PSAT Prep Page

About the PSAT^®

The PSAT, or Preliminary SAT, serves as a practice test for the SAT Reasoning Test. Scores on the PSAT are generally a good indicator of how you will do on the SAT, making the PSAT a valuable test to take. The PSAT is also called the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, or NMSQT. Students who score in the uppermost percentile on their junior year PSAT may qualify for a National Merit Scholarship. The National Merit Scholarship selection index is the minimum combined PSAT score necessary to initially qualify for a National Merit Scholarship. The selection index varies from state to state, and from year to year.

High schools administer the PSAT to all juniors in the month of October, and some schools offer the PSAT to sophomores as well. The PSAT consists of three sections, Math, Critical Reading, and Writing. Each section is scored on a range of 20 to 80 points, for a total possible combined score of 240 points. The content of the PSAT is almost identical to that of the SAT, except that the PSAT does not include an essay question or algebra II topics. The PSAT is also significantly shorter than the SAT at two hours and 10 minutes, as opposed to three hours and 45 minutes.

Prepping for the PSAT

A growing number of students choose to prepare for the PSAT as a first step towards developing a strong test-taking foundation for the SAT, and especially if they are National Merit Scholarship candidates. Preparing for the PSAT is not necessary unless they are a NMSQT scholarship candidate. If they are, we recommend they take an Ivy West SAT program in preparation for the PSAT.

PSAT Test Dates