Understanding PSAT Score

PSAT or the Preliminary SAT is a test taken by students from 8th, 9th, and 10th grades to identify the level of learning they have achieved in school. This opens doors for opportunities like the National Merit Scholarship and hence is often referred to as PSAT/NMSQT. The exam report suggests scores that reflect on their performance in school and if students will be college-ready in a few years.

Understanding what an Average PSAT score is, requires understanding the score report that they provide after the exam. The score report covers information ranging from students' total scores to the scores they have achieved in different content areas. This can further be broken down into deciphering how they have performed on questions of different difficulty levels. Percentiles, then, will help students compare their performance to that of the other test-takers.

In 2023, the PSAT went completely digital, but the test's content and score range are still the same.

Understanding the PSAT Report

The PSAT score report might look intimidating considering the number of figures that are present under various titles. But breaking down these scores can easily be managed after reading the comprehensive guide that we have written here for students to understand the report.

The report contains 9 pieces of information regarding the scores which require a little detailing to comprehend. Namely, it contains the total score, section scores, test scores, raw scores, sub-scores, cross-test scores, selection index scores, and percentiles.

Total Score- The total score is the first score that is written in the largest font size on the second page of the score report. The score is the sum of students' section scores and depicts the number of correct answers students have marked in the test. The maximum mark that can be achieved in PSAT is 1520 unlike 1600 on SAT.

Section Scores- The section score will be written right below the total score in a smaller font and is the score students have availed for the two different sections in the test. The two different sections here are ERW (Evidence-based Reading and Writing) and Mathematics which are scored on a scale between 160 and 760.

Test Scores-This score goes one step further in dividing the scores and stands for the scores students have achieved in the individual sections of the test. Students will be able to see what they have scored in Mathematics Reading and Writing. Each section will have a maximum score of 38. This score is further converted into the scale required for the scaled Section Score by the College Board.

Raw Scores- The raw score is different from the section score in the sense that the raw score will also be separately provided for each section but is not scaled differently. Here, every answer that has been marked correctly will receive one mark each and thus will have different scores for each section.

Cross-test scores- The cross-test scores are calculated based on questions spread over the entire test that is rooted in History/ Social Sciences and Sciences. Cross-test scores are markers for these two areas that are not explicitly present in the test and are marked on a scale of 8 to 38 like the Section scores.

Sub-scores- Sub-scores have a score range of 1 to 15 and span over multiple sections that deal with different question types. There are mainly 8 categories that are looked into for these scores.

Reading and Writing and Language

• Command of Evidence
• Words in Context
• Standard English Conventions
• Expression of Ideas

Mathematics

• Algebra
• Problem Solving
• Data Analysis
• Passport to Advanced Math

Selection Index Score-The Selection Index Score is present in the report towards the third page of the report and is not part of the SAT score. This unique PSAT score is used by the NMSC (National Merit Scholarship Corporation) to select students for the National Merit Scholarship. The score range for this section is from 48 to 228 and is the sum of all three unscaled test scores multiplied by 2. The students who are among the top 3% or 4% of the list are called commendable students whereas the top 1% of the students will be awarded the scholarship.

Percentile- Percentile calculation is similar in both the PSAT and the SAT exams. It is concerned with the student's overall performance about the other test-takers. A higher percentile implies that students have performed better than that particular percentage of test-takers during that particular test. For instance, if they have received a 75 percentile it implies that the student has performed better than 75% of students who attempted the test in that session. On the other hand, receiving a 20% percentile implies that they have underperformed more than 80% of the test-takers.

Career Insights- Students' score report includes a Career Insights section to assist them in understanding the steps necessary to land their dream job. Students will see six growing and in-demand careers in their state on their score report. The career insights section will be accessible through students' score reports and the BigFuture mobile app, which will enable students to access their SAT and PSAT score reports on their phones.

Scores Students Should Look At

The scores that should be looked at without fail are mainly the scaled total score and section scores. These scores act as a precursor to the scores students may receive in the official SAT exam. But while considering these scores the scale differences of both these exams should be noted. That is, the PSAT has an upper score limit of 1520 whereas the SAT is calculated in 1600.

The other important scores that ought to be looked at are the percentile and the selection index score. The percentile lets students decide where they stand among the other test-takers. The score report will contain 2 different percentiles. One will be the Nationally Representative Sample percentile and the other will be a user percentile. The former reflects on the percentile students would have received if all high school students in the nation had attempted the test and the latter shows their actual percentile about the students who are in their grade who have taken the test. Therefore, one must focus on the User percentile rather than the Nationally Representative Sample.

Above Average and Below Average PSAT Scores

Considering that the maximum score that can be obtained is 1520, certain numbers indicate an above-average and a below-average score. An overall score above 1210 with perhaps more than 620 in Mathematics and another 620 in Reading and Writing would be considered the best score achievable. But any score above 1070 in 1520 would certainly create room for competition considering how this score can be achieved only by the top 25% of all the test-takers.

This does not imply that a score immediately below 1070 is “bad”. Overall scores above 950 with an above 500 in either Mathematics or English is a good PSAT score. Anything below 950 with scores below 500 in both sections is considered a below-average score.

What if one's PSAT score is bad? What next?

Having a below-average score on the PSAT does hinder students' growth into higher education a little. PSAT scores do NOT decide their entire future. PSAT is conducted for students from 8th grade until 10th grade and can be taken throughout these 3 times. This gives students ample time to retake the test.

PSAT is conducted in schools to create an idea as to how SAT should be attempted in the future. This is why the pattern of the exam and the syllabus for both these exams have been kept similar apart from sections that are too advanced for 10th-grade students. If students have scored below average or not as much as they hoped for in their final attempt, students can always choose not to display their results to colleges/ universities.

It is understood that PSAT can win students scholarships and provide them with a better chance for admission to their desired college/ university. But ultimately having a good SAT score can procure students the same in the long run. So just carry the experience of attempting the exam forward and achieve a better score on the SAT to fulfill their dreams.