Do PSAT scores matter? Mostly not!

PSAT scores are not used in making a college admission decision, but as an indicator of college readiness and as a predictor of SAT scores.  Students will need to take an official SAT to meet standardized testing requirements.

So what is the difference?

It is important to understand that the PSAT is scored on a 160-760 scale for each section, whereas the SAT is scored on a 200-800 scale. The score ranges differ because the SAT contains additional questions of higher difficulty; it’s taken when students are older and have mastered more academic content. Because of this, a student who has scored a 450 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing on the PSAT, for example, should approximately score the same on the SAT if it was taken on the same day.  It would be expected that the student’s score would improve, however, when they take the SAT in the future as they will have mastered more academic content over time.

You will also notice that percentiles are given underneath each score.  These represent the student’s relative standing among all U.S. students in that grade, whether or not they have taken the PSAT.  You can obtain the percentile ranking among students who took the PSAT by going to the online score report on your College Board account.  Be aware that this ranking will most likely be lower as the cohort that takes the PSAT is often more competitive. 

What does it count for?

The PSAT taken in the junior year is used to qualify students for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation Awards program. You will see an NMSC Selection Index Score on the 3rd page of the report. The student’s scores are used to calculate this index score, which will fall within the 48-228 range.  Each state calculates the score needed to qualify for the awards program based on students’ scores from their state and this benchmark changes from year to year.  The NMSC will notify students in September who are eligible to apply for the National Merit Scholarship Awards program.  These students are approximately the top-scoring 1% of students who took the PSAT in their junior year nationwide.

More detailed information about the PSAT can be found by logging into your College Board account online.