opportunity to succeed in an AP course are aware of their
potential.
+
AP potential should never discourage a motivated student from
registering for an AP course because it accounts for only some of
the factors that contribute to successful AP exam results.
Want to learn more
about this tool?
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The AP Potential tool is based on research that establishes
meaningful correlations between PSAT scores and AP exam
scores.
+
If you are interested in learning more about the relationship
between a student’s PSAT score and their AP exams grades, the
following website will provide you with the research done by
CollegeBoard and the study they conducted.
- www.collegeboard.com/research
How can AP Potential be used?
+
The tool provides expectancy tables for each of the AP subjects.
+
The table shows the percentage of students at any given PSAT
score range who achieved AP exam grade of 3 or higher and 4 or
higher.
+
This tool can be used as an additional factor in helping a student
decide whether or not to take an AP course and which AP courses
they may have more strength in.
AP Courses at Avon Grove
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Avon Grove offers 18 AP courses.
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AP courses have been authorized through the AP Course Audit.
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Point values for this class are one point higher than the
corresponding values for standard courses.
- An “A+” in an AP Course counts as a 5.5 on the weighted GPA scale.
- An “A+” in a regular class is 4.5.
What AP Courses does
Avon Grove currently offer?
+
English
- AP English Language and Composition
 1 credit, 11th grade
- AP English Literature and Composition
 1 credit, 12th grade
+
Mathematics
- AP Statistics
 1 credit, 11th grade or 12th grade
- AP Calculus AB
 1 credit, 11th grade or 12th grade
- AP Calculus BC
 1 credit, 12th grade
AP Courses (continued)
+
Science
- AP Biology
 1 credit, 11th grade or 12th grade
- AP Chemistry
 1 credit, 11th grade or 12th grade
- AP Environmental Science
 1 credit, 11th grade or 12th grade
- AP Physics 1 and 2
 1 credit, 12th grade
- AP Physics C: Electricity, Magnetism, and Mechanics
 1 credit, 12th grade
AP Courses (continued)
+
Social Studies
- AP World History
 1 credit, 10th grade preference
- AP United States History
 1 credit, 11th grade or 12th grade
- AP European History
 1 credit, 11th grade or 12th grade
- AP Economics (Macro and Micro)
 1 credit, 11th grade or 12th grade
- AP Psychology
 1 credit, 12th grade
AP Courses (continued)
+
World Languages
- AP Spanish Language and Culture
 1 credit, 12th grade
- AP French Language and Culture
 1 credit, 12th grade
- The AP Potential tool does not apply to the AP World Language courses.
+
Art
- AP Art History
 1 credit, 11th grade or 12th grade
The AP Exam
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At the end of an AP Course, CollegeBoard offers student’s the
option of taking the AP Exam.
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An AP exam is a CollegeBoard designed standardized test that
assesses the student’s level of mastery of the class.
+
The exam is graded on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 being the lowest and 5
being the highest possible score
The AP Exam (continued)
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Each AP Exam costs $91 approx.
+
The cost of the exam is the responsibility of the student or the
student’s family.
+
This year AP Exams will be administered
- Monday, May 4th – Friday, May 15th. (Typical timeframe)
So how did Avon Grove students do?
2013 Avon Grove AP Exam Data
5
4
3
2
1
Total
Exams
Number of
Exams
117
164
140
72
30
523
Percentage of
Total
22
31
27
14
6
100
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In 2013, 339 Avon Grove students took 523 AP Exams.
+
80% of our students scored a 3 or higher on the exams that they
took.
Why Take an AP Course?
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“31% of colleges and universities consider a student’s AP
experience when making decisions about which students will
receive scholarships.”
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Obtaining a score required by the college or university you attend
for a particular AP exam can save you the cost of that class.
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“85% of selective colleges and universities report that a student’s
AP experience favorably impacts admissions decisions.”
+
Statistics provided by www.collegeboard.com on the CollegeBoard
AP page.
AP Exam Scores and
Possible College Credit
+
Most colleges and universities will accept particular scores on the
AP Exam which will exempt a student from having to take that class
in college.
- Example: If West Chester University accepts a 4 on the AP Psychology
Exam and you scored a 4, you will earn college credit for that exam and
not have to take Introduction to Psychology at West Chester University.
How to figure out what
AP score you need?
+
Information about AP credit and placement policies at many
colleges and universities is available at
www.collegeboard.com/ap/creditpolicy.
+
Search by college or university name or by letter of the alphabet.
- You will see two things for each school.
 A link to the college’s own Web page that details its AP credit and placement
policies.
 A statement by the college or university about its AP policy.
+
Each college or university is able to determine their own specific
requirements in regards to accepting AP Exams.
- For example, West Chester University may accept a 3 in AP Biology, but
Penn State University might require a 4.
So…What can you do now?
+
Talk to your teachers.
- Ask teachers if they think you can handle the course work of an AP level
course based on how you are performing in the current course you are
in.
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Prepare yourself for the course selection process.
- Read through the courses you are interested in.
Thank you for coming to
PSAT / AP Potential Night
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Questions?
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Comments?
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Concerns?