What grade should you take the PSAT?

Most students take the PSAT/NMSQT once—in 11th grade. Some schools also offer it to students in 10th grade. They can take it only once per school year. Some scholarship programs only look at the junior year PSAT/NMSQT score.

Should I take PSAT in 10th grade?

Most test-takers should plan on taking the PSAT/NMSQT their sophomore year. While you can't qualify for the National Merit Scholarship in 10th grade, you can gain valuable experience to prepare for your junior year when you can qualify for the scholarship.

What grade do you take the PSAT?

Most students take the test in 11th grade, but you could take it in ninth and/or 10th grade for extra practice. Note that only juniors who take the PSAT will be considered for a National Merit Scholarship — sophomores do not qualify.

Can you take PSAT in 9th grade?

Yes. Any student can arrange to take the PSAT 10 at a school that offers it. However, we recommend that eighth and ninth graders take the PSAT 8/9.

Why take PSAT in 8th grade?

Results from the PSAT 8/9 allow you to evaluate each student's college and career readiness and determine which knowledge areas and skills need more work. Having these insights early in high school lets you intervene in time to get more of your students on track for success.

Everything You Need to Know about the PSAT!

Is 1000 a good PSAT score for 8th grader?

It was your first time taking the PSAT and a score above a 1000 is generally considered good, so you're already on the right track. Colleges will not be sent the scores to your PSAT 8/9 - they only see and care about the PSAT/NMSQT (the one you take in 11th grade that qualifies you for the National Merit Scholarship).

Is 790 a bad PSAT?

However, from a percentile perspective, any score below the 25th percentile might be considered on the lower end. Using the nationally representative sample as a reference, this would be a score between 790 and 800. For students who have specifically taken the PSAT®, this would be approximately 830.

Is 1200 a good PSAT score?

A good PSAT score is between 1210 and 1520, which would put you in the top 10% of test takers. The average score earned on the PSAT is about 920, and a “perfect” score on the PSAT would be the maximum score of 1520.

Is 1300 a good PSAT score?

If your child scored in the middle (1100 to 1300):

A score in this range means that your child is on par with or a little above the other students who took this test.

Is 1100 a good PSAT score?

The PSAT score is based on two scores: a Reading and Writing section and a Math section. Each section is scored between 160-760, adding up to an overall score between 320-1520. A score in the 75th percentile is considered the benchmark — usually an 1150 overall.

Can I skip the PSAT?

There are no consequences to skipping a PSAT. Know, however, that the test is only offered once a year, so you have limited opportunities to take it. Furthermore, you must take it during your junior year if you want to be considered for scholarships like National Merit.

Do colleges look at PSAT?

Your acceptance or rejection into college is much more dependent on the SAT or ACT , so the short answer is “no,” colleges don't care at all about the PSAT. An abysmal score on the PSAT will not have any direct effect on your chances of getting into a college.

How hard is the PSAT?

The PSAT is slightly less challenging than the SAT because it is designed to be a practice test. As a precursor exam, the PSAT will introduce students to the subject matter and test structure of the SAT. The PSAT is a shorter test as well, with fewer questions.

Is 1010 a bad PSAT score?

So, if we're aiming for that 75th percentile, your score would need to fall somewhere between 1160-1180. And if you scored anywhere above 1010, this would be an above-average PSAT score!

Is 930 a good PSAT score?

In contrast, an excellent score is one that's higher than the 90th percentile, or 90% of test takers. Based on that reasoning, a good PSAT score for a sophomore is a composite score higher than 1060, an OK score is one higher than 920, and an excellent score is anything higher than 1180.

Is 1000 a good PSAT score for a 10th grader?

A combined score of 1000 is approximately the national average, which represents the 50th percentile (students who score 1000 score right in the middle, with 50% of the people scoring higher and 50% of the students scoring lower).

Is 800 a good PSAT score?

A PSAT score of 850–860 is considered decent and will place your 9th grader in the 50th percentile range. To reach the top 10%, a student needs a score of 1110 or above. To be among the top 1% of 9th grader PSAT test takers, your student would need a score of 1280–1440.

Is 430 a bad PSAT score?

The College Board has set college readiness benchmarks for each grade. If, as a 10th grader, you score at or above a 430 in the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section of the PSAT 10 and at or above a 480 in Math, you are on track to be college-ready by the time you graduate from high school.

Is it OK to do bad on the PSAT?

Getting a PSAT score lower than you wanted can be disappointing, but, fortunately, a low PSAT score won't impact your college applications, and there are methods you can follow to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

Is a 750 on the PSAT bad?

As you probably noticed, the score ranges for the 99th percentiles for Reading and Writing and for Math are not the same. For R&W, a score as low as 730 guarantees you a spot in the 99th percentile. For Math, on the other hand, you must score at least 750—a near-perfect score!

Is 600 a bad PSAT score?

We can define a "good" PSAT score as one that's higher than the 75th percentile of the user group. This means you scored equal to or higher than 75% of all other test takers. For juniors, 75th percentile scores are around 560 to 590 in each section, or about 1150 in total.

Is a 950 PSAT score bad?

Good PSAT Scores

Scores in the 950-1080 range are considered good, and scores above 1080 are excellent. Top colleges generally consider anything above 1200 to be competitive. If you're aiming for Ivy League schools, your goal should be 1450 or higher.

Is 910 a bad PSAT score?

There are hundreds of colleges you could get into with a 910. But bear in mind that this score puts you in about 21st percentile, which means that 79% of other test takers out there scored higher than you. That doesn't make it easy for you in the college search.

Is a 1080 PSAT score bad?

Above Average PSAT Scores: 1080-1190

11th-grade students who scored between 1080 and 1190 on the PSAT test will fall within the top 25% of all test takers.

What is a 800 PSAT score?

PSAT Section Scores are on a 160-760 scale, whereas the SAT's Section Scores are on a 200-800 scale. The scale ranges differ because some SAT content is more advanced than on the PSAT. To put it simply, the PSAT does not have 800-level content, so it does not offer an 800 score.