PSAT EXPLAINED
The PSAT/NMSQT, or Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, is test taken by students in junior high and administered by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT Reasoning Test and determines the eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship Program. . Note: Only students in eleventh grade are eligible to enter NMSC scholarship programs. PSAT/NMSQT measures your performance in specific areas such as critical reading, math, and writing
PSAT/NMSQT consists of five sections: a writing section, two math sections and two critical reading sections. PSAT/NMSQT is 2 hours and 10 minutes long and consists of five sections.
TEST DATES:
The PSAT/NMSQT test is administered in the month of October. The student must sign up for the PSAT/NMSQT at a high school in the community. This test is administered by high schools and not through test centers.
In 2007, high schools will administer the PSAT/NMSQT on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 or Saturday, October 20, 2007.
How is PSAT/NMSQT organized?
PSAT/NMSQT is broadly divided into three main sections namely Critical Reading, Writing and Math. The Critical reading section is 50 minutes long. The Writing segment is 30 hour. And Math is 50 minutes.
PSAT/NMSQT Scoring:
PSAT/NMSQT scores are reported on a scale of 20 to 80 for each section.
The Selection Index, which is used to determine eligibility in National Merit Scholarship Corporation programs (NMSC), is also listed on the score report. The Selection Index, which is the sum of the scores in the three sections, ranges from 60 to 240. The average Selection Index for students in eleventh grade is about 147. Note: Only students in eleventh grade are eligible to enter NMSC scholarship programs.* Have questions? See Frequently Asked Questions
SECTION |
TIME |
Writing Skills |
30 minutes |
Math Sections |
25 minutes |
Math |
25 minutes |
Critical Reading |
25 minutes |
Critical Reading |
25 minutes |
TEST DATES:
The PSAT/NMSQT test is administered in the month of October. The student must sign up for the PSAT/NMSQT at a high school in the community. This test is administered by high schools and not through test centers.
In 2007, high schools will administer the PSAT/NMSQT on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 or Saturday, October 20, 2007.
How is PSAT/NMSQT organized?
PSAT/NMSQT is broadly divided into three main sections namely Critical Reading, Writing and Math. The Critical reading section is 50 minutes long. The Writing segment is 30 hour. And Math is 50 minutes.
TIME |
SUBJECT |
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS |
50 minutes |
Critical Reading |
48 |
25 minutes |
8 Sentence Completions |
13 |
25 minutes |
Critical Reading. |
35 |
50 minutes |
Math |
38 |
25 minutes |
Multiple Choice questions |
28 |
25 minutes |
Student-produced responses or grid-ins |
10 |
30 minutes |
Writing |
39 |
|
Identifying sentence errors |
14 |
|
Improving Paragraphs questions |
5 |
|
Improving Sentences question |
20 |
PSAT/NMSQT Scoring:
PSAT/NMSQT scores are reported on a scale of 20 to 80 for each section.
The Selection Index, which is used to determine eligibility in National Merit Scholarship Corporation programs (NMSC), is also listed on the score report. The Selection Index, which is the sum of the scores in the three sections, ranges from 60 to 240. The average Selection Index for students in eleventh grade is about 147. Note: Only students in eleventh grade are eligible to enter NMSC scholarship programs.* Have questions? See Frequently Asked Questions