PSAT/NMSQT WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2014

WHAT IS THE PSAT/NMSQT? The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is cosponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It is administered for the College Board and NMSC by Educational Testing Service (ETS). The PSAT/NMSQT is the route of entry to NMSC scholarship competitions. Requirements for participation, steps in the competitions, and awards offered are explained in the Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT and on NMSC’s website, The PSAT is a standardized test designed as one measure of a student’s ability to do college work. It offers practice for the SAT which many students take in the spring of their junior year. The PSAT is shorter than the SAT, but the questions are of the same difficulty as those on the SAT.

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP CORPORATION (NMSC)  NMSC is an independent, not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance.  NMSC conducts two annual competitions for recognition and scholarships – the National Merit Scholarship Program and the National Achievement Scholarship Program.  The PSAT/NMSQT is the screening test for high school students who wish to participate in NMSC programs.  More information can be found at

STEPS IN THE NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION  In October 2014, U.S. high school students who take the PSAT/NMSQT and meet other program requirements will enter the 2016 competition for National Merit Scholarship Program recognition and scholarships.  Nearly all program participants (entrants) will be juniors planning to enter college in  National Merit Scholarship Program uses PSAT/NMSQT Selection Index scores (the sum of critical reading, mathematics, and writing skills scores) to determine 50,000 high-scoring participants who qualify for program recognition.

DESIGN OF THE TEST  The test consists of 125 questions divided into 5 sections: The Critical Reading section contains Sentence Completion questions and Passage-Based Reading questions The Mathematics section covers concepts of Numbers and Operations, Algebra & Functions, Geometry & Measurement, and Data Analysis, Statistics & Probability The Writing Skills section contains questions measuring Improving Sentences, Identifying Sentence Errors, and Improving Paragraphs

5 SECTION BREAKDOWN OF TEST Section 1: 24 CR questionsTime: 25 minutes Section 2: 20 math questionsTime: 25 minutes Section 3: 24 CR questionsTime: 25 minutes Section 4: 18 math questionsTime: 25 minutes Section 5: 39 writing questionsTime: 30 minutes

WHY SHOULD STUDENTS TAKE THE PSAT? Receive feedback about critical academic skills Prepare for the SAT Start getting ready for college Enter scholarship competitions Have access to “My College QuickStart” which is an online college and career planning tool available free of charge to all students who take the PSAT/NMSQT. It is powered by individual student responses to the test and provides personalized information that helps students take the next steps toward college. Get a head start on college level coursework -- see which AP courses a student may be ready to take and find out which courses are related to college majors that interest individual students

SCORING OF PSAT  For each correct answer, students receive one point.  For questions students omit, no points are received or lost.  For a wrong answer to a multiple-choice question, students lose a quarter (1/4) of a point.  For a wrong answer to a math question that is not multiple choice, no points are lost.

SHOULD STUDENTS GUESS ON THE PSAT?  The following information is included on the cover of a PSAT test booklet:  If students can eliminate one or more choices as wrong, students increase their chances of choosing the correct answer and earning one point.  If students cannot eliminate any choices, they need to move on trying to answer other questions on the test.  Students can always return to questions they skipped later within the section time frame.

PRACTICE INFORMATION  SAT Question of the Day (App store – free)  Access the following link:   Click on the arrow under “See Last Thirty Questions” – scroll to the earliest date possible and begin practicing questions