OPEN THE DOOR TO YOUR
FUTURE – TAKE THE PSAT
WHY IS THE PSAT IMPORTANT?
*Students who take the test their sophomore year and who score well may be invited to take the PSAT
Prep. Class in their junior year. This class prepares students to take the PSAT which will be given in
October of the junior year. A high score in your junior year may qualify you for National Merit
recognition.
*National Merit recognition makes you attractive to universities and colleges and will bring impressive
scholarship offers.
*The strategies you learn in the PSAT class will prepare you for the SAT entrance exam which you must
take as part of the admission process to a university or college.
*Your SAT score report will give you access to www.CollegeBoard.com and the various services offered
by CollegeBoard such as free and personal tutorials which are offered in Quick Start on the College
Board website.
WHAT DOES THE PSAT LOOK LIKE? WHAT ARE THE SKILLS TESTED?
*It is a critical thinking test which measures math, critical reading, and writing skills.
THE CRITICAL READING: The test contains two twenty-five minute sections. Each section has sentence
completion problems (vocabulary) and reading passages which cover subjects in humanities, social
studies, natural sciences, and literary fiction.
THE MATH: The test contains two twenty-five minute sections. It will test number theory and
operations; algebra and functions; geometry and measurement; and data analysis, statistics, and
probability. In one section, you will have 10 free-response /grid-in math problems.
THE WRITING: This will be a 30 minute multiple choice section. You will have to recognize sentence
structure errors, editing errors and paragraph development errors.
HOW WILL MY SCORE BE CALCULATED?
1. Multiple-choice questions: You receive one point for each question answered correctly. For
each question that you attempt but answer incorrectly, ¼ point is subtracted from the total
number of correct answers. No points are added or subtracted for unanswered questions. If
the final score includes a fraction, the score is rounded to the nearest whole number.
2. Student produced response questions in the math section: No points are deducted for
incorrect responses. You gain one point for each correct response.
3. Perfect Score - PSAT
Verbal . . . . . 80
Math . . . . . . 80
Writing . . . . 80
Total:
240
WHAT ARE SOME TIPS THAT I SHOULD KNOW?
1. You should skip any problem that you simply do not know; however, if you can eliminate two or
more choices, you should guess.
2. If you find one of the reading passages too long and hard to follow, read through the questions
first and then try reading the passage. This gives you a purpose for reading which may help you
focus.
3. In the reading sections, work the sentence completion problems first because you can do them
quickly. Also tackle the short reading sections before the longer ones. You can do them quickly.
4. When you work the paragraph organization questions in the writing section, read the entire
paragraph before you attempt the revision problems.
5. Since the sections are timed, you should pace yourself, keeping an eye on the time.
6. Eat a well balanced breakfast (lots of protein) on the morning of the test so your blood sugar
level does not drop.
7. Bring your own calculator and make sure the batteries are new. You may take the test without
a calculator, but you will be glad that you have one.
8. Work the practice test which is inside the student booklet provided by the counselors.